Joe Marconi

As shop owners, we are often overwhelmed by all the tasks we need to accomplish on a daily basis. We run from morning till night putting out fires and dealing with difficult situations. The days, weeks and years pass us by. And we sometimes end up realizing that activity does not always equate to accomplishments. To be quite honest, too many shop owners are doing too many things that they should not be doing. For example, is it the best use of your time running across town to pick up parts? Or repairing the plumbing in the customer bathroom? There was a time when I thought that I had to be everything, everyone and everywhere; the lead tech, the service advisor, the manager, the building repairman, the bookkeeper, the receptionist, and even the janitor. And I also thought that every situation had to be handled by me. If not by me, how would things get done? In order to grow a profitable business, the owner needs to concentrate on what will achieve the greatest amount of return. For one week create a list of all that you do; every activity from answering the phone to helping in the shop. Then, begin to strike from the list, things that could and should be handled by someone else. When you narrow your focus on those tasks you should be doing, you will become more efficient and achieve more. Delegate and help others in your shop grow. Success is determined by not only how much you achieve, but also by how much you help others achieve.

The holidays are a great way to thank your customers, especially your loyal customers. Cards are great and small gifts are fine too. I like to keep the holidays strictly a gesture a gratitude, and nothing about business. For example, I got a Christmas Card last year from one of my vendors with a 10% coupon enclosed in the card. I don't think that's necessary. Treat customers the same as family.

Not crazy Gonzo. Real life stuff. I am a nut about tools. I got it from my father. He would say,"use a tool and put it back." If you didn't you would be in trouble. My frustration is seeing other techs not respecting their own tools. So how can they respect others. At the dealership, way back in the 70s I would mark my tools. To this day when I walk in the shop I am always on the hunt for tools. As you said under the bench, behind the lathe, on the press. Every where. Nice change and nice article. Enjoyed it.

A good friend of mine owns a plumbing business with 10 workers. Seeing rising workers compensation he found and signed with a local insurance broker that claimed to offer super low rates on workers compensation. This was 6 years ago. I will not bore you with all the details, and will fast forward to three years ago when my friend dropped the insurance because of so many billing errors being made by the insurance company. About a year ago, he got an email, (that's right an email) from the insurance company, not the broker, that he owed $10,000 in workers comp fees. After a year of trying to figure this out on his own, he finally brought all the paper work to his attorney. Here's the outcome: His lawyer reviewed all the paper work and found that the contract my friend signed exempts the broker from any liability and responsibility, that the workers comp insurance company can assess and requests increased fees above and beyond the contracted dates and rates at the time of the contract, and that all arbirtration is subject to the laws of the British Islands and all litigation will be held in the home state of the insurance company, Nebraska. My friend is from NY. The bad news, he is legally responsible to pay the $10,000. The bottom line; know what you are signing and have a lawyer review all contracts for you. We hear this story too often. Please note; due the possible law suits, I cannot mention the insurance company by name or the name of my friend.

In a few hours I will be flying to California to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with my grandson and family. But, before I left, I felt compelled to post a special thank you to all the loyal AutoShopOwner members. ASO has seen great growth in the past few years and the quality of content on the forums is unmatched by any other forum site. The passion we have, the dedication to our customers, and the willingness to help each other is a testament to the integrity of our industry. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to each and every member and wish everyone and their families a joyous Thanksgiving holiday!

First; welcome and the best of luck. Building a business takes time...one customer at a time. Let me add that your need to also reach out into the community. Let everyone know who you are and what you do. Create flyers and make sure you hand out your business cards like its candy. You don't have to promote discounts on the flyer, just let your community know you, and I mean everyone. From the deli owner, to the diner, to the hardware store, the local schools, Churches, everyone. It will take time, but you will get there.

This is a tough situation. Everyone involved will have their perspective on things. It's one reason why I shy away from partnerships unless there are clearly defined structured roles. You need to have a sit down with the parties involved and come up with a solution that is best for the business and one that everyone involved can live with and agree to. If not, your hands will always be handcuffed. Business and friendship are two separate things. If friends can't work it out, there's a problem with the friendship and the business. One more thing to consider, your plan does not take into consideration how he feels about what you want to do. If the two of you are not on the same page, there will always be issues. Lastly, I agree with the others, speak to your father too. Good luck!

I think what you are doing is great! Meetings are a great way to boost morale and get buy-in from everyone. I hold at least 3 meeting a week with my manager. He holds at least 2 meetings per week with the service staff. We hold one meeting a week with the techs. We always have an agenda and never make it a beat up session. We bring up success stories and make sure everyone engages in the conversation. You have the right idea with your agenda. Best of luck to you.

Welcome to AutoShopOwner.com. There are a lot of great shop owners on the forums. So, you are in the right place. Looking forward to seeing you on the forums and the best of luck to you.

Why, why...it's still the fall!

You know the old saying; s_ _ t happens. It's good business to admit those things. People understand that things go wrong. It's when you try to hide it and get caught that's bad. You did the right thing. You set a great example for everyone.

I have read that story before, and enjoy it each time. You are so right about the relationships we create. I have customers that still come to me after 34 years. You can imagine how rewarding that is. We should never forget that people do business with people. It's is one of the key principles in business.

We track all new customers and must enter in our management system how that person found us. Hardly any say it was because of AAA.

I hope that you insist that your supplier contact Cardone direct. This is too serious to chalk it up to just another failure. Cardone has admitted they have problems. What will it take? When someone does get hurt! Frank, please keep us updated on this.

You could be lucky. Or it may be the type of work you do. Or, for different parts around the country, suppliers could be different. Whatever the reason, low failure rates is a good thing.

My manager bill and myself have been digging through the files to see what move we need to make. Essentially, you could be correct. We need to decide a few things; Do we need an AAA Approved status? After all, it was only a year and a half ago we joined the program. Is it a badge of honor? Yes it is. You need to qualify. And, if we give it up, how will customers perceive it and what other shop in the area will become a AAA Approved shop? Don't forget, we have a lock on the territory. Right now, I have more questions than answers.

Well, to be honest, not as I expected. While I do believe it adds a level of consumer confidence, it has not helped in gaining new customers. In fact, what it did do is bring attention to all my existing AAA customers to ask for a discount. The discount was never a thought in my customer's mind, now it is. The other issue is that in NY there are AAA towing and AAA auto approved shops. The AAA tow companies ask shops for "kick backs" to get the car towed to your shop. I won't go down that road. At this point I am disappointed.

We do see a fair amount of Hybrids. I am going to look into it. But, to be honest, with what I am doing with Elite, I would need help from others. I can see my company expanding with the right people. Perhaps another shop dedicated to this Venture, and not adding the Hybrid shop to my existing shop. No one knows if the Hybrid Shop will be a success, but I think that it is worth looing into. I will need income from the company into retirement. But, I really cannot be the number one guy moving forward. If this is right for me, I will have to have the right people around me in order to make it work.

Well said, you are so right!

First, welcome to AutoShopOwner.com. There is a ton of information and a lot of great shop owners that are willing to share their knowledge and experience. Having only one lift is an issue. You need to put a plan in place to grow. It can be slow, but you will find it hard to move forward with only one lift. Welcome again and looking forward to share and exchange ideas and comments.

I have been following the Hybrid Shop for some time now, and it really does intrigue me. You buy into a franchise agreement and become part of a growing network of dealers dedicated to work on Hybrids, particularly in the area of restoring and reconditioning the main batteries. These battery packs can cost anywhere from 3 to $9,000 at the dealer. With their proven process, they bring the cost down to around $1500. Plus, you get the potential to get all the other work from these Hybrid customers. They are selective in who their grant their dealer agreements with and the cost for program is around $69,000. I would like to ask everyone their opinions on this concept. It appears it is taking off. Heres a link for more information http://www.thehybridshop.com

We use BG products. BG has great products and a great lifetime protection program, which you should consider promoting too. For vehicles under 75k, you can add a lot of value to what you sell. Selling preventive maintenance is key. People are keeping their cars longer, way beyond the warranty. And why not give your customers peace of mind. Great post!