Joe Marconi

The recent plunge in fuel prices combined with a recovering economy has created an increase in new car sales. In the past I viewed this a positive sign, since these cars will eventually trickle down to the aftermarket shops. But with the intense strategy to keep new car customers in their service bays, I feel that new car dealers will actively go after the service and repair market. New car dealers know that future new car sales are made by keeping those customers as service and repair customers. I am overreacting? Your thoughts?

Legendary College basketball coach John Wooden, would always preach to his players that it’s the details of the game that matters most. That worrying about the score was futile if the execution and the details of the game were not performed with consistency and to the best of everyone’s abilities. In other words, the score will take care of itself and the wins will come if every detail of the game is consistently executed properly. In the shop environment, only worrying about getting the car done, without performing all the steps properly will lead to an eventual breakdown in your workflow system. It will lead to higher comebacks, lower profits and poor customer satisfaction. To have a properly working workflow system, that minimizes comebacks, improves overall quality and improves customer satisfaction, requires paying attention to the details of the workflow process in a consistent manner. Is the customer write up process done properly each time? Are the technicians following the workflow process and every checklist done properly every time? Are the technicians short-cutting the process in an attempt to book hours? And, perhaps the main killer of the shop environment and workflow: a sloppy shop. Yes, a sloppy shop leads to a breakdown in the system. Disorder in the shop equals disorder in the workflow, which equals increased comebacks, increased chances of people getting hurt, unhappy customers and lower profits. Time is wasted finding tools and equipment. People tend not to care enough about the condition of the customer’s car because the shop does not put an emphasis on neatness and order in the shop. Cars will leave with grease marks, dirty floor mats and job details forgotten. The first step in any process is the shop environment and that means shop organization. You cannot have an efficient workflow until you have shop order. Everyone must be held accountable for keeping order. And it starts with the tech’s work space. Want to improve production, profits and customer satisfaction? Pay attention to the details, focus on quality, create a well-defined workflow process and maintain order in the shop.

Ok. I have heard enough. And disappointed. Let me remind certain people that I founded AutoShopOwner.com to improve the image and raise the bar for the auto repair industry. These forums are for professionals who want to conduct in a professional manner, not engage in schoolyard banter or trash talk. Tons of time and energy goes into this site to make it a home for all of us. To help each other, to promote our shops, to show the world that we are as professional as anyone else. I am requesting that everyone please respect each other's comments and opinion and engage in a dialogue that is inline with who we are: Hard working, dedicated pros that have a common theme in mind: To help improve the image of the industry and to help our fellow shop owners. The back and forth banter stops now. Do we have a deal or what? Joe Marconi Co Founder - AutoShopOwner.com

Thanks for those kind words. I have to admit, it is not easy. And, it is a struggle to maintain the right environment. But, if we "Kill the Messenger", we will never know how to improve.

We rarely cut rotors any more. The quality of the metal and thickness is an issue. I know that many dealers are required to have the Pro cut machine, but I question the reason why. Is it because the manufacturer would rather the dealer eat up labor than supply a part under warranty? Does not make much sense. In the North East, rotors don't last. Replacing them with a brake job is the best bet. Even Hi End cars have issues with rotors. That is not to say that we don't cut rotors, but it is rare. Drums we still cut. Too many aftermarket drums are not as good as the OE.

Amazing!

Perhaps one of the most difficult things to do as a shop owner is to consistently present yourself with a positive and upbeat attitude. Let’s face it; your life is filled with issues; from bounced checks to complaining customers, to comebacks and employee problems. But the fact is you are the boss and the leader of your company. And everyone is watching you. What you do and what you say is seen and heard by everyone. As the leader, you set the tone, the mood and morale of the shop. If you are negative, everyone around you will be. One of the best ways to lead is to set an example by being positive at all times. I know this may be hard at times, but to walk around with a doom and gloom attitude will actually makes things worse. People react to the emotions of the leader. It’s far better for the long term success of the company to have the people in your shop feeding off your positive energy, then being brought down by doom and gloom.

Gonzo, fire is something that we all fear. And, as you said, all of have our stories to tell. About 5 years ago, one of my techs install and EGR valve on a mini van. He was road testing it to confirm the repair and to see if the EGR system was working properly. For some unknown reason, the car burst into flames under the hood and burned to the ground. The insurance company sent fire investigators to the shop to determine the cause. After days of examinations, they could not come up with a cause. No one got hurt. But the toughest part was explaining to the customer...."Mr Jones, a funny thing happened during our road test....."

A report by Consumer Reports found that in general, consumers are more satisfied with independent auto repair shops, then franchise dealerships. This is a feather in our caps. Here is a link to the article in Ratchet + Wrench: http://www.ratchetandwrench.com/RatchetWrench/January-2015/Consumer-Reports-Consumers-Prefer-Indys-Shops-to-Dealers/?utm_source=KnowledgeMarketing&utm_medium=RW%20-%20Newsletter%20Emails&utm_term=RW%20-%20RW%20Insider&utm_content=RW_TheRWInsider_20150130&utm_campaign=Consumer%20Reports:%20Consumers%20Prefer%20Indy%20Shops%20to%20Dealers&eid=211700044&bid=1004475

I agree. Let us hope and pray. Maintain who you are and what you stand for. If we all remain true to ourselves, we will make a difference.

This has been my fear from the start. How can a website take the place of what we do when we engage customers. And what in the world is "national average?" This sends the wrong message to the consumer. A business that promotes price only will die by price. What separates one business from an other is more than price. Just look at Starbucks or Nordstroms or Ruth Chris Steak House. I will bet a year's salary their customers do not choose them for any "national average" I am sorry to hear, we have enough issues to overcome. Question: Will RepairPal and others like them paint us all with same brush and make us compete on a level that unsustainable?

I agree with xrac. We need to create long lasting relationships, not make technology the medium between us and customer. No matter how technical the medical field gets, you can't replace a great doctor and the comfort of his or her bed side manner. Things are complicated with the car in the bay. I can't help feeling this will send the wrong message.

Thanks for the kind words.

We interviewed a technician last Friday. Most of his work experience was with new car dealers. He said to me that he left the dealer, never to return because of a number of reasons. First, the flat rate pay system which resulted in some weeks making hardly any pay. He also told me of the empty promises made to him and lack of feeling secure at the dealer. He made it a point to tell me that he will never go back to.work for a new car dealer and is now looking for employment in an independent shop. He is an A rated Tech with nearly 20 years in the business. This got me thinking; is this a common theme and are new car dealers chasing away technicians because of the way they conduct business? I don’t want to lump all dealers in the same category, but this not the first time I have heard this. In fact, my employment at a Ford Dealer in the late 1970’s was one of the reasons I left the dealer and started my own shop. Your thoughts?

Surveys are great, but takes a little thought. The questioned need to be worded in a way that you can get the information you are looking for. We did one survey a few years back to determine the interests and common qualities of my best customers. I hired a local business consultant. I was amazed at all the little things that went into creating a meaningful survey.

I am not sure what type of assault you are referring to, and that is not my business. But, I would also seek advise from someone in law enforcement. Too many questionable people these days.

I was speaking to a shop owner friend the other day and he was complaining that car counts have been declining. I asked him how often he gets out in the community. He told me he is too busy to leave the shop. He comes to work, works all day and goes home. He has been doing this for years. Then he revealed to me that he does not even know the names of the store owners around him. I said to him, “Don’t you think you should know your neighbors?” After a few seconds of silence, it dawned on him that there are dozens of local businesses, schools, a hospital and shopping centers; all with potential customers. We get caught up in our own little world. Our shop dominates our existence. We often forget about the potential right around us. What forms of community based marketing to you engage in?

The other day, one of my service advisor’s came to my office to discuss the past week. We made an agreement that we would meet in private at least once a week to discuss his successes and challenges, and also discuss ways to improve our service. After telling me all the good stuff, he informed me of a situation where he dropped the ball, which resulted in a very upset customer. My initial thoughts were anger and disappointment. The last thing we need these days are unhappy customers. But, thankfully the years have taught me a few things about employee behavior and employee management. I remained calm and thanked him for bringing this up and we discussed ways to correct the situation. I told him that while we need to celebrate the success stories, it is crucial to our long term success to admit when things have gone wrong. I made a bigger deal about him coming clean, than the successes he had that week. If I were to erupt in anger, he would have shut down. Also, he would not come to me the next time we had a customer issue. By thanking him and praising him for being honest, he now knows that people can make mistakes, and that we will work together to correct the problem. No one wants to hear bad news, but it’s a lot better than not knowing. What you don’t know, you can’t correct. And that’s a recipe for disaster.

I remember a few years back, I was with a few friends and got a flat tire on my car. You should have seen their eyes when I struggled to first find the jack and then struggled how to use it. One of my friends said, "Hey Joe, you ever change a tire before?" It was funny and embarrassing.

Good point. Let me rethink that...

Smart strategy. I have to remember that!