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Plan For Slow Times [THA 275]


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The aftermarket is blazing busy. We may think that boomtown will continue without an end in sight. But what are your ‘slow day action plans?' Some who have not been doing things ‘right’ are feeling the ebb and flow of typical cycle times, holidays, back to school, vacations, weather, and travel. Let this episode help you re-think

Kim Walker, Shop Marketing Pros, Listen to Kim’s other episodes HERE.

Aaron Woods, X-tra Mile Auto Care, Stillwater, OK. Listen to Aaron's previous episodes HERE

Clint White, Service Advisor Coach & Shop Consultant with CWI and currently holds multiple ASE certifications. Listen to Clint’s previous episodes HERE

Key Talking Points

  • Staying ahead of the curve. What we do today, is what we have tomorrow. 
  • An effective SDAP (Slow Day Action Plan) isn’t something you pull out of a drawer or your SOP binder on days when the phone isn’t ringing and there are no cars in the bays.
  • The most important slow-day tool is already in your toolbox. You just need to know how to use it- be proactive, not reactive. Shop management platforms (tracking and analytics), CRM programs (managing the analytics), brand awareness, appointment reminders
  • Tire pressure checks- touchpoint opportunity
  • Service advisors- create urgency and can maintain urgency through booking future appointments. Customers will match your urgency.
  • Strengthen your relationship with customers
  • How involved are you with your community?
  • “Stop Stopping”
  • “If you’re not growing, you’re dying”
  • Assessment- how do you look from an outside perspective? Reviews? Social media presence? Website? Financial scrub of dollars going out?
  • Social posts: new equipment, ‘unboxing’ which attracts new customers and technicians
  • Actively participate in Follow-up and Marketing- when are you reaching out after the sale? 3 Days?  30 Days? How are you reaching out after the sale? It is critical that we honor our customer’s PMOC (preferred method of contact)

 

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More Time. More Profit. Shop-Ware Shop Management getshopware.com

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See how Broadly can help YOU grow your auto shop. getbroadly.com/chat

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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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