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I'm ready to see more positive posts on this forum, so I'm starting with one tonight!

 

On Wednesday, a lady called and said she had a blowout and wanted her car towed in. Once the 2006 Buick Lucerne got to the shop we found that it needed a

 

new tire. We had sold a set of 4 tires to her in July 2016 with road hazard warranty. So she's getting a free tire now on the house. Along with the tire purchase in

 

July we also performed $1400 in repairs and service. So on Wednesday my technician jacked it up on the floor and installed the new tire. Then he told me he

 

was putting the car on his lift to do an inspection. The car had been well maintained, but while doing his inspection he found that it needed repairs.

 

It had a timing cover coolant leak, oil pan leak, rt. rear caliper leak, cracked serpentine belt, needed an oil service, and a couple of other things. I called her and

 

told her that the tire needed replacing. She asked if it was warrantied, and I replied that I had good news....she had purchased warranty coverage and I was

 

replacing it free. She loved that. Then I told her that we performed a safety inspection and told her of our findings. I didn't wait for her to ask "HOW MUCH?" I

 

immediately told her that I could get started on the work the same day and it would be $2150. She then asked if I had something she could drive, and I told her I

 

would provide her with a loaner car and could have her car ready by Friday. She asked if I could put the work on a credit card, so I said "SURE!!" Just come on

 

by and pick up my Altima to drive while your Buick is in the shop. She got a ride and came by about thirty minutes later. Today she picked up her Buick and

 

handed me her credit card. She was one happy lady, thanked me for finding what her car needed, and left smiling. Ladies and Gentlemen, I call that a

 

VICTORY in MY LIFE!!!

 

We need these victories daily in our businesses. Do you know any shops around your town that would have replaced her tire, done no inspection, eaten the

 

cost of the tire, and would have been in a bitchy mood after eating it?? So remember, Be an Optimist, Be Positive, Be Excited, Service Cars Properly,

 

Make Money, and Achieve a Victory in Your Life!!

 

Thank you for listening,

 

Hi-Gear

 

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I'm ready to see more positive posts on this forum, so I'm starting with one tonight!

 

On Wednesday, a lady called and said she had a blowout and wanted her car towed in. Once the 2006 Buick Lucerne got to the shop we found that it needed a

 

new tire. We had sold a set of 4 tires to her in July 2016 with road hazard warranty. So she's getting a free tire now on the house. Along with the tire purchase in

 

July we also performed $1400 in repairs and service. So on Wednesday my technician jacked it up on the floor and installed the new tire. Then he told me he

 

was putting the car on his lift to do an inspection. The car had been well maintained, but while doing his inspection he found that it needed repairs.

 

It had a timing cover coolant leak, oil pan leak, rt. rear caliper leak, cracked serpentine belt, needed an oil service, and a couple of other things. I called her and

 

told her that the tire needed replacing. She asked if it was warrantied, and I replied that I had good news....she had purchased warranty coverage and I was

 

replacing it free. She loved that. Then I told her that we performed a safety inspection and told her of our findings. I didn't wait for her to ask "HOW MUCH?" I

 

immediately told her that I could get started on the work the same day and it would be $2150. She then asked if I had something she could drive, and I told her I

 

would provide her with a loaner car and could have her car ready by Friday. She asked if I could put the work on a credit card, so I said "SURE!!" Just come on

 

by and pick up my Altima to drive while your Buick is in the shop. She got a ride and came by about thirty minutes later. Today she picked up her Buick and

 

handed me her credit card. She was one happy lady, thanked me for finding what her car needed, and left smiling. Ladies and Gentlemen, I call that a

 

VICTORY in MY LIFE!!!

 

We need these victories daily in our businesses. Do you know any shops around your town that would have replaced her tire, done no inspection, eaten the

 

cost of the tire, and would have been in a bitchy mood after eating it?? So remember, Be an Optimist, Be Positive, Be Excited, Service Cars Properly,

 

Make Money, and Achieve a Victory in Your Life!!

 

Thank you for listening,

 

Hi-Gear

 

Good Job. Keep a watch on that car's cooling system, Intake and Throttle body coolant housing area. Don't ask me how i know! ;)

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Throughly inspect, detail the estimates, honestly present the need, and leave it the customer to decide. Do not decide what the customer can or cannot afford. The results will surprise you.

 

Very true and this is something I forget too often

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Staying positive? Here's something that may help. Make a Calendar for your marketing. It's something that is so basic but a lot of shop owners forget about it. Typically, you would want to create "weekly" tasks... like "Thank You" cards in week one, follow up letters, etc. in the next week, newsletters the third week - you get the gist.

 

It will help keep you focused on what needs to get done - and if you do your marketing with more consistency, you're going to find that it works better.

 

I use a site at time and date where I can create "custom" calendars as a pdf download. Here's the link direct to their page:

https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/create.html

 

Hope this helps!

Matthew Lee

"The Car Count Fixer"

 

The Shop Owner's Owner's Manual - Marketing made easy!

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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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