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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!”
  • Similar Topics

    • By Joe Marconi

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    • By carmcapriotto
      Is it possible to grow your shop's revenue by $1 million? Together, our panel of marketing gurus discuss the importance of marketing for automotive repair shops and provide insights on effective marketing strategies. The panel emphasizes the need to understand the shop's current situation and goals before developing a marketing strategy. They also discuss financial aspects, setting goals for growth, seeking advice from successful shop owners, and creating memorable customer experiences. They stress the importance of strategic and proactive marketing and financial planning to drive business growth in the auto repair industry. Remember, marketing takes time and should be trusted as a process. Always be marketing, and don't stop when business is busy.
      Carrie-Lynn Rodenberg, Turnkey Marketing. Carrie's previous episodes HERE
      Kim and Brian Walker, Shop Marketing Pros, Auto Repair Marketing Podcast. Kim and Brian's previous episodes HERE
      Tony Mercury, VP of Revenue, Autoshop Solutions. Tony's previous episodes HERE
      Show Notes:
      Watch Video Episode  The importance of setting goals (00:03:21) The importance of setting specific, measurable, achievable, results-oriented, and timely goals for marketing strategies. Cohesive marketing approach (00:04:17) The importance of having a web of marketing tactics that work together and support each other, rather than relying on a single tactic. Support systems in marketing (00:06:16) The need for a shop to have strong support systems in place, such as skilled service advisors and technicians, in order to effectively handle the increased business generated by marketing efforts. The importance of patience in marketing and sales (00:07:16) Discussion on the need for patience in marketing and sales, and the importance of having processes in place for effective hand-off from marketing to sales. Improving reputation and community involvement (00:08:34) Exploration of strategies to improve reputation, including addressing internal issues, responding to negative reviews, and getting involved in the community. Coaching and marketing for top tier shops (00:10:59) Discussion on the role of coaches for top tier shops, the need for marketing to support growth, and the benefits of attending trade shows and industry events. The importance of retained earnings (00:15:38) Discussion on the financial aspects of running a business, including taxes, debt service, and retained earnings. Setting ambitious growth goals (00:16:18) Encouragement to aim for higher revenue targets and invest more in marketing to achieve growth beyond $1 million. Importance of marketing strategy (00:17:06) Exploration of the role of marketing in business growth, including hiring in-house marketing personnel or working with external marketing companies. The importance of seeking advice from successful shop owners (00:24:17) Seeking advice and information from successful shop owners Building a rock-solid foundation for marketing (00:25:13) The importance of having a strong foundation in place before competing with larger shops and suggests alternative marketing strategies for smaller shops with limited budgets. Prioritizing retention marketing over acquisition marketing (00:27:43) The significance of focusing on retaining existing customers rather than solely acquiring new ones, and how providing exceptional customer service and personalized experiences can contribute to customer loyalty. Reality is our friend (00:32:28) Discussion on the importance of accepting the reality of marketing and embracing it as a friend. Creating memorable customer experiences (00:34:09) Importance of providing exceptional customer experiences to create loyalty and retention. Investing in marketing for business growth (00:35:54) Exploration of the need to allocate a budget for marketing to achieve business growth goals. Self-auditing (00:40:59) Understanding the effectiveness of past marketing efforts and seeking advice from other shop owners. Creating a cohesive marketing message (00:42:04) Ensuring that all marketing materials, including ads and social media, align with the shop's brand and message. Continuous marketing (00:46:57) Avoiding the mistake of stopping marketing efforts when the shop is busy and investing in infrastructure to handle the increased business. Thanks to our Partners Shop-Ware and Delphi Technologies
      Shop-Ware: More Time. More Profit. Shop-Ware Shop Management https://getshopware.com/
      Delphi Technologies: Keeping current on the latest vehicle systems and how to repair them is a must for today’s technicians. http://DelphiAftermarket.com
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      -Our Classroom page for personal or team learning: https://remarkableresults.biz/classroom
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    • By champtires

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    • By carmcapriotto
      Recorded Live at the 2022 Transformers Summit with Jesse and Christine Myers. They joined a peer group and it changed their entire business, doubling their sales to $2 million in 18 months. Jesse and Christine Myers, ATLR (All Toyota Lexus Repair), Arvada, CO. Show Notes
      Started in 2003, biggest growth was in 2019 Jesse became a master technician at Toyota 21 years old- quit Toyota because he wanted his own team. Worked on fleets overnight to keep account with WorldPac. Joining peer groups changed their entire business Won trip to Nashville from WorldPac- met Kim Auernheimer. Kim invited them to a Smart Group meeting in Texas and helped them increase their numbers so they could attend. Chris stayed home with the kids- they had $3,000 per month for both personal and business. When their youngest went to school, Chris became a part of the automotive business. 2018 gross profit $375K and in 2019 just under 1 million- with 3 people total (2 techs and Kris). 2020-now is almost 2 million. Defining roles and 'staying in your lane' with the help of Transformers Institute- who needs to be in the day-to-day operations (Jesse)? Who oversees everything as a whole (Chris)? Looking to expand to multi shops in the next 5 years Implementing change from the conference- working on goals together outside of the shop/house at a restaurant. "We want to change lives" 3 different salary ranges- low, medium and high. Backwards math to find out how many labor hours per day to reach that salary. Attainable goals. How to flourish- accountability, consistency and training. Chris and Jesse took their team and their spouses to dinner to explain their vision and how it will work. The spouses were very touched that Jesse and Chris cared so much for their lives.
        Connect with the Podcast: Aftermarket Radio Network Subscribe on YouTube Visit us on the Web Follow on Facebook Become an Insider Buy me a coffee Important Books Check out today's partners: Set your sights on Las Vegas in 2023. Mark your calendar now … October 31 - Nov 2, 2023, AAPEX - Now more than ever. And don’t miss the next free AAPEX webinar. Register now at AAPEXSHOW.COM       NAPA TRACS will move your shop into the SMS fast lane with onsite training and six days a week of support and local representation. Find NAPA TRACS on the Web at NAPATRACS.com
      Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio
    • By Changing The Industry
      $2 Million Auto Repair Shop With One Huge Problem


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