Austin Cole, owner of Valley-area marketing company Neighborhood Promotions, aims to help mom-and-pop auto repair shops grow their businesses. Cole has partnered with three local shops to offer $40 maintenance packages that include oil changes and tire rotations as well as inspections and diagnostics. Customers are charged an additional fee to purchase oil for an oil change, but at a discounted rate. “I’m trying to get local car owners to make the switch from working with corporate chains to local family-owned shops run by dedicated professionals,” Cole said. The promotion makes around 40 sales per week, according to Cole. He offers discounts for graduates and AAA members as well as for local business. He advertises the deals on social media and in-person. “We do basic old-fashioned marketing,” he said. “The most effective way is going to door to door.” Cole founded the company in 2010 when he partnered with OR General Auto Repair in Van Nuys. Erica Rodriguez, whose family owns the shop, said the promotions have been an effective marketing tool. “When Cole approached us, the phrase that caught my attention was, ‘What if you could promote your business and you didn’t have to pay any money up front?’” she said. Rodriguez said the deals bring in about 30 to 50 customers a month. Of those, about 90 percent return for additional services. One promotion, purchased by a painting company, even led to eight additional customers becoming regulars. “People started to know us and trust us and then recommended our business,” she explained. According to a report published last month by research firm Ibis World, the auto repair sector has enjoyed growth the last five years. “Disposable income levels and corporate profit grew during the period, enabling more consumers to forego do-it-yourself repairs and enlist the services of industry operators,” the report stated. “Over the five years to 2023, the industry is forecast to continue its upward trajectory, albeit at a slightly slower pace.” In addition to OR General Auto Repair, Cole recently partnered with R&R Automotive Repair in Burbank and All Auto Care in the Santa Clarita Valley. He aims to partner with more stores in the Valley as well as other parts of L.A. He said that after visiting a local shop, most customers realize the quality service they offer can’t be matched by larger auto repair chains. “I get the most satisfaction out of showing people that somebody in the industry will do an amazing job for you,” he said. “And it’s probably the small business owner who opened the business because he loves working on cars.”