Shop Operations Archives - Page 60 of 73 -
5 Tips On Handling Price Shoppers

In order for people to buy from you, three things need to occur: they need to like you, trust you and view you as a credible expert. Accordingly, the first thing you need to sell to any caller is you; not your shop, or any repair. The best way to accomplish this goal is by smiling, answering the phone with a salutation, providing the caller with your name and the name of your company, and then ending with a question that invites a response.

Six Tips To Reducing Comebacks

Comebacks kill. There’s no denying it. While we can never eliminate all comebacks, we can work to reduce them. The more you reduce comebacks, the more money you put to your bottom line. I want to share with you six tips that I use in my shop.

Time To Expand Your Business?

With today’s uncertainty, and with all the restraints that lenders have put into place, this still may be the best time for you to expand your business. It’s during these times that many of your competitors will struggle, hunt for a way out, and find that there are no buyers.

The Top 7 Reasons Most Shops Fail

Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with many of the top shop owners in America. I have met thousands of owners who simply go about business as usual and then, unfortunately, and unexpectedly, fail. I have made quite a few discoveries along the way, so I would like to use this article to share what I feel to be the top 7 reasons most shops fail.

Marketing To Women: It’s More About What You Do Than What You Say

Let’s be honest: our industry has a less-than-stellar reputation, especially among women. It’s understandable, considering that less than 1% of ASE-certified technicians and only 7% of service advisors are female. This is still predominantly a man’s world; and let’s be real, most men just don’t get women.

Time Stealers: Identifying And Averting Barriers To Productive Use Of Your Precious Time

Whether it’s silver, gold, platinum, diamonds, rubies or even cold, hard cash, we take numerous measures each day to protect our valuable items, some more drastic than others. We use locks, banks, safes and alarms to ensure their safe protection. We lock our homes, cars and businesses in order to safeguard our personal possessions and the things that are important to us.

How Paperless Inspection Might Change The Way You Run Your Shop

This article takes a closer look at some newly implemented features that have been reported to significantly improved the benefits for shop owners, technicians, service writers and motorists. If you haven’t looked into paperless inspection, the
prospect of this feature can significantly improve your shop’s productivity.

Summer Performance Incentives Drive Up Sales And Profits

For most of you, summertime is when you can skyrocket productivity. So rather than telling your techs that you’ll provide them with a bonus if they reach certain productivity goals, give them the bonus up front, with the understanding that it is theirs to lose.

New Car Sales Are Up! Prepare Or Beware?

As the economy recovers, new car sales will increase. The aging U.S. fleet, which was predicted to be a boom for repair shops, never really materialized as we thought it would. As an industry, independent repair shops survived and some fared quite well; just not to the extent that many of us predicted. That’s not to say we did not have opportunity, we did. However, as we painfully found out, when people are out of work, feel poor, and when consumer confidence is low, it makes our job a lot more difficult.

Is Groupon For You?

We all know about the rage that is going on with the Groupon-type services, and with many businesses, I see where it can be a really good fit. Examples would be in the fast food industry, and with companies that sell commodities like soap or shoes. Yet, when it comes to the auto repair business, with just two exceptions, I feel that this type of marketing is a bad fit. Here’s why …

What’s Your Competitive Advantage?

Creating a list of your competitive advantages will help every shop owner position their business in the market. It is an advantage that enables you to survive against competition over a long period of time. In today’s era of hyper-competition, shop owners are better able to capture the customers they are looking for if they plan to create and focus on what sets them apart.

Maintenance Mindset Racks Up Miles And Service Opportunities

How many miles do you think a pampered engine could rack up? Hundreds of thousands? How about millions! Irv Gordon, a Long Island, NY, resident who has traveled the U.S. for nearly 50 years, can attest to that. He’s driven the same vehicle, a shiny, red 1966 Volvo P1800, racking up nearly 3 million miles.