mspecperformance

I do my best to brush off the price shoppers but here is a better question... Do you give out phone quotes? If the customer says "I've had it check and I need this" do you just give them a price? I have been debating on a policy of not giving phone estimates however I don't think that would go over well without the right approach. I've seen it done in the martial arts business industry, many franchise schools don't give phone quotes to get people to come in rather than price shop.

Thanks Jmazur, I am trying to avoid the pitfalls I has experienced when I first got into the auto repair business. I recognize that there is a huge different between auto body and repair. The biggest one i think that I have to really adapt to is the front end work and billing insurance companies. Trying to do my homework the best I can !

Hey guys, I am trying to gather information and advice about this subject. I am going to be adding a body shop to our current shop. For those of you out there who have started with auto repair and progressed into adding auto body, what advice can you give me? I have searched high and low for some sort of primer on starting a body shop but there doesn't seem to be a source for all that information in one place. I have reseached and read a lot of articles on bodyshopbusiness.com however I feel that a lot of the business articles are geared toward existing body shops with not as much value for someone starting out. Just for background sake, we are going to be installing a full downdraft booth as well as have a separate section completely divided by a wall for the body end. We will most likely not invest in a frame machine until the body work picks up and will have to outsource that. The booth with installation, permits, fire suppression system, etc is already costing over 60k

I'm embarrassed this Fred Yu character is of the same ethnic decent as me...

Reading this thread I am so glad I don't work on domestics! What is up with the quality of aftermarket parts these days???

I bought one to have a generic scanner around the shop for $1250 last year. Works pretty good, no scope though. I haven't really gotten to play around with it much. We use it on occasion for the odd non German car that comes through the shop so I don't know all the capabilities.

Oddly coincidental, I was speaking to a customer of mine who happens to be a parts driver for NAPA. Out of curiosity I asked how many dealership accounts they had and he delivers to. Apparently as far as he has seen a lot of dealerships use aftermarket NAPA parts especially brakes. He also said they use the cheapest of the cheap brake parts. Go figure.

Hey CarMandP, any updates? Anyone else try these guys out yet? I have been having trouble contacting Linh @ Kukui, the person who first contacted me about a demo. Wanted to get some more first hand accounts and was trying to get a list of shops from them but so far I have not heard a response. Weird.

Pretty cool story 5 Star Auto Spa! I think if it happens organically, why not add services. I have found that if you are going to do it, you have to be fully engaged and committed to seeing it through. Throwing up a sign and waiting for new customers probably isn't going to work as well as getting out there sending out email and media blasts and really promoting your new service. Also working out the organization, quality and work flow of your new services is really important. I love theory planning, I wish I was as good implementing as I am dreaming stuff up!

I get plenty of cold calls throughout the day soliciting 1 thing or another. They are a colossal waste of time and I have resorted to hanging up right away without even saying anything other than the automatic greeting. I do feel bad sometimes, after all the poor guy on the other end is just trying to do their job. I also get a lot of outsourced calls (Indians and Filipinos) also bugs the crap out of me (outsourcing, ugh). What are your thoughts?

I have learned however not always followed is to always offer the best and "right" fix at all times. I tell my customers that we have to perform this repair procedure and/or use this part for their benefit and to do the job right. If there are any issues with the repair or the part we can surely warranty the work and would take responsibility for the job. Otherwise there would be a larger possibility of a failure with no recourse. Of course in the interest of keeping a customer happy I have resorted to breaking my own rules which has bite me in the ass many times but thats a different story!

WOW. Payment Plans attract the worst customers. I also have very few customers that will go elsewhere for part of their repairs. Those customers whom do that I usually cut them off unless its a family member that is doing simple jobs for them.

What would you charge extra for the situation i presented? Generally speaking, my customers like their cars kept OEM as much as possible.

We were also considering that option

This is a situational question but applies to whenever this problem arises. Customer brings vehicle in for recommended o2 sensor replacement. O2 sensors are seized and come out with the o2 sensor bung threads. o2 sensor bung is in a TIGHT spot. Had to order a special tap to get the job done. Car sat for 4 days until we figured out what we were going to do. Previous to this we were going to drop the exhaust manifold to repair. Thank god we got the tap! The extra actual time in getting the seized o2 sensor out was 20-30 minutes. Trial and error time with the tap sets we had was probably in the 30-60 minute range. New tap from snap on ran us about $50-60 with overnight shipping. To tap the hole after we got the correct tool took us 5-10 minutes. Any idea what I should charge my customer extra? He is a good guy, good customer. Obviously not our fault the o2 sensor was seized, we have all been there. Just trying to figure what is fair.

I absolutely do not recommend DemandForce. Their sales team as well as the guy who sets you all up will be plenty nice but once you run into problems their support really sucks. I also have to reaffirm what CARMandP said, their billing system and contract SUCKKKKKKKKKKKK. They are blood suckers. I've had such an issue with them I would probably dance naked around their burning carcass (figuratively speaking LOL). I am a tremendously honest person so I have to say the system itself has a lot to offer however the way that company is ran, id never do business with them. I'm going to give KuKui a shot very soon.

First thing you need to do to keep your head above water is to increase your labor rate/labor hours per job as well as charge properly for parts. Secondly, any type of customer service you are doing extra such as pick up and drop off is definitely a nice touch but you have to make sure you are doing this in a professional manner as well as charging enough on the jobs to compensate your extra time. I don't personally think anyone will think you are "desperate" unless you have really bottom of the barrel customers. Try asking for referrals. I used to think this was a desperate move as well however you have to think you are a small business, you provide a good service, you are honest and there is a need for a business like yours. You are also just a man with a family that is trying to make a living and most people get that. Try it out and see what happens.

I researched Rav once before. The US distributor is a helluva guy. Very nice and knowledgeable however didn't have a distribution network so I was worried about repairs and such. If Rav has a repair and distribution network in HK then I would look into it further, if not then go with who ever is going to support your equipment the most.

I'll add an odd situation I experienced yesterday. Customer walks in after scheduling the appointment the day before with a vehicle he needs checked out because he just bought it and there are some noises coming from the undercarriage. I set the customer up and I tell him, "There will be a minimum of a $50 inspection fee. If there is any need for further testing or diagnostics I will inform you before we proceed." Customer agrees and hangs out in the waiting room. Fast forward 30 minutes later after speaking to the customer about our findings and having an estimate drawn up the customer says, "So you don't have to charge me the $50 right?" I responded, "No sir like I informed you earlier, we charge for every inspection because it is our time and expertise." He then says, "No no, I'll show you here on yelp, you give free inspections." I then smoothed things over by saying, "Sir I'm sure you came to us because we have a great reputation and provide great service. I promise you, you will be very happy as we take care of all of our customers. In regards to the inspection fee, you have to pay for this now however I will take care of you when you bring your vehicle back for the estimated work." He seemed fine with this but definitely learned I have to clarify that inspection/diag fees are not comped and have to be paid!!! He was Indian and from my experience people from Indian and Middle Eastern decent you have to be prepared to inflate your estimates so they can knock you down and negotiate. Its in their culture and they have to walk away feeling like they won something LOL

ncautoshop, I used to and still do feel the same way. I hate it when I feel like I didn't sell a job or sell the shop well enough to a price shopper (someone calling wanting a specific price quote). Sometimes its definitely something I should have tried harder at pitching the shop as the place for their business instead of so easily giving the price away. A lot of times I also think that its probably better off I lose the majority of these customers because they will probably end up being someone else's problem in the long run. I tend to have very loyal customers and that is something that is certainly most appreciated. The folks who jump around from shop to shop are the worst to deal with and are not your desired customer.

hey ncautoshop, I think your approach shouldnt be to tell the customer you are charging him "3.2 labor hours" but to present the diag job's benefits and then give the customer the price afterwards. When you mention "labor hours" it is very confusing to the customer in my opinion and they will often question what you spent your time on and what you were doing. If you simply explain to them that is the charge for the procedure and the diag steps and test you have to take it should be a lot easier for you to sell more. Try to set yourself apart from other shops in the many ways you are different from other shops (your knowledge, customer service, honesty, facility if applicable, tools and equip if applicable). I tend to give the price shoppers away since they will normally be a lot more headache than they are worth in the long run.

CARMandP, Thanks for the update, I look forward to hearing the progress. I was thinking about giving them a try next month but I guess I'll wait until you have a little better idea of how well the system works. I had a helluva time with DemandForce. Nice service I can definitely see the potential in it however their customer service sucked and their company as a whole. I would never recommend anyone to those crooks.

I think if (big if) Kukui does as promised which is take care of all the SEO for the site they build you along with the CRM and tracking info its not a bad deal. I would love hear 1st hand unbias reviews. There is a video of Buckley's auto who was a DemandForce guy for a while if I remember correctly. He is according to the video giving an unbias review of the service. Main Street Hub is pretty good at what they do which is respond to social media stuff that most people especially the old foggies in the Repair Industry do not have time for. Fortunately for myself I do keep on top of my facebook page with posts every day. They also respond to reviews made on Yelp and Google+ which can be a big help but again I do scan my yelp and google+ page weekly. They are easy to work with and a "set it and forget it" service so I'm sure a lot of shop owners can benefit from it.

Depending on the cars you work on, I can only speak on my perspective as a German Car specialist (sounds kind of pompous!). We generally use WorldPac to stock filters and belts as they are the most inexpensive for the brands I want to carry (Hengst, Mahle, Mann, Continental). Occasionally I stock OEM filters. If you have a sales rep wherever you buy parts, give him a list and tell him you'd like to make a stock order, I'm sure they will be willing to work with you.

Probably not something a web marketing expert would tell you but I think adding a personal touch to a website with pictures of your facility and staff (smiling staff!) may go a long way. I understand most people make a buying decision within a few seconds of visiting a website but for those who dig in further I think it would make a bit of difference. Just my opinion since I always feel that a business is a lot more friendly with actual human faces and pictures of where I am going are visible.