Thursday Press #133: are you giving your clients dealership energy?
[23 MAY 2024] DIY vs DFY & why it doesn't matter
"So, what do you want?"
After peppering me with questions, talking over each other, and throwing out numbers and dates, the two dealership employees turned to me and awaited my answer.
Now, I'm not usually one to be intimidated by men in the car service industry.
In fact, I take it as a point of pride that I refuse to let myself get overcharged and taken advantage of just because I'm a younger woman.
This is actually my first time ever taking my car into a dealership to get it maintained. Local mechanics all the way.
Untilllll my overhead console dropped out of the ceiling out of nowhere and I needed the specific part from the Nissan dealership. 🥴
SO — here I am, being told that a simple piece of plastic holding two lightbulbs in my car roof is going to cost $341 without labor.
Sorry, what?
I've been living without my interior lights for literal months now, do I really need it fixed?
Technically, I guess not.
Butttt I'm the carpool driver for our vacay this weekend and I'm more than a little bit embarrassed by the gaping hole in my car (and how long it's taken me to fix it).
Needs must. And this need is a quick turnaround.
And of course they don't have the part in stock.
Here are my options:
A) Buy the part and put in a service request for the dealership to fix it
Which would mean making the trek to Wake Forest and back (40 min drive) again tomorrow — because oh yeah, did I mention I'm currently writing this FROM THE DEALERSHIP as I wait for my car to be fixed? Me and my car will not be staying the night here
B) Buy the part and replace it myself
I'll be honest, even as a DIYer to my core, I never even considered this was something I could do myself.
But my main guy Darrell (I don't know if this is actually his name, but he deserves a name, and he feels like a Darrell) encouraged me that I could just do the install myself and save the labor costs.
>> "My concern is that I wouldn't be able to get the old broken clips out"
>> "Oh, I'll just go ahead and pull those out for you"
Not only is Darrell encouraging me to save money (and thereby losing out on potential income for his workplace), but he's going out of his way to help me do it???
This is not what I've been conditioned to expect.
Which brings us back to the beginning of this email, with Darrell and his buddy Darren (again, probably not his real name), asking me what my decision would be.
And bestie, you bet ur sweet booty I said I'd do it myself!!!
That's when Darren, sweet sweet Darren, found me a COUPON, without even asking for it. 🥲
$40 isn't a ton, but it will more than pay for the little treat I'm going to justify getting on the way home from this experience.
I won't give a final review until I get my car back and the console replaced, but I will say this experience has been 100x better than I expected.
Will this turn me into a dealership girly? No. That mindset is a bit too ingrained to replace, but I do think it's a valuable lesson a lot of online business owners could learn from.
People > Profit
Being transparent with your clients or potential clients about what they really need is going to earn you so much more respect and good will than any falsely upsold service will profit you.
Darrell could've easily told me that this part was really complicated to replace and I'd be better off leaving it to the professionals.
I've been on the receiving end of wayyyy too many pitches telling me that "my method is the only way your business is going to succeed, and oh yeah, it's also going to bankrupt you."
And I'm not the only one.
Shady business practices like that (which, yes, are often associated with coaches in particular), give the entire online space a bad name.
Buyers are more discerning now. We're commitment-shy and wary of if this service is really what we need, or if we're just being sold to and taken advantage of.
Which is exactly how I feel about car dealerships.
So how do you overcome this buyer mentality? By being radically transparent and honest with your audience.
I've rejected over 70% of the inquiries I've gotten this year. For a variety of reasons, but a big one is that I know I'm not the best Pinterest manager for every person.
There's no shame in my referral game, and I love being able to connect great clients with the right Pinterest manager (even if it's not me!).
Or maybe someone wants to jump straight to Pinterest management, but they need some DIY support as they build up their website.
I'm gonna tell you exactly what I think is best for you, no matter what that decision might mean for my revenue.
DIY or Outsource Your Pinterest Marketing?
Anyone can learn how to do their own Pinterest marketing.
People are smart, and Pinterest can be simple.
It can also be complicated, but take a close look at the people telling you that and what they're selling.
So if you know that you want to put more effort into your Pinterest, how do you decide the right path for you?
Are you DIYing it completely?
Looking to learn on your own time?
Want to train a team member to take it on?
Need someone to hold your hand as you implement?
Never want to think about or touch Pinterest again?
All are valid options.
From my experience, I'm sharing what factors might make you lean more towards DIY (do it yourself) vs DWY (done with you) vs DFY (done for you).
You might want to DIY your Pinterest if...
You don't have the budget to outsource
You have an extra hour per week to spend on your marketing
You feel confident teaching yourself with free/paid resources
You enjoy designing pins and writing SEO-optimized pin copy
You want to understand it yourself before outsourcing
Resources for DIYers
[FREEBIE] Pinterest Account Setup Roadmap
[FREEBIE] Pinterest Marketing Checklist
[COURSE] Pinterest SEO Basics
You might choose a done-with-you Pinterest service if...
You feel confident about keeping up with Pinterest but you want a solid gameplan to follow
You're overwhelmed by sorting through all the Pinterest advice
You want to speed up the learning process
There are some parts you feel less confident about (design, keywords, strategy, etc.)
Resources for DWYers
[WORKSHOP] Creating Your Pinterest Content Strategy
[PROJECT] Pinterest Strategy Audit
[Q&A] Pinterest Press Pass
You might want to completely outsource your Pinterest marketing if...
You have absolutely zero desire to learn or do it yourself
You don't mind doing Pinterest, but your time is better spent on things only you can do
You want to get your business on Pinterest, but have negative zero hours in the day to get it done
You feel comfortable investing in expert support
The absolute last thing I want is for outsourcing Pinterest to put a strain in your finances
Resources for DFYers
[RETAINER] Hire me to manage your Pinterest
[RECOMMENDATIONS] Or hire one of my friends & trusted connections!
[COURSE] Scheduling Shortcuts
If you want to keep this truly done-for-you, have a VA or team member take this course + learn how to manage your Pinterest account for you!
Choose Your Own [free] Adventure on the Blog!
Awkward… I just realized I linked the WRONG blog post last week. And none of you told me…
If you wanted to read all about the marketing lessons I learned from my time in the publishing industry, that blog is rightchere!
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The overwhelming feeling I've been surprised by during my dealership adventure is taken care of.
That's how you deserve to feel when you work with any type of service provider, whether it's for your business or for your car, house, whatever.
Whether or not you want to DIY your Pinterest, hire my help, hire someone else, or literally never do anything with Pinterest at all, I love u. Whether or not you work with me or buy from me doesn't change that.
You're here, so I appreciate you.
& if you want to see how my own DIY project (installing the new console part) goes, follow along on the 'gram!