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Posted

Hey guys, tear this idea to shreds for me I'm trying to find a competitive advantage (niche) and I came to a automotive shop that specializes in serving small business fleets. Plumbing companies, mowing and lawn companies, telephone companies and even used car lots! What you think?

Posted

We focus a lot on fleets. We have visited about 30 businesses to sell our service. We have about 3 or 4 that bring their vehicles. They have been easy to work with and have had some very profitable jobs. Our only issue is getting more.

 

Seems most small businesses also have other small business friends, and a lot of those are auto repair. But go get some accounts just don't make it your only income.

Posted

http://www.motor.com/article.asp?article_ID=541

http://www.ratchetandwrench.com/RatchetWrench/April-2014/Transitioning-Away-from-Fleet/

 

Those are two articles off the top of my head relating to fleet servicing.

The motor.com article is about selling to fleets profitably, and how to go about doing it on the business side.

The other one is a bit of a warning about what can happen if you focus too much on fleets, and what are some good proven methods of how to turn a good profit with them. This article states that 80% retail and 20% fleet is an ideal setup.

 

I think one of the most important things with fleets, is to offer some kind of discount (maybe not the full fleet discount) to all of the company's employees who want to bring in their personal vehicles as well.

This can be a huge car count booster, and if you do things right, it can still be quite profitable, and it's free advertising. If you do good work, word of mouth from that will spread like crazy.

Posted

Some fleets are well maintained and some fleets poorly. My experience is that the construction trades do not maintain vehicles very well. The fleets that interest me are engineering firms, cell phone companies. sales organizations, and nonprofits.

Posted

I service 2 fleets. One company has 4 vans and 3 cars. Vehicles are in good condition and I have serviced most of them since new. Many have over 100k and 1 has over 300k. I have been servicing this company over 8 years. Then there is the A/C company. 8 vans and 2 pick ups. I picked up this fleet last summer from a referral from one of their employees. Their prior company had been taking to long to complete repairs and many times had to be returned for poor workmanship. Some of the "repairs" I have found on these vehicles are HORRIBLE! I am in the process of working thru the fleet to try to bring them all up to snuff.

I say this to warn you to be careful of the fleets you chose. I could see where an instance like I have with the A/C company could cause more problems than profit. I met with the owner of the A/C company, explained to him where we are on his fleet and he is completely understanding. And as a side note this time of year I do give them priority. Its getting hot here in Florida!

Posted

We do some fleet service, the phone company was a good customer, we worked on all their trucks and authorization was quick but they just moved to 45 days to pay and an out of state administrator so I'm not too keen on that anymore. Good luck with the used car dealers, typically they are the cheapest of the cheap.

Posted

Fleet service has been good for my business, especially in slow times. I service fleets for a few contractors, an electric motor shop who does a lot of off grid power work and has 8 trucks, a landscaper, a realty company, and a couple snow plow businesses. Not a week goes by that I'm not working on fleet vehicles. Yeah there's some junk to work on but overall it's been well worth it. Got most of it through cold calls on the businesses.

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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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