Comparison copy for Richard, built by the pitch engine. Never to be sent.
The WheelHouse Auto

Your next steps

Get the workshop busy from the day the doors open

You run a car yard and a workshop under one name. This page has one thing you can start now and three ways to keep both busy.

Prepared for Daniel, The WheelHouse Auto by Richard, C.E.A Smith ยท November 2026

What you told me

What you are after

  1. You told us work has gone quiet.
  2. You wanted the workshop to open with a booking form on your website. That is built and ready for opening day.
  3. You already sell your cars through your Facebook page.
  4. You want the workshop and the yard to each have their own phone number.
  5. Your hours are Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm. Saturdays are by appointment and you are closed on Sunday.
  6. You want to put your own cars up for sale on the website.

Start here

Get on Google Maps before the workshop opens

When someone nearby searches for a mechanic, Google shows a map of local workshops first. To be on that map you need a Google listing that is claimed, verified and filled in properly.

We claim your listing, or create it if you have none. We add your hours, your services and your workshop number. Then we connect your website to Google so your pages can be found, and make sure your name, address, phone and hours match everywhere they appear.

Google takes time to verify a new listing. Starting now means it can be ready for your first day.

Why now: The workshop opens soon and Google verification is not instant. Doing it now means people searching nearby can find you from opening day.

How it helps later: Every plan below builds on this listing. Reviews show up on it, monthly Google posts go on it, and ads send people back to it.

From you: Tell us if a Google listing already exists, then do the verification step when Google asks for it.

$599

one-off

When you are ready for more

Three ways to grow from here

Each plan builds on the one before it. Start with whichever fits, and move up later: nothing you set up is wasted.

Plan 1

Found on Google

Bring local people to you through Google every month while work is quiet.

proposed
$199

one-off setup

$99 a month

from the month it starts

  • New pages on your website each month for the work you do and the areas you cover
  • Regular posts on your Google listing, like the workshop opening or a car just in
  • Your Google listing kept up to date when your hours or services change
  • Your own Google review link, a QR code card for the counter, and a ready-made text to send after a job or a sale
  • A plain-English report each month showing where you now come up on Google

Why: You told us work has gone quiet. People look on Google when they need a mechanic nearby, and this keeps you showing up there every month.

Suits: You want more calls coming in without spending your own time on marketing.

Your time: About 10 minutes a week to send the review text after a job or a sale.

What I recommendPlan 2 builds on plan 1

Every call answered

Stop losing the people who ring while you are under a car.

proposed
$199

one-off setup

$398 a month

from the month it starts

  • Calls you miss go through to a receptionist on a New Zealand number, during the day and after hours
  • It takes the caller's name, number and what they need, whether that's a service or a car in the yard
  • Each call is written up and sent to you, so you can ring back between jobs
  • Everything in Found on Google keeps running

Why: When Richard rang on 1 October, it went to voicemail. Once the workshop opens you will be under cars most of the day. With this plan, someone who rings about a service or a car still gets answered and you still get their details.

Suits: You are on the tools most of the day and can't always pick up the phone.

Your time: A few minutes between jobs to read the write-ups and ring people back.

Priced once we know more: You have two numbers, one for the workshop and one for the yard. The menu prices one receptionist. We will confirm with you how we cover both numbers, each answered with its own business name, before we start.

Plan 3 builds on plan 2

The whole WheelHouse system

Bring new buyers to the yard and new cars into the workshop every week.

proposed
$1,198

one-off setup

$897 a month

from the month it starts

  • Your ad account set up properly, with tracking so we can see which ads bring in enquiries
  • A first campaign for the workshop opening, shown to people near you
  • Ads for cars in the yard that send people to your cars for sale page or your Facebook page
  • Ads run for you every week: budget, who sees them, fresh ads, and where enquiries go
  • A report each month on what the ads brought in
  • You own the ad account and pay Facebook directly for the ads

Why: Your car sales already run through your Facebook page. Ads put the yard and the workshop in front of local people who have not heard of you yet.

Suits: You want a steady flow of new enquiries for both businesses, not just from people who already know you.

Your time: About 15 minutes a week to send us photos of new cars and work, and to approve new ads.

Priced once we know more: If the yard and the workshop each need their own campaigns and budgets, we will agree that with you before we start.; What you spend on the ads themselves goes to Facebook, not to us. You set that budget.

All prices plus GST. Your current monthly plan carries on as it is. Ad spend is paid to Meta directly, on top.

See it working

Try your receptionist

Pick a question a caller might ask and see how your receptionist handles it. All names, cars and messages here are sample data.

Switch plans to see what each one adds.

Your first month on Every call answered

Week by week

Month 1Starts when you say go

Found and answered by opening day

  1. Week 1

    Your listing and your call set-up

    We build
    • Google listing claimed or created and verification started
    • Greeting agreed for the workshop and the yard
    • Your hours and what to ask each caller set up
    From you
    Tell us which numbers to divert and approve the greeting.
  2. Week 2

    Calls answered

    We build
    • Missed calls go through to the receptionist
    • Test calls made, with write-ups sent to you
    • Your review link and QR code card made
    From you
    Make a test call and check the write-up reaches you.
  3. Week 3

    Ready for opening

    We build
    • First Google posts about the workshop opening
    • First new website page for your workshop services
    • Review text ready to send after each job or sale
    From you
    Send us a photo of the finished workshop.
  4. Week 4

    Running

    We build
    • Receptionist adjusted based on real calls
    • First monthly report on where you come up on Google
    From you
    Tell us if a caller asked something the receptionist should handle differently.

Before we build

What we still need to know

We only build what you need, so these come first.

Do you already have a Google listing for the workshop, the yard, or both?

If one exists we claim it and fix it. If not, we create it. Two businesses may need two listings.

When you are on a job now, what happens to calls? Voicemail, a mobile, or someone else picks up?

This tells us where to divert calls and whether we start with one number or both.

Do you want to keep selling cars mainly through Facebook, or move more enquiries to your website?

It decides where the ads and the receptionist send car buyers.

What do you charge for a WOF and a standard service?

So your Google listing and your receptionist know what to say, or know to pass it on to you.

Ready when you are

Reply to this email with the plan you want, or with any question. You can also give Richard a ring. Nothing starts until you say go.

Call Richard: 03 567 1600[email protected]