Re: Shop Picture

[zed]

This is one beautiful shop makeover! With the 2 tone paint job, yellow awnings and trim, you can’t help but look at this stunning building from a block away. Wonderful job on the remodeling. The picture too is absolutely great. Good exposure, well cropped. It is a great photo if you are going to hang it on the wall at home or in your office. But it is a lousy photo to use for your direct mail or web site marketing. It is creating the wrong assumptions for people who don’t know you.

People looking for a new shop want to feel the comfort zone of seeing other cars at your shop. If they see no cars, their first response is – the fear of being the only person standing at the counter, with all the sales pressure directed toward them. “The assumption you are creating with this photo (if you are using it for advertising purposes) is: “Gee! If this guy was a great shop, the lot would be filled with fine cars.”

Re-shoot this on a nice day, no water on the driveway, and fill the place up with the cars you love to work on. The cars you make the most money on. Have a car sticking out each door about 2 to 3 feet (so you can see it) (definitely NOT on the lift. They get hidden by the lower light level inside!) Face these cars forward so your prospective customer can see what kind of cars they are. (Do not open the hoods).The identity of all cars is best displayed by the grill. Also have cars parked in the lined spaces. Once again facing forward. Again, select your favorite cars. Shoot again from this same angle you used here. Maybe try stepping up a few rungs on a ladder for a few shots so you can see the cars in the doors as well as the cars in the lot. Then select the angle you like best.

A photo staged like that, with such a beautiful building and a small array of nice cars, will build credibility, confidence and attract the fine car high income customer. And that is what your main goal is anyway. To deliver the the customer, who has purchased a fine car, who loves their car, is willing to keep it in perfect condition – and will pay you well to do it. This is also the new customer who will give you a higher first visit sale and is about 3 to 4 times more likely to come back as a loyal, full price paying customer.

If you have any questions about shop photography, feel free to call me. I can send you some shop photos that I have taken over the last 30 years that will immediately show you what I am talking about. I have been a professional photographer for 45 years as well as an advertising/marketing professional. You can reach me at 800-428-0286.

Or find out more about auto service marketing direct mail at:

http://www.autoservicemarketingcommonsense.com

Zed Daniels

[dougfentiman]

Zed’s suggestions are great!

Photos are one of the biggest influences on people’s first impressions of your business. I’d add that using a quality camera can really help. Don’t use a mobile phone or tablet! Most mobile phones create poor quality images that no amount of Photoshop work can fix.

I am constantly amazed at the poor photos shop owners want to use to represent themselves… I can spend hours writing a great description of a shop but no one will get to the point of reading it if the shop photos are out of focus, have poor exposure, or show a run down building with a lot full of junk vehicles…

If you don’t have the photo skills or equipment it doesn’t cost that much to hire a pro photographer. The results can make a HUGE difference.