By Bob Cooper In today’s market, service advisors are facing a number of challenges. One of the more complex challenges is when a skeptical first-time customer comes in for an oil service, and the advisor discovers that this customer needs a long list of repairs. This is what most advisors refer to as the proverbial “laundry list.” Unfortunately, what most service advisors will do is either hold back some of the recommendations because they are afraid they’ll scare the customer away, or they’ll
Hi Everyone! I know I haven't posted here recently. We've just been super busy. But today, I strapped myself, into my chair, to share some timely information you might find helpful. There are three subjects I want to talk about. The first thing is: There's a new overtime law that may impact your business, depending on how you have your employees' pay plans set up. Here's a video that was sponsored by The Automotive Service Association that talks about how this new law relates to the automot
By Bob Cooper of Elite For decades shop owners have had the luxury of being able to rely on a short list of traditional media to bring in new customers. They’ve primarily utilized directory ads, print media, radio and TV, and to some extent, local grassroots marketing programs. With rare exception, each of these advertising mediums has had a long-standing track record of performance (either good or bad), so you knew what you were getting when investing in these mediums. Today, we live in a comp
How To Attract Millennials to Your Shop Making auto repair shops profitable can seem like squeezing water from a rock... Some shops resort to raising prices, instead of increasing their customer base. We've created a Free eBook that tells you how to tap into the fastest growing customer base in the country; Millennials. The stereotype of the lazy Millennial (born 1980-1995) has caused many people to disregard this generation when it comes to trying to get their money. Do they all live in th
I am sure you will agree that in our industry there are a number of unwritten rules that shop owners have followed for decades. They know that they have to hire gifted technicians, stay at the forefront of vehicle technology, and can never jeopardize their relationships with their customers; just to name a few. Unfortunately, there is another rule that far too many shop owners (and service advisors) have believed in for decades. It’s a rule that’s been passed down from one generation to the next
As we all know, the most powerful form of advertising always has been, and always will be, word of mouth. Although every shop owner would like to believe the majority of their customers are songbirds, the reality is, they’re not. I am not suggesting that you don’t have some customers who love to sing your song, but it’s safe to say that they’re a very small percentage of your overall customer base. I feel comfortable making such a strong statement because even if as little as 10% of your custome
By Bob Cooper of Elite Many years ago when I was still working on cars, I came to the realization that I would someday own my own shop. I also realized that in order to do so, I would first have to learn how to sell service. The challenge I faced at that time was not only did I not know how to sell, but I also had little respect for salespeople, because I viewed them as people who would take people’s money, and more often than not do little in return. So I was actually faced with two challenges
By Bob Cooper Over the last 22 years I've been amazed to discover just how many shop owners are lost when it comes to knowing and understanding “the numbers". In order to build a successful auto repair shop, you are going to need to know two sets of numbers: Your “financial" benchmarks, and your “operational" benchmarks. Without a clear understanding of these benchmarks, it becomes quite challenging for shop owners to pinpoint where they are falling short of their goals, and where improvements
By Bob Cooper One of the single greatest challenges shop owners face today is finding and hiring the superstars. Regardless of whether you are looking to hire technicians or service advisors, here are some tips that will help you hire the stars. 1. Accept the fact that with rare exception, the stars you are looking for are already working, and are reasonably satisfied. This doesn’t mean that they won’t be open to a conversation with you, because many of them will be. It’s your responsibility t
By Bob Cooper Over the past one hundred plus years marketing strategies, and the brands that were built, were developed by two entities: The client, and the ad agency. The client would tell the agency how they envisioned their brand, and the agency would develop the advertising campaigns that would create that very same image in the minds of the targeted consumers. The tobacco companies wanted to create brands that would cause a consumer to feel good when they used their products, and the ad ag
By Bob Cooper
1. Know your customers’ buying habits. You’ll need to know your customers’ buying habits as well as their service histories. You should always request your first-time customers’ service records, and should ask them about their service histories verbally as well. This information can be extremely helpful during any sales process, especially when it comes to selling maintenance. Great doctors are always interested in a patient’s medical history, just as great service advisors a
By Bob Cooper
One of the challenges that shop owners have faced for years is finding and hiring qualified technicians. Here are 5 of the most successful techniques that I used to find the superstars when I was still operating shops.
1. Make an offer that is hard to refuse. Go to your local dealerships, introduce yourself to the service manager, and say something like this: “Larry, the reason I wanted to speak with you is I am looking for a superstar technician with ___ experience. Now fo
In today’s competitive environment every sale counts, so here are 5 easy-to-use tips that will help you drive up your sales, and generate happy customers at the same time.
1. When presenting your recommendations, always sell the recommended service… last
If the customer doesn’t feel comfortable with you it will be a challenge to sell repairs and services, so you should always sell yourself first. After the customer is sold on you, you then need to sell them on the technician that is working
By Bob Cooper
At Elite we know that once someone comes into your shop, you’ll do everything you can to generate a happy customer, and make a fair profit. Unfortunately, some customers will put you to the test when it comes to the prices you charge. They’ll tell you they can’t afford the recommended services, they’ll tell you they can get the same service done down the street for less, or they’ll just need you to knock a few bucks off the price. This is when you typically tell yourself that y
By Bob Cooper
We all know that there are many things you can do when it comes to customer retention. Follow-up calls, sending out service reminder notices, ongoing advertising campaigns that keep your name at the top of the customer’s mind, and scheduling the next visit at the time of car delivery are just a few. Yet there are some timeless rules that are often forgotten. During these competitive times I feel I can best help you by reminding you of the 6 most important rules when it comes t
Does your shop run on the Scott Systems MaxxTraxx Shop Management System?
Their latest release, available now, includes two new myCARFAX Shop Tools. Participating shops can now signup customers for myCARFAX in one-click!
myCARFAX is new no-cost customer retention tool that helps keep your customers coming back for their future preventative maintenance services. Consumers who use myCARFAX get their vehicles serviced 20% more frequently than non-users - getting you more service business!
Does your shop run on Janco's Stocktrac Shop Management System?
Their latest release, available now, includes a new myCARFAX Shop Tool. Participating shops can now signup customers for myCARFAX in one-click!
myCARFAX is the new no-cost customer retention tool that helps keep your customers coming back for their future preventative maintenance services. Consumers who use myCARFAX get their vehicles serviced 20% more frequently than non-users - getting you more service business! myCARFAX
Does your shop run on the YES! Pace Software Shop Management System?
Their latest release, available now, includes new myCARFAX Shop Tools. Participating shops can now signup customers for myCARFAX in one-click!
myCARFAX is the new no-cost customer retention tool that helps keep your customers coming back for their future preventative maintenance services. Consumers who use myCARFAX get their vehicles serviced 20% more frequently than non-users - getting you more service business! myCAR
Does your shop run on the Bay-masteR Shop Management System?
Their latest release, available now, includes two new myCARFAX Shop Tools. Participating shops can now signup customers for myCARFAX in one-click!
myCARFAX is the new no-cost customer retention tool that helps keep your customers coming back for their future preventative maintenance services. Consumers who use myCARFAX get their vehicles serviced 20% more frequently than non-users - getting you more service business! myCARFAX
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