Shopcat

I was wondering how often you meet with your staff and what do you discuss?

Regular meetings are necessary to share your vision for your company and stay in touch with your staff. A good meeting has a purpose. In other words, there is a purpose and subject beyond " its Tuesday, so we have a meeting".

Here are a few things I like to include in my staff meetings, and I would like to hear what you do in your meetings that works well.

1. Have your desired result in mind. Plan the meeting around what you want to accomplish.

2. Do an outline of your agenda. Set some subjects, add the WIFM factor and what the ultimate goal is.

3. Identify key participants and how they play into the plan. Ask for their help because they are effective and good at what they do.

4. Set goals and get them to participate with open ended questions, like " Jim, how can we get this done? this is right up your alley"

5. The wrap up, recap the thrust of the meeting, thank them for their help, and let them know we will recap how it went next meeting.

I'm looking for some feedback on what works at your meetings....

Reuben,

Nice looking shop and website! I agree the only way to run a shop is with good processes. I recommend developing a plan one step at a time. Take it from the beginning. Step one is how the phone is handled. The folks that answer your phone must be trained and effective. Develop phone procedures that get cars in the door. I'm sure you know the time, effort and money that goes into making the phone ring. A good service advisor on those calls will make all the difference in the world.

Once you have the phone mastered and a good conversion rate, develop a process for the write up. Get your customer taken care of in a way that makes them feel like royalty. It your chance to shine and be sure they become fans of your shop.

Hold regular meetings with your staff and share your vision of where the company is going, keep developing your processes and become the go to shop everyone is talking about.

Jordan,

I just returned from the AAPEX/SEMA Show in Las Vegas, and this exact question arose in a group discussion, How do we create a culture of learning with our technicians? One shop owner has a roundtable meeting once a year to find out what type of training his technicians are interested in. This creates "buy in" with the techs because they have a say in planning the training.

Another owner gets with a few local shops and they pool their money to hire a trainer for their techs. He does not like the typical training offered by vendors.

And finally, Joe makes great points, It has to be part of the deal from the beginning. Tie the things the techs want to their responsibilities, like training.

Great article Joe!

You make some excellent points.

It is so important to treat every client, especially new clients very well. I think a good goal it to try to turn them into advocates.

I have a few businesses that I an so happy with I pounce on the opportunity to share that with anyone that asks. When you develop clients into advocates, you are truly building your business for the future.

Joe,

All good points. I think perception is reality for the customer. To insure every customer is impressed, I recommend the following:

Have a well maintained facility that is clean and looks great. Super clean bathrooms, nice, comfortable showroom. Free WiFi, Large T.V., etc

Clean the customers windows on every visit, and vacuum the car out

Make sure the outside of the car & under the hood are clean, and grease free.

Anything & everything that says professional should be done, because most of the time these are the things your customers pick up on, not necessarily the quality repair.

Treat them like royalty, do it under the estimate, have it done early, fix it right the first time, and put them in control by sharing the information..."you report, they decide"

Make every perception of your shop top notch, and you will accelerate your success!

Chuy,

I've been down this road. I think the blank canvas of a service advisor with no previous experience can be a great thing. They do not bring any bad habits to the job, and that is a big plus.

It sounds like you are doing a great job of providing the training and investing in someone who is not motivated. Motivation can not be taught, but it can be encouraged. Im guessing this individual is not giving you 100%. After a year with little success, she still has time to sit around, surf the net and hang on the phone? unacceptable !!

I would recommend having a heart to heart with her, explain your concerns in detail and exactly what progress is required by setting some benchmarks, for example a closing rate goal, a per vehicle dollar goal with correct g.p. percent needed to prevent her from giving the work away. Give her a daily chore list, starting at opening the office, 10AM, update all customers, track all incoming calls, etc. Give her a detailed to do everyday list, since she needs it. Then also consder changing her pay plan from a livable guarantee that she must be on, to a small base pay complimented by a graduated incentive pay plan. This will ger her to do one of two things, 1. get with the program and apply herself, or 2. she will in quit and find a job that fits her "style".

It's so expensive to hire & fire, so it is well worth saving her. She needs to understand you can not continue to run your shop like this, and you and more than willing to help her any way you possibly can.

Finally, follow thru with what you tell her. This will get the process moving, and all will be better off for it, your shop, employees, your customers and her as well.