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Posted

We are in Miami and can't get a feel for the average hourly rate. Other shops either won't tell or aren't reputable. We are AAA approved and been here 23 years and charging $99.00 per hour and would like to raise it. Any thoughts on what's appropriate.

Posted

That is a difficult question to answer on a national message board. I would suggest first figuring out what your labor rate needs to be so you are profitable to the level you desire. Then I would call local dealers and indys and do a labor rate survey. Be honest, tell them who you are and why your calling. We are trained not to answer the labor rate question but when someone calls and tells me who they are and why they are asking I am usually more than happy to give them the number they are asking for.

We are in Chicago and I suspect overall costs are similar and we are at $120 and looking to go up. I can tell you when we were at $99 I was afraid of the xxx figure so when we decided to do it we went to $114. If your going to do it you might as do it right :)

  • Like 2
Posted

Wheelingauto, can you comment on the response from customers to your price increase?  We've always made small increases successfully but we've never tried a larger jump.  However, it's harder and harder to find techs so I think this type of increase may be warranted soon.  

  • Like 1
Posted

Pricing is a hot topic as always. Food for thought though, when was  the last time someone scrutinized what your hourly labor charge was? More often than not if a customer has a problem with pricing its either a comparable from another shop's estimate or its a blanket statement of, "Thats expensive" or "Thats too high" or something along those lines. I live by the rule of thumb that if you are providing high enough matching value then the RIGHT customers won't complain (the majority of the time). The rare cases you may have a bottom feeder customer that won't be happy unless you take a few dollars out of your own wallet to fix their car. Otherwise I have never had a problem with labor rate increases. I've done probably 5-6 in the last 5 years. 

  • Like 2
Posted
12 hours ago, jfuhrmad said:

Wheelingauto, can you comment on the response from customers to your price increase?  We've always made small increases successfully but we've never tried a larger jump.  However, it's harder and harder to find techs so I think this type of increase may be warranted soon.  

As said above. No one really questions dollar per hour charges. When we went up I can't remember a single comment about it. 

  • Like 2
Posted

A good way to price your labor rate is to take your most expensive tech's pay rate, then add in uniforms, benefit costs, FICA, workers comp, etc until you have the loaded cost of having a technician. From there multiply that number by 2.5 to get to a 60% profit margin. For example a $30.00 tech probably costs you about $39.00 per hour, times 2.5 is about $98.00 per hour labor rate, at the least.  

  • Like 4
Posted

Thanks Harry.  Just for reference for a smaller town we are in Minnesota 45 minutes north of Minneapolis.  We were at $98 18 months ago.  Now at $102.  Chevy dealer in town is $118 and Ford is 15 miles away at $135.  I'm thinking of going to $105.

  • Like 1
Posted

Wow we are in a small town one hour from Louisville Kentucky at 65.00 per hour. When we moved here the very first comment was welcome to the Twilight Zone. No one here truly understands the cost of staying in business


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Posted

I am in rural Iowa 5 miles from Minnesota border. Town of 6000 people and we are at 101.93. I merged with the shop across the street at the beginning of the year.

I was at 100 and he was as at 92. I changed it after a week. No one noticed. If I went up another 10 tomorrow no one would still notice. At this level $10 basically equals .1 per hour. No customer has a clue if the job books for 1.5 or 1.8. If someone is afraid to raise labor rate just index all labor by 1.1 or 1.2.

The industries around me are paying 18-20 per hour with good benefits. I have to pay my guys well to keep them and they deserve better wages. They are educated workers and I rely on them heavily. At the rate of inflation and how far behind my area is. We should be around 120.

  • Like 1
Posted

We are 30 miles north of New Orleans and at $112. I don't think a nice shop with good techs could be in business for much less, around here at least.


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Posted

I agree with working based off your technicians pay, at least for a starting point. 70% GP is the standard I was taught (not loaded). That gets you where you need to be to make your proper margin. From there, shop around. You might be leaving some on the table. I called a few other shops around town and once I explained who I was and why I was asking (I didn't want to the 'that shop' that isn't charging enough), everyone was glad to share their rates. 

I ended up raising my labor rate and I never heard any complaints. Sure, there are some jobs I probably lose to pricing, but only to those customers who care about the price and price only... and those aren't my ideal customers

Posted

This week my techs are starting a base salary + flag... I told them Thursday at lunch time. My SA told me Friday morning he can already tell they are turning out work quicker :/ ...I shouldn't have waited so long

Posted

About 15 years ago I was in dire straights. I was dangerously close to having to lock the doors and going home. I calculated my break even point, and what my labor rate would have to be to survive. Not make money, just to stop losing money. I raised my labor rate $15.75 in one day.  Not one single customer complained. Not one. The only complaint I got was from my advisor, which ended quickly when I gave him the choice between selling the new labor rate, or going home forever.

The bottom line is that no customer is going to complain. Charge what you have to charge to make your business successful, and stop worrying about raising the rate a few bucks to do it.

  • Like 5
Posted
49 minutes ago, xrac said:

This is a post that every shop owner should read. Too many of us have picked labor rates based upon no financial calculations. 

Picking a labor rate based on what everyone else is doing makes no sense at all. Obviously you want to know what the competition is doing, and if the math says you have to be way above them or way below, why is it that way? But the bottom line is that your expenses are not their expenses, and you have to make what you have to make to stay in business, and be profitable enough to be around to serve your customers next year.

  • Like 2
Posted

I should add, when I moved my techs to commission pay, I did the math to make sure I was going to hit my margins, no matter how many hours they ran. I made a spreadsheet with formulas and entered all sorts of different combinations of hours...

Posted
On ‎5‎/‎13‎/‎2017 at 5:46 PM, hartcoauto said:

Wow we are in a small town one hour from Louisville Kentucky at 65.00 per hour. When we moved here the very first comment was welcome to the Twilight Zone. No one here truly understands the cost of staying in business


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$105 is where I'm at. Gives me a 70.7% labor GP. I call around every year and check labor rates, just to make sure I'm not the cheapest or most expensive.  

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted
On 5/13/2017 at 4:46 PM, hartcoauto said:

Wow we are in a small town one hour from Louisville Kentucky at 65.00 per hour. When we moved here the very first comment was welcome to the Twilight Zone. No one here truly understands the cost of staying in business


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I am in the same situation just in a different part of the country. But that is the best way to describe the situation...."no on here truly understands the cost of staying in business". When your biggest competition is the local junk yard "fixing" cars or the "shop" that will only install parts if the customer brings them with him, or the out of work neighbor who is a "mechanic",  it's a tough nut to crack. My stupidity for picking this location but the challenge has proven to be overwhelming and so hard. Needless to say, I am currently looking for other locations to move and intent on selling this building. Glad to see I'm not alone in the customer base I have gifted myself with.

  • 1 month later...
Posted

When I bought my partner out a few years ago, he said it was time to raise our labor rate. Because I lost his customer base, and he was the expert mechanic, I was afraid to raise the rate. I worked my butt off and struggled. I finally got over my fear, and challenged by other shop owners I raised my rates. Nothing happened. So I raised them again. I don't recommend this, but I can tell you what I did and what happened. I ended up raising our labor rate from $89 to $125 in a period of 18 months. Nothing happened. Except I started being profitable. I know I am the highest labor rate in town. The shop across the street, a very good shop, is at $90, we're both very busy. The big difference between me and the owner across the street is that he's the main guy and can't leave, and I don't work in my shop in daily operations and have taken up to a month off at a time. I know this is not recommended, but I ended up not caring what any other shop in town did. I concentrated on giving great service. Besides, if any shop works towards a 60% GP you have to get it somewhere. There is less push back on labor rates (rarely comes up) than there is on parts pricing. 

BTW, I'm just sharing experience here. We've had lot's of issues to overcome. I found out last year that we were not charging nearly enough on parts compared to other shops, and getting that pricing correct has really helped our profitability. Also, we try to stay comparable by quoting an opening estimate for testing at $98. If we really get pinned down on labor rate we quote our average labor rate, which is 110-115, and we say it's our average rate. Not recommending thus stuff, just saying what we do.

Richard G

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         0 comments
      The Technician Shortage Is Our Fault, And It's Time We Own It
      Nearly every day, I hear shop owners complain: "There's a technician shortage. We can't find qualified people. There's no one out there." If that's true, then who's to blame?
      The industry? The schools? The government? I don't know how you feel, but who promised us an endless supply of qualified technicians?
      Another common complaint is that young people do not want to work in the trades. Well, if that were true, then why are other trades such as HVAC, electrical, and plumbing growing? What are they doing that the automotive industry is not? 
      Here's the reality we need to face: We do have a problem, but we shouldn't look for someone or any entity to rescue us. Not the government. Not the trade schools. Not the recruiting companies. No one owes us a workforce. If we want great people in our industry, it's up to us. At some point, we need to own up to the truth: Building a pipeline of qualified technicians is our responsibility.
      In this blog article, I will break down the key reasons we are in this situation today and what we, as an industry, can do to solve the technician shortage. Are you ready to look in the mirror?
      Have We Pushed Technicians Away?
      Let's take a look at flat-rate pay. True flat rate, which pays a technician only for the hours they produce, is a controversial pay plan that emphasizes high production levels and creates a competitive work environment that, if not properly controlled, can lead to increased mistakes and a decline in morale and team spirit. Additionally, the stress and physical demands placed on technicians as they age are not favorable to long-term employee retention. What do we do with technicians as they grow older into their fifties and begin to slow down? 
      I have heard all the arguments and pros and cons of flat-rate pay, and I am not going to judge any pay plan. Let the facts speak for themselves. True flat rate has changed in most areas around the country and has evolved into a pay plan that gives technicians some pay guarantee.
      Many shop owners have learned that team morale, along with the opportunity to earn income, is important to technicians and to the company's long-term success. But let me ask you: how many technicians have left or been pushed out over the years because of the old flat-rate pay system?
      Another issue is the workplace environment. I remember being grateful to be hired as a young technician at a local repair shop. While very thankful, the work environment was not ideal. The shop owner kept the bay doors open year-round (I am from New York) unless it rained or snowed. He felt that if the bay doors were closed, customers might think we were closed for business. We had no heat and no hot water. Many of the jobs were done outside, year-round,  in all types of weather. The starting pay was minimum wage, with no benefits, sick days, or vacation pay. 
      Now, again, I need to point out that I was truly grateful for the opportunity this shop owner gave me. I learned a lot working there, and the experience was pivotal in my career. But looking back, I wonder how many people were discouraged by these working conditions?
      While the physical demands of the repair workplace are daunting, perhaps even more critical is the culture. Too many of my generation shop owners preached the mindset of "my way or the highway." We were the business owners, after all. We started our companies, took all the risks, and provided jobs. Why shouldn't we be the ones to set the ground rules our way?   
      Many of us found over the years that the "my way or the highway" mentality was a sure way to isolate employees and make them more likely to look over the fence for greener grass. In other words, it led many technicians to seek employment elsewhere, where they felt they could be appreciated and recognized for their hard work. The issue, however, was that there wasn't much green grass around. Disappointment after disappointment, bouncing from repair to repair shop, eventually led to despair. So, I ask you: were workplace conditions a contributing factor in today's technician shortage?
      Another factor that we are all well aware of is the complexity of the modern automobile. When I started, the work was mostly physical, and you were required to master essentially three vehicle models: General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. Let's fast-forward to today. The evolution of automotive technology, along with the extensive training and tools required, has outpaced the typical technician's pay compensation, with no clear career path. Again, leading to frustration and insecurity about the future.
      Here is the bottom line: people don't leave their job; they leave their experience. We must do a better job. 
      The News Isn't all Bad; Your Next Steps to Fix the Technician Shortage
      To fix the technician shortage, it will take a combined effort from everyone in the automotive industry, particularly automotive shop owners. Shop owners are in the perfect position to make the greatest impact, not only on their businesses but also on the future automotive workforce.
      First, shop owners must become better leaders and understand that their ultimate success is directly dependent on the people they assemble around them. Any shop owner who mistakenly believes they can build an empire solely on their abilities is destined for serious disappointment. Business owners who think like this will eventually plateau. Without the collective contributions from a team of qualified people, your business will stall; it will not continue to grow.
      Create a workplace that attracts top talent: a clean, professional, well-equipped facility designed to support productivity, teamwork, and a career, not just a job. Build a great reputation in your community by getting involved locally. Become the auto repair shop that people take notice of as "the" place to work.
      Next, shop owners must become more financially knowledgeable. Knowing your numbers and what you need to achieve for a strong bottom-line profit is essential to paying technicians the money they need and deserve. Profit will also allow you to compete with other trade industries by providing a benefits package that has real take-home value and security.
      When it comes to culture, this is where the rubber hits the road. People crave recognition, praise, and a sense of purpose. Despite what you hear, people are not just money-motivated. Once people feel secure in their financial situation, retaining and motivating technicians can only be achieved by connecting with them on an emotional level. You cannot show enough appreciation. Give out praise for a job well done as if your business depended on it, because it does.
      As technicians age, we need to have a place for them. Expecting a 58-year-old to perform like a 35-year-old is unrealistic. We need to be more focused on career pathing. Provide training, skill development, and coaching to develop leaders and mentors within our older workforce. While their bodies may have slowed, the knowledge they have gained is priceless. 
      Our future is dependent on young people entering our industry. We need to give more young people opportunities. Every shop owner across the country should consider hiring an apprentice, then build an apprentice training plan and career path for them. If every shop did this, we could solve the technician shortage within five years. Get involved with the trade schools and high schools in your area. Look into the NAPA Apprenticeship Program. Don't sit on your hands with this one. Do it today.
      Lastly, don't get left behind. Commit to ongoing training for all your employees. Keep up to date with tools and equipment tailored to your business model. Don't try to be all things to all people and all vehicles. Identify your core profile customer and the vehicles they drive, and become an expert on those vehicles and the services you offer.
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