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Shop Owners! It's Time to Cash in on Opportunity around us!


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Great points Joe! You’re correct on every one. I’ve only got two short points to make. 

One - I would move “Get your plan in place” to the top of the list because without a plan, you don’t know where you are or where you’re going. 

Secondly, I would be concerned about what I would call “collateral damage” that could take the wheels off the best laid plans. You made no mention of it - but I think it’s important.

It’s the little issues like Stimulus money? Unemployment money? Is there going to be a mortgage crisis? Real Estate crisis? And those are just a few. 

When I look at the broader picture, I have to ask, "Will the car owners survive (financially) long enough for you to take advantage of all the opportunity?" All the 12 year old cars are great for service - if your customer still has the money left to pay for service.

The truth of the matter is, yes, some will. The important part of that statement is the word “some”.

So now, how important is each customer you have today? How important is the follow up with each of them?

When I say “follow up”, I mean the little things like a meaningful thank you; getting a good customer review; getting customer referrals; sending out simple oil change reminders; sending out “bounce back” coupons just so you have a shot at getting them back in the door!

So you’re correct about the opportunity. But, if half of the customers disappear, each one you have today just became TWICE AS VALUABLE. 

Sort of makes you want to download a customer list and organize a piece of mail, no? 

Hope this helps. 

Matthew
“The Car Count Fixer”

P.S.: Join the conversation on YouTube at Car Count Hackers! See 'ya there!

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  • 4 weeks later...

Again "hope is not a plan"

A plan is better than no plan at all.

It has been a tough year for the US 🇺🇸.

This year has been our break through year.

We have increased our sales by 10% .

 The last quater is always the hardest.

There are, like it was mentioned before some factors to consider for the last months of the year. Google business has been a great tool for us...

In the last 2 years we have been working on branding and promoting our business on social media with that intent. 

We're a 7 yr old brake and front end shop and we're beginning to see our efforts to pay off.

Regards

 

JP

 

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         5 comments
      I recently spoke with a friend of mine who owns a large general repair shop in the Midwest. His father founded the business in 1975. He was telling me that although he’s busy, he’s also very frustrated. When I probed him more about his frustrations, he said that it’s hard to find qualified technicians. My friend employs four technicians and is looking to hire two more. I then asked him, “How long does a technician last working for you.” He looked puzzled and replied, “I never really thought about that, but I can tell that except for one tech, most technicians don’t last working for me longer than a few years.”
      Judging from personal experience as a shop owner and from what I know about the auto repair industry, I can tell you that other than a few exceptions, the turnover rate for technicians in our industry is too high. This makes me think, do we have a technician shortage or a retention problem? Have we done the best we can over the decades to provide great pay plans, benefits packages, great work environments, and the right culture to ensure that the techs we have stay with us?
      Finding and hiring qualified automotive technicians is not a new phenomenon. This problem has been around for as long as I can remember. While we do need to attract people to our industry and provide the necessary training and mentorship, we also need to focus on retention. Having a revolving door and needing to hire techs every few years or so costs your company money. Big money! And that revolving door may be a sign of an even bigger issue: poor leadership, and poor employee management skills.
      Here’s one more thing to consider, for the most part, technicians don’t leave one job to start a new career, they leave one shop as a technician to become a technician at another shop. The reasons why they leave can be debated, but there is one fact that we cannot deny, people don’t quit the company they work for, they usually leave because of the boss or manager they work for.
      Put yourselves in the shoes of your employees. Do you have a workplace that communicates, “We appreciate you and want you to stay!”
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