Ghost of Midnight

… about neighbors, community and Front Porch Forum

Auto Repair Shop’s No. 1 Source of New Customers?

Posted on Wednesday, February 13, 2008 by No comments yet

Our car needed some work today and our neighborhood mechanic had time and fit us right into his schedule… much appreciated.  He even helped us swap vehicles around to save us time and hassle (a very complex operation involving multiple pre-schoolers, snowsuits and carseats).

I was pleasantly surprised when he asked me how “that internet thing” was going.  Gary is an excellent mechanic, but he has little interest in the online universe.  I thought he was just being friendly and I was impressed that he remembered my work with Front Porch Forum.

He went on to volunteer that he had just had a business meeting yesterday and declined various advertising options because “we get our new customers through Front Porch Forum.”  Oh!

He ran one small ad months ago on FPF and occasionally is recommended by a neighbor on an individual FPF neighborhood forum… not a lot of activity from my perspective.  But he went on to say that he gets at least one customer/week who mentions Front Porch Forum!  And Gary’s shop is the kind of place that earns repeat customers for years and years.

Posted in: Front Porch Forum, Local Online, Local Reviews, Peer Reviews, Small Business Advertising, Social Networking, Stories


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