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Do You Fear Franchise Stores?

Joe Marconi

By Joe Marconi
in Auto Shop Franchises

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CARMandP Proficient

CARMandP

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I am in a small town where there isn't enough "business" now to worry about any franchise shops coming into town. I do have several small shops that are my competition but right now I have so much work I can't keep up so I am not really worried about it.

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Chris_NC Rookie

Chris_NC

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Franchise stores don't really worry me too much. The franchise stores in my area tend to be tire oriented, and I chose to stay away from trying to compete with that market. My biggest worry is the dealers, but they have proven to be my biggest asset so far due to their excellent customer service(sarcasm). We have factory tooling for most of our client base, and the shops within a few miles of me don't mess with European vehicles too often and tend to send their Euro customers to us. I used to worry about what the other shops were charging, but I've decided to just make sure our work stays top notch, and go an extra mile for our customers (customers meaning they actually will pay for our services) and just worry about what we have to have to complete the job properly and profitable. O'reilly's and Carquest have came by to talk to me about tech-net or certified programs, but I've been unsure about going that route. I worry if the customer has had a poor experience somewhere else with those signs being displayed, will they associate us with it? Some customers who have been to quick lubes for their oil services will question our oil change prices being higher, but I just try to explain the affects of using a non-OE approved oil with pics of some engines we have torn down using the improper oil and service interval and assure them that the vehicle will be thoroughly inspected, correct fluids used, and service reminders will be reset, it eases their mind. The business is only a couple of months old, so I'll see how it works. So far so good, I'm just trying to get car count up and see if I can make it continue to work and make the necessary changes as I go.

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

    • Joe Marconi
      Want to End Your Technician Shortage? Focus on Retention!
      By Joe Marconi in Joe's 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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