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As a former shop owner, and now a Business Coach with Elite, I often get asked, "What Shop Management program should I get?" This is a tough question, since there are so many variables. So, I thought it would be good for the group to tell us WHY you chose your business system and what you like or dislike about it. Thanks in advance.

As we close out 2022, it's time to reflect on the past year. Review your accomplishments, the state of your business, your personal life, and things that could have gone better. The key thing to remember is that it's better to have a plan and goals instead of trying to fly blind. Establish your goals for 2023 and beyond. Include family time too, and time for yourself. It's not all about business. Having the right balance will actually make your business more successful. Speak with your employees too. Find out from them what went wrong, what went right, and what they would like to see in the coming year. While you can't always act on what your employees want, getting their perspective will not only help you create the plan moving forward, it will help to build morale, a win/win for all.

I was asked recently if it's possible to be a true absentee owner. Here are my thoughts. First, it really depends on the staff, your position in your business and how the business is structured. There are shops that are run totally by a manager and the owner is not involved in the day to day. There are shop owners with multiple locations. There is no way to be at all locations at the same time. Build the business by having a strong team. Find leaders in your business. Give others control and allow others to grow. You, the owner, do not have to be in on every single situation, and you should take time away from the business. But remember, you are the owner and the primary leader. You set the tone. Those are my thoughts...yours?

Today is the first day of summer, and we are still dealing with the dreaded COVID-19. However, there are positive indicators that business will be better than expected this summer. People will be taking more road trips, will avoid airplanes, trains and Ubers and will take to the roads in record numbers. Gear up for a great summer and look for opportunity with each vehicle visit. Perform those multipoints as if your business depends on it….why?....Because it does! We have a lot to be thankful for. Keep positive, be a leader and thrive!

As shop owners, we sometimes feel that we need to answer every question and handle every situation. While you need to be proficient as a business owner, you also need your employees to think for themselves. Empower your people to solve problem. Ask them for their opinions and don’t be too quick to jump in on every situation. The more you jump in and solve their problems, the more they will rely on you. This is not to say you don’t have their back; but a team functions best when everyone takes ownership of their position and takes responsibility to take care of problems. Will employees make mistakes? Yes. But there isn’t a shop owner on this planet that has a perfect record at making decisions. We all make mistakes. As a shop owner; teach, mentor and coach. Include your employees in on decisions that relate to their job position. When employees feel you trust them, they will begin to solve their own problems. This will set you free to work on the things that will bring you greater success.

I am writing this on my last day of vacation in California, spending time with family. It took me a few days to totally relax, but made it a point to not look at emails or call the office. We all need downtime. I know there will be a ton of work to be done when I return, but I also know that the time away has recharged my batteries and I will be more productive. Being away from business and spending time with family puts things into proper perspective. You realize that a lot of the things you stress over, are really not as important as you think. Take time to enjoy life. We all know how quickly time passes us by. And remember, no one on their death bed ever said they wished they spent more time at work.

I’ll never forget the day when Mrs. Obrien brought her car back for me to look at. She was furious. I stayed late the night before, well into the night, to finish her car so she could have it for work the next day. I even did a few little things on the house because I felt she may be a little inconvenienced picking the car up so late. Why did she bring the car back? A comeback? Well, not in the conventional way. It was the greasy smudge on her seat that she was angry about. But what about me staying late? Or giving away a few minor services? Doesn’t that count? She is upset about a grease smudge? Oh yes, and she has every right to be. The fact is, you can do the best repair, using the best parts, performed by the best technician on the planet. But what the customer sees is not necessarily your hard work, it’s that little greasy smudge that you are judged by. Unfortunate and unfair? Yes. But it’s a reality. Perform the best repairs and provide world-class customer service; and never forget; it’s the little things the customer sees. And that’s what important to them.

Car Count Daily | Episode 14 Click Here To Subscribe For DAILY Car Count Daily Tips Straight To Your Inbox Car Count Daily | Episode 14 Click Here To Subscribe For DAILY Car Count Daily Tips Straight To Your Inbox TRANSCRIPTION: Hey Shop Owners. Captain Car Count here, sometimes known as Ron Ipach. Welcome to yet another edition of Car Count Daily. Now, on a previous episode, I talked about the number one group of people that you should be marketing to. Now this is the low hanging fruit. The people that know, love and trust you, and people that are willing to give you more money, more often. As you might have guessed, it's your current clients. These are the people you should be spending your money, time and effort to get back to your shop, so they come in more often. But as I suspected, I knew I was going to get a lot of push back because I typically do from shop owners. Because, look, you do a great job for your customers, you do exactly what they want you to do, and provide a phenomenal repair and you maintain their car, so, of course they're going to come back to you, right? That's the argument I get all the time, and I'm here to tell you, no, that's not enough. Okay? I'm going to take the viewpoint of a customer here. Now I get your business, okay, I know all you do to do a great job and maintain the vehicles and fix the cars, and all the busted knuckles and the bloodied hands and all the stuff you go through to do a great job for your customers. But the customers don't see that, you see that. If I'm Joe Customer here, and I'm bringing my car to your shop and it's broken, I am paying you to fix it. So, when you bring it back to me fixed, you've done the job I'm paying you for. Okay? I paid you to do that job. I don't know how difficult it was. I don't know how awesome you were at doing it. I paid you for a service and I got the service. So, that's what Joe Customer thinks, or Jane Customer, is it's ... You're doing what I paid you to do. So, of course, you should do it right. Of course, it should be fixed. Of course, it should be maintained 'cause that's what we're exchanging the dollars for. I'm giving you money, you just give me what I asked for. So, the fact that you did a great job means absolutely nothing to me because I don't know about the bloodied knuckles and how difficult it was to do that repair, or how well trained you needed to be to do that repair because I paid you for that. Okay, now don't get mad at me. I'm just taking the viewpoint of your customers. So, doing a great job, and simply just saying you did a great job is enough to bring them back, I'm going to argue with you all day long because if they're just paying you for that, you're providing a service and that's it. Write this down, and you might want to remember this at all times, it's not what you do, when it comes to repairing the cars, it's what else you do when it comes to repairing the cars. Okay? I'm paying you to fix my car. What else are you doing to develop a relationship with me? What else are you doing to ensure that I'm going to come back to you versus going to the next shop down the street. Because, again, Joe Customer here, all I want is my car fixed and maintained. I'm paying for that service. So, no matter how difficult it is, I'm going to assume if it was real tough, it's going to cost me more money. Okay? It's what else are you doing. What else ... Why are you inviting me back to your shop? Why do you want me to come back to your shop? What offers are you going to give me? What incentives? Why should I come back to you versus going anywhere else? Now, keep that in mind when it comes to your marketing. Understand the most important person you can have in your shop, as a customer, is one that's already been. It's that repeat business that will build your business. Simply doing a good job isn't good enough anymore. It's a matter of what else you're doing. Impress me, give me outstanding customer service. Market to me, let me know that you care to have me back in your shop, and I will come back to you. That's why it's the most important group of people that you want to market to. Keep that in mind and you will blow your car counts through the roof. I guarantee it.

Source: Got a bad apple in your Repair Shop? Remove it!

Car Count Daily | Episode 9 Click Here To Subscribe For DAILY Car Count Daily Tips Straight To Your Inbox Car Count Daily | Episode 9 Click Here To Subscribe For DAILY Car Count Daily Tips Straight To Your Inbox -------------------- Welcome to today’s issue of Car Count Daily. Now, you’re probably wondering why am I driving a car, and not only doing something so stupid as driving a car and recording a video, but I’m drinking an iced coffee at the exact same time. In other words, why am I multitasking here, doing something vitally important which is driving a car safely, while talking to you, and sipping on a coffee? Well, it’s actually to talk about something that you’re probably doing every single day, which is multitasking during probably one of the most important things that you could ever be doing with your shop every single day, which is marketing your business.I’m Captain Car Count, so of course I’m talking about auto repair marketing. This really goes into all areas of your business. I mean think about it, how many times are you being pulled in all these different directions. As the auto repair shop owner you’ve got a lot of things that you need to do. You have a lot of employees talking to you, you have customers, parts vendors, the phone’s ringing, and you’re trying to do a lot of things at once. Oh by the way, you’re going to try to squeeze in a few minutes here or there to do your auto repair marketing. I’m going to tell you, stop doing that. That is a recipe for disaster. You’re never going to do everything really, really well.Now fortunately I’m at a red light here, so I can stare at the camera. When we start rolling, I have to focus on the one thing, the most important thing, which is right now, which is navigating this beast down the road safely so I don’t hurt anybody, or hurt myself. Think of it that way when it comes to your marketing. Focus on marketing, and nothing else. The best way to do that is get the heck out of the shop. Chances are you’re going to be really busy in the shop, people pulling you different directions, and asking questions, and the employee comes in with that one really quick question that turns into a half hour task that you just put on your back. Then if you get time, you get back to doing some marketing.I hope you understand what I’m talking about, is just get focused on the most important task, which is marketing. Now, how do you do this when you’re in a busy environment? Well the best way I know, is get the heck out of that environment. Get away from the shop, and get to a quiet place. If it’s a matter of staying home, if you can be left alone at home, then by all means stay at home. If not, go down to the public library, or find some place, a hotel lobby where you can be left alone to work on your marketing. If you’re trying to multitask while you’re doing your marketing, just like I’m trying to multitask and drink my coffee here doing this, you’re not going to do really well at any of that stuff. Marketing is extremely important.I hope I kind of drilled that idea into your head for today, so you do find the time to focus on marketing, and be 100% present with just marketing, and not doing everything else at the exact same time. You’ll get a lot more done, you’ll get a lot more cars coming to your shop, which is going to help you make a lot more money, okay? That’s going to do it for today.Before you discontinue reading, please, I’d love to hear your feedback. What do you think about car count daily? Do you like them, do you hate them, are there some suggestions you have for me other than not driving while I’m recording a video? Which okay I get, I’m not going to do that. I’m not going to say never, but I’m not going to do that a whole lot. Leave a comment below this video, shoot me an email, send me a carrier pigeon. However, just get the message to me. Let me know how you like these videos, and if there’s anything else you want me to touch on with these videos in the future.

Every day during a shop owner's work week I'm going to deliver one tip, trick, tactic, strategy or insight that can be put to use right away to immediately start to boost the car counts in every shop. That means over the next year you're going to get over 250 videos, audios, and blogs that you can consume in less than three minutes per day and then act on them in less than two. CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO CAR COUNT DAILY

Free Report: Everyone knows how expensive advertising the repair shop can seem at times. So much so that many auto repair shop owners are hesitant to even begin to construct an auto repair marketing game plan. Because of this, in a file attached, we dug a little deep to provide you with 10 absolutely free ways to market your automotive business in order to boost the car count in your shops. Check out these 10 Strategies to Increase Your Car Count Without Spending Any Money (file attached) Enjoy. - Captain Car Count 😃 P.S. For more free daily content please subscribe here: http://www.carcountdaily.com Free Report.compressed.pdf

Perhaps one of the best ways to motivate employees is to give them regular positive feedback. Too often, employees only hear when things go wrong. And while we all need to know when we fail, it’s more important to recognize when things go right. People want to know when they win. People also like to be included in on the progress of the company. It’s important that everyone in your shop feels that what they do really matters to the success of the company. This also promotes the right culture and builds a strong team. Create a strategy where you give your employees feedback on their progress, especially positive feedback. Look for things you can point out that recognizes an action by an employee that resulted in recent success. This will help to reinforce the behavior you are looking for and will increase the odds of repeating that same behavior. The feeling of accomplishment and being recognized for it is a powerful motivator in the workplace, perhaps stronger than money. People want to feel good about themselves. As shop owners, implement this strategy and ignite your workplace toward success. Remember, your success is dependent on the success of the people around.

Got your attention? Good. I often hear shop owners say, "I wouldn't ask any employee to do something that I would not do." While this may appear to be effective leadership, lets dig a little deeper. Lets say you had an illness that required a specialist. You make an appointment to see the doctor and the day you walk into his office you find him scrubbing the toilet bowl? In defense of his actions, he says, "I can't ask my employees to do something I am not willing to do." I use this ridiculous analogy only to prove a point. Effective leadership does not mean performing every required task in your company. Nor does it mean that the only way to get others to perform what's expected of them is to also perform their duties. Effective leaders do go the extra mile and mentor the people they lead, but leaders also know what their true role is. And that is to coach their employees, set the goals, work on the business plan, and to ensure the success of the business. As shop owners, clearly define your role as the leader of your company. Delegate tasks when needed and manage your time by working on the tasks that define you, the leader.

When a workplace suffers from poor morale, so does productivity. When a company enjoys high morale, productivity improves and profit follows. It all starts with the leader; the shop owner. You set the tone. Your attitude will dictate the direction of every employee. Too many work places suffer from poor morale. And it doesnt matter that you have the best tools, the best training, top techs and top service advisors. Without a healthy workplace environment, you will never reach your potential. You will also lose key employees. People do not want to work in an environment filled with stress and drama. As a shop owner, set the right tone each day. Look for things to be thankful for. Dismiss negative thoughts and make it a point to thank the people around you. Is this easy? No. But if you want to succeed in this tough economic, competitive market, you have no choice.

Source: High shop morale improves productivity

A common discussion this time of the year is how business slows down in the mid-winter months. Not that you can always predict it. I have experienced some winters that were banner sales months. But in general, business does slow down for a number of reasons, especially in the colder climates: Credit Card bills from holiday spending, home heating bills, tax season, lost days due to storms and more. So, the question is, how does a shop prepare? Here's a few things that I do. Perhaps you add your owner strategies, which would benefit all ASO members: * Prepare in advance and flood your customer base with service reminders, winter promotions and other recommended services during the slower months. Try to increase traffic to your shop during the months that are typically slower * Review the history on all vehicles the day before the appointment. Look for previous notes and recommended service and repairs. Be prepared to discuss at write-up. * Make sure all cars get a multi-point inspection - identify needed service and repairs * Review the service history for all vehicles. Check for services due, services due soon and services never done. Again, this can be done prior to the appointment date and discussed at the write-up * At write-up, don't forget to ask, Is there anything else we can do for you today? Wipers? Tire Rotation? An oil change? * If you use email promotions, create email blasts around winter events, for example: "Its Valentines Day! Show your car some love!" Include a few winter tips and links back to your website and to book appointments OR... "Winter Driving Advisory: Is your car prepared for the upcoming storm?" Include a few tips; wipers, tires, washer fluid top off, heater working right, antifreeze, battery. And of course, links back to your website and appointments. * Check your CRM for customers that did not show up for their recommended service or repair. CALL THESE CUSTOMERS. Here's a tip; start calling your best customers, those are the ones most likely to come in. * Go back and review all invoices for the past 4 weeks. Look over the work orders and check service history too. You will find work that was missed, not sold and services that are due. Call these customers too. As you can see, a proactive approach is better than hoping people will come in. What strategies to you have?

Source: Improve Your Repair Shop Production with the Power of Praise!

According to a Gallup poll, 99 out of 100 people say they want a more positive environment at work. The study also says that employees are more productive when they are around positive people. If you stop and think about it, this speaks volumes. A positive workplace produces happier employees, which ultimately improves shop production. And one of the best ways to promote a more positive workplace is with praise and recognition. Everyone wants to be recognized for the work they do and want to know that what they do matters to the overall success of the shop. Without enough praise and recognition, employees become disengaged. When this happens, morale will suffer, and so will your business. Poor morale affects every aspect of your business, including customer service. As a shop owner, I know how difficult it is to run a repair shop. You spend so much time handling issues and problems. Sometimes it's hard to put aside the issues and find the good that's around you. But the reality is that if you want a more productive and profitable business, you need to have positive work environment. And that begins with hiring the right people, and then making sure that employees receive adequate praise when warranted and recognition for a job well done.

As we close out another year, it’s only natural to look back and reflect on our accomplishments and shortcomings. While this process has merit, we need to focus more on our accomplishments and strengths, than on our weaknesses. Take time to review your accomplishments and use them to spring-board your business and your life in the right direction in 2015. This strategy will help to encourage your future outlook and help to direct your behavior to think in the positive. Let’s face it; there will always be obstacles to overcome. That’s called…life. But business, as in life, is not a destination, but a journey. And just like any journey, it’s the experiences we encounter on the way and how we react and learn from those experiences that really matter. Happy New Year!

I got a call the other from a shop owner friend asking me to help calculate his labor rate. I told him that before you calculate your labor rate, you should check your labor production (also known as effective labor rate). I asked him to total up his total tech paid hours for the month and then divide those hours by his total labor dollars sold for the month. He got back to me and was surprised that although he posted a $90.00 labor rate, his actual labor dollars per hour was only $62.00. I pointed out that this is a production problem, not a labor rate price issue. Raising labor production is equally important as understanding what your labor rate should be. In fact, ensuring your labor production is where it should be will add much needed dollars to the bottom line. One thing to consider; low labor production is not just the responsibility of the technician. You need to also take into account: Are you billing enough hours? Are you charging properly for diagnostic time? Are the techs waiting too long for parts or for the service advisors to sell jobs? Is there too much down time between jobs? Look at the entire shop operations and workflow process. Each minute increase in labor production will add much needed dollars to your bottom line.

Source: Before you raise prices, raise production

My manager took day off yesterday, so I decided to step into his role and oversee shop production for the day. Boy, the things I uncovered! How does anything ever get done? The schedule is a mess, jobs not checked out early enough, too many wait customers, too much conversation among the techs, and they even took a lunch break! By noon, I was so frustrated that I needed a gin-n-tonic to calm down. (Just kidding, actually drank an Ice tea). I pushed all morning long MY WAY, and everyone pushed back. So, after their “Lunch break”, I decided to do more observing than interfering. And guess what happened? By the end of the day, all the work was done, all the customer problems were solved and everyone ended up on a high not. What? How could this be? I need to take some of my own advice, and let go of control. Not doing things MY WAY is not always a bad thing.

Source: Letting go of control of the shop is still so hard to do

As a shop owner, it’s common to take on all the tasks of running your business; from the repairs to payroll to paying bills. Everything and anything seems to rest on your shoulders. While it’s admirable to take on all the responsibilities of your business, it can be overwhelming. In fact, in the long run, it will lead to burnout. When burnout occurs, you become ineffective and your business and life will suffer. Learn to delegate certain tasks. Sit down and clearly outline you job description as the owner. Then clearly outline the job role and tasks of everyone you employ. Whether you are a 3 man shop or have 30 employees, the entire weight of your business should not rest squarely on your shoulders. This is not to say you should remove yourself from running the business. You should and need to stay involved with what’s happening each day. But you need to assign certain task to others and then set up a system of reporting that allow you to remain in control without controlling everything.