Joe Marconi

Wow! What a question. After 32 years in business and nearly 40 years in this industry, there is so much I have to say. I guess, what made the biggest impact in my life is making the transition from a mechanic to business man. I still love to work on cars, but my true focus is on my business. For the past 20 years I have devoted most of time learning about business and working on my business. I pay attention to the numbers of the business and pay attention to the people who work with me. I help them grow, never worrying about them leaving, but always working to help them succeed in life. Shop owners have an obligation to not only our families, but the families of the people who work with us, and of course, our customers. The other advice is learn how your customer thinks. In spite of what we think, the consumer does not see a value in out technical expertise. I know this statement does not sit well with many, but think about it. How many national chain stores, with low skilled techs, that do not have the technical expertise you have or the level of dedication you, are still very successful? The best shops struggle, even with great techs, great tools, great equipment. We need to understand what the customer thinks. We need to give them a purpose to come to us, charge what we need to charge and never be afraid of making a profit. There is so much more I can say, this is a start...any questions....

In the late 1970s I worked at a Ford dealer. The mechanic across the bay just got done rebuilding a transmission, installed it, but it would not move. After an 30 minutes or so, another mechanic walked over and look on top of his tool box, he picked up the input shaft and said, "Looking for this"?. We had some laugh, no beer. He was mad as hell. Great story! As always...

The average age of a car in U.S. is now 11.3 years old. We service many cars and light trucks that are well over 12 years with better than 250,000 miles on the clock. Within the past few weeks we personally condemned 3 cars, which leads me to think that many of the “oldies” are ready for the scrap yard. What are other shops seeing?

I have a long time relationship with CARQUEST and friendly with many top level CQ reps and the owners of the CQ in the northeast. There are many details to this deal that at this point not at liberty to tell. What I can tell you is that CARQUEST in the northeast is run by good people that understand and value the relationship they have with the shop owners. Advance Auto Parts never understood how to obtain the wholesale/independent business. Their focus was on the retail, walk-in trade, which never sat well with independent shops owners. Advance wants to learn how CQ is so successful selling to independent shop owners. I can also tell you that this deal was made with the best intentions for not only CQ employees but for shop owners as well. One thing to point out; Advance bought 124 stores in the northeast, which is run by a separate distributor, not all of CARQUEST. So, depending on where you are, nothing may change for you. I served on the CARQUEST Advisory council from 1994 until it ended a few years ago. I was on the committee that created the TECH-NET program. I was also involved with starting many TECH-NET local councils throughout the north east. I can personally attest to the commitment and dedication CARQUEST as to the success of the independent. I asked CQ to hold a special meeting in my area with shop owners to discuss this deal, which will be held later this month. My conversations with CQ senior level people have been very positive. When I first heard the news I was extremely concerned, but as I find out more details, I am more optimistic. I do believe that eventually Advance will learn from CARQUEST and the independents, and will end up better for all. We don’t know at this point how the next two years will unfold, and if the TECH NET program will remain in our area. I have thrown my hat into the ring and asked the people at CQ that I be a voice for the independent shops, which they agreed. There are many rumors flying around, and my best advice at this point is to sit tight. More information will be known in the coming weeks and months. I will bring the news to all ASO members as it is made available to me.

I'm not far behind, I will be 58 this March. But, we are like fine wine, we getter better with age!

From what I hear around the country, it's like a wild roller coaster ride. Some are doing ok, others are struggling to hang on. We all need to reflect on the past few years and adjust to what might be the way things will be for a while. It's a tough market and we have to think in terms of staying the course and building for the future. I do not recommend hunkering down, that only sets a negative atmosphere and out of that will come more negative consequenses. For me, 2012 started off way ahead of 2011, then flattened out the entire spring and into most of the summer. We increased advertising, direct mail, service reminders and all other forms of advertising. We built value programs for the customers, working with our BG rep to offer long term programs that customers will see the value, not the price. I am not saying that things are all rosey, but I do see things turning around. One of the biggest things, and the hardest thing for shop owners, is to remain upbeat and positve. The moral of the shop can turn ugly and that will lead to more issues. We all know that business is tough, and filled with daily issues and problems. But, it has to be that way. Like the old saying, "If it were easy, everyone would be in it".

Got to confess, I must be an antique too. There is a big flea market in my area during the summer months. My wife usually drags me along; we make a day out of it. While she is looking for the clothes and jewelry, I wander off to the tool tables. And, I have to admit, although my life for the past 4 decades has been centered around tools, I do enjoy looking at the tools. I always manage to find something that I just got to have. Last summer I found this set of small files that had strange twists and odd shapes. Not sure when I will ever use these files, but I just had to have them. My wife looked at me funny, but WE know different, right? A few years ago I found a table that featured machinist tools. There were old calipers, dial indicators, depth gauges, etc. I found this real small depth gauge that must have been pre-world war II from Germany. It came in a nice wooden box. The price tag on it was $30.00. I picked it up and offered the guy behind the table 20 bucks. He looked at me and said, "No one has ever picked up that tool, you must know what it is and what it's worth, 30 bucks". I laughed and gave him the money. I have that depth gauge on my desk as a conversation piece. Funny how different people value different things?

Sometimes by asking a series of questions, you can make the person understand that you are only looking out for their best interest. For example, the other day we had a customer with an original battery come in for a State Inspection and a LOF. The tech noticed that the car turned over sluggish and tested the battery once in the bay. When the advisor informed the customer of the needed battery, the customer said, "Let me hold off, I need to get over the Christmas bills". The advisor then said, "Isn't this your daughter's car who is home from college"? The customer responded by saying, "Yes, and shes going back upstate to college in a few weeks, maybe we should that battery while she is home". This is not a hard sell, it's just speaking to somone the way you would speak to a family member. Connecting with the customer on an emotional level is key.

Want to improve morale? Take a walk through the shop and speak to your people. I know many of you are saying, "I'm in the shop every day, what's the heck is this guy talking about?" What I mean is to walk the shop floor, talk to your people and have a conversation asking them about what interests them. Keep business out of it, just this once. Connect with them on a personal level. It takes just a minute or so, but it works wonders for morale. People like to talk about themselves and when they do they feel happier. I know, I know, you are busy…but this will pay dividends down the road, trust me.

People often refer to Lottery winners as being lucky. With the odds stacked heavily against them, they gamble a few dollars on a game and millions of dollars are won. “Luck, it must be luck”, people say. Sadly, most of these instant millionaires end up broke within 10 years, or eventually in the same financial state they were before they hit the lottery. Some even find themselves in debt and worse off than before they won. Lottery winners are given the chance of a lifetime, a fantasy that many of us dream of. So what happens? Where does all the money go? Think about this; if you gave Donald Trump a few million bucks, what are the odds that he would squander it away? Trump would probably turn those millions into tens of million. So, what’s the difference? You think Donald Trump is “luckier” than lottery winners? Let’s take a look at Bill Gates. People say that he was incredibly lucky. He was born into an upper middle class family who had the finances to send him to a private school. He was born in the mid 1950’s which meant he would grow up during the dawn of the computer age. His school just happened to have a teletype connection to a computer, a rarity in the 1960s and 1970s. Having access to, and introduced to computer technology, put him ahead of the curve. Bill Gates just happened to have a friend, Paul Allen, who showed him an article in the 1975 Popular Electronics issue, titled, “Worlds First Microcomputer Kit to Rival Commercial Models.” It was from this article that Bill Gates and Paul Allen decided to convert the programming language of the day, BASIC, into a marketable product that would someday be used in the first personal computer. And, he also attended Harvard, which just happened to have a PDP-10 computer. It was on this computer that Bill Gates developed and tested his product. Yes, the stars were aligned the moment Bill Gates was born. Boy was he lucky! Let’s examine the Bill Gates situation a bit more closely. Was Bill Gates the only person to be born at that time? Was Bill Gates the only student to attend his high school and the only one to have access to those early computers? Was Bill Gates the only person to attend a college with access to a computer? Was Bill Gates the only person in 1975 to read that article in Popular Electronics? The answer to these questions is obviously no. There were thousands, if not tens of thousands of kids born at the same time Bill Gates was born and exposed to the same opportunity he was. The truth is there were a lot people who were just as “lucky” as Bill Gates. It’s true he was lucky to be born at the right time, but it wasn’t luck that made the difference. Countless people with the same opportunity could have done what Bill Gates did. So why didn’t they? The difference with people like Bill Gates is how they view the world around him. People like Gates are able to see things from a different perspective and turn the events around them into larger things. Lottery winners, who go broke, focus on the money itself and believe that the money is what makes them successful. The Donald Trumps of the world view the same money as a means to make that money larger and larger, through investments, real estate purchases and other business transactions. It’s what you do with luck that makes the difference. Ask yourself, have you had opportunity in the past and not capitalized on it? The answer may be yes. Most of us have opportunities throughout our lives, but for one reason or another, we hold back. It may be out of fear of failure; it may be lack of preparation or the knowledge needed to turn the opportunity into a gold mine. Whatever the reason, we need to realize that when opportunity knocks on our doors, we need to be ready to answer it. My father told me years ago, “Millionaires were born out of the great depression”. How can this be? Everyone was suffering back then with little resources to work with. Again, different people see things through a different lens and its how you look at the world around you that will make the difference. Some people say you make your own luck. Luck in one form or another comes to all of us. It’s not that you make your own luck; rather you are truly lucky when you recognize an opportunity and act on it, turning the event into something larger. In 1917, a young eight year old boy by the name of Glenn Cunningham was badly burned in an explosion at school. His legs were so badly burnt and mutilated that the doctors recommended amputating them. Glenn Cunningham, greatly distressed over this, somehow convinced his parents to agree not to have his legs removed. Because of the severe damage to his legs, the doctors said he might not ever walk again, if he survives. It would take great determination and two grueling years before Glenn would start to walk again. Glenn devoted is young life to strengthening his legs and eventually began running. He would run everywhere, to and from school or to the store for his mother. In 1934 he set the world record for the mile, which stood for three years. He competed in the 1932 Olympics where he won 4th place in the 1500 meter and competed at the 1936 Olympics where he placed second in the 1500 meters. He also set an indoor mile world record in 1934 and set a world record in the 800 meter run in 1936. Yes, bad luck did hit Glenn Cunningham at the young age of eight years. But what he did with his life, a result from a tragic event, is a lesson we can all learn from. When times are bad, many of us in businesses tend to hunker down. Fear takes over, which can consume us and cloud our judgment. This can prevent us from moving forward and may hurt us in the long run. Start looking at the events in your life, good and bad, as opportunity, not adversity. Remember, everyone is probably going through the same thing. Yes, some maybe worse than others. But, how you view the events around you, how you react to these events and build for the future will make a difference. So, is success really about luck? It may be. It’s the luck you create with the opportunity or the circumstances you encounter. It’s all about attitude. Positive feelings influence positive actions. Those that push themselves under all conditions are far better off than those that hunker down. Thomas Jefferson once said, I'm a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it” View full article

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all ASO members and families!

I am going to through you a curve ball, so please have an open mind. Ok? Let's say you hurt your shoulder real bad and you are in real pain, do your search for a doctor that has a Siemens Magnetom Viva MRI or a Philips Achieva 3.0T X-Series MRI ? Would you even know or care what brand MRI a doctor has? Or do you seek out the best doctor with the reputation and credentials for the problem you are having? Markerting and advertising is all about how you convey your unique message to your profile customer base. How you differentiate your shop from the shop down the road. It's not your tools, your equipment or parts that bring people to your doorstep, it's you and how well you communicate your brand and message. Now, with that said, you can go to other shops and body shops to see if you can get their business (if you want it). We do a lot of alignments for other shops and body shops. But as far as marketing my Hunter to the public, it's not needed. You can and should make an announcement that your company has expanded it's service to now include wheel alignments. That shows that you are growing and want to take care of the customers. But, make that your message, promote the fact that you will continue to seek ways to improve the level of service you provide to your loyal and valuable customers. Marketing is a focus on customer value, not on the product or attributes of our company. Hope this makes sense.

I urge everyone to go to the Photos and Video forums for a real Christmas treat from one of our members, Gary Armando. You will not be dissappointed!

Gary, that is the funniest thing I have ever seen! Thank you....My wife and laughed so hard.... THANKS!

Holiday Break From Business With just a few days until Christmas, my best business tip today has nothing to do with business, but al lot to do about life. Take time to reflect on family and friends. Put down those tools and shut off the laptop. Don’t worry about that nagging check engine light comeback. When you put the key in the door to close the shop for the holidays, close your business mind and open the door to your family and friends. Do this and you will find greater strength to tackle all your business woes after the holidays. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

Hey Gonzo, I know that Santa, he's from my neighborhood in the Bronx!

It takes a lot to be in business today, and your story is similar to so many. Most of us started out the way you did, with great technical skills. I opened my business in 1980 and struggled financially for 10 years until I woke up to the fact that technical skills will never replace business skills. I was busy back then, very busy, but made little to no money. In the 1990's I started to learn about business, customer service, learned about tracking key numbers, started an advertising/marketing programs and forced myself to be a business man, not just a man in business. Most of us are very successful mechanically, but fail financially. Where ever your focus is, is where you will succeed in. The best advice I can give you is to work hard in the areas of business. Learn all you can about the numbers of the business, leadership, marketing and advertising. Pay close attention to your customers, especially your profile customer. AND, know your breakeven, and when you are making money. Set goals to become profitable and never view profit as a dirty word. Lastly, do not be everything to everyone but take care of your key customers as family. Best of luck!

Yes, he picked up the car and was nice as pie. He apologized to Mike, without an explanation. But, that's ok. We did not make a big deal our of it, but will be very carful in the future with him. Thanks for asking!

Welcome to AutoShopOwner.com! It looks like you have great potential. You are right, there is a wealth of information on this site and the members are world-class people. Please do not hesitate to particpate in the forums, post something new or ask questions. You will find we are all here to help each other.

Yes, Merry Christmas to everyone and a Happy New Year!

You make very good points. As far as tech rates going up, that's the smoke screen. I went to the meeting with the Workers Comp Board last week, and that's the first thing they said. I needed to remind them that the only way that a service advisor class would hurt the fund is if shops claim techs as advisors. If a shop sees the need to grow and hire a TRUE service advisor, he or she is not subjected to the same potential hazards, so workers comp claims will not go up. I went on to add that shops who hire an official service advisor are doing so because their business is growing. That means hiring more techs, thus the need to hire an advisor. Adding to the payroll base, only adds to the workers comp fund, not diminish it. BUT, only if the it's done legally. As far as the money under the table, that another story and does hurt us all. And the part stores....well that's for another post....

Is any ASO member using RepairPal to help market their business. Or, has anyone checked out RepairPal, or know any other shop that is a member of RepairPal. Just wondering about this site and would like to learn more about it. Below is the web site link. http://repairpal.com/

The fact that I was not there, puts me in an akward situation. I don't know how I would have responed if he had thrown a pen and the receipt at me. I don't think I would have said ok to doing the work on his car. BUT, the last thing I want to do is to second guess and judge the people I put in charge when I am not there. They made a decision and in time we wil discuss it. For now I will and must stand by my staff. There are plenty of fish in the sea, I agree. It will be interesting to see how this guy reacts when he picks up his car. I am hoping that he apologizes, but we shall see.