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Joe Marconi

Management
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Joe Marconi last won the day on February 21

Joe Marconi had the most liked content!

Business Information

  • Business Name
    Marconi Consulting, LLC
  • Business Address
    10 Powderhorn Road, Patterson, New York, 12563
  • Type of Business
    Auto Repair
  • Your Current Position
    Shop Coaching
  • Automotive Franchise
    None
  • Logo
  • Banner Program
    Tech-Net
  • Participate in Training
    Yes
  • Certifications
    Automotive Management Institute, ASE Master Techncian, L1, Certified Management Trainer

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Community Answers

  1. Interesting point. Your business model relied on this strategy. For many long-established business, retention through delivering a great customer experience is also a solid strategy. For many business models, it's more cost effective to retain customers. However, every business needs an infusion of new customers too.
  2. Sometimes perception turns into reality. I have seen this all too often, "Feb is always slow, there is nothing we can do." Just by thinking this, it become the reality. A key thing you did was to be proactive, not giving in to the mindset that Feb stinks. Great job! When I was in business, we had a plan starting in Sept to flood Jan, Feb and Mar with Service reminders, backed up with reminder phone calls. Again, be proactive, not sit on your hands!
  3. A few weeks back, I was at Vision in Kansas City. I spoke with many shop owners who were there with there entire staff. Others brought either all their technicians or their service advisors. The objective was to get three packed days of training. Is this something you would consider? What are the pros and the cons?
  4. This may be a sensitive discussion, but many companies, especially restaurant chains, are considering Dynamic Pricing - Charging hire prices for meals during busy times. Hotels and airlines have been doing this for years. I am not a fan of this, but I am being naive? With rising costs, and rising cost of payroll, is this something the auto repair shops should consider?
  5. Speaking to many shop owners, I get the sense that sales are slowing lately. Is this so, or has the ramp up in sales the few years made many shops complacent? Should we get back to the art of selling, taking care of customers, offering options and making sure we create an amazing experience?
  6. Every shop has different needs, I get that. My feeling is that too many consumers today don't think about maintenance as they once did. Some drive well over a year and over 12,000 mile without an oil change service, tire rotation, etc. And then when the maintenance light (or sometimes the oil light) comes on, that drives them in for service. I guess what I like to see is what dentists do, for the most part they schedule your next cleaning and checkup, it's a maintenance visit, to avoid things going wrong, It also helps to control the schedule.
  7. I may have missed my point. I have shop read and heard on podcasts that if the shop creates an estimate for a check engine light analysis at 2 hours billed to the customer, but the tech finds the problem in one hour, the shop adjusts the labor down to one hour. MY QUESTION is, if a customer is billed 3 hours for a Water Pump Job, but completes it in two, we would never reduce the price. Right? So why do it on a Check Engine light or similar job. I hope I am making sense.
  8. When a tech completes a timing belt in 3 hours, but the job is billed to the customer at 4 hours, we don't reduce the labor charge. BUT, if we project a check engine diagnosis to take 2 hours, but the tech completes the testing in 1.5, why do so many shops reduce the labor charge to 1.5 to the customer? We need to get away from selling time, to selling what the job is worth. We need to factor in that highly complicated jobs require your top tech (the most expensive too), the most expensive equipment and information programs, more service advisor time to explain, and have NO part profit. Your labor rate also has to be based on your top tech's pay rate, plus your average gross profit percentage added to your labor rate, at minimum. Your thoughts, comments, opinion?
  9. Wow! Another great story about how great people make a great difference. I too have learned though the years that we are only as good as the people around us! Thanks for sharing that story!
  10. Got your attention? Good. The truth is, there is no such thing as the perfect technician pay plan. There are countless ways to create any pay plan. I’ve heard all the claims and opinions, and to be honest, it’s getting a little frustrating. Claims that an hourly paid pay plan cannot motivate. That flat rate is the only way to truly get the most production from your technicians. And then there’s the hybrid performance-based pay plan that many claim is the best. At a recent industry event, a shop owner from the Midwest boasted about his flat-rate techs and insisted that this pay plan should be adopted by all shops across the country. When I informed him that in states like New York, you cannot pay flat-rate, he was shocked. “Then how do you motivate your techs” he asked me. I remember the day in 1986 when I hired the best technician who ever worked for me in my 41 years as an automotive shop owner. We’ll call him Hal. When Hal reviewed my pay plan for him, and the incentive bonus document, he stared at it for a minute, looked up, and said, “Joe, this looks good, but here’s what I want.” He then wrote on top of the document the weekly salary he wanted. It was a BIG number. He went on to say, “Joe, I need to take home a certain amount of money. I have a home, a wife, two kids, and my Harly Davidson. I will work hard and produce for you. I don’t need an incentive bonus to do my work.” And he did, for the next 30 years, until the day he retired. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. So, here’s mine. Money is a motivator, but not the only motivator, and not the best motivator either. We have all heard this scenario, “She quit ABC Auto Center, to get a job at XYZ Auto Repair, and she’s making less money now at XYZ!” We all know that people don’t leave companies, they leave the people they work for or work with. With all this said, I do believe that an incentive-based pay plan can work. However, I also believe that a technician must be paid a very good base wage that is commensurate with their ability, experience, and certifications. I also believe that in addition to money, there needs to be a great benefits package. But the icing on the cake in any pay plan is the culture, mission, and vision of the company, which takes strong leadership. And let’s not forget that motivation also comes from praise, recognition, respect, and when technicians know that their work matters. Rather than looking for that elusive perfect pay plan, sit down with your technician. Find out what motivates them. What their goals are. Why do they get out of bed in the morning? When you tie their goals with your goals, you will have one powerful pay plan.
  11. I know two things about booking the next appointment. First, many struggle with it. And those that do book the next appointment at car delivery increase sales, maintain car counts, and have a better ROI. Why, they focus on the customer right in front of them. We all know that retention is less costly than new customer acquisition. So why do so many service advisors struggle with this?
  12. The key word is humble. A very important point! Thank you!
  13. You’re out to dinner with a friend. The service was horrible, the meal took forever to get to your table, and it was not what you expected. You get the check, pay the bill, and start heading for the door. At the door is a woman, a staff member, holding it open and saying in a monotone voice, “How was everything?” You pause for a second, look her in the eyes, and reply, “Everything was fine, thank you.” As you walk to your car, you turn to your friend and say, “That’s the last time I go to that restaurant!” It's often said that the kiss of death for any business is what your customers are not telling you. Most people avoid confrontation. If they don’t like the service, the price, or the product, many consumers will not say anything. They would rather leave it alone and move on and try another company. Think about your auto repair shop. Think about your customers. How many of your customers, after having a less-than-perfect experience, will not say a word to you or your staff? How many of these customers will come back to you? How many will not? It’s important to understand that your customers are not only judging you by comparing you to your competition but also by the combined experiences of all companies and the interactions they come into contact with daily. And most of those experiences are not good. So, it would be in your best interest to create an experience that tells your customers, “We care about you, and we want you back!” There are two things to consider regarding customer service and ensuring that you have met your customer’s expectations and created a memorable experience. First, when someone does give you critical feedback or post a negative review, use that feedback to learn and improve. How the customers view their experience may not be aligned with what you believe you have provided, but their opinion is their reality, and that’s all that matters. The other thing to consider is having open and honest discussions with your employees, especially service advisors, to understand what excellent customer service is like, and try to look at that experience through the eyes of the consumer. This may not be easy and will take training, but it is essential. Remember, it is the customer that ultimately determines what an amazing experience looks like.
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