Metzler

Well if you are thinking of starting a mobile oil change business it will not be as easy as you think. First off you must be good at marketing and careful how you pick your customers too. For instance you really need to get 20% of your business in personal cars and 80% in fleet vehicles. What kind of marketing should you do?

Well, for mobile Oil Changing, we have found that a sales letter, picture of unit doing services (with two technicians) and a business card on a paper clip works best for fleet sales. Do not mail them, drop them off in person with unit in a conspicuous place; then flyer the area every month to two months (1/2 sheet card stock - no fluorescent paper).

Direct Personal Contact Sales

Direct sales work much better than any other type of selling, although specific targeting of your customers with cold-calling works well too, yet at some point you will need to make a personal visit. You should initially use direct sales as your primary sales technique. Casually walk into businesses and offer your services. Other forms of initial contact will include fax marketing to only specific types of fleet businesses (only once), e-mail offers (only once), flyer distribution, some companies you can make corporate onsite oil change proposals.

We used a CD ROM interactive demo disks, oil change fundraisers and oil change "free-bee" giveaways. I recommend you wait until you get a little bigger for that. You must practice your sales pitch lines and if you hire employees or sale people give them a "sales pitch" digital recording and put it on their 3G cell phone to listen too and update periodically or on cassette tapes. This way sales people will play these tapes in their work trucks so all crew members can close sales and up-sell customers instantly in the parking lots and offices. You see Bryan you must be always thinking about expanding and market share (winning).

You must also establish recommended pricing policies as an avenue of profitability. When you find something that works extremely well in one city then push it in similar areas. You must encourage retention of your customer base and market segments of the highest possible profit in the services you provide. You want repeat customers for your business, so you must find a happy medium for your clients (supply and demand). Don't give it away, but do not get so costly that you lose customers who would have been your best word of mouth advertising.

Promotional Strategies:

For promotions you might consider giving out oil change door prizes at civic group meetings, bingo nights, chamber of commerce, etc. or planning oil change fundraisers at least once per month for kids or "5th Caller" on Listen While You Work gets a free oil change at their office. We use to sponsor civic programs such as Neighborhood Mobile Watch Program, Arson Watch Program, etc.

Advertising:

Your advertising should be simple, inexpensive, and yet extensive and must include such things as advertising where government procurement folks will read your ads. Also I recommend Direct Mailings of Previous Customers with Fleet Sales Campaigns (Every Three Months). The promotional must be worked in also such as Radio Packages (try to trade for prizes - free promotions work best).

Here is a thought to help you with your new business and to make sure you read up on all the important aspects of the mobile oil change business. Go to this website: www.EzineArticles.com . At the top there is a "search feature" so type in: "Mobile Oil Change."

Then read all those articles and make a list of questions for me. This will be about a 2-3 day exercise ( I think there are some 100 articles there on the subject), but well worth it in your education on running the Mobile Oil Change Business or really any mobile service business for that matter, as the information comes from many different types of service business sub-sectors.

L. Winslow is an Economic Advisor to the Online Think Tank, a Futurist and retired entrepreneur http://www.worldthinktank.net . Currently he is planning a bicycle ride across the US to raise money for charity and is sponsored by http://www.Calling-Plans.com and all the proceeds will go to various charities who sign up.