Challenges and Opportunities
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Similar Content
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By brian lorenzo
I have an opportunity to rent a 3rd location in a fairly busy area with a lot of potential. Problem is the current shop that is there owns the building and is moving 3 1/2 miles down the road will be the land lord.
Is this a good idea? anyone else have this situation?
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By Elon Block
Hi everyone,
In case you hadn't heard, here's something you need to be aware of...
AAA is making some changes, in the way they are doing business.
Within the last few years, AAA has decided to build their own company-owned facilities.
Here is a link, with an example of search results, drivers will see when they type in a zip code:
http://bit.ly/2bk7prG
Pay special attention to the search results marked (AAA Owned Facility).
The facilities are impressive and are gaining traction:
http://midatlantic.aaa.com/Automotive/ClubOwnedRepair/Aboutus/New
As you can see, their slogan is, "Auto Repair From A Name You Trust".
This is genius marketing, on their part...
Because customers equate the AAA logo, as a shop they can trust.
The other major change they've made is...
The new requirements for the AAA certification renewal.
Many shop owners did not read the fine print or notice the changes to the agreement.
In other words, the fine print requires certified shops to give AAA access to the shop's customer database.
The biggest concern is if you give them access to your customer database and then, they open a AAA Owned Facility, in your backyard...
They now have a built-in customer base they can market to.
What that means to you is...
This a major conflict of interest because now, they have all of your customers' information, which they can use to actively market and essentially steal your customers.
So, this is something to be considered, in deciding to continue to be affiliated, as a AAA certified shop.
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By Elon Block
Hi everyone,
New blog post on this very important topic here:
http://www.autoshopowner.com/blog/16/entry-190-did-you-see-the-latest-goodyear-tire-rubber-announcement/
All major pricing changes like this one, affects everyone in the auto repair industry.
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By Elon Block
New announcement from Michelin. Looks like they're getting into the online game with a new and
different approach to making it easy for the customer to do business with them. There are a number
of interesting things in the website's FAQ's that caught my eye.
http://www.moderntiredealer.com/news/story/2015/08/michelin-pilot-program-sells-tires-online-and-offers-concierge-service.aspx
Even if you're not a tire dealer, this move is a game-changer, What are your thoughts on this?
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By ncsvoboda7
Hey guys,
So I am still working on a business plan for a central Kansas startup shop and I am looking around and am thinking to myself, how on earth am I going to rise to the top and be better than every Joe Shmoe that knows how to turn a wrench and has a garage on that busy little corner lot.
Before I go any further in planning my business, I want to decide whether or not I can compete with all the different competition and I would really like everyone's input on this.
We have everything from the "best price in town but here is a Ziploc with some extra parts we didn't know what to do with" to the "would you like a refill on that shade grown Columbian imported coffee?" shop in town.
Where can I fit in? How do i build my own niche to make money and gain market share? What can I do to compete or rise above the rest? How can I stand out from the rest and nudge my way in to gain some share in the auto repair industry?
I am planning for a slightly higher end shop, I don't want to be the lowest price shop in town for sure but I also don't quite want to be the most expensive. I want to charge a little more for a quality job, great customer service and a few extras like maybe pickup and dropoff services or free coffee and cable in the waiting area. How can I make sure I can succeed in an already saturated and very competitive market?
Thanks!
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