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The first five years in business I gladly worked on anyone’s car. I had to. I was young, just starting out and anything in the bays was better than nothing. For me back then, a customer was a customer. But I soon found out that I was spending way too much time trying to please people that, quite honestly, were too hard to please. These people would argue over the price, want the job done yesterday, never took proper care of their car and would only come to me if I offered them a discount.

 

I began to realize that dealing with my better clientele, the people that came to me, not for a discount, but for a quality repair, are the people that I SHOULD be spending my time with. These are the people that I should be targeting. And you need to do the same.

 

Build a profile of your top customers. The people that truly are a joy to work for; the people that don’t argue about price and appreciate what you have to offer and those that listen to your recommendations. These are the customers that will build a long relationship with you. They come to you not because you advertize a discount, but because they trust you. Create your marketing, your advertising and build your entire business around them and what would please them.

 

Before any marketing or advertising is created, ask yourself, “Who am I targeting?” If it doesn’t target and describe your key profile customer, it’s probably wrong.

 

Trying to be everything to everyone, ends up pleasing no one, including you.

 

 

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Our business greatly improved when we quit advertising cheap oil changes and did more value added offers. Of course, we did wind up firing a lot of the old clientele and converting others over.

we too lost our old clientele. It'll leave you worried until you realize your making more money while doing less work.

 

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

 

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         13 comments
      Most shop owners would agree that the independent auto repair industry has been too cheap for too long regarding its pricing and labor rates. However, can we keep raising our labor rates and prices until we achieve the profit we desire and need? Is it that simple?
      The first step in achieving your required gross and net profit is understanding your numbers and establishing the correct labor and part margins. The next step is to find your business's inefficiencies that impact high production levels.
      Here are a few things to consider. First, do you have the workflow processes in place that is conducive to high production? What about your shop layout? Do you have all the right tools and equipment? Do you have a continuous training program in place? Are technicians waiting to use a particular scanner or waiting to access information from the shop's workstation computer?
      And lastly, are all the estimates written correctly? Is the labor correct for each job? Are you allowing extra time for rust, older vehicles, labor jobs with no parts included, and the fact that many published labor times are wrong? Let's not forget that perhaps the most significant labor loss is not charging enough labor time for testing, electrical work, and other complicated repairs.  
      Once you have determined the correct labor rate and pricing, review your entire operation. Then, tighten up on all those labor leaks and inefficiencies. Improving production and paying close attention to the labor on each job will add much-needed dollars to your bottom line.
  • Upcoming Events

    • March 24, 2023 01:00 PM Until 09:00 PM
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      Hi all,
      AutoLeap is hosting Amplify 2023, a virtual auto repair conference for shop owners, on March 24. We have 22 incredible speakers, and 13 industry associations and training institutes participating in this virtual event. The conference is free of cost.
      You can book your complimentary, virtual seat today using this link: https://bit.ly/3EXvfWY
      Amplify 2023 speakers include: Joe Marconi, Co-Owner AutoShopOwner and Elite Business Coach @Joe Marconi Aaron Stokes, ShopFix Academy Cecil Bullard, The Institute for Automotive Business Excellence Chris Cotton, AutoFix Auto Shop Coaching Darrin Barney, Elite “G” Jerry Truglia, Automotive Technician Training Services Greg Bunch, Transformers Institute Jeremy O'Neal, AdvisorFix The conference will cover essential topics such as:
      Navigating through the current industry challenges Tackling the technician shortage through employee retention Creating memorable customer experiences Growing & expanding your business in 2023 Financial planning & KPIs to measure And that’s not all.
      The interactive, dynamic conference also offers live networking opportunities, and fun games and prizes.
      You can book your complimentary, virtual seat today using this link: https://bit.ly/3EXvfWY
      #AutoLeapAmplify23
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