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My Thoughts on the Coronavirus and Business


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Joe, I agree with your comments 100%. 

For most, it's the FEAR that's driving them to make decisions that don't make sense. They PANIC. 

Now, the drop in business is real, but like most others, it's a bump in the road. If we all simply rely on the hard facts (like WHO information) and stay away from all the FEAR and PANIC, we'll do fine. 

I posted about this too with the best advice I've got. You can read that here: 

Thanks again for your calm sensible approach and comments. 
Matthew
"The Car Count Fixer"  

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Thank you Joe for the well written post. I have weighed the option to close as I'm sure many of you have. Here are my thoughts; I am fortunate enough to be able to go a few months without worrying about the financial repercussions but I do worry about my customers. My shop is in a rural isolated area and I would feel terrible not helping people that need emergency services. We fix flat tires and broken cars every day. We aren't doing upgrades we are getting cars back on the road. 

I certainly clean the counter more frequently but life goes on for us. 

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A few days makes a difference. We got all our work done that was here and I closed the shop today. It hurts me, I enjoy working. I enjoy talking to people. I like steady income. But I couldn't sleep the last couple nights worrying what if? So that's that I paid my help a couple weeks time off and I got enough groceries for a couple weeks so I'm just going to chill out and do nothing and just hope we get this thing under control quickly.

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I'm sending my two employees home today, and will do my best to keep them paid. My family and I live in the same building the shop is in, and so in order to keep them and us safe, we have decided to take a couple weeks off kinda. I'll still work and try to keep enough cash flow to not close my doors permanently. I to am concerned for my customers vehicles and their needs, but for time being, I'll have to do what I'm able to do without my help. 

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Interesting that no one has brought up the subject of parts availability. It wouldn't surprise me a bit if we start seeing spot shortages of parts in a matter of days, not weeks, and I fully anticipate that if we "flipped the switch" tomorrow and informed the world that it was okay to come out and play, that it would take many, many months for repair parts and tire inventory to return to normal. I'm anticipating a storage lot FULL of vehicles awaiting alternators, tensioners, water pumps, front end and brake components, PCM's, you name it. We don't make anything here anymore in our beloved country. We sold our soul to the devil years ago and now we are going to reap the "rewards". Too bad we have helped develop the economies of our adversaries on the other side of the world rather than our struggling neighbors here in our own hemisphere. You know, the hard working people who share our values (or what USED to be our values--hard work, sacrifice, providing a better future for our children, etc.), worship the same God, and speak the same language? Alright, alright, at least it's Latin based but you take my point. Forgive my rant, I'm just afraid of the debt TSUNAMI that is headed our way and the way in which those who wish us ill are going to take advantage of our greed and short-sightedness. Hold onto your butts, it's going to be a bumpy ride. Just my dos centavos worth.

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On 3/30/2020 at 9:31 AM, moyersauto said:

@Hands On Has offering this service helped generate business?  

I got a few responses but nothing overwhelming.  FNGJWS I do wonder if the parts are going to stop rolling. I know the dealers around me let go of every single car salesman, and half their service center staff, half or more of the parts staff.

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I think we can COUNT on it (parts shortages). Oh, that and higher prices. Having said that, I believe we'll be well positioned as an industry because as the government slows down the printing presses, people will fix up 'Ol Betsy rather than buy a new car they can't afford. Debt is dumb and cash is king but anyway you slice it, it's a house of cards.  

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         3 comments
      Got your attention? Good. The truth is, there is no such thing as the perfect technician pay plan. There are countless ways to create any pay plan. I’ve heard all the claims and opinions, and to be honest, it’s getting a little frustrating. Claims that an hourly paid pay plan cannot motivate. That flat rate is the only way to truly get the most production from your technicians. And then there’s the hybrid performance-based pay plan that many claim is the best.
      At a recent industry event, a shop owner from the Midwest boasted about his flat-rate techs and insisted that this pay plan should be adopted by all shops across the country. When I informed him that in states like New York, you cannot pay flat-rate, he was shocked. “Then how do you motivate your techs” he asked me.
      I remember the day in 1986 when I hired the best technician who ever worked for me in my 41 years as an automotive shop owner. We’ll call him Hal. When Hal reviewed my pay plan for him, and the incentive bonus document, he stared at it for a minute, looked up, and said, “Joe, this looks good, but here’s what I want.” He then wrote on top of the document the weekly salary he wanted. It was a BIG number. He went on to say, “Joe, I need to take home a certain amount of money. I have a home, a wife, two kids, and my Harly Davidson. I will work hard and produce for you. I don’t need an incentive bonus to do my work.” And he did, for the next 30 years, until the day he retired.
      Everyone is entitled to their opinion. So, here’s mine. Money is a motivator, but not the only motivator, and not the best motivator either. We have all heard this scenario, “She quit ABC Auto Center, to get a job at XYZ Auto Repair, and she’s making less money now at XYZ!” We all know that people don’t leave companies, they leave the people they work for or work with.
      With all this said, I do believe that an incentive-based pay plan can work. However, I also believe that a technician must be paid a very good base wage that is commensurate with their ability, experience, and certifications. I also believe that in addition to money, there needs to be a great benefits package. But the icing on the cake in any pay plan is the culture, mission, and vision of the company, which takes strong leadership. And let’s not forget that motivation also comes from praise, recognition, respect, and when technicians know that their work matters.
      Rather than looking for that elusive perfect pay plan, sit down with your technician. Find out what motivates them. What their goals are. Why do they get out of bed in the morning? When you tie their goals with your goals, you will have one powerful pay plan.
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