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How Does $5,700 Labor Per Hour Sound?


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It just jammed up the bays with a lotta folks that couldn't afford to own a car!

 

Very well said!

 

We tend to worry about alienating customers, but if they cannot afford your service, they were never customers.

 

That is why I always quote the job. I know people that come to the shop with the sole purpose of trying to nickle and dime me, I will not have it. I will give them a very expensive price and have them out the door so they will not waste my time.

 

The customer dealing scars run deep with me, as I when I began in the business people took advantage of my knowledge and skill because I was a noobie tech. I did many favors that came back to bite me in the butt, which I soon learned that it was better to charge full price and then if they had a problem, I would gladly honor my warranty. If everything went well and no issues, I was happily taken care of.

 

I have seen excellent mechanics go out of business, just because they really did not know the true expense of running a successful business.

Edited by HarrytheCarGeek
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A lot of the hardest jobs pay the least amount of money. Think manual labor. The problem right now with our industry, as I see it, is that we are caught in the middle between being a "manual labor" industry and a "technical knowledge" industry. Up until recently, automobile repair was more about brawn than brains, these days not so much. A lot of the old timers who could wrestle the transmission out of an 76 Chevy are having difficulty adjusting to sitting at a computer researching wiring schematics and system operation theory for these newer vehicles before they can ever even touch a wrench or screwdriver. As you stated, you didn't pay that guy for the amount of TIME he spent working on your alarm system, what you actually were paying him was reimbursement for all the money he had to spend to gain the knowledge required to work on your alarm system. You felt cheated because his invoice was inaccurately itemized....which leads to my next question: Is the way we are itemizing our OWN invoices contributing to our customers feelings of being ripped off by US?

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         0 comments
      It always amazes me when I hear about a technician who quits one repair shop to go work at another shop for less money. I know you have heard of this too, and you’ve probably asked yourself, “Can this be true? And Why?” The answer rests within the culture of the company. More specifically, the boss, manager, or a toxic work environment literally pushed the technician out the door.
      While money and benefits tend to attract people to a company, it won’t keep them there. When a technician begins to look over the fence for greener grass, that is usually a sign that something is wrong within the workplace. It also means that his or her heart is probably already gone. If the issue is not resolved, no amount of money will keep that technician for the long term. The heart is always the first to leave. The last thing that leaves is the technician’s toolbox.
      Shop owners: Focus more on employee retention than acquisition. This is not to say that you should not be constantly recruiting. You should. What it does means is that once you hire someone, your job isn’t over, that’s when it begins. Get to know your technicians. Build strong relationships. Have frequent one-on-ones. Engage in meaningful conversation. Find what truly motivates your technicians. You may be surprised that while money is a motivator, it’s usually not the prime motivator.
      One last thing; the cost of technician turnover can be financially devastating. It also affects shop morale. Do all you can to create a workplace where technicians feel they are respected, recognized, and know that their work contributes to the overall success of the company. This will lead to improved morale and team spirit. Remember, when you see a technician’s toolbox rolling out of the bay on its way to another shop, the heart was most likely gone long before that.
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