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Out with the Old, in with the New [AW 095]


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Guest hosts and shop tour with Rich and Linda Brauer, 59 Auto Repair, Plainfield, IL. They've been in business 28 years and was the 2021 NAPA Shop of the Year. Rich and Linda discuss the importance of being open to new ideas and change, rather than saying "that is the way we've always done it."

 

Key Talking Points

  • NAPA Shop of the Year 2021
  • Been in business 28 years- joined the NAPA mentoring program
  • Being open to new ideas. Don't say “because that is the way we have always done it”, especially in a husband/wife team
  • “Is there a better way to do it?”
  • Not about being “right” but it’s about being efficient and trying different ways to get there 
  • Fixing cars doesn’t mean your business is automatically successful- building customer trust/service (DVI), processes/procedures  
  • Impact of social media- reviews, social media accounts, keeping relevancy, community involvement

 

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Important Books

Check out today's partner:

Dorman gives people greater freedom to fix vehicles by constantly developing new repair solutions that put owners and technicians first. Take the Dorman Virtual Tour at www.DormanProducts.com/Tour

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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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