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Sales, Marketing, Recruiting and Shop Management Tips for Shop Owners

Entries in this blog

Setting Your Auto Repair Shop's Goals in 2017

By Bob Cooper When it comes to setting your long-term goals, you need to make sure that they all align with your core beliefs and that they are challenging enough to inspire you. As the leader of your company, it’s your job to inspire your entire team, and I’m sure you will agree that you can’t inspire others if you are not inspired yourself. With the changes in automotive technology, and the explosive growth in onboard vehicle infotainment systems, you can rest assured that vehicles will offe

Elite Worldwide Inc.

Elite Worldwide Inc.

How Much is Your Shop Worth?

By Bob Cooper If you speak with most shop owners they’ll tell you that they think their shop is worth x amount of money. Ask them how they came up with that number, and they’ll tell you it’s based on what they heard another shop sold for, or it’s predicated on their annual sales. But if you really want to know what your shop is worth, first of all, forget everything you’ve heard about “goodwill” and the fact that you have thousands of names in your database. That’s icing on the cake, but it

5 Keys to Increasing Your Shop's Service Sales

By Bob Cooper Looking to improve your service business? Here are 5 practices used by many of the most successful shops in America to dominate their market. #1. Generating New Customers The top shops realize that auto repair and service is a community-based business. With that said, I advise shops to invest at least 50% of their advertising budgets into non-traditional marketing campaigns. This includes involvement in charitable events, fundraisers, car care clinics and social media campaigns

Elite Worldwide Inc.

Elite Worldwide Inc.

Using Tire Analogies to Handle Sales Objections

Elite's Bob Cooper and Doris Barnes share how your service advisors can use tire analogies to handle even the most difficult sales objections:   For additional help increasing your shop's sales, customer satisfaction and customer retention, learn more about our industry acclaimed our Masters Service Advisor Training at https://www.eliteworldwide.com/automotive-service-advisor-training.html 

Elite Worldwide Inc.

Elite Worldwide Inc.

The Customer Who Wants to Supply Their Own Parts

By Bob Cooper You don’t have to be in the auto repair business long before a customer asks you if they can supply their own parts. Although there is no one technique that will work in every case, here’s one approach you may want to consider. First of all, you’ll need to bear in mind that a customer is making this request because they feel it’s a legitimate one. They are simply trying to save as much money as they can, which is perfectly normal. With rare exception, these customers are unaware

Elite Worldwide Inc.

Elite Worldwide Inc.

A Top Shop Owner’s Tip on Finding Service Advisors

Superstar shop owner and Elite Business Development Coach James Stephenson shares a tip on finding & hiring service advisors that has worked wonders for his award winning auto repair business.   For additional help building a more successful auto repair business, learn more about Elite’s new affordable and convenient online peer groups for shop owners: Top Shop 360

Elite Worldwide Inc.

Elite Worldwide Inc.

​​​​​​​Should Your Shop Be Open on Saturdays?

By Bob Cooper There is no easy answer to this question, but here at Elite we can give you some points that you need to consider. We realize that you are paying rent, insurance, etc. on a 24 hours a day, 365 days a year basis, so many will argue that you should be open on Saturdays since you’re already incurring many of the fixed expenses. Some will also argue that if you are closed on Saturdays, then stranded customers, or those who can’t make it in during the week, will wind up at your co

Elite Worldwide Inc.

Elite Worldwide Inc.

Tesla is More Than Just Another Automobile – It’s an Omen for Our Industry

Over the years our industry has seen many changes. For example, beyond the changes in styling and efficiencies, today’s vehicles are better built, they last longer, and they require less frequent servicing than they have in the past. But there is one emerging trend that will have a far greater impact on our industry than all the other changes combined. Consider this… Electric cars are not new. As a matter of fact, they date back to the mid-nineteenth century. Yet if you step back and look

Giving Back to your Shop's Community During the Holidays

Superstar shop owner and Elite Business Development Coach Rudi Rudloff shares why giving back during the holiday season is a win for people in need, for your community and for your auto repair business.   For additional help building a more successful auto repair business, learn how you can team up with a superstar shop owner like Ron through Elite Top Shop 360: Top Shop 360

Elite Worldwide Inc.

Elite Worldwide Inc.

Tesla is More Than Just Another Automobile – It’s an Omen for Our Industry

By Bob Cooper Over the years our industry has seen many changes. For example, beyond the changes in styling and efficiencies, today’s vehicles are better built, they last longer, and they require less frequent servicing than they have in the past. But there is one emerging trend that will have a far greater impact on our industry than all the other changes combined. Consider this…  Electric cars are not new. As a matter of fact, they date back to the mid-nineteenth century. Yet if you

The Truth About Stealing Employees

There is an expression that has been around our industry for decades that says if you run a good, ethical business, the one thing you should never do is “steal” employees. If you agree with that philosophy, this is one article you may want to read. First of all, in order for any of us to steal employees, by definition those employees would need to belong to someone else. Slavery was abolished in America in 1865. None of us “own” other people, and I am sure if you asked any of the employees wh

Elite Worldwide Inc.

Elite Worldwide Inc.

The Rule for Disclosing Vehicle Inspection Results - Interview with a Top Shop Owner

Retired superstar shop owner Kevin Vaught shares the rule that every shop owner in America needs to follow when it comes to disclosing needed repairs and services to their customers.   If you're interested in teaming up with a top shop owner like Kevin Vaught, who has been in your shoes and overcome the challenges your shop is facing, learn more about the Elite Coaching Program. 

How Shop Owners Can Ensure They Follow Through With Important Behavior

Superstar shop owner and Elite Business Development Coach Darrin Barney shares an easy-to-apply tip that will help shop owners ensure that they're following through with the behaviors that are critical to their success: To learn more about how you can team up with a superstar shop owner like Darrin to reach your shop's goals, visit the Elite Coaching Program web page. 

Elite Worldwide Inc.

Elite Worldwide Inc.

Where Your Shop's Parts-to-Labor Ratio Needs to Be

In this quick video tip industry superstar Jim Murphy shares the importance of maintaining a balance with your parts-to-labor ratio.     Jim Murphy heads up Elite Pro Service, a peer group made up of 90 of the industry's top shop owners. To learn more about this caring community, visit https://elitepeergroup.com/  

The Key to Bringing More First-Time Callers Into Your Shop

Elite Certified Sales & Leadership Trainer Jen Monclus shares a UCLA study that reveals an important key to bringing more first-time callers into your shop:  For addtional help generating higher sales and happier customers, learn more about Elite's industry acclaimed Masters Service Advisor Training Program. 

Elite Worldwide Inc.

Elite Worldwide Inc.

Know Your Numbers

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

The Silent Killer of Auto Repair Shops

By Bob Cooper Over the years I have had the pleasure of watching hundreds of shop owners go to the top, and truly become industry leaders. I have also seen thousands of shop owners that struggle from day to day until they finally either try to find someone that is willing to take over their business at any price, or they simply close their doors and walk away. There are many reasons why shops fail, including lack of business skills and the unwillingness to reach out for help before it’s too

Elite Worldwide Inc.

Elite Worldwide Inc.

A Critical Tip for Overcoming Sales Objections

Superstar sales trainer Jen Monclus reveals 5 steps that your service advisors need to follow to overcome even the most challenging sales objections shared by your auto repair customers:     For additional help generating happier customers and higher sales, learn more about Elite's industry acclaimed Masters Service Advisor Training Course.

Elite Worldwide Inc.

Elite Worldwide Inc.

The Million Dollar Phone Calls

By Bob Cooper From the time your advisors first pick up the phone, all the way through your service recommendations, there is one thing that is happening over and over again: The sales process. Putting first things first, every new customer needs to be sold on your shop. They then need to be sold that they made the right decision in calling your shop, have confidence that whatever problems they may have will be solved, believe that your advisor is someone that has their best interest at hea

Elite Worldwide Inc.

Elite Worldwide Inc.

A Tip on Hiring the Superstars - Employees in Ads

One of the most common questions our Elite coaches are asked is, “How do I find the superstar technicians and service advisors?” Interestingly, what most shop owners will do is wait until they need a tech or advisor before they start their search. Unfortunately, when they use this technique they inevitably end up hiring the best of whoever happens to be available at the time, rather than the best of the best. So if you are looking to hire the stars, my first recommendation is that you always nee

Elite Worldwide Inc.

Elite Worldwide Inc.

Building Morale in Your Shop

Elite Business Development Coach and superstar shop owner Darrin Barney shares an easy-to-apply tip that will help you show your employees how much you care about them, and build morale in your shop: Darrin Barney is an industry leading shop owner, and also one of the industry's top marketing experts who heads up Elite's Rapid Results Car Counts Package. Visit our Rapid Results page to learn how you can work one-on-one to generate immediate traffic, improve your phone conversions

Elite Worldwide Inc.

Elite Worldwide Inc.

A Shop Owner’s Guide to Staying Ahead of the Competition

By Bob Cooper Not long ago it was easy to beat your competitors. All that you needed was more equipment, a healthy advertising budget and the ability to fix cars right the first time. Well, those days are long gone. Today, cars are being built better and require service less frequently, customers have more choices than ever before, and they are able to do a tremendous amount of research online before they even pick up the phone. Additionally, this industry is experiencing an extraordinary short

Elite Worldwide Inc.

Elite Worldwide Inc.

Why You Need to Coach Your Shop's Employees

Superstar shop owner and Elite Business Development coach Rudi Rudloff explains the critical difference between “training” and “coaching” your auto repair shop’s employees. For additional help building a more successful auto repair business, learn how you can team up with a superstar shop owner like Rudi through Elite Top Shop 360: Top Shop 360

Elite Worldwide Inc.

Elite Worldwide Inc.

Turning Techs Into Advisors - Guidelines for Success

By Bob Cooper of Elite If there is one thing our industry has done since the very beginning, it’s put technicians into the role of service advisors. The rationale is that they have a good understanding of automobiles, which will enable them to be competent advisors. Unfortunately, that’s the furthest from the truth. Although an in-depth understanding of automobiles can be an asset, there are a number of other things you should consider before offering a service advisor position to one of yo

Elite Worldwide Inc.

Elite Worldwide Inc.

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