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Selling is all about being on the mind of the customer when the time is right. For our customers, the time often comes when the weather (especially for those of us in the Northern part of the country) begins to thaw out. Flyers begin to appear in the mail about upcoming spring car shows and racing season roars into full swing. Throughout the year, various events, television programs and other auto-related happenings can get people thinking about what they drive and what they could do to enjoy the vehicle even more.

As a person in the aftermarket industry, you probably possess a certain passion for all things automotive and therefore socialize with others that share that same enthusiasm, as well as the events they attend. Whether you’re into trucks, cars, imports or rods, it is likely that you know quite a few people with similar interests. They could be past clients, neighbors, relatives or just interesting people that you have met while enjoying your automotive hobby. The one thing that all these people have in common is acquaintance with many others that could also use your service.

On the business side of our industry, many knowledgeable salespeople miss out on the opportunity for greater success because they fail to remind past and potential clients of who they are. People need regular reminders of who you are and what you do. Many people that you meet from day to day (especially the ones that would love to personalize their own vehicle) may have never considered visiting a location like yours. They might not even have an interest right now. Don’t count them out! As with many purchasing decisions that people make, they seldom notice or pay attention to the particular product or service until something causes them to get interested. The challenge is, when a customer does make the decision to buy, will they think of you first? Unless you’ve developed a system to stay on their minds, they will probably begin to search the yellow pages or Internet, or ask others they know for recommendations.

The key to making sure these people don’t find someone else before they find you is to develop ways of reminding them of who you are. Remember, being on the mind of the customer when the time is right is what’s important. They may not need you today or tomorrow, but when they or someone they know does need your services, you’ll be the one in mind. Try these four steps for staying in front of potential customers.

1. Maintain a list. Most everyone that has a driver’s license is a potential customer. The people that you meet both personally and professionally are all potential clients. They may need you themselves or at least know of a few people that do. Gather business cards or write down names and addresses. Keep a file of basic notes on each person including some of their interests and the type of vehicle they drive (or would like to drive).

2. Develop a promotional postcard. There are many companies out there who can produce very cost-effective, four-color postcards that can be used to send to your potential client list. A reminder like this should be sent every few months or quarterly. They can be used for a special promotion or to announce new services that you provide.

3. Collect useful and informative articles that relate to the various automotive interests of the people on your list. With all of the articles being printed in this and other publications, watch for and collect the ones that you feel would be interesting or helpful to the people on your list. For example, if a tech article appears for an accessory that fits a specific vehicle, make a few copies of the article and send it to those people on your list that have that vehicle.