42 GEARS May-June 2003

With Diablo Transmissionsnow up and running, havingto personally fill every posi-tion in the business had me rapidlyapproaching burnout. I was at thatpoint where the increased workload - ifit continued - would justify hiring myfirst technician. But that had to be con-sidered against the cost, and, as I justindicated, the great unknown: will mybusiness continue to grow?

Fortunately for me my timing wasgood in another respect. The annualATRA Powertrain EXPO was comingup, and it was a good opportunity toattend a few seminars and look forsome answers. My wife and I took offfor Vegas, with high hopes.

On a friends recommendation Idecided to attend a certain sales andmanagement class at the EXPO. I wentto the first session and never lookedback. I went to every session thisspeaker offered. I feel so strongly aboutwhat I learned, I believe that it was theturning point of my career. The mar-keting and management information Ilearned really helped to clear my mind.My wife and I were so moved by whatwe learned we bought some of the sup-port programs they offered. These pro-grams have proved to be the singlemost important purchase I have made todate.

Another plus was that I was betterable to get to know many of the ATRAstaff, and develop friendships I hopewill last for years. These good folks atATRA are truly there to help you withyour business or career. I was soimpressed with the staff I could go on

and on, but let me just say this: use theassociation not just as technical line,but also as a business tool. They aretruly a fantastic resource for your busi-ness.

While flying back home from LasVegas I was excited about the comingMonday morning. I was re-energized,but most of all I had the knowledge thatcould help change my business. Thefirst week after EXPO I implemented

several changes that I felt would helpright away. With a better attitude andmore energy I felt empowered, and thatwas the difference. I was ready forchange and more importantly, I knewexactly what Diablo Transmissionneeded.

I was ready to make some creative,and in some cases unconventional, mar-keting decisions aimed at the retail cus-tomer. Before deciding which medium

to use to launch my new marketingplan, I decided to take a hard look at theads and offers I had used in the past.After looking them over I had to admitthey were boring, even though they hadbeen effective. I wanted a new edge.

I had been considering the pur-chase of a transmission ATFFlusher/Exchanger for service work. Inthe last several months I have turneddown countless opportunities from cus-tomers to supply them with this service.Damn. A new business turning awaycustomers this was killing me. So Idecided this was the indication I need-ed to buy the machine. I had researchedthe equipment for quite a while, andwhile at the EXPO trade show, had seenseveral of the units on display.

You know the old saying, Youhave to spend money to make money.While I was writing the check for theflusher, I thought of this and laughed. Ifthat was true, I thought to myself, Iwould be rolling in the bucks. With thenew machine I now had a new serviceto offer my customers. I had found mynew marketing edge.

With the new flusher in the shop Iwas ready to choose the method Iwould use to deliver my message. Thechoices were numerous: direct mail,coupon books, newspaper, Internet,phone book, television, radio, blimps,Super Bowl spots and NASCAR spon-sorship. Well, maybe a couple of thoseoptions were out of my reach.

This is probably a good time toexplain the theory I have developedover the years about marketing. First iswhat I call the Instant Sale piece.

by Ray Warner

JourneyJourneyMyMyUGH!!!! That really scared the hell out of me.

Attending theTransmission EXPO

gave me greatermotivation alongwith new tools I

could immediatelyput to use to

increase business.

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This kind of ad is one that a customeracts on immediately in whatever formof media used. This type of advertisingwas good for immediate, short-termsales, and would help contribute to thedevelopment of a solid customer base.I have had good success with directmail coupons that feature service dis-counts, and free inspections. The sec-ond part of my marketing theory con-cerns long term projects. These requirea great deal more patience on my part,but I know a good long-term planwould be rewarding.

I am also involved in the develop-ment of some unconventional types ofmarketing. These projects may takelonger to develop, but they offer long-term exposure. Primary among these isan Internet web site; a project thatexcites me for several reasons. My website can be located by a potential cus-tomer surfing the web for informa-tion on transmission repair. They canprint any special promotion I may haverunning right from the site. Myaccounts, or potential customers, areable to visit the web site to review tech-nical information about servicing, diag-nosing, and installation of transmis-sions.

I discussed this with a few cus-tomers recently and received a positiveresponse. I have also learned that main-taining a web site requires a commit-ment of time and effort to properly sup-port and market. Unless you tell peopleto use the site, or advertise your webaddress, many of them will not know itexists.

The next thing I did was start arebate program I call Diablo

Transmission Car Cash. Since Ilaunched the program just before theholidays I sent a note to all my retailcustomers wishing them a happy holi-day, and included a $30.00 Car Cashcertificate. They could apply the certifi-cate to their next visit to my shop, or

pass it along to a friend. Its really asimple process, and Im still waiting tofully assess its effectiveness.

I also started a simple goodwill fol-low-up program. About one monthafter a customer has been to my shop Isend them a coupon good for a free carwash, courtesy of Diablo Transmission.It keeps my business name in front ofthe customer, and will hopefully createsome positive word-of-mouth adver-tising.

I cant take credit for the majorityof my marketing ideas. While attend-ing the Powertrain EXPO in Las Vegasand talking - let me rephrase that - lis-tening to everyone from industry lead-ers to fellow shop owners, I absorbed ahost of great ideas.

Looking back, Ive come to realizehow things have changed. For the firstfew months my shop was open I wasjust waiting for business to get better.Each month it did improve some, but I

realized it was time to take control andpush toward a greater level of success.

I remember back when I was still amember of the family business, andhow frustrated I got from just living offour reputation. We just reacted to whatwas happening around us, rather thenbeing proactive and taking charge. Itwas unsettling to realize that is exactlywhat I had been doing right beforeattending the Powertrain EXPO.UGH!!!! That really scared the hell outof me. Now things are on the righttrack, and business is growing becauseof what Ive put in motion.

Attending the Transmission EXPOgave me greater motivation along withnew tools I could immediately put touse to increase business. As a matter offact, my workload increased to thepoint where I have had to use a fewremanufactured transmissions until Iwas caught up. My experience with theremanufactured transmission brings upsomething Ill talk about in my nextarticle. I call it The Reman fromHell.

Let me finish this article by tellingyou that what I am doing, and whatthousands of shop owners across thecountry are doing, is hard. Each daythat goes by I ask myself, What thehell am I doing? But I also know thesense of pride and accomplishment Illfeel when I reach my goals will not bemeasured by a profit and loss state-ment, or gross sales figures. It will befelt in my heart, and all the work andfrustration will be worth it.

GEARS May-June 2003 43

Each day that goesby I ask myself,

What the hell am Idoing?

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