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Anyone a Member of RepairPal.com

Joe Marconi

By Joe Marconi
in Auto Parts Banner Programs

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Tires Too Collaborator

Tires Too

Posted
Posted

Joe,

I spoke with Repair Pal about their Top Shop Program. It is pretty expensive, I spoke with the one shop that is listed as a Top Shop in the area, the owner at that time did not feel that the number of referrals/tow ins was worth the monthly fee that they charge. The program has very limited visibility in my area.

Russ

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  • 1 year later...
Tires Too Collaborator

Tires Too

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I did sign up for their "Top Shop" program about 4 months ago. I like the concept of what they are doing, but the return on investment just has not been there. I've had a total of 6 phone calls on the number that is in my listing. 2 of them were computer sales calls. The other calls were shoppers from outside my market area. I have had 0 tow ins. All of that for only $299 a month. I have cancelled my enrollment in the Top Shop program.

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alfredauto Experienced

alfredauto

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I signed up today - $99 for the 1st month. We'll see how it goes, I'm going to try it until the college breaks for summer - about 3 months. I quit radio commercials, newspaper ads , and yellow pages which brought in basically nothing so I have some advertising budget to spend. Google Adwords has been working very well , although the free word of mouth referrals from happy customers really is what brings people in.

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Gonzo Grand Master

Gonzo

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I've been contacted by these guys. Their sales pitch on the phone bothered me. They said, "We will bring in new business at 2000.00 a month. More new customers and customers that won't want it done cheap. We pride on the fact that we only have top notch customers for top notch shops. Your increase in profit will be very worthwhile."

 

Anytime someone makes such a claim I want to see results not hype. I told him, "If you can guarantee that I'm interested. If not it sounds like a lot of smoke and mirrors."

 

He couldn't and I said no.

 

I'm always very curios of new ways of creating new business, but when you claim you can do something and can't back it up, it's like buying golf balls that have "Avoids Trees" written on them.

 

Your results may vary....but...in the real world and years of doing this... I've seen these so called great ideas fade away.

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alfredauto Experienced

alfredauto

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June 1 Update. 3 months $500 spent got me no tows no AARP and 3 legit phone calls. 1 customer came in and actually got work done, 2 wanted a deal on head gaskets which we don't normally do. I got a couple calls asking for free DIY help over the phone which I helped with cheerfully. One guy didn't call but came in and I helped him DIY which cost me about an hour, he was real nice so I was hoping for a tip or the job but no go. The 1 customer that called and came in and signed a repair order brought their own parts and was very concerned with price. Summary: I am going to cancel. Repairpal did call my last 60 customers and got unbiased reviews from them, it stoked my ego because they were almost all very good to outstanding ratings. They also checked me out and verified ASE status and things like that. The webpage is pretty nice, tracking is excellent. Props to the company for checking out who they promote. As far as effective advertising goes, at least in my area, not as many people as they would like you to believe goes on their website. I also feel it attracts undesirable customers. One guy already knew from the website that it should only cost $800 to do head gaskets on his Northstar Cadillac. The other girl wanted head gaskets on her 4.6 Ford and timing chain too while I'm in there. She had some of the parts in her hand. "How long is is going to take I need to pick up my kid at 1" Oh yea and don't change the oil she said my husband does that. Yea OK call the dealer have a great day.

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

    • Joe Marconi
      Want to End Your Technician Shortage? Focus on Retention!
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      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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