Joe Marconi

A shop owner friend of mine said that he was thrilled to finally hire a qualified tech. However, his toolbox box too big for the shop. Is this becoming a problem in your shop? How do you handle the ever-growing size of technician's toolboxes? SAMPLE of some of the toolboxes these days...

All great books. Perhaps we should start a Book List Post?

Thank you! I will get you the slides.

Ok, I am a little frustrated. My knee has been hurting me for a few months. I finally called an orthopedic specialist group (the largest and most well-known in the area). These are the events that occurred: When you call the office, you cannot speak to anyone. You need to leave a message or go online to fill out a form I went to their website, filled out the form with all my info, and requested an appointment The next day I got a call from the office; they wanted to verify my insurance (all about getting paid, NOT my knee pain) The person on the phone said that ANOTHER person would call me to schedule an appointment FAST FORWARD - I have since called numerous times and left messages to get an update on my request for an appointment Five days later, no call, still in pain... This is a reminder to all shop owners to call back your customers. The unknown and waiting is"painful"

As a former shop owner for 41 years, I know how important goal setting is. Join me, as one of the speakers, for this important webinar. Click below to register:

Thanks! These are great! And did brighten my day!

Repair shops that have done the math, know what their labor rate needs to be. However, are they leaving money on the table when performing some jobs, such as complicated driveability, electrical work, and other computer-related work? Shouldn't we base the labor rate on certain jobs by the technicians that are assigned to those jobs? In other words, if you have a drivability / electrical tech that is also the highest paid in your shop, shouldn't the jobs he or she performs be billed at a labor rate based on his/her pay scale?

Great points, Gerald! And I like your comment, "We're still in grade school." Achieving your objectives will require growth, financially. I wonder how other view this, an obstacle or opportunity?

We judge our shop's production by car counts and billable labor hours. But isn't this dependent on the ability of the Service Advisor to get write-ups done, cars dispatched, make sales, handle phone calls, walk-ins, etc.? If the service advisor's load increases, doesn't this affect overall shop production?

This makes so much sense, and should be read by every shop owner. Great outline and explanation! And you are right, I have started another post about Service Advisors being too swamped these days! Thanks!

Do you mean that you are over-booked and cannot handle any more work, no potential? What about tech production? Need a little more information.

No, I have not lost my mind. You and I both know that the oil change business is different today from what it was years ago. If we go back to the 1980s, and up through the 1990s, we judged customer visits by a factor of 4 to 5, which meant that we needed to see a customer at least 4 to 5 times a year, an indicator of customer retention rate and loyalty. Back then customers brought us their vehicles every three to four thousand miles for the traditional oil change. That business model no longer holds true. Today, the customer mindset has changed. Plus, oil change mileage intervals are a lot longer. For many, they don’t think about the oil change service the way consumers thought about it years ago. Just look at your customer base. How many customers drive well over the suggested oil change mileage interval? How many customers wait until the Maintenance Light comes on? Or even worse, the Engine Oil Light! I am not suggesting that you don’t perform oil changes, what I am suggesting is that you take a different approach. First, for those customers who drive well over the oil change mileage interval, it is in the best interest of the customer to educate them on the value of preventive maintenance. Instead of selling an oil change, promote the value of the vehicle’s scheduled maintenance service; for example, a 15k or 45k Service. This is not new; we all know this concept. Selling a maintenance service will help to ensure that we are doing all we can to protect our customers, promote vehicle safety, and extend the life of our customer’s vehicles. This concept also lowers the overall cost of vehicle ownership over the vehicle's life. Lastly, you have the perfect opportunity at vehicle delivery to educate your customers about the importance of preventive maintenance. Review with all customers, the service interval that is due next, and book that service with your customer. If we focus on what is best for our customers, we can’t go wrong. I frequently tell shop owners, “Every vehicle in your shop today will need a future service or repair. Make sure that your customers return to you.”

As always, thank you Carm for the opportunity! It was amazing and a lot of fun! And THANK YOU for what you do for the industry. Your efforts have made a positive difference in the automotive aftermarket! Keep it going in '24! Happy New Year!

Good point, in your business model there are not well-known parts, therefore those prices are not price-sensitive. Good point!

I think the past few years have told us that consumers, in general, want their cars repaired and serviced with a high degree of quality, a fair price, and a good experience. Let's face it, labor rates have gone up a lot for many shops around the country, but with little pushback from loyal customers. But, is this a complete picture? I am not sure, while labor is more accepted in the mind of the consumer, aren't part prices still an issue since it's easily researched, such as on Google, Amazon, Rock Auto, etc.?

I want to wish all our members the very best during the holiday season, and the very best in the New Year! What you do every day is essential to the lifeblood of our country. You keep America moving, and you should be proud!

I recently spoke to a shop owner who told me his techs give him pushback on performing the multipoint inspection (MPI). After a few questions, I think I revealed the REAL problem. His techs are paid Flat-Rate, and not being compensated to do the MPI. When on flat rate, every minute means earned pay. However, is it a flat rate issue or a culture and leadership problem? Or the wrong employees? I realize that time must be compensated on that type of pay system, but what about the customer and their safety?

Many shop owners are saying that the great business increase we experienced in the past few years is fading. I don't think so. Are things stabilizing? Probably. But we are in very good times, with great opportunity. Many shops finally raised their labor and prices that can earn them a decent profit, the average age of a car is around 12 to 13 years old and still rising. I can't speak for everyone, but would like to hear your thoughts on the state of the Auto Repair Shops from your perspective.

Good points, and perspective! And thanks for the link!

Gerald, I agree with your assessment. Specialization is the key, and we need to assess the strengths of our employees and provide training in those areas. A shop's business model will dictate the competencies needed to provide top-level service/repairs to their customer base. One more thing to add to this discussion; top pay or A-rated pay cannot be reserved for the "traditional" definition. Please note that flat rate pay is not the norm in many states, such as New York. Rethinking pay scales is also inevitable. Looking forward to Vision 2024!

Too many shop owners spend too much time on new customer acquisition. While this is important, they sometimes forget about the customer right in front of them. Retention is your key marketing strategy. Great topic SMP! As always, great podcast!

When I started as a young auto technician in the mid 1970s, working in a general automotive repair shop was a lot simpler. After all, we mostly worked on GM, Ford and Chryslers, and most of the work was mechanical. Fast forward to today, can the General Repair shop model still work? Today's techs who work in general repair shops have to bounce from Toyota, to Honda, to Nissan to GM to BMW, to Hybrids, and on and on. And then switch gears to a Ford pickup diesel. Techs also need a working knowledge in, electrical, on board computer and driveability issues a wide variety of car makes and models. And what about the training needed and the tools/equipment need to service and repair a wide range of worldwide car models? If you are a general repair shop, I would like to learn more about how you are adjusting to the challenges of running a general repair shop.

This is such an important topic these days. Since COVID and the recent inflation, many shops are finally aware that labor, pricing, and understanding their numbers is key to running a successful business. Another must-listen/watch Carm podcast!

I was never a fan of loaner cars. With car counts 100 plus each week, we would need a fleet of cars. However, many shop owners rave how great their loaner car program is. I guess it is an individual choice. For me, I set up deals with the local Enterprise and Hertz for discounted rates, and that worked great for me. In my area, Uber and Lyft are not that easy to get at times, not yet anyway. I also used local taxi service. And, we also had a shuttle van for local rides.