May 2021

26 AFTERMARKET MAY 2021 TOP TECHNICIAN AND TOP GARAGE www.toptechnicianonline.co.uk TOP GARAGE FLASHBACK: REFLECTIONS We turn the clock back to July 2019, when Cedar Garage’s owners were reflecting on its inaugural win, one year on I n July 2019, a year on from winning Top Garage, Aftermarket spoke to Cedar Garage co-owner Kevin Pearce about the impact the win had on their business. It's a year now since you won Top Garage. How has this impacted on Cedar Garage? It has been great. From a customer perspective, they see the award up on the wall, they see it on our marketing materials, and it reinforces the brand, and shows what we are trying to make it stand for. For a morale point of view within the business it has been fantastic. All the staff love working for a garage that strives to be the best, and to try and get the recognition that we are the best. This means a lot to them as well. It gives them something to work towards, especially when it comes to wrong from time to time. We can say 'that's not good, considering we are the best garage'. We can use it in so many ways, from a marketing point of view, from a staff morale point of view, from a training point of view. Has it given you extra impetus as a business to go that extra mile? It certainly has. We have always strived to be the best, and we say we are different from other garages. In the whole of the motor trade, everything is done on trust. It is probably the same in other sectors, but for the majority of our customers, they do not know what goes on under the bonnet. If we tell them it needs something, they trust us to be honest. Having the recognition of being the best garage reinforces that and allows customers to open up and trust us more. It works really well. On the eve of the next final where you will be the reigning champions, competing against the other garages, do you rate your chances? You have always got to believe in yourself. We will be at the final and we will give it our best shot. We still believe we strive to be the best Above: Kevin Pearce and Matthew Copp