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I just wanted to share a quick tip that I think is easily overlooked... invest in your community! And not just one. I have to say a lot of our success comes from the local community who have seen our name at the local booster clubs, fundraisers, sponsorships, etc. Don't count out your local chamber or commerce either. Host get-togethers/business functions at our shop, get a little league banner, run a "contest" if you will that will benefit the local food bank. Get involved! You will be better known around the community if you do. It has helped us grow so quickly these last couple of years. I rarely say no to a sponsorship and it has paid off in the end. Here is one of the last community sponsorships we did. We tied it into our local "best of" contest that we have in town: Best Auto Body Shop in Orangevale

 

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Nice job! You're 100% right about supporting your community. But you can get more "mileage" out of it when you get photos and use the best one in your waiting area. Don't assume every person who comes to visit you knows about your community support. Want to take it one step further? Add a short video and post it on your facebook page. Shoot a simple iPhone video... let customers and potential customer get to know YOU. People do business with people - not companies! Overall, nice work!

Matthew
"The Car Count Fixer"
Join the Conversation at Car Count Hackers on YouTube 

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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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