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Joe Marconi

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Everything posted by Joe Marconi

  1. Joe Marconi
    One of the things that came out of COVID was the expansion of virtual training. Before I sold my business we started a monthly virtual training session. We held it in the middle of the day from one hour to an hour and a half. There is so much available to us these days, like CTI Training, World Pac, NAPA, and a lot more. There are pros and cons to virtual training, but with the amount of information that is needed today, I feel virtual has a place in today's repair shops. Thoughts and comments?
  2. Joe Marconi
    The traditional vacation season is almost here. It's also when many repair shops are the busiest. How do you balance employee vacation time with the need to have a full staff during the busiest time?
  3. Joe Marconi
    The life of a shop owner is often filled with a never-ending list of tasks and responsibilities. This can lead to burnout if we are not careful. What do you do, or should do, in order to have the right balance between business and life?
  4. Joe Marconi
    Larry, this is a well-done video. And a great tip for everyone! I didn't know that a TV station would do this. Video is a great way to promote a business. Was the video available to you to use on your website, or social media, etc.?
  5. Joe Marconi
    HA! This is the power of Auto Shop Owner. We all share and exchange ideas, opinions, and knowledge. Everyone has something to contribute. I respect your honesty! Keep posting!
  6. Joe Marconi
    ADAS will be incorporated within the safety systems in every car. I don't know where we are headed, but right now on many cars, you have to recalibrate ADAS for bumper cover replacements, rearview mirrors, alignments, and a lot more. Technically, wherever ADAS has sensors, you need to check to see if an ADAS recalibrate needs to be done if the sensors were affected by a particular repair. So, I don't think it's the same if your cruise control fails or your CD player fails, and you opted not to repair it.
  7. Joe Marconi
    This has happened to nearly everyone and has happened to me. Contact Google ASAP. If that person was truly not in your shop, Google knows. And always reply, as you did, in a professional manner. People understand, don't go nuts about this. Start asking some of your great customers to post good reviews, and get that pushed down the list. And contact Google. Good luck! And relax! I have been there too.
  8. Joe Marconi
    That is a tough question to answer without being too general in nature. However, here's my opinion. I am in New York, and it's not uncommon for top techs to ask for 40 to 50 an hour. BUT, the bigger question is how to pay that salary. A lot goes into it: Production, the type of work you sell, your labor rate, are you charging more for labor with jobs that don't include parts; such as complicated computer-related problems? I am going to state a disclaimer before I continue: THE FOLLOWING IS GENERIC IN NATURE, AND YOU MUST DO YOUR OWN MATH TO DETERMINE YOUR LABOR RATE. Now with that said, to pay a tech $45.00 your labor rate for that tech (at 100% productive) needs to be around $180.00 per hour.
  9. Joe Marconi
    The liability issue is a big one. Training and the right equipment are key.
  10. Joe Marconi
    I should have asked that question, and wanted to. And, I agree. Most of the time, the heart is gone long before the toolbox is. Shop owners need to become more engaging, sit down with their employees, find out what's important to them, are there any issues, and do all they can to retain the people they have now.
  11. Joe Marconi
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  12. Joe Marconi
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  16. Joe Marconi
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  18. Joe Marconi
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  19. Joe Marconi
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  21. Joe Marconi
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  22. Joe Marconi
    Yesterday, I spoke to a fellow shop owner, who wants to remain anonymous, but wants to share this story. In the past few months, he lost two top techs to a local dealership. This shop owner runs a EURO shop, and these two techs are highly trained and well-known for their expertise. The dealer was willing to pay them each $10.00 more per hour than they were earning, around $40.00 per hour. NOW, there are many factors with why employees leave, and it's not only for money. HOWEVER, we need to be very careful and stay engaged with our employees now more than ever. It's hard enough finding good people these days, we don't want to lose the ones we have! Thoughts? Comments?
  23. Joe Marconi
    ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) is the buzz these days, and many shop owners are uncertain about investing in this technology. There is a lot to consider: The space required, the liability concern, the cost, the training, and will this technology change dramatically in the next few years. Are you considering investing in an ADAS system? If you have an ADAS system, can you share the pros and cons?
  24. Joe Marconi
    I am honored to announce that I will be the keynote speaker at the Ratchet + Wrench Conference in September 2022. If you are planning to go to the conference, please reach out to me. It would be great to get together. Below is more information on the conference. Joe Marconi
  25. Joe Marconi
    Doctors do it, dentists do it, hairdressers do it, nail salons do it, oil burner service companies do it, veterinarians do it, Chiropractors do it, and chimney cleaning companies do it...Why is it that so many shops don't book the next appointment for their customer? The biggest argument I hear is that the customer does not know if they will be available on the future date set in the calendar. Well, no one can be sure that the date set 6 months from today is good. Here's my opinion. Every customer in your shop today will need another future service. And those customers in your shop today are right in front of you when they pay today's bill. Why not book their next appointment? If they can't make that future date, rebook it. Let me hear from you. Pros, cons, excuses, etc.

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