5 Quick Ways To Prove To Customers That Your SMART or PDR Business Is Established

Over the past few years, SMART Repair has become an increasingly popular method for repairing cars using the latest tools and materials, rather than taking a vehicle to a traditional body shop. Of the different SMART repair services offered, PDR is one of the most popular repairs that customers will always need, so long as we have cars to drive. 

However, some people, often referred to as “Dent Nomads,” will perform illegitimate PDR and scam customers for their money. Even if you’ve only had one season of chasing hail, you know these unscrupulous actors will drive around areas hit by hail and other severe weather, claiming they can do that for which you and your team have received proper training, but it’s nothing but a scam. As a result of these talentless crooks, customers are more hesitant to trust their car to be repaired anywhere other than at providers their insurance company recommends. 

Although hail season doesn’t rev up for another few months, people will still need SMART repair services for their cars. During this time, you can generate business and not let the time slowly pass before you go out hail chasing. This is also the perfect time to establish yourself as a reputable business, so people remember you when they need PDR services during the next hail season. 

Here are a few quick and easy ways to legitimize your business: 

• Team Photos: Customers want to see who they’re dealing with and that your team of technicians are all trained professionals, not scam artists. It’ll provide a sense of familiarity once they show up for their service appointment, and they see the same people from the website. 

• Real Customer Testimonials: One of the most effective ways businesses prove their realness is by sharing customer testimonials. We’re not talking about the 5-star glowing reviews saying how you’re the best in town. Those can come off as fake and as if your business is editing the reviews. In fact, 95% of customers “suspect censorship fakes reviews they don’t see bad scores” (Reevoo Insight research).  Instead, ask customers to share testimonials of their experience and the repair. Why did they choose your business? How did they discover you? What kind of repair did they need? These can be shared on your social media pages and your website (with your customer’s permission, of course). 

• Videos: Although SMART repair has been around for a few years, some people might still be under the notion that car repair is what it was years ago with a handful of different tools and equipment. This is mainly for customers who have gone years without needing any car repair. Videos are an excellent opportunity to introduce to your potential customers what various SMART repair services are, such as PDR. The data doesn’t lie, either. Just take a look at these statistics when it comes to using video as a marketing tool:
  •  –72% of consumers prefer to learn about services a business offers from a short video. 
  • -Having a video on your home page can increase conversions up to 80%. 
  • –97% of marketers feel video helped people better understand what services they offer. 

• Physical Address: Having an actual physical address to your SMART repair business is a great way to prove to potential customers that you’re a real business operating just like any other repair shop. This is especially important with so many scam artists out there, like the dent nomads. Provide any additional information that would make a prospect feel confident they’re dealing with the real deal, including parking information, photos of the location, and hours of operation. 

• Business Phone Number: Can you imagine how shady your business would look if they called the number on your website, and it went to your personal cell phone? Thankfully, having a business phone number doesn’t have to be adding a landline. You can add a second line right on your mobile device using one of several methods that are all extremely affordable. Services like Google Voice are free, work on all smartphones, and can be a quick solution before possibly purchasing a new phone as a business line.
  • (For a list of 6 different business phone solutions, click here.) 

No matter what, customers need to feel confident in whoever they do business with, especially when it’s fixing a possession as personal as a car. Now more than ever is the time to prove your SMART or PDR business is the real deal.