Joe Marconi

ASO is lucky to have Alex!

Well, I have been down THIS road too many times. I can't understand why so many people have the concept that we should test and diagnose a car for free. I guess it's because of so many years of shops not charging for diag, or packaging the diag with the labor (so the customer does not see the diag) or the willingness of the shop to forego the diag charge if the customer authorizes the repair. Whatever the reason, it needs to stop. And stop now. Too many shop owners are experiencing a drop in car counts and sales and are spending a lot of their time diagnosing tough problems. We pride ourselves on our technical abilities and expertise, but very few of us charge accordingly. As you pointed out in your article, it is like going to the doctor and getting an x-ray or a blood test. There are certain tests that we need to perform also. These tests take time, take expertise and are not free. Someone pays for them. I am sad to say that too many times, the shop owners subsidizes the customer’s diag and repair by not charging enough. How can we get shops to adopt a Standard Diagnostic Testing Policy? Could ASO help?

About a year ago I hired a service advisor that I believed at the time would be a great asset to my shop. He had a lot of experience, knowledgeable about the business and well-spoken. He showed all the right credentials. Soon after being hired, I noticed something that I did not pick up in any of our three interviews; he did not smile. How was it possible I did not notice this? A few more days turned into weeks and I could see that this person’s personality, or lack of personality, did not fit the culture of my company. We had a few meetings together and I would ask him, “Is everything ok? You never smile”. He didn’t think too much of it said that everything was fine. Personally, I had my doubts. Shortly after I hired him, an equipment rep came to see me said to me, “Joe, your new hire, you do realize he never smiles”. Well, this began to worry me. As time went on I could see that his demeanor did not go well with the other people in the shop, or with the customers. People feed off other people’s personality. When someone walks around with the look of doom and gloom, it affects the attitude of others. And it surely affects how the customers react also. It actually affects our ability to communicate and sell. I knew that if something was not done soon, it would have tragic consequences. It also bothered me that no one in shop really liked him. I later found out that was because he did not treat people nicely and would berate the techs. I tried all I can to help this person to change, but nothing I did could crack a smile on this guy’s face. Time went on and I hoped for the best. I soon learned that hope is never a plan for success. Soon, customers began to complain. After a while it became apparent that the negative behavior from this person was having a negative effect on the customer’s behavior. In other words, people feed off of other people’s personalities. If someone walks into a place of business and is greeted with a warm smile and a big friendly hello, it puts that person in warm and friendly frame of mind. When the opposite happens, things will go downhill and turn bad. As usual, I waited too long to pull the trigger. I gave myself every excuse why I should keep this person, when the truth was it was also affecting my personality and my ability to remain upbeat. For the sake of everyone I finally fired him, but not after the damage he had done to my company. The sad fact is that he will never see what his personality is doing to himself and to others around him. Why he was so unhappy remains a mystery, I hope in time he can release those demons. For me, I learned a valuable lesson. There are times that you cannot get people to change. For the greater good of everyone, stop the bleeding and fire the person. You are doing the best thing for that person, for others in your company and for yourself and your family.

I tip my hat to you, keep these article coming...our industry to lucky to have someone like you to bring up these sensitive issues in a way that is both informative and fun. And, I do hope this strikes a nerve in the hearts of every shop out there. To be a shop owner and tech todays requires the strength of a bull, the intellect of a rocket scientist and the management skills of a top CEO, it aint easy...

I read the Chubby Fredericks article too and I can tell from my experience, when an employee keeps a shop owner up at night it's due to one of two reasons. You either have the wrong person working for you or the shop owner has not done a good job at setting the policies and training that is needed to bring out the best in someone. Before I let someone go, I always make sure that the reason an employee is not performing as he or she should is not due to my lack of structure or proper training, so I look at myself first. After that and a series of one-on-one talks and the adequate training, if the employee is not working out and is keeping me up at night, that person has to go.

Well Gonzo, you did again. My blood pressure is up, thanks... First, let me tell you, the analogy you make to the code-talkers of WWII is brilliant. My issue here is how little most of the public thinks of us, with respect to what it takes to test and diagnose and the modern automobile. I don't know how it started, but pulling codes is not a diagnosis and we need to be careful of the perception the public has on check engine lights and other hi-tech testing. I have an AutoZone opening up around the corner from me soon, which is in walking distance of Advanced. Both stores promote free check engine light code reading. This only serves to diminish the complexity of that code and what it takes to understand the code, the equipment and the information data base. To be truthful, I can teach a monkey how to pull a code. Repair shops have enough trouble getting the money they deserve, let's not jeapordize perhaps our future and reduce the check engine light to a commodity. Great article, sorry for being so passionate....now let’s see, where’s my BP medication....

Many of the body shops in my area rely on the severe winter weather to bring in much needed work. This winter, my area (one hour north on New York City) has been the mildest I can remember. This will no doubt take its toll down the road. How are other auto body shops in other area doing. Does a mild winter affect long term business, or is is just another cycle that we have learned to endure.

Just curious to see how romantic shop owners are? Men and women. Many shop owners get caught up in the day to day operations; do you take time out to have a little fun on a day like Valentine’s Day?

I once found the plastic part of a screwdriver inside a tire!

Each year for Valentine’s Day, I send out an email blast to all local businesses, organizations and my customer base. This year the offering is a Synthetic Oil Change at a reduced price for one month only. The subject line for the email says: A Sweetheart Deal for Your Car! The catchy phrase grabs their attention and my response rate has been better than average. I have to believe it’s due to wording of the subject line. Many other people even comment that they saw the email. I have to be honest; I “borrowed” that phrase from the ad campaign that Auto Alert of CARQUEST has used in the past. (Auto Alert is a reminder and shop promotion company for shop owners, through CARQUEST Auto Parts) Doing things a little different in your marketing makes you stand out from all the other traditional marketing and advertising we see. The public is bombarded each day, each hour of the day, with too many advertising messages. Be creative and think out of the box. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Gary, thank you for those kinds words. Saratoga Springs is beautiful area, I have been there many times. Glad to have you part of the ASO family!

Welcome to AutoShopOwner.com! I wish you the best of luck. Don't be a stranger on the forums, we are all here to help you. By the way, where in Upstate NY are you? My shop is in Mahopac, Putnam County NY.

I know Gonzo, how do we break the news to Frank that it's more than a "moment" of insanity? It's the insanity that bonds us all...

You bring up a lot of great issues. We see a lot of problems as these Eruo cars age. One of the issues with telling someone you can go 10 to 15,000 per oil service, is that it turns into 15 to 20,000 miles. I have seen BMW customers with over 45k on the clock and have had only 2 oil services. What about the rest of the car? People equate oil changes to total car care, we need to change this mindset.

Gonzo, nice heartfelt article! Our backgrounds may be different, but we are all cut from the same cloth. I too am proud of this industry and proud to be part a league of hardworking, dedicated people who keep this country moving. There was a time, years back, when I would be embarrassed of my beat up, grease-stained hands. At functions, such as a wedding, I would keep my arms folded not to show other people my hands. How foolish was that? What I didn’t realize was that my hands were my craft, my skill and my life. A badge of honor, something to be proud of. Now, when I look at my hands, I just smile. Like you Gonzo, repairing cars just came natural. I have no regrets and I am truly following my dream.

Very, very funny! I laughed all morning!

Welcome to the site, Edmond. In addition to being proficient in automotive, you will also need to be proficient in business. Even though you may opt to remain small, your business skills you help keep you alive. Many great techs, myself included, suffered financially because we built our businesses around our mechanical expertise. While I feel that it helped me early on, to sustain a business long term will require business skills. This site has a lot of great info from many, many shop owners around the country. In addition, find out what training companies in your area offer any business management courses. Good luck, thank you for your service to our country and don't be a stranger on AutoShopOwner, We are all here to help and support you in you new venture!

I do believe in the concept of a lead tech, great question! I will give you my job description of our lead tech. First, lead techs should have leadership qualities, above all. He or she needs to be competent as a tech and the expertise to work through problems. A lead tech must also help organize the work flow and help other techs with proper diagnosis, procedures and policies. And lastly, a lead tech must insure quality control by reviewing the job, road testing maintaining communications between the service writers and technicians. Housekeeping is another issue; techs should keep their area clean, tools put away, etc. But, I don’t want my lead tech spending too much time on watching over that too. We have a part time cleaning person to help with that. The lead tech, along with other techs can be involved and should be involved in creating workflow processes and procedures. However, a lead tech should not be involved with marketing or any other customer service programs. That's asking too much, plus their expertise is in the shop, not in customer service/marketing. Also, depending on the shop, asking the lead tech to handle certain training may be excessive also. It's one thing to show a tech a scope pattern, but it's another to teach a tech a full-blown course on different subjects, that should be left to actual training seminars. Hope this helps, and again, great question! BTW: I am glad you like the site!

I had another customer the other day call me about her oil service light on her new Honda Accord. She has over 8,000 miles and has not had an oil change yet. She is wondering if she should follow the service light or come in earlier for her first oil change. I explained to her that 8,000 mile is a long time for that particular car, there are other issues to consider too, especially for the fact that she owns the car and wants to keep it long-term. With extended oil services becoming the norm, how are other shops marketing the oil change service. Some car makers are promoting 10,000 mile intervals and more. Will we see the day when we create a 5K service with NO Oil Change? Thoughts…..

I am interested in knowing how shops feel about time clocks and tracking technician hours. Some say that with the management programs we have today, a time clock is not has necessary as it once was. What are your thoughts?

We all have too many Waldo stories. The most difficult is explaining what happened to the customer, which is never easy and maybe nearly impossible for the average consumer to comprehend. Sometimes we fix, “A” problem, but not “THE” problem. But, how do explain this to the customer? It’s amazing all the variables we deal with on a regular basis.

Internet Reviews: The Good, the Bad and the UGLY! I strongly recommend periodically checking internet reviews; from Google reviews, Yelp and as many others as you can. Get to know what others are saying about you and your business. Most are probably good, some may be bad and you just might find that there may be an ugly review that may portray your business in a negative manner. Recently I found an ugly, nasty review of my business that shocked me after reading it. After a little work on my part I contacted the person who wrote the review, sat down with her and was able to understand her frustrations with us and convinced to her to give me an opportunity to rectify the situation. The customer initially came to us for a check engine light and rough idle complaint. We found a dead oxygen sensor and fouled spark plugs. The customer came back a week later saying that the check engine light never came back on, but the car is bucking at times. After a few tests we found nothing. The customer still had the problem at times and felt that we sold her a repair she did not need, did not care and was angry, hence the ugly internet review. When I got the car back, it did indeed buck intermittently and further testing found a faulty spark plug. We installed a new set of plugs, which solved the problem. The customer was very happy that we solved the problem and removed the review. So, pay attention to what people are saying about you online. If you get a bad review, do all you can to contact that person and work to solve the problem. Also, always listen to the customer, make sure you communicate properly and perform follow up calls to catch problems before they escalate.

More Information, TIA Web Site, lots of info and video: http://www.tireindustry.org/training.asp

In all the years I have been in business, by the third week in January and much thru February, business slows down to a crawl. Here we are heading toward the end of January and business is quite steady. I wonder if it is due to the lack of any major storms. In past years we had to close the shop at least once a week thru January and February. Whatever the reason, I hope it lasts.

First I would like to know what “Upholstery University” this guy went to. The nerve of this guy! The public needs to realize that he overwhelming majority of people in our industry have passion and take great pride in what we do. And, we always put people first, profit second. I know this to be true, because smart guys like you Gonzo are multi-talented and could probably do anything you set your mind to.