Inform. Don’t Sell.
Be fair with customers. And yourself! “I just want an oil change; don’t try to sell me anything else!” Most of us have heard this before. But, what if this customer’s car is in need of additional service? What about…
Management
Are You Making Money Or Making a Difference?
Promoting preventive maintenance is your noble mission. Most experts agree that the fundamental goal of a business is to make a profit. I agree. If your shop isn’t profitable, then you’re out of business and any other goals or plans…
How to Market in Today’s Digital Age
It’s not hard to market your shop digitally, but it does take some thinking and planning. Keeping your bays full and your technicians busy is harder than ever today. Old “tried and true” methods of marketing and advertising just don’t…
Is Your Shop Infected?
How shops get sick when they get too busy It starts innocently enough: the shop gets busy, and the little things start to slide. First, the inspection process breaks down. Technicians start pencil-whipping their inspection forms, trying to get their…
Fall in Love Again!
Regain the magic you once felt. Why do people fall out of love with their auto repair businesses? This could happen for any number of reasons, but primarily it occurs because they lose hope due to the various challenges they…
How to Create Marketing that Gets Ignored
With individuals being bombarded with more than 3,000 marketing messages a day, here’s how you can create marketing for your shop that stands out from the competition. With individuals being bombarded with more than 3,000 marketing messages a day, here’s…
Fear Factor
What are you afraid of as a business owner? When I started to work on this topic, a wealth of resources opened up, along with an abundance of shop owners who contributed to this article. The evolution was exciting, and…
Great Expectations – Get People to Do Things the Way You Want Them Done
Are the right people and procedures in place to make your shop shine? Let’s start by looking at the evolution of the NASCAR pit stop in a Cup stock car race. Guys leap over the wall, and the gas man…
ASA Installs Board, Outlines New Initiatives During Annual Business Meeting
ASA held its annual business meeting March 6 at the Sheraton Overland Park near Kansas City, Kan. The event included an open meeting of the board of directors, a swearing-in ceremony of the new board, and a reception for ASA…
Which Came First: Great Customers or Money to Advertise to Them?
The secret to growing your shop is attracting customers. But that leads to the old chicken-egg scenario. Editor’s Note: This article contains an example of fictitious gross profit rates and is only used to illustrate mathematical formulas within the story.…
One Danger of Shop Ownership
Getting out of your office and connecting with others in the industry can pay off in big ways. It takes vision, inspiration, perseverance and hard work to build and maintain a successful repair shop. Pursuing the ideal dream of “absentee…
The Secrets of Great Customer Sales and Service
There is no easy recipe for what makes up great customer sales and service, but focusing on the basics is a good start. Step 1: Hire great people. Step 2: Let them turn customers into raving referral fanatics. Step 3:…
Multi-Point Inspections: A Low-Pressure Sales Approach!
The key to a low-pressure sales approach is to educate, rather than sell. For more than 30 years, I’ve been hearing comments like this from automotive service personnel all across North America. Listen up: “I’m not a salesman; I’m a…
Why Teamwork is Crucial
Getting to the heart of teamwork involves buy-in from the top. In American management lingo, being a “team player” either means taking the blame for something someone else did or working for no pay to make someone else look good.…
The One Thing You Can Fix to Grow Your Shop Today
Focusing on the results instead of the activity can help elevate your shop’s success and increase your bottom line. John Wooden, one of the most successful college basketball coaches of all time, has a quote: “Do not mistake activity for…
5 Reasons Customers Are Choosing Your Competitors
Your marketing, call analytics, data that you generate – and how you keep in touch with your customers – can determine whether a customer chooses your shop or a competitor’s. Recently I was speaking with the owner of a two-location…
What Makes a Top Shop Owner
Top shop owners share a number of traits Over the years I have had the opportunity to work with many of the top shop owners in America, and have discovered there are a number of traits they all share. So…
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