Oh Customers, Why So Clueless?
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By Joe Marconi in Joe's BlogI 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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By Joe Marconi
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By carmcapriotto
Mike Ragsdale is the founder of the 30a Company, and he has an incredible story of being called out by his kids when they got tired of hearing him talk about his dream life without ever pursuing it. This is an incredibly inspiring episode that may result in you exploring how you can create a life you don’t need to escape from.
Thank you to RepairPal for sponsoring The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast. Learn more about RepairPal at https://repairpal.com/shops
How To Get In Touch
Group - Auto Repair Marketing Mastermind
Website - shopmarketingpros.com
Facebook - facebook.com/shopmarketingpros
Get the Book - shopmarketingpros.com/book
Instagram - @shopmarketingpros
Questions/Ideas - [email protected]
Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio
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By carmcapriotto
Matt Fanslow explores the analogy between running a repair shop and the world of dating. He shares insights on first impressions, trust-building, and the value of substance over style in both customer relationships and shop management. Matt emphasizes the need for repair shops to maintain high standards of service and to view customer feedback as opportunities for growth.
Show Notes
Dating in Modern Times (00:01:15) Comparison of modern dating to historical dating and personal experiences with initial interactions. Physical Attractiveness and Shop Appearance (00:02:25) Reflections on interactions with physically attractive individuals, similar to the importance of a shop's appearance. Importance of Customer Reviews (00:04:54) Discussion on the significance of customer reviews, the impact of negative reviews, and the importance of backing up a shop's exterior with quality service. NAPA Auto Tech Training Sponsorship (00:11:34) Information about NAPA Auto Tech Training and its benefits for technicians and shop profitability. Constant Improvement in Customer and Employee Interactions (00:13:42) Emphasis on the importance of constant improvement in customer interactions and the parallels with employee relationships. Long-Term Relationships and Continued Accreditation (00:17:06) Discussion on the importance of continued accreditation and constant improvement to maintain long-term relationships with customers and employees. Shop Relationship Parallels (00:18:13) Drawing parallels between shop hiring and dating, emphasizing the importance of attracting and maintaining long-term relationships with employees. Attracting Talent (00:19:16) Encouraging self-reflection on what attracts and separates a shop from competitors, and the importance of perpetuating long-term relationships with employees. Promoting Training (00:20:20) Advocating for the importance of training.
Thanks to our Partner, NAPA Autotech napaautotech.com
Email Matt: [email protected]
Diagnosing the Aftermarket A - Z YouTube Channel HERE
Aftermarket Radio Network: https://aftermarketradionetwork.com/
Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio
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By NATURE
Hey everyone. I'm planning on opening in about 3 weeks and am looking for a credit card processing company. Are there any geared for our type of business? Does anyone recommend Intuit for it's ease of integration with Quickbooks? I'll be doing around $10,000 a month in CC payments averaging $200.00 per RO. Payments are predominately Visa or Mastercard swiped. A very small percentage of Amex, Discover or over the phone. If there is a company name that a lot of you experienced members would recommend, I would like to hear it.
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