Joe Marconi

Maintain Eye Contact With Your Customer

Maintaining eye contact is a powerful sales tool. Service people who maintain eye contact will communicate that they are genuinely interested in the person they are speaking with, which will help increase sales. Eye contact during a sales presentation is as important as what is being said.

When using your computer terminal during write up, look up from time to time and make eye contact with the customer. I know many of you are not born typists, but staring down at the computer screen during the entire write up process may send the wrong message. Pause from time to time, look up and engage the customer. This one tip will work wonders by making the customer feel more comfortable.

Be sure to read the last line of this obituary:

 

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/saltlaketribune/obituary.aspx?n=robert-snyder&pid=143718501

Wow, talk about "last requests".

Thanks to everyone for those kind words and thoughts. I am truly blessed to be in your company. Although I know you guys can't be there tomorrow to celebrate with me, but I will have you in my thoughts.

Today marks 30 years in business for me. I was 25 years old on October 1, 1980....feels like a long time ago. I know everyone reading this post can relate when I say that I have had many great times, many sad times, almost went broke a few times and have second guessed myself on many occasions.

But, thinking back, I would do it all over again. A few things, I would change, I must admit. I am also thrilled with AutoShopOwner and proud to be a co-founder. From the start I knew that this site would take off and that shop owners around the world have real-life stories and opinions that are invaluable. Helping each other the way we do shows the moral character of the typical shop owner. I am proud to be part of this group!

I am planning a big event at my shop tomorrow. You are all invited, by the way.

Just want to say thanks to all ASO members and to the auto industry which has given me this great opportunity.

We pay the tech 1 hour for a hang and turn/when I was a tech we were paid .8 for the same job and I promise you I can do a front brake Job properly in well under an hour including replacing or machining and replacing and machining with the on car lathe.. I don't drink coffee and I keep the wrench in my hand and work both sides of the car at the same time,including the lube brush to lube the slides and pins. we pay 51.99 across the board for the adaptive ones and I take smaller margin on the part when I have a package deal.

If I do 4 brake jobs a day at 169.95 it beats the heck out of 2 at 209.95 or 1 at 249.95 .With all due respect you always have to look at the big picture when looking at profits and margins.

You have a good point. Big Box Stores understand that very same principle. They would rather sell 1,000 cans of paint per week at a $5.00 profit per can, then 100 cans at $15.00 profit per can. It gives them more traffic to try to upsell other realted itmes like paint brushes, drop clothes, etc. It's the reason why the little hardware store has a tough time competing.

Joe, I am not sure if Carquest marks up the parts from WorldPac or not but I set myself up an account with Worldpac. It doesn't cost me anything and everything that I order before 6:30pm comes to me overnight by 10:30 the next morning and if I spend more than $75 the shipping is free. You may want to look into that. Worldpac is a direct link in my Mitchell1 and I can pull down and order the parts right through my Mitchell1.

Yes, I did know that, and I do have Mitchell. I guess, we are too used to CARQUEST taking care of everthing for us, but I will look into it. Thanks for the tip!!!

We buy most of our brakes from CARQUEST. There are times, howver, that I feel I need to go an OE brand on some applications. On those vehicles, we ask CARQUEST to get us World Pac. Luckily CARQUEST has partnered with World Pac.

I too feel that we under-value our work at times. The problem is, and always has been, the shops and major brand discounters that destroy the market. The tire store around the corner from my shop advertises $59.95 lifetime brakes - Parts and Labor!!! It takes a skilled service advisor to make customers see the difference in our price and that $59.95 price. Thank God, we have great service people at our counter.

We need to sell value, not merely brakes and rotors. We all know that, we just need to convey that to our customers.

The first TWO were A1 Cardone, the one currently on the vehicle is an AC Delco... all of which are remans... Personally I would have preferred to install a new pump, but working with his "warranty company", they only wanted to pay for a reman of course, and as well expected me to only charge them what my price was on the pump. I hate to turn away work under any circumstance, but as of now I am surely loosing my rear on this one.

If it turns out to be the pump, who pays for that? I know the answer already...

Make sure you go thru that entire system. Start from the basics and don't assume anything.

Ken, sounds like a good dedicated man and probably a workaholic. As a business man he had no exit plan and never built something of value he could pass on. Hopefully he has some money squirreled away for retirement but probably not a lot since he is planning on continuing to work. I wish him success on the underground storage tank clean up. He is on a small lot and with the property having been a gas station 30 plus years there is a high likelihood that he will not only have soil contamination on his property but both soil and groundwater contamination off-site. When you have off-site contamination it can get real sticky. I hope Washington state has a UST cleanup fund he can participate in or that his insurance helps foot the cleanup. If not the cleanup can wipe him out and turn this property into one of those brownfield locations.

Those are all great points. I wonder if this guy has ANY plan for the future. With his phyical condition, it's hard to think he can continue like this.

I can't imagine working that many hours... the guy deserves a medal...

that's dedication...

I agree, but to some degree I can relate to this guy, and I think most of us can. Maybe tomorrow's shop owner will be different. We shall see...

Priceless!

Below is a link to a true story about a shop owner who is retiring after 28 years, working 7 days a week. He is 64 years old. Read it and let me know what you think...

http://dailyrecordnews.com/news/article_af756d10-c5a2-11df-be2c-001cc4c03286.html

Is the pump putting out pressure at low rpm? Do you have a gauge you can test the pressure? We recently put 3 pumps on a Subaru before we got one that worked. I know it sounds crazy....I would start from the basics and not assumer anything.

Hi all

I think that I might be one of the youngest guys on here so I hope I can contribute to your forum in a meaningful but for now i am just learning from what has been posted on here, its actually more like a library to me, that said i should explain how/what/where and who: it is my hope and dream to be operational by the end of this year, I am operating in Mozambique, Things operate at a different pace here, with their being no really reliable workshops that customers can take their cars to, with no serious professional service/or products(all parts will be imported as the "quality parts" here are fit for the waste bin, in other words typical Africa!!! I am Hoping to change this (being German and full of sh*t when it comes to quality does help sometimes, however it can be a burden swimming upstream all the time!!!).

I enjoy reading the posts on the forum as it is a useful source of information and insight, and hope to be contributing soon.

thanks to all the people that made this forum(library) what it is today!!! it is giving me ideas as-well as valuable insight into what actually is part of owning a auto shop.

Welcome! I am actually looking forward to your views and experiences. Having a business in Africa will no doubt be very interesting for everyone. Please keep us posted and tell us about how life and business is in your part of the world. Having you on board really enhances AutoShopOwner. ASO members are a great group, ask for any help you need. In turn, you will help us by sharing your thoughts, opinions and stories.

Two hillbillies walk into a restaurant. While having a bite to eat, they talk about their moonshine operation.

 

Suddenly, a woman at a nearby table, who is eating a sandwich, begins to cough. After a minute or so, it becomes apparent that she is in real distress. One of the hillbillies looks at her and says, 'Kin ya swallar?'

 

The woman shakes her head no.

 

Then he asks, 'Kin ya breathe?'

 

The woman begins to turn blue and shakes her head no.

 

The hillbilly walks over to the woman, lifts up her dress, yanks down her drawers and quickly gives her right butt cheek a lick with his tongue. The woman is so shocked that she has a violent spasm and the obstruction flies out of her mouth. As she begins to breathe again, the Hillbilly walks slowly back to his table.

 

His partner says, 'Ya know, I'd heerd of that there 'Hind Lick Maneuver' but I ain't niver seed nobody do it!'

That’s your best joke yet! Hysterically funny!

Just today there is an article in our local paper of a guy starting a new auto repair business who say he is going to charge $45 per hour. He is a one man shop. There is a reason that the average labor rate in this area is $75.00 per hour. If this guy is that cheap on his labor he will more than likely be very cheap on his parts mark up. What he doesn't realize is that he is condemning himself to working long hours, doing without equipment, working with bottom feeding customers and a lot of junk cars, under paying himself, maybe doing without health insurance, etc. etc. etc. He will not realize the mistake until he is exhausted, burnt out, struggling to pay bills and to buy the equipment he needs but he thinks he is being smart. Obviously he believes the way to get business is to be the cheap guy. This sort of thinking is bad for him, bad for his family, and bad for this business.

I agree 100%. It hurts the industry too. This sort of stuff brings us all down.

We signed a lease this week on a new location. Its 3000 sqft with a parking lot on the corner with great road traffic. We should be moved into this building in the next few weeks once everything is set up for the city occupancy permit. We are very excited. The only problem we are having is getting enough financing to be able to afford this move without completely wiping us dry. I am only renting the back half of the building for now since I don't need much more room than that but will still have complete access to the whole building as long as there isn't anyone in the front half which doesn't seem likely since this building has been empty for a long time. The economy has made this one more affordable to rent and its the only building in our area that will work without much modification.

Looks like a nice building with lots of potential. Best of luck and keep us posted. Remember, we are here for you!

I am up 21% gross over last year all by myself Of course, it doesn't take much when my numbers are not as high as you guys. I am glad for that increase and hope to be even higher next year when I get into my new building with a little help.

21%! Outstanding, you should be proud.

I could not begin to explain my disdain for this administration within the pages of this forum. But, I do know a few things: It is your right to think and speak your mind as you see fit. That’s America. What I don’t like are the lies that are being told to the American public, the finger pointing of blame, the division of this country between liberals and conservatives. It has the feel of “two” Americas’, each feeling that if you don’t feel our way you are un-American.

The tea party leaders are gaining ground solely because the hard working people in this country are sick and tired of politics. The status quo is not doing the job. Will this group have the momentum to actually make a difference for the long term? I don’t know. But for the first time in a very long time, we see average people, not professional politicians, that are willing to take time out of their daily lives and fight to make a difference.

Obama says on national TV, his health plan will not increase taxes…a big lie. The increases in capital gains taxes alone on investment dividends will significantly hurt the average citizen’s retirement investments.

Obama does not understand economics. He wants to punish American companies overseas. Well, that ship sailed decades ago. We live in a global economy and many factors, including powerful unions, have sent our corporation overseas. The fact is American companies around the world hold about 500 billion dollars in foreign banks. We need that money back home. Why is money not in our banks? Because of the tax rate, which is the highest in the world. If Obama was smart, he would lower the tax rate and get that money back here. Do you know what an infusion of 500 billion dollars would do for this country?

I could go on and on…but I think you know where I stand.

Joe, to me those sound like great results. We were up 7% through the end of August. September has been strong until the last week. The high heat has helped our business this year.

Yes, I am not complaining, especially in this economy. Many shops around the country are suffering. 7% is great, September has always been a mixed month for us, this year was one of the weakest. But, I am not really concerned.

Good advice! Joe how have you sales been this year compared to last year?

We were 6% ahead of last year at the end of Aug. My goal was 8%. Sept has been weak, although. I still project we will hit our target. The 4th quarter for us is usually stong. I expect a big bounce toward the end of the year, people are holding back right now, but they will need to get their cars ready once the seasons change.

I think for many of us, thinking like a business person is almost foreign and uncomfortable. Making a profit is often secondary to getting the job done. Our focus as technicians has wired our brains to think in terms of the mechanical side of the business. Those of us that “crossed over” and learned business skills have prospered and never looked back. Again, I am not judging here, but we would all be better off if all technicians who choose to venture into the business world run their operations like a true business.

AutoShopOwner.com is committed to those who seek help in learning the skills of running a business. There are many members that learned the hard way and all of us can benefit within the forums.

We need quality people in our industry. People in this industry are probably the hardest working group of people worldwide. Make sure you are being compensated for that.

Start Thinking about 2011 Now

October starts the last quarter for 2010. A time when you need to start compiling your business numbers, looking at your current goals and start making plans for 2011. By the end of December you will need to know all your numbers to benchmark this year in order to set your new goals for 2011.

Don’t wait for the beginning of 2011 to begin thinking about new goals and new strategies. The more thought and work you put into where you are today will determine where you are headed in 2011 and beyond. Success is all about planning, and I am talking about written planning. A plan is not a plan unless it is written down.

Someday our paths will cross. Have a beer together.

Are you attending CARS this year? If so, I would love to see you there! CARS is an event specifically designed to deliver high quality and trusted education and product information to automotive service professionals, and if you haven’t been in the past, I would encourage you attend. As many of you know, I’ve recently joined Elite Worldwide as a business coach for shop owners, so I will be at the Elite Worldwide trade show booth Oct. 11th-13th helping the attendees grow more profitable businesses. If you plan on attending the event, I would be honored if you stopped by to say hello!

Event Info:

www.carsevent.com

Conference: Oct 10-13

Trade Show: Oct 11-13

Mandalay Bay Convention Center

Las Vegas, NV