New ideas are a big problem for taxi business owners. In most cases, things
are done because a taxi business owner hears about someone else in the taxi
industry doing something he is not doing. And when thats the only reason for action,
its truly pitiful. There are several proven ways to get new ideas that will
work for your business.
Talk to the
customers of your taxi service . Learn the value of frequently
surveying them. Find out and monitor what they think about your cars, drivers,
dispatchers, service in general. In there anything else you could do for them?
If you learn to do it correctly, you customers will become a never ending stream
of new ideas for you.
Your counterparts. One of the quickest research tasks you could do is go to
the library and ask for Yellow Pages directories from major metropolitan areas
in the country. Look through all the advertising and offers in the
transportation section. Youll definitely find something nobody in your area is
doing. Call this business and discuss your experience with them. Maybe even go
for a visit.
Your competitors. Do you check on them? Do you track what they are doing,
how many cars and drivers they have, what do they do when it comes to marketing
their taxi service? What accounts do they have in the area? What can
you offer to your customers that your competitors dont offer? How can you be
different? How can you be better?
Steal ideas that already work in other businesses. As far as I know,
drive-thru window has its origins in the banking industry. It is hard to
believe that after what the drive-thru did to the fast-food restaurants, isnt
it? Just about every great idea comes from something already in use. For a taxi
business, there are plenty of ideas to try. Frequent client discounts, prepaid
plans, joint ventures with local businesses, etc., etc., etc.
In my other articles I talk a lot about direct marketing. Its major
principle, if you cant measure the amount of business you get from some from
of advertising dont do it, should be applied to virtually every other
possible aspect of your taxi business
, including new ideas. How much does it
cost to implement a new idea? Do you need any new equipment? How long will it
take to see the results? Learn to be patient. Test and measure the results.