The Garage 299

FOCUS Garage Branding 28
GARAGE
BRANDING..
WHAT IS IT AND HOW
CAN IT HELP YOU?
WHILE Block
Exemption
was supposed
to offer motorists
the right
to choose where their car
was serviced – and especially
new cars that might ordinarily
return to a main dealer
– it has failed to capture
the public’s imagination, despite
good-intentioned marketing
campaigns.
Quite why it didn’t grab
the motoring public’s attention
is a matter of debate but
after many years in existence
Block Exemption hasn’t
seen much progress.
Some blame can lie with
the fact new-car buyers were
led to believe that in order
to preseve their car’s warranty
it can only be serviced
by a main dealer. And many
new car buyers might simply
not like the idea of using
an independent, believing
its technicians don’t have
enough skills to work on the
latest cars.
Yet to the independent garage
sector, Block Exemption
threw a valuable lifeline
that should have been taken
more seriously than per-
Richard Barnett looks at the
growing trend of Garage
Branding and examines
the benefits to independent
garages
haps it often was.
Most car owners will accept
an independent garage
will be cheaper, and many
will vouch for the good quality
jobs those garages can
perform. But even the best
independent can struggle
against a main dealer when
it comes to getting their message
out and having a positive
image.
And for owners of cars out
of warranty, just how much
need is there to return to the
main dealer? Independent
workshops invariably have
the tools and expertise to
tackle the work.
So how does an independent
garage show its marketplace
it’s serious about
business, and serious about
doing a good job? Many garages
do perform a good job,
but how can that business
garner public confidence?
One way is to present a more
professional air, usually
known as garage branding.
Several garage branding
schemes are available, all
of which aim to help independent
workshops offer
a more professional image
and, more importantly, a
more professional service.
Different schemes offer
different terms and conditions
and, consequently, expectations
of its members.
But if a garage branding
scheme boosts a workshop’s
image and also improves the
quality of the work it offers,
it’s a proposition worth considering.
Going way beyond just
providing signs, a good garage
branding programme
ups levels of professionalism
in all areas of a workshop’s
business, which
should be embraced rather
than ignored.
So which garage branding
scheme best suits a particular
workshop? The Garage
takes a closer look.
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