Document 91LooDMLgqbROVOk6Xg5RnpeV

NG YOUR CUSTOMERS BACK HOME! kind of an effective advertising campaign unaffordable. As a result of their inability to meet cur rent customer needs and preferences, many service stations were forced out of business: since 1974, over 80,000 have closed. Those station owners who did survive had to adapt to the current market condi tions -- in many cases, with the help of their NAPA Jobber. By sponsoring NAPA's numerous technical clinics and actively promoting ASE certification, NAPA Job bers helped their dealer customers to become more knowledgeable and efficient in many areas previously considered spe cialty work. NAPA's Automotive Service Management Course helped dealers im prove their employees' productivity and customer service skills. At the same time, NAPA Jobbers began using the NAPA Car Care Days promotion as a tool to include these customers in a nationwide campaign coupled with local advertising, telling the motoring public that these repair outlets are the places to go for top quality service and parts. In short, with the help of the NAPA Jobber, the dealers who survived this shift in customer preference emerged as better businessmen and better repair tech nicians. Today both NAPA jobbers and their deal er customers are still working to meet changing customer needs and preferences to the best of their abilities. Times have been hard, but there's good news around the corner. You see, today's customer pre ferences are undergoing still another change. Consumers who in the beginning had en thusiastically patronized all of the discount, retail and specialty outlets found that they did indeed offer fast, cheap and, in the short term, convenient service. However these same customers are now finding that, in the long run, shopping in such places can be extremely unsatisfactory. For example, many of the newer do-ityourself discount, mass merchandiser and department store outlets are great for those fortunate people who know everything there is to know about automotive repair work -- what's wrong with a car, exactly what parts are needed, what tools are re quired for installation etc. However, cus tomers who aren't that technically inform ed (and with the increasing complexity of today's vehicles, most aren't) are discover ing that, for the most part, these new ser vice alternatives have absolutely no know ledgeable sales help available to answer their questions. Furthermore, another problem that cus tomers encounter in shopping for automo tive parts and products at discount, mass merchandiser and department stores is in consistent product performance quality and coverage. Thus, many consumers are now asking themselves, "If I can't get the part I need right away, or if substandard quali ty forces me to replace the same part again within just a few months, am I really sav ing myself time and money?" Not only is service at the discount, mass merchandising and department stores of ten inadequate, but service in the special ty repair outlets can also lack quality. For example, employees of a particular special ty shop tend to have little knowledge of the rest of a car's automotive systems and how these systems can interrelate in diagnos ing a given problem. Thus, potential pro blems in other systems are often going un noticed, creating safety hazards as well as additional expense. Today's consumer -- having thoroughly experienced many of these problems -- is finally beginning to feel that enough is enough. He is finally remembering the good old days when he took fast, reason able and professional service for granted and is beginning to take his business back to those he had forsaken in the past. For the NAPA Jobber and his dealers this means that their customers are coming home -- and you and your dealers will be more than ready for them with NAPA's Fall Car Care Days. Now is the time to make it one of your most successful sales pro motions ever! What can you and your dealers do to help your NAPA Fall Car Care Days pro motion really take advantage of this chang ing customer preference shift? Well, the first thing to do is include your dealers in your local advertising. This is the best way to show those dealer customers who still haven't realized it yet, that they do have an alternative to turn to! NAPA's national advertising can more than effec tively arouse broad consumer awareness, but only local advertising can show motor ists exactly where to go in your specific area to get the kind of NAPA quality and service they're looking for. Such local advertising need not be dif ficult or expensive. NAPA can offer you all the assistance and materials you'll need in order to create an effective and profitable campaign. For example, for radio and newspaper advertising campaigns NAPA offers pre-made radio tapes and ad slicks with plenty of space at the end to add all of the necessary information -- your store name and location, as well as the names of your participating dealer customers. This will enable you to tie-in with NAPA's wide ly recognized national campaign and reap its benefits easily and inexpensively. Now that's smart local advertising you can't af ford to miss! But, effective as local advertising may be, it certainly isn't all that you need in order to guarantee a successful Car Care Days sales promotion this fall. It's also vital ly important for you and your dealers to make extensive use of the signs, posters, and banners that NAPA provides especially for Car Care Days. High visibility is impor tant in any customer service business. Cus tomers need to SEE exactly where they can go in their neighborhoods to get NAPA quality parts and service. National and local advertising can make potential customers seek you out, but if they can't find you, you're wasting your advertising dollars. Furthermore, prominent signage can reach those customers that even advertising might miss. With careful planning and your enthusi astic support, a successful Car Care Days promotion is in the bag. Consumers are now looking for a quality alternative to fill those needs that discount houses and spe cialty shops are incapable of. And that's ex actly what a successful NAPA Car Care Days promotion should do for both you and your dealers -- let them know you're there! Today's NAPA Car Care Days promotions can truly benefit everyone -- perhaps even more than ever before! Your customers, tired of inadequate "bargain" automotive goods and services, can benefit by getting quality goods and services at a reasonable price from profes sionals they can trust. With proper main tenance work they can also have peace of mind concerning the safety and reliability of their car's performance -- an invaluable benefit in itself. Your dealers can benefit by receiving ex tensive national and local Car Care Days advertising exposure -- advertising which will make sure that everyone knows that NAPA dealers are most definitely a satis factory alternative to the myriad of "new comers" to the service business. Cus tomers motivated to have maintenance/ repair work done on their cars will know where to go to get reasonable, efficient and quality service. And the service they will receive by professional and dedicated NAPA dealers will keep them coming back. And you as a NAPA Jobber can reap the greatest benefits of all. Like your dealer customers you will also receive extensive national and local Car Care Days advertis ing exposure. And the exposure you re ceive through your participating dealers will also be important. The more that custo mers see professional service technicians using NAPA Brand parts in their repair/maintenance work the more they come to associate the name NAPA brand with superb quality in automotive goods and services -- more advertising for NAPA Jobbers! Finally, participation in the NAPA Fall Car Care Days promotion reaffirms your concern for your dealer customers and creates an environment of cooperative goodwill that, in the long run, can only add up to better business for everybody. 17