Recently, I had the opportunity to spend time with some of the most progressive leaders within the automotive repair industry. The Independent Automotive Repair Professional 20 Group or IAP20 has been at the forefront of the industry and has steered many vendors toward the current solutions provided to auto repair shops across the country. I value the relationships I have built with the group over the past fifteen years, and the insight they have provided me. We discussed the value of real marketing assets and how inbound is a buzz word that sums up the concept of building assets through marketing.
My relationship with IAP20 and its members is unique and I see my role as a consultant that is deeply invested in ensuring their sustained growth. I feel that the auto repair industry path towards growth is held back by the current solutions available to them and neglect the core needs of the industry's businesses. Revenue growth does not come from increasing customer count, car count or repair order count- it comes from specific customers and services. Managing growth at a macro level is not an effective strategy, it must be done at the customer level. When the solutions and strategies employed begin by utilizing the lifetime value of a specific type of customer; a business can strategize on developing more profitable customers.
![create-real-auto-repair-marketing-assets](https://blog.businessactualization.com/hs-fs/hub/138004/file-1163389786-jpg/images/posts/create-real-auto-repair-marketing-assets.jpg?width=301&name=create-real-auto-repair-marketing-assets.jpg)
Customer value management allows us to evaluate a businesses current customers and identify their habits which drive sales. We can also identify future profitable customers and develop ways to build a relationship with them. Focusing on short term data is unreliable as it may be affected by spikes resulting from non-sustainable practices like discounts. Building real marketing assets that satisfy these profitable customer types is the start of a sustainable path towards growth. This also allows us to reliably predict the lifetime value of a customer and forecast business growth.
As members of IAP20 and I discussed these concepts, it solidified my vision for bringing inbound to the automotive repair industry and how it will fundamentally change the way effective marketing is carried out.
As I observed auto repair shop marketing companies fail to protect the marketing assets IAP20 members have accrued, it became clear to me that my role is not that of another marketer. My role is that of an asset manager and advisor. In an industry diluted by unreliable metrics and a lack of addressing the core needs- I intend to lay a new path. This path has never been introduced to the industry as it may be less profitable for the current service providers that dominate the market.
![build-a-marketing-foundation](https://blog.businessactualization.com/hs-fs/hub/138004/file-1167066105-jpg/images/posts/build-a-marketing-foundation.jpg?width=316&name=build-a-marketing-foundation.jpg)
If you are ready to fundamentally change the way you do business contact me. I'll tell you a story about how an industry is burning capital that could have been transformed into assets they retain for years to come. For those members of IAP20 I was able to connect with and elaborate on these concepts, they will never look at marketing the same.