Joe Marconi

Bringing you the book got to me. I can't tell you how angry I get when a customer drops off their car for a repair and says, "Oh, by the way, I left the BOOK on the front seat". As if, without that book, I couldn't find my way around his car. What arrogance and lack of respect for what we do. And today it’s worse; they bring us pages of information downloaded from the internet. I wonder if it’s lack of confidence, or maybe they don’t think we have the brain power. I wonder if people bring books and downloaded pages to their doctor??? What's more amazing, people are people no matter where you go!

Viewpoint: Dealership Stickers Steering Drivers to Dealers By Andrew Markel Editor, Brake & Front End Magazine July 22, 2011 New car dealers have been using “only call us” stickers under the hoods of new cars for more than a decade now. These stickers tell drivers that they must take their vehicle to a factory-authorized facility because it is equipped with “highly technical” onboard computers. The fact of the matter is that most independent shops can service vehicles for repairs outside the warranty repairs. Shops have access to information, tools and parts to complete just about any repair that a dealer can perform. Dealers and their trade associations are putting more emphasis on the service side of the business. It has evolved from quick lube bays to brake jobs. Now they want to see a vehicle long after the warranty has expired. I encourage you to discuss the sticker with your customers and ask them if you could remove the sticker and clean away any residue. You can even create your own sticker that refers them to your shop.

I felt "disconnected" to the outside world!

Obama says that all of us must pay the higer taxes, a result of rasing the debt limit, among other programs that this administration has instituted. The president says it's only fair that we all pay the increase in taxes. FAIR? WE had nothing to do with this mess. WE did not spend money like a drunken sailor. WE had no say so in the billions of tax dollars wasted. NOW WE must pay for it. Today I am mad as hell.....someone out there make sense of this for me!

We have a lot of customers who are telling us that they have free oil changes with thier new car, from the new car dealer. Some for 1 year, 2 years, and some for a lot longer. I have a tough time letting my customers going back to the dealer for any type of service. People are loyal, but people are also creatures of habit. How can we compete with “free”? Any ideas?

Go to this web site (Tech Net) and enter the city, state and zip, in the Find a Shop field (to the right). www.techauto.com Tech Net shops must adhere to certain criteria, ASE certification and customer satisfaction. Tech Net shops are usually the better shops. I am a Tech Net shop. I can't vouch for any of the shops personally, but it's worth checking out. Good luck.

Oh, so you do spot checking from time to time, to see how the market is.

I spoke to a shop owner the other day, someone I had not spoken with in a while. A discussion came up about part pricing and he told me he still calls 2 to 3 shops for most jobs to get the lowest price. Is this practice still done, given what we know today about productivity, price stratedy and loyalty to our suppliers? I did not want to get into a debate with him, so I let it go. I would like to hear from shop owners about this.

Wow! Nice photos! Now that's what I call a fishing trip!!!

We all know there is no disrespect, let's face it, all of us say funny things at times. I know I have!

Back To School! August is here, which means many students will be heading back to college soon. Many will travel significant distances. Are their cars ready for that road trip? Let you customers know that they need to ensure that their cars or their children’s car is up to date with all needed maintenance and prepared before they take to the road. Offer your customers a “Going Back to College Service Package” which includes a bumper to bumper inspection, an oil change if needed and a checklist of tips and emergency items. What you are really offering is peace of mind. That’s a win for you and a win for your customer

Too funny...I've heard most of these...still never had alien abductions yet...well, not that I know of anyway. Keep them coming Gonzo, very funny,made my day.

I have the new Bartec (very good tool), plus my new Hunter align machine has a program to help "guide" you through a TPMS problem and I also have the new snap-on verus (very $$$$). Even with all this, we get get stumped from time to time. I think we will see big changes to the TPMS protocol in the coming years. Too many issues.

Wow, I don't think I'll ever buy a new car again!

The Customer is NOT Always Right “Learn to listen first and not react without the facts” The other day I walked into my service area, only to cringe at the way one of my service advisors was talking to a customer. I waited until the customer left and took the advisor aside and said, “We don't talk to people like that, I am really disappointed”. He replied, “Yes, you are right, I lost my cool, it won't happen again. As I was walking away my manager called me and said, “Joe, you got a second?” I said, “Sure”. He told me that I walked in on the tail end of a very difficult situation. The customer had an extended warranty and wanted to falsify the repair in order to cover the deductible. My service advisor stood by our policy of integrity, honesty and ethics. But when the customer insisted and insisted, the service advisor finally reacted. That’s when I walked into the picture. The lesson I learned? Don’t react from your perception, ask questions and listen to what happened. Don’t judge without first learning all the facts. Next time, I will keep my mouth shut until I learn the facts.

I have been saying for many, many years; Fixing cars are not the problem, it's the owner of the car that causes all the issues. Left alone and with all our resources, we can fix nearly anything that comes through our bay doors. The frustration and stress orginates from the vehcile owner. Here's my nightmare (happened the other day, again). A customer arrives a 3:00 in the afternoon and wants his check engine light diganosed. After telling him that he needs to dropped the car off and words back and forth that all I need to do is through it on that fancy machine, he says, "Let me see if there are any other shops around that could do it sooner". My nightmare? He's back at my service counter an hour later, everyone else through him out too!

Flat pricing or what I call, menu pricing, works for a lot of services: Wheel align, tire rotation, wheel balance, fluid services, LOF, etc. While just about any service or repair can be menu priced, trying to bridge that concept to many repair jobs can have a negative impact on your bottom line. A lot of repair work is vehicle specific. The job of assigning menus can be a daunting task, but not impossible. Be competitive on the services that consumers regularly compare to with other shops, but you need to be very profitable on repair work. If not, you will not make it. We often base of price structure on what the "other guys" are doing. We compare ourselves to the average shop. Remember, build an outstanding business and you can charge accordingly, but be careful, if your shop is not perceived as top notch, you will never be able to charge what you are worth. Personally, I don't want to be the average shop, anyone can be average. I strive to be the best and hire the best. It's like a ball team. Does a ball team work to be average and hire average ball players? No, they work to be the best and know that they can be the best with the right players, training and equipment. We are the same. Look at your margins, understand the numbers of your business and your breakeven. And never, never, never, base your bottom line or sales goals on breakeven. Just paying the bills is not the reason you went into business. Making a profit is.

BREAKING NEWS July 01, 2011 Right to Repair: Can 28,000 people be wrong? Piles of letters --28,000 in all -- in support of the Right to Repair legislation sit in front of legislators in Massachusetts. Source: Modern Tire Dozens of supporters of the "Right to Repair" legislation filled a State House hearing room in Massachusetts this week, calling passage of a bill that would require vehicle manufacturers to sell to independent car repairers the same repair code data they now sell or give to their franchise dealers. At the start of hearing testimony, the Right to Repair Coalition piled up 28,000 letters of support on a table in front of the committee to show the amount of grassroots interest from consumers for this legislation. Rep. Patricia Haddad, the speaker pro tempore, expressed her full support of the bill. In addition, several local repairers made a strong case for the legislation. “The time that the dozens of repairers took to come down to the State House and sit through a four hour hearing shows that this legislation is critical to repairers and the jobs and businesses they represent,” said Art Kinsman, spokesman for the Right to Repair Coalition. “Consumers pay for their cars, so they should be able to take their car where they want for repairs.” While giving the consumer more choice in where they can get their cars fixed, the legislation protects trade secrets and the intellectual property of the manufacturer. Recent polling in Massachusetts shows that independent repair shops are trusted by consumers on pricing, convenience, quality, and customer service. John Paul of AAA Southern New England testified that nearly 90% of their members, which is half the motoring public, support Right to Repair. The legislation has more than 60 co-sponsors, nearly double from last year, when the Right to Repair bill unanimously passed the Senate. However, the House of Representatives was unable to take action on the bill before formal sessions for the Massachusetts Legislature ended.

Wow, after reading the article it kind of makes me happy I never graduated college.

In 1975 I landed a job at a gas station in the Bronx. He too was a WWII Vet. And he did the same thing, he would chase people out with any foreign car.

Let me give everyone an update: It's been a year and a half since I gave away a windshield. The customer has not been back. SO, in my mind it was a scam and the customer got over on me. But that's ok, I am sure that we can all agree that we are all judged by a higher authority and I know in my heart I did the right thing.

What a great story! So, we can win and not always be everything to everyone.