Joe Marconi

I was among a handful of shop owners yesterday, March 14, who attended a meeting with BWP/CARQUEST and Advance Auto Parts. As we all know, Advance Auto Parts has purchased BWP/CARQUEST in the North East. I can tell you when I first heard the news back in December, I was stunned. My prior perception of Advance was not good. To me, Advance was a company dedicated to the DIY market, a retailer who had no understanding of the aftermarket independent repair shops. The shops in my area have a strong relationship with the Stockel family (owners of BWP/CARQUEST), and even though Advance has two stores in our area, shops did not buy from them, always remaining loyal to CARQUEST. Well, after sitting in on the meeting yesterday, I can tell you that Advance is committed to making changes that will have a positive impact on our industry. They are willing to sit down and listen to us. Advance has been working on programs and information systems that will rival other companies and are a huge benefit to independent shops. Advance understands where the market is going, and it’s not the back yard weekend warrior. I did voice my reasons why I had a negative perception: Free check engine light scans at the store, free battery installations in the parking lot, free battery and alternator testing, etc. However, they were very open and wanted to know exactly what it was about their current marketing and advertising that upsets shop owners. I walked out the meeting feeling a lot better than when I walked in. I was impressed by the people from Advance and their willingness to listen and help us. In the coming months Advance will be working with shops and bringing to the aftermarket many exciting programs. I also have a strong feeling that Advance will change their marketing and put more focus on building bridges with independent shops owners and tear down some of the walls that were constructed from prior ad campaigns. Perhaps the key to all this rests in knowing that the Stockels, (owners of BWP) are staying on for a period of time working through this transition and integration period. There is a strong feeling that the culture of relationships will remain intact, making this a powerful alliance and one that will greatly benefit the aftermarket.

I think the first thing you need to do is a demographics study in your area. See if there is substantial market in your area of vehicle owners with the cars you want to work on that fit your profile customer. Defining or specializing your business is not a bad thing, but the key to any business is knowing who your customer is. In the 90s, when people were on a spending spree and leases were becoming popular, many of my customers either purchased or leased higher-end Euro cars: Volvo, BMW, Mercedes, etc. However, later down the road these same customers are now driving Hondas, Subaru’s and Mazdas. If I concentrated on the car make and model, and not the customer, I would be in serious trouble these days. In marketing we like to “position” our company different from the rest, making us stand out among the crowd as something different and unique. But the real potential is finding the right customer that wants to come to you because of your unique position. People basically stay the same, but the car they drive may change. I am not saying your plan is not viable, just understand and know your market.

That is a great question, and one that many people ask. And we struggle with it too at my shop, but I rather tell the customer the truth and what we think is in their best interest. Imagine going to the doctor for a knee injury and he was afraid to tell you about other health issues for fear that you might think he is being pushy? The issue is that not enough shops are proactive about preventive maintenance, and when they get to you, there's a laundry list of service items. Make is policy that all first time customers will get a complete multipoint inspection has part of today's service and that you will review the inspection list with the customer. Most important, point out what's good with the car (hopefully there is). Try not to start the conversation by bringing out all the negative stuff. Whenever possible, first inform the customer what the car DOES NOT need, then go into your presentation about what it does need. Also, ask a lot of questions at write up, such as, "How long do you plan on keeping the car"? and, "What is the primary use for this vehicle"? People like to be part of the process and anhything you can do to lower the anxiety will help with sales. Hope this helps.

Hi Kevin, 24 years old, I have socks older than that! Only kidding. I was 25 when I started my business. And after 32 years, It has been some journey. Welcome to ASO, please ask away and join in on the forums. We are all family here and together we can accomplish a lot. Good luck and don't be a stranger to the forums. Joe

I am seeing a pattern, and I hope it’s not long-lived and isolated. I don’t know the entire reasons, maybe money, maybe the fact that cars don’t break down as much or maybe the perception is that cars don’t need much maintenance. But whatever the reason, we are seeing many cars with nearly 200k on the clock for the first time that are a mess. We then try to get them caught up with services and maintenance work, it’s a real struggle. Keep in mind, these are first time customers. My concern is that we as an industry may not be doing the best job in terms of promoting needed maintenance. When they arrive at my shop, we do a complete multipoint and customer interview. We reveal many issues that the customer either had no idea or may have declined over the years. We see 10 year old cars with over 175,000 miles with no record of replacing spark plugs and other maintenance items. We even see cars with cabin filters so packed with debris it’s amazing that there’s any air flow throughout the car. Whatever the reason, it appears too much money has been left on the table.

I remember in the 70s working at a Ford dealership, every car that entered the service drive area had to run over the Bear Alignment check machine. After the car ran over the equipment, a big needle on the machine would let the service advisor and customer know if the wheels were out of alignment. The service advisor would then sell an alignment based on the findings. Well, times have changed and that old machine may be outdated but not the concept. Hunter has its own version called the Hunter Quick Check, claiming it can check an alignment on a car in 60 seconds. It’s another piece of equipment, not part of your existing alignment machine. I understand the concept, but how can it fit into the average bay designed shop? Does anyone own this equipment or know of anyone who does? Any feedback would be helpful.

I would imagine, Shop Key is the Mitchell system. Oil changes fall into the concept of the Razor and the Razor Blades. The razor is free or nearly free, the money is made when buying the razor blades.

How you address a customer depends on how they introduce themselves. When I meet someone for the first time and they tell me, "My name is Tom Smith", I will use Tom. If the person tells me "My name is Mr. Smith", then I will use Mr. If the person is significantly old than me, I will always use Mr, Mrs, etc. If I know someone is a doctor I will always refer to them as doctor. When I am not sure I may use Mr or Mrs, but it depends on the customer. I prefer to be on a first name basis if i can, and I don't think it's too casual. I think the more you can establish a friendly relationship, the better. Hope this helps.

BG has great products and great programs. It's a way to really promote tons of benefits to your customers. Here's a link, find a rep in your area. You will not be disappointed. http://www.bgprod.com/home

Great comments, I understand your frustration and agree that business today has changed. What are some of your ideas to compete with these changes?

I have come across the same issue. The way I look at it is this. If I went to the doctor for a pain in my knee and he wants to do surgery, how would I feel if that doctor never past a test on knee surgery? Oh, I know he knows his stuff, but he can't pass a test? If this tech is very smart and works on cars every day, why can't he pass an ASE Test? Those tests are not designed to trick you, they are designed to qualify you that you are certified to work in your field. Part of reason we lack the respect and image we deserve is that we don't hold all the people in our industry to the standards we have. If a tech is a good tech, get him or her the help, the training to pass the ASE tests. For me it's that's simple. I know the naysayers will say that a test does not prove a tech can do the job and that some that pass the test are just good test takers. My answer to that is the next time you need a doctor, just go to someone who is good in medicine, but one that never passed a test in medicine.

Just a word of thanks to Alex. He is the engine under the hood, and he does a great job. I am excited about the future of AutoShopOwner.com. In the coming weeks Alex and I will meet to brain storm a few ideas. If anyone has any suggestions or ideas, please let us know. Joe Marconi

Welcome Helen! Glad to have you on-board. There is a wealth of knowledge on this site, tap into it, it will enrich your life. And please, join in the forums. Our strength is our collective knowledge. Joe Marconi

There is a book by Simon Sinek, "Start with Why". The book is about how great leaders and great companies understand "Why" they do what they do, not the what or how. In other words, car repair is what we do, it's not why we do it. Yes, we make our living fixing cars, why we started in business and why we come to work each day is truly what we need to focus on. I think all of us, myself included, started with the why, but somehow got caught up in the day to day job of fixing cars, and for many, it's not fun anymore. Also, we rely on ourselves way too much and not on the people around us. I can tell you that for the past 5 years I have been building my company around the people that work here, not around me. I lost the why, but I'm getting it back, and it's fun again. It's not always a walk in the park, but we choose this life and we need to be happy with our choice. There was a time when I hated the business, mostly because I was the center of my universe and did not have the confidence or trust that others that I employ could do the job that I could. The truth is, those around me could do it better. Can a baseball coach play better than the players on the field? We all know the answer to that question. It's no secret to ASO members that one of the reasons why I started ASO was to find ways to help us become better business people and enrich our lives. I urge everyone to get back that passion and stop feeling like it's doom and gloom all the time. This is very emotional topic we are discussing. Too many of us end up miserable with our lives. It does not have to be that way. Help others around you become better at what they do. Encourage your people to help themselves succeed and become part of the business. Helping others succeed will help you reach your goals. Dismiss the negative and focus on the positive. If you look for the bad, you will find it, trust me! Never forget, it all starts with....Why?

I agree, I also question the ability for these places to properly inspect a vehicle; brakes, steering, suspension. Are safety issues being overlooked?

Years back when Costco and BJ’s opened in my area, many people flocked to these places and I had a noticeably drop in tire sales. However, thru the years, those big box stores have not had any impact on sales. In fact, people have told me horror stories about the experience, plus they cannot perform the alignment, they cannot do a complete inspection and to go back to them for their free rotation is not worth the time and effort. It’s not to say the Costco, BJ’s and Wal-Mart does not sell tons of tires, but their customers are not mine, thankfully.

Small world, right?

The look of a Facility is no Guarantee for Success A recent report from the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) revealed that although major renovations of run-down dealerships is a positive move, no amount of refurbishing can compete with the consumer’s trust and relationship with a particular business. New car dealers across the country are upgrading and modernizing their facilities. Independent shops have successfully competed with new car dealers and national brands largely because they develop relationships in their community. Their customers are loyal because there is an emotional tie to the shop owner or mechanics. It is my opinion that we need to have nice clean facilities, but our strength will always be the superior customer service we deliver and our ties to the community. It’s no secret that new car dealers are competing with us for the service and repair market, and they are also competing on price. We need to closely watch what the new car dealers are doing, but never forget what has been our success for decades: The one-on-one world class service we deliver each and every day.

Last month on a cold, drizzling Friday afternoon, a customer came in needing a set of wiper blades. All the bays were full. With the temperature near zero, and with high winds, the service advisor told the customer that a bay should open up very soon, and we’ll get you in. Normally on nice days, if all the bays were full, the service advisor was would just instruct a tech to go outside to install the wipers. But due to the cold, rain and wind, he decided to bring the car into a bay and told the customer that because of the weather the car needed to be brought inside and it would be a little longer than usual. She didn’t say anything, but apparently she did not like that answer. A few days later, her son came by to see me. He stated that he could not understand why we couldn’t go outside to replace the wiper blades. “Why did my mother have to wait so long for a set of wiper blades? After all, aren’t your mechanics tough enough to stand a little cold for a few minutes?” I told him how cold, wet and miserable it was that day and that we are not afraid of a little cold, it was a decision by the service advisor. I could see I was not getting through to him. I asked what he did for a living. He told me he worked on computer programing and design (I won’t mention the company, but it starts with “I”). I asked the son how he would feel if his boss told him to sit and work at a desk outside in the parking lot on a cold, drizzling, winter day. He started to say something and caught himself. I finished his sentence for him, “"You were going to tell me that it’s not the same, right”?" I told him politely that my mechanics are hardworking, tough people, but they are people, and if we don’t have to put them in harm’s way unnecessarily, we won’t. He ended up thanking me for listening and said he and his mother would be back as customers. Maybe I reached him, maybe not. Maybe it’s our fault for not communicating a professional image enough. Maybe it’s a lot of reasons. It just never ceases to amaze me how people view us at times.

Wow, and all these years I thought that "these" people were only our customers. You mean they exist all over?

I require all techs to be ASE certified. For me, it's the only standard that is somewhat universal. I don't really do it as a consumer marketing point, but I do think that techs need to able to pass some test criteria. Different level techs have different requirements, if you want to be an A tech in my shop, you need to become a ASE Master Tech. We help the techs with prep books, training and in-house study groups. I also believe that it's good for moral and great career path reasons. Techs must pay for the tests upfront and WHEN they pass (notice I said when, not if), they get all the money back, plus an $25.00 bonus for each test passed. Also, all service advisors must be certified in C1 (Service Consultant) Do other shops have a ASE or other certifcation policy?

I have a brother that lives in Joliett Quebec, north of Montreal, know the town?

First, welcome and congrats on taking the plunge going into business. It’s not uncommon for a new business to get a sales bounce, only to plateau or even recede after a few months or after a year. Many people, for a number of reasons just don’t come back. But, with that said you need to give them a reason to come back. I would be very cautious about spending too much in advertising. I am a believer in advertising, but only to my target customer base and I do more brand awareness, not discounting. For me, targeting my profile customers and taking care of my customers when they come in is crucial. Customer retention needs to be your focus. When a vehicle is in, make sure you do a multi point inspection. Speak to each customer about total car care. Ask them how long they are keeping their car and help them to understand the importance of maintenance. Before a customer leaves, inform them of their next service and create a system where you can remind them of their next service due. For all first time customers and big repairs, call the customer in a day or two, just to make sure everything is ok. Get out in your community and meet everyone and I mean everyone! The hardware store, the dinner, local schools, the hospitals, local restaurants, local business organizations, everyone. Get your name out there. These are just a few things, hope this helps and best of luck to you!