Garages and workshops often sell parts to customers who need them after their MOT or service, or who want a specific part of their vehicle replaced or upgraded. Parts sales can range from small components like filters and belts to large parts like engines and transmissions. They are a great way to provide your customers with both repair services and replacement parts. This gives you an opportunity to increase revenue while improving customer satisfaction.
The way this works is simple. When a vehicle comes in for repair or maintenance, your car technician can take a look and identify the parts that need to be replaced. The customer can then choose to purchase these parts from your workshop, which the technician then works on installing.
This may not seem ground breaking, however, managing your parts sales can sometimes be confusing and time consuming to manage. It can be hard to keep track of the vehicles that need parts replaced and the parts you have in stock. In this blog, we’ll cover a few tips that’ll help you manage your part sales better.
For effective parts sales management, you will need an up-to-date inventory record. Your inventory records help you keep track of which parts are currently in stock and which ones need to be reordered. In this way, you can always make sure that you have the parts your customers need, exactly when they need them.
Moreover, accurate inventory records can help prevent overstocking, which can tie up valuable capital along with storage space. To manage your inventory records automatically, TechMan offers inventory management features that allow you to track stock in real-time. You can also automate re-ordering when the supplies run low. Besides that, regularly monitor your inventory by physically counting the parts in stock to stay on top of any discrepancies.
A POS or point of sale system can help you streamline your parts sales process and improve efficiency. With this system, you can manage sales transactions, track inventory and generate reports, all at once. If you integrate your sales process with inventory management and reporting, you can reduce errors, improve customer service and stay on top of parts sales management.
With a POS system, you can automate many tasks that are involved in the parts sales process. For instance, you can automatically calculate the total cost of a customer’s purchase, the parts used as well as the taxes or discounts that have been applied.
If you are dealing with an overstocking problem, special deals and discounts can help. By offering special deals and discounts, you can incentivise customers to purchase car parts from your workshop. Moreover, this can help you build loyalty among your customers and encourage repeat business.
Bulk discounts are a great way to offer a deal to customers who purchase multiple parts at once. This can encourage them to stock up on parts that they may need in the future while increasing the overall value of their purchase. Similarly, limited-time promotions and loyalty programs are also effective ways to boost sales and manage your parts sales efficiently.
When it comes to managing your parts sales, properly trained sales staff can make all the difference. For example, if your sales staff have been trained and educated about the different parts of a vehicle, you can offer high-quality customer service and increase sales. Moreover, your customers will be able to find the right parts for their specific needs much faster.
To train your staff, hold a training day or suggest workshops to provide comprehensive product training. Remember to cover product features, benefits and applications of each vehicle part in your inventory. This will help you provide a more personalised service that meets your customers’ specific requirements.
To successfully manage your parts sales, it’s vital to communicate with your suppliers. Your suppliers provide the parts you need to keep your customers’ vehicles operating smoothly. This is why it is important to let them know what you need from time to time. Provide clear and specific information about the stock you need, such as the types of parts required or the volume of products you want to purchase.
Moreover, if you purchase parts from your suppliers frequently, you can negotiate with them in terms of pricing. For example, you can ask for high-volume discounts, reduced lead times or more. However, keep in mind that your terms are mutually beneficial and fair.
As a garage owner, it often becomes challenging to stay on top of everything. From managing bookings to workloads to performance, there are times when your task list looks exhaustingly long.
But that’s where TechMan comes in.
TechMan’s garage management system is an industry-leading software that helps make your garage operations smoother. From accounting to reports to personnel management and workshop bookings, it takes care of everything for you.
Want to get the best out of your garage? Contact us now or click here to request a demo.
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