JustTheBest

In today's economy, my choice would be finding the shop owner looking to retire or get out of the business. I understand your review of EBITDA, but if you can, go for the list. The money is ALWAYS in the list. Hope that helps! Matthew "The Car Count Fixer" P.S.: How a shop owner generated an extra $22,470 in the middle of a lockdown!

Great points Joe! You’re correct on every one. I’ve only got two short points to make. One - I would move “Get your plan in place” to the top of the list because without a plan, you don’t know where you are or where you’re going. Secondly, I would be concerned about what I would call “collateral damage” that could take the wheels off the best laid plans. You made no mention of it - but I think it’s important. It’s the little issues like Stimulus money? Unemployment money? Is there going to be a mortgage crisis? Real Estate crisis? And those are just a few. When I look at the broader picture, I have to ask, "Will the car owners survive (financially) long enough for you to take advantage of all the opportunity?" All the 12 year old cars are great for service - if your customer still has the money left to pay for service. The truth of the matter is, yes, some will. The important part of that statement is the word “some”. So now, how important is each customer you have today? How important is the follow up with each of them? When I say “follow up”, I mean the little things like a meaningful thank you; getting a good customer review; getting customer referrals; sending out simple oil change reminders; sending out “bounce back” coupons just so you have a shot at getting them back in the door! So you’re correct about the opportunity. But, if half of the customers disappear, each one you have today just became TWICE AS VALUABLE. Sort of makes you want to download a customer list and organize a piece of mail, no? Hope this helps. Matthew “The Car Count Fixer” P.S.: Join the conversation on YouTube at Car Count Hackers! See 'ya there!

You're right! It's NOT 1995! Getting the typical customer in the door 3 times a year can be a struggle - never mind 5 or 6! But with that said, it always was and still is about car count. Call it cars - call it customers - you need the "churn". Without actually having customers, you've got nothing to measure. Your entire post was a look at "what's going on" in your shop. Sure, you may be seeing a change in ARO - but because you've got the business, you've got something to compare to. That's why I was a little puzzled (by a recent post you made) about changing all the marketing you were doing - or eliminating some of it. I agree, we're in the middle of a pandemic and nobody has a playbook as to how this is going to work out - or what to do. Maybe this post should have been What are YOUR numbers? My issue always was that recession, depression or new competitors - you've got to keep up the grind. Not saying that you don't make changes - but you've got to stay in touch. Then - the key - which is what you've already proven is- you're got to track it. You're watching your numbers. At least you have the details and information to make good decisions. I can't tell you the shop owners I talk to that can't tell me their ARO, how many "real" customers in their database (no, the 9,000 people are just names and addresses) - or even access their customer list to do mailing or anything. So you can argue cars or customers. It doesn't matter - It's all about MEASURING. Unless you're MEASURING what you're doing - where things are going - and making decisions on the numbers, cars, customers or covid doesn't matter. Running a repair shop isn't a "what I feel like doing" type of business, but I still get surprised! Hope this helps! Matthew "The Car Count Fixer" P.S.: Join the conversation at YouTube at Car Count Hackers

Welcome! Thought it would be a good conversation to understand how your shop is doing through the COVID-19 pandemic. Thought the best way to get a grip on it all would be to get your response to these 3 questions. 1- How was your shop doing in early March - pre-pandemic? Were your numbers better, worse or about the same as last year. 2- What’s the biggest challenge you faced when the pandemic spread? 3- What’s your forecast for your shop moving forward? Is business getting better? About the same - like nothing has happened? Or are you struggling to get customers through the door? Look forward to hearing your BEFORE-DURING-AND AFTER to understand where the industry is at. Hope this generates a better “picture” of what’s going on. Matthew “The Car Count Fixer” P.S.: Join my on YouTube at Car Count Hackers Grabbed this shot of a crazy 68 Camaro (with wild Mickey Thompsons!) at a car show last week! Thought I would share it to help you remember "where we came from!" - Enjoy!

I agree 100%! Masks are a pain; they're uncomfortable; they make my sunglasses fog up; and they're a real pain in the heat! Then I stop and think - how uncomfortable would it be to be on a respirator? Hope this helps! Matthew "The Car Count Fixer" P.S.: Join me live on chat as I premiere this video - This TOTALLY NEW and NOT AVAILABLE ANYWHERE ELSE! (No, I'm not selling anything!)

Joe, funny you say that. Just as an aside... I really don't think you ELIMINATED expenses as much as re-assigned them. Most shop owners forget about the little things like the follow up - and it really does help! In fact, I still get comments about a strategy I've been teaching for years - and that's just using simple "thank you" cards (no, not "billboard" type postcards that are nothing more than shameless advertising - I mean simple (cheap) thank you cards. This video continues to get view and comments! In addition, shop owners have had a lot of success just telling people what to expect when they visit! I know, YOU know you're open - but do your customer? Here's a simple way to remove the confusion before they visit! Matthew "The Car Count Fixer" P.S.: Join me on Monday when I Premier this VIDEO - This is BRAND NEW

Hey, thanks for stopping by. Join me Monday, July 20th as I premier this video - How to Make Your Offers IRRESISTIBLE! I'll be live on the chat to answer any questions! See you there! Matthew "The Car Count Fixer"

Can you really get the car count you need in the middle of a COVID-19 LOCKDOWN? I wanted to share exactly what one shop owner did. I include the exact email he sent me that details HIS NUMBERS - and then show you exactly what he did - and even how much it cost him. Let me know if you have any questions. Hope this helps! Matthew “The Car Count Fixer” P.S.: Get 100% FREE & UNLIMITED ACCESS to your own Private Text Number on the GO-MO Dashboard!

Here's 14 Secrets that virtually guarantee car count - in ANY Economy! Hope this helps! Matthew "The Car Count Fixer"

With all due respect, I think we'll be lucky if this only goes on for two more weeks. From what I'm hearing from various sources is that it could easily go on until the end of June... and some say that's in a "best case scenario". I said it before, but if you're the type of shop owner that complained about buying fire insurance and are now trying to get insurance while your house is on fire, you may not survive the new economy. (Sorry to rain on anyone's parade, but right now, there isn't any sugar to make the medicine go down easier). ;-/ Hope this helps! Matthew "The Car Count Fixer" P.S.: Join me on this brand new training - How to Protect Your Repair Shop and Prosper

Agreed! The issue that I'm seeing more and more of is best wrapped up by saying that are so many shop owners "trying to buy fire insurance when the house is on fire!" Really?!? At no other time would you want to be a month too early then a day too late! In so many that I talk with, they're (almost) too late. With that said, it's not about getting car count today. Sure, there are repairs out there that need to be completed - and there's safe ways to make that happen. But the reality is that it's about maintaining the car count you've had so it comes back to you when this blows over. Right now, it's about communicating with customers. Yes, tell them you're open (if you are) and the steps you're taking to make it safe. Remember, those car owners have busy lives that are interrupted. But they still need to get out to get groceries, medications and other things. It's time the repair shop market step up to the plate and communicate with their customers. And for a majority of shops who haven't looked at their customer list for years... thinking that they're all customers (not just names, ha!) they could find themselves being a day to late. I just released this brand new training about 3 things shop owners need to do right now to not only protect their business, but prosper in the future.... because if you haven't noticed, we ARE in a new economy. Hope this helps! Matthew "The Car Count Fixer"

Thanks for stopping by! Obviously we’re entering a new economy. At no other time have we witnessed wide sweeping changes to how we do business; what’s expected of us; how customers respond and what we need to do. I released this brand new training to show you three things you can do right now. Shop owners who have done at least one of the strategies I explain in the training, have already got results booking appointments. You’re welcome to grab a pad and pen and copy any of the details to help you. Hope this helps Matthew “The Car Count Fixer”

... and if you are remaining open - communicate that with your customers! Above that, tell them what you're doing - tell them the steps you're taking to make it safe for them. Yes, this will pass. But the problem is you need to communicate this message now! If you're looking for what to say, I just released a video that details what Car Count Hackers are doing - and they're getting calls and thanks and return text messages too! Oh, some are even booking appointments - because let's face it - the virus doesn't know when your car is due for service! Hope this helps! Matthew "The Car Count FIxer" P.S.: Join me on YouTube at Car Count Hackers! FREE Help to grow your Car Count, Income and Profit! P.P.S.: Like and Follow Car Count Hackers on Facebook P.P.P.S: Start texting your customers TOMORROW - GET A FREE 7 DAY TRIAL NOW!

Hi DUFRESNES and all! You're 100% correct! What's important is that you actually took the steps to reach out and contact customers! Your response is pretty much the same as my group of car count hackers experienced when they did this. I detail it all in this video and you're welcome to grab a pad and pen and copy down the notice used. If you're a shop owner and you're not using text messaging, you can start tomorrow! We're offering a 100% totally FREE 7 DAY TRIAL on the GO-MO TEXT PLATFORM NOW! (Note the site still says 14 day trial - but because we've been overwhelmed with requests, we've been forced to shorten it to a 7 day trial - but it's 100% FREE!) Hope this helps! Matthew "The Car Count FIxer" P.S.: Join me on YouTube at Car Count Hackers! FREE Help to grow your Car Count, Income and Profit! P.P.S.: ** FREE DOWNLOAD - My Kick-Butt Offers P.P.P.S.: Start TEXTING TOMORROW for FREE 7 DAY TRIAL

Agreed Joe. The most important part is communication. Get in touch with your customer. Let them know you are thinking about them. Let them know you care. And yes, (if you are) let them know you're open and available for them. My group of car count hackers have all reached out and have gone as far as telling customer what they're doing. I detailed it all in this video, and you're welcome to take notes and use the exact wording that I detail in the video. Stay safe. Keep calm. We ARE in this together! Hope this helps! Matthew "The Car Count Fixer"

We're in strange times. I've published this video in hopes to help shop owners in these difficult times Matthew "The Car Count Fixer:

Joe, I agree with your comments 100%. For most, it's the FEAR that's driving them to make decisions that don't make sense. They PANIC. Now, the drop in business is real, but like most others, it's a bump in the road. If we all simply rely on the hard facts (like WHO information) and stay away from all the FEAR and PANIC, we'll do fine. I posted about this too with the best advice I've got. You can read that here: Thanks again for your calm sensible approach and comments. Matthew "The Car Count Fixer"

THIS IS DIFFERENT I know, I know. Yet ANOTHER message about the Coronavirus. But this one's different. Let's get to work. Here’s What I know: 1. What's going to happen: Things are going to get weird. Then they will get better. It's a new virus. It's contagious. It gets people really sick. A small percentage of those people die. That sucks. 2. What is "everybody" going to do? People are going to continue to panic and then they'll stop. They're going to panic for two reasons. First, because this is a new virus and it's pretty nasty and that's pretty scary. Second, because of the media ...specifically social media. It's full of anecdotal "reports" ...and light on facts.We humans like to pass on "information" without checking it out. And traditional media (the news) gets paid for viewership ...and nothing drives viewership like FEAR. In my opinion, World Health Organization is probably the best place to get your info about this situation. 3. What this means for Your Repair Shop: The best answer I can give you here is ...IT DEPENDS. The best advice I can give you is actually a quote from one of my long time mentors, Mr. Jim Rohn. Mr. Rohn once said… (this isn’t a direct quote, but you’ll get the gist of it)... “You can not change the direction of the winds. You can change the setting of your sails.” Are you going to spend your time browsing social media, watching the news all day, and talking back and forth with people about this situation? Or are you going to FOCUS on business? I'd suggest you focus on business, avoid crowds, and wash your hands. If you step up and LEAD them, you'll stand out. (And it's good Karma.) Think about it this way. Most of your competition will be following the herd and doing the whole "let's sit around and talk about the corona virus ...while simultaneously browsing social media and reading stuff about the coronavirus...while simultaneously watching the news for updates on the coronavirus thing. That means they're NOT promoting. They're NOT in front of the market. They're NOT in the game. What I'm doing personally: 1. Avoiding large crowds, washing my hands, and keeping my immune system strong. 2. Not paying attention to anyone other than non-biased expert health organizations. That means no social media.No news media. Just the facts. 3, I’ve got new free training being released in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned and I’ll keep you posted. If you have any specific questions or need some help right now - it’s 100% totally free to talk to me about your specific problem. Just AskTheCarCountFixer.com Stay safe - Talk soon! Matthew “The Car Count Fixer” P.S.: You could take this FREE TRAINING: How to Double Your Car Count in 89 Days. Over 2 hours and 20 minutes of video on demand. P.P.S.: Join me on YouTube at Car Count Hackers! FREE Help to grow your Car Count, Income and Profit! P.P.P.S.: Like and Follow Car Count Hackers on Facebook

I get the issue of the dealer looking for that "fee" from shops. But I think what's being overlooked is what they're doing with their customers. Like, the lesson is ,"do be worried about what I'm doing... LOOK at what I'm doing... AND DO THAT!" If you're not reaching your customers on their phones.. somebody else will... but YOU may not like what they do to your business! Hope this helps! Matthew "The Car Count FIxer" P.S.: Can you text your customers? And actually put car count in your shop? Join me on YouTube at Car Count Hackers! FREE Help to grow your Car Count, Income and Profit!

Dabbling? Don't be worried. Here's a simple, easy and painless way to do this. First, just about every shop owner I talk to tells me that people "typically" don't ask what the shop rate is. If they do, don't be ashamed of your rate. But better than that, get a calendar out (yeah, one you can scribble on) and review your shop rate MONTHLY! I didn't say raise it monthly, but at least review it. If you start keeping track, you'll be surprised of how long it's been since your last price increase. With that said, my clients review every month and typically raise their prices every 2-3 months. I know, sounds crazy, right? But wait. Those increases are small. In some cases, just $2-$4/hour. Then look at your most recent RO's. If you calculated those jobs with that increase, would it have made a difference? I'm going to go out on the limb here and say "NO!". With a typical RO being 2-3 hours of labor, raising it $4-$8 in total wouldn't make a difference. But here's where you win! Calculate the total number of hours you provide a year. That $3-$4 increase really adds up. With one of my clients, I asked him to raise his rates $6/hour. At the end of the year, he made an extra $22,000 and didn't work harder, come in earlier or stay later. Could you use that extra $22,000? Figured you said yes! But the best part... every shop I've worked with... and I mean every one of them... never had a complaint about the increase! And why the calendar? You should be planning/reviewing every month with small incremental changes evert 2-3 months. It really adds up at the end of the year. It's simple math - run your numbers and let me know what you find! Hope this helps! Matthew "The Car Count FIxer" P.S.: Your text message program can't do this! P.S.: Join me on YouTube at Car Count Hackers! FREE Help to grow your Car Count, Income and Profit! P.P.S.: Like and Follow Car Count Hackers on Facebook P.P.P.S.: Have you registered in my FREE Training? "How to Double Your Car Count in 89 Days"

Agreed! You're 100% right! But why not use a tool that lets you do that + schedule appointments, get customer reviews posted wherever you want (Google, Yelp, etc) get customer referrals and even send coupons that put car count in your shop. I am crazy busy and don't have the time to write it all out - but I would be happy to get on the phone and explain it all in 10 minutes. Just use the link http://askthecarcountfixer.com/

Hi YYCAutoSpecialist! The best way I can answer your question is by telling you "sort of - but not really". Confusing, I know. I've talked to 100's of shop owners who all tell me they text. Good idea. I know it works. So my question to them is... "How many jobs did THAT text message system put in YOUR SHOP this month?" The answer... (and this has been every time...) is typically a long period of quiet followed by a shy, "none". So that's the difference. I didn't have a chance to go through everything they offer, but what I can tell you is that GO-MO Texting/Marketing is developed & built for shop owners. I could go on and on and bore you with stories of shop owners who sent ONE TEXT and got 8 JOBS BOOK THAT DAY... but I won't waste your time. Want to find out more? You can start with out basic system here: http://bit.ly/start-texting-for-free If you're a seasoned pro, you'll want to shoot me a message here: http://askthecarcountfixer.com/ I'd be more than happy to answer any question you're got! Matthew

Hi GENUINE! Thank you for your response and I will tell you that I’ve read it 3 times just to be sure I didn’t miss anything. In short, I understand your struggles and I’m NOT dismissing anything you’ve said. In my own defence, you may find I don’t ‘beat-around-the-bushes’. I’m pretty direct and don’t typically ‘sugar-coat’ things. If that offends anyone - I apologize in advance. I mean no harm. From what you’ve described, I don’t think you really have the time to sit around the camp fire and have one of those should-a - could-a - would-a - discussions - but that’s entirely up to you. My approach is somewhat different. WIth that said, you may call this rather ‘direct’ and to the point. It may make you uncomfortable to respond to this publicly and I don’t necessarily expect you to. For that reason, I’m following this post up with a direct message to you. To cut to the chase, my first question would be “what was the last time you did any type of advertising campaign?” That could be typical postcards, val-paks, or even a facebook posting. Next, can you share what that offer was? Do you have a copy of the actual ‘whatever-it-was’ you did? Postcard copy? Val-pak? Thirdly, I would be interested in knowing how many contacts (customers) you have on file. Now just before you scream out numbers that are as long as telephone numbers… I’m talking about the number of customers you’ve had IN YOUR SHOP in the last 90-180 days. So you know, I’m asking that for a couple of reasons. On average, 10% of America moves every month. People in your database older than 180 days (6 months) may still be customers - but your information is probably not up to date. So I’ll let you determine what that actual “real customer count” is. Just for clarification, so many times I get on the phone with shop owners and when I ask that question, they tell me they have 2,000, 3,000, 5,000 or even more (like one guy told me he had 18,000 customers on file!) My response - if you have that many customers, what are we doing talking about it? The truth is, they may have that many NAMES, but that’s it. They aren’t customers. I would like to know a couple of other details (again, I’m not expecting you to share them here in public) like your ARO (Average Repair Order) and if you have any specialties or profitable services. So now, here’s my offer. I am prepared to work with you totally free. Yes, I mean that. No ‘send-me-money’ or anything like that. There’s no catch; no tricks; no gimmicks. Well, actually, there IS a catch. Actually 5 of them. 1-YOU have to invest the time - I am thinking about 1-2 hours but that will depend on you. 2- You have to follow my blueprint. In other words, do what I show you to do. Just to confirm, I’m not going to ask you to do anything weird or anything (like dress up in a chicken suit and walk the streets with a sandwich board sign) 3-You have to be prepared to act now - like in the next week or so. (The reason I say that is if it’s important enough to you - you’ll do it. If it’s not, then it’s not that important and that’s fine too - you can debate it for as long as you want to.) 4-I ask that you share your results with me. No, I’m not going to ask you “how much money you made” or anything like that. I’m just interested in numbers like how many RO’s and total value - things like that. 5-I ask that you don’t expect miracles. I’m not THAT good! If the details of "where you are" are what I expect, I’m going to tell you that you’ve got work ahead of you. I’m prepared to start the snow ball rolling - I’m not saying it’s an avalanche, okay? And that’s it. We could talk about it - or we could do it - and since I’m prepared to put my money where my mouth is - I leave it TOTALLY UP TO YOU to decide. See, that wasn’t too hard, was it? Hope this helps! Just let me know because right after I post this - I’m sending you a message on this forum. Matthew “The Car Count Fixer”

Hi GENUINE, I respectfully have to disagree with some of your comments and I'll tell you why. To start, let me tell you that after reading your entire post, you basically said that the "pie in the sky.... philosophy just doesn't always work". Henry Ford said it best. "No matter if you think you can or you can't, You're right!" With respect to customers "in your market" you said... "While in theory it sounds good, there are parts of the country where the theory of "provide a superior service and the good customers will find you" just isn't true. I am in that part of the country." I have two comments. 1) You get what you attract. 2) People are all "wired" the same (we've been that way for 1,000's of years) and I don't think all the people in your market are different. People do respond - if you present the offer correctly, and no, it's not about price. It's about value. I DO agree when you say "All of these things are commodities to them, not luxuries." I get it. Auto service HAS become a commodity to most. Again, that's why it's up to you to demonstrate the VALUE. You also commented "If you're in a niche market that can support superior, excellent service and you can send the price shoppers away - be thankful!!" Again, it's the way those shops sell their services and build the value. Look, I'm not here to start an argument and I'm not trying to "sling mud". I'm only commenting that I've helped hundreds of shop owners dig out of this "way of thinking" and start selling value as opposed to price. Then, they take their happy customers and leverage them for reviews and customer referrals. The good ones bring more of the good ones. (Birds of a feather... - ring a bell?) And seeing that you've been in business as you claim for 31 years, I don't think you would have stayed at it if you were missing a lot of meals, right? Look, I understand that everyone's situation is different but it's not an answer to say that "all your customers are cheap". The answer is about firing the bad ones and attracting the better ones by selling and demonstrating value. Hope this helps! Matthew "The Car Count Fixer" P.S.: Join me on YouTube at Car Count Hackers! FREE Help to grow your Car Count, Income and Profit! P.P.S.: This may help you outline VALUE offers - ** FREE DOWNLOAD - My Kick-Butt Offers P.P.P.S.: Get GO-MO 2 WAY TEXTING FREE!

I just released this 100% FREE training, but it’s a little different than any other courses, webinar or training you’ve been to. Why? It’s different because... 1) It's less than 15 minutes long 2) I'm not selling anything - in fact, there isn't even an option to use your credit card, even if you wanted to. 3) It will only be available for a short time so you better head over and see it right now! Let me know if you have any questions. Just leave me a comment below, message me on this forum or drop me a text at 716-402-5998. I’ll get back to you quick! Thanks! I’ll see you on the training, okay? Matthew “The Car Count Fixer” P.S.: Forgot to mention, it's not going to be available for long, so grab it now!