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ATSAutomotive

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Posts posted by ATSAutomotive

    Is AAA your Competition?

    in Dealing With Competition

    Posted · Edited by ATSAutomotive

    I am on the other end of this, my shop started off as a AAA Emergency Response Server provider. WE are the battery truck guys. It helped my business flourish as many member cars arent starting and they automatically assume its the battery. I get all kinds of tow ins from my guys when they are alternators, starters, crank sensors, timing belt, you name it. My guys also have a very high rate of getting members on the go. Meaning they are able to help the member get started and off to where they need to go or to drive to a shop. Shop became AAA approved after the fact and it has not been a deterrent for me. The shop approval in my opinion hasn't necessarily brought me ALOT more work but it puts new customers at ease and partially because my AAA guys are already getting stuff towed in.

     

    I will agree though that it is alarming they are buying up chains and doing there own thing. I will say though, with the way Service Providers act and take care of customers. AAA almost HAD to do this to take care of their members. Our numbers have been some of the best in our region and all we do is jump start people and if they need a battery, we simply ask them if they would like a new one. Yet, service providers around us would call me asking how the hell we sell so many batteries. Honesty, Integrity and just plain getting to their breakdown location within a decent amount of time! Good business is just taking care of your customers. Make a profit but take care of your customers!

    I run a small repair shop.

    in Automotive Shop Tools & Equipment

    Posted

    Didn't notice the website before, I would not be buying from that site. GM Tech 2 for less than $500, I think not. VW/Audi cables for $14.99, REALLY! What vehicles are you typically working on and what tests/functions are your techs asking for? There is no single scan tool that does it all but if you can tell us what you are needing I can make some suggestions.

    When Should You Ask for the Sale

    in Marketing, Advertising, & Promoting

    Posted

    Very interesting article. I personally haven't found that to be true. I typically have a lengthy conversation with my customers to explain the recommended services and also break it down for them. A new car costs you $xxxxx.xx where as this vehicle is perfectly fine just with age needs some items maintained/replaced and will continue to provide you years of service. If you really break down the costs, most of the time it really doesn't make sense to buy a new car. Seems like many people use it as an excuse to buy a new car/ get something different. I just think most people don't properly understand the need to maintain a vehicle instead of fixing a broken one. All comes down to education and that's part of our job too.

    Times are a changing?

    in Invoices & Estimates

    Posted

    It seems as if not accepting customer supplied parts makes you a bad guy. It doesn't, there are legal implications of doing this. I am simply posting this information to keep fellow shop owners up to date. If we don't help each other who will? I refuse to allow someone who wouldn't pay my normal everyday price to come back and sue me, take my hard work and flush it down the drain. Simply comes down to protecting yourself, your family, your interests. We have all worked way too hard for someone to come along and take it all away. Not every job is one you want to take.

     

    Why do people buy furniture? Its marked up more than automotive parts are. Anyone had to buy popcorn at a movie theatre? What, you didn't bring your own and ask them to pop it for you? There's no difference. Everything we buy is marked up.

     

    http://www.mangomoney.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/markups.jpg

    Times are a changing?

    in Invoices & Estimates

    Posted

    We simply do not do customer supplied parts. It never seems to work out. Customer has the wrong part when you have it torn apart. If that part fails who looks like the bad guy? My business model is setup to achieve a certain profit percentage every year. My business model also dictates what I need to sell my labor for, my parts, etc. Advance, O'Reillys, Autozone, etc have been around a long time. The times will only change when shops continue to allow customers to bring their own parts. I simply do not understand why people worry about that so much. What in the world do you buy that isn't marked up! If you are looking for customers who are solely looking for price, it looks like you found them. I'll continue to work with customers who are looking for great service.

     

    To the OP, we stopped doing estimates over the phone. We simply ask when they would like to bring the car in for us to take a look at it. I can't diagnose the car over the phone and I certainly want to make my own inquiry in to what the vehicle needs.

     

    Had a guy call today asking for a price to fix his driver's rear window on a 2001 Pontiac Bonneville. I asked when he would like to bring it in. His response was "I'm just looking for a price to fix the window". I explained to him that I cannot possibly give him an estimate if I don't know what's wrong with the car. "Well the window won't roll up or down" I understand that sir but is it a wiring issue, did the switch go bad, is the regulator broken, or did the motor go out? His answer, I don't know. Well I don't know either, that's why I need to see your car and diagnose what the issue is. To the point, this person was calling around asking for prices and seeing who was the cheapest. The cheap customer is not YOUR ideal customer. Your ideal customer is someone who calls saying my window wont roll up or down. When could you guys take a look at it? I use to take all of the price shoppers. I simply don't do it now and my business in a much better place because of it. My price is my price, I DO charge for diagnostics. I didn't build it, buy it or break it. I simply service it.

     

    Next time they ask if they can get an estimate. Sure! When would you like to bring it in? Cut down on our estimate making, not our sales. You spend 90% of your time with your worst customers and 10% with your best.....

     

    Just my thoughts gentlemen and woman, take it or leave it.

    • Like 2









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