Secrets to Hiring Superstar Techs and Service Writers
The most profitable shops in America employ technicians and advisors who are superstars. So, it’s no surprise that one of the most common questions we hear from our clients is, “How do you find and hire the stars?”
Green Initiatives, Quality Service Keep Customers Coming Back to Swedish Automotive
What started as a hobby for Swedish Automotive Co-owner Dave Winters has turned into a successful automotive repair business that keeps raising the bar in terms of customer service and quality repairs. Today, the Seattle shop caters to owners of Volvo, SAAB, Subaru and Mini Cooper vehicles in a new facility specifically designed not only with the repair process in mind, but to be environmentally friendly as well.
Attract Female Customers to Boost Your Shop’s Word-of-Mouth Power
Testimonials from customers who are raving fans of your shop are among the best methods for gaining new customers. And a major segment of that word-of-mouth promotion is made up of your female customers.
How Fit Are Your Sales and Customer Service Efforts?
Have you ever considered the fitness level of your sales and customer service efforts? I’m not talking about some sort of employee exercise program. Rather, I’m asking if the employees who provide sales and service to your customers are functioning at peak performance.
Integrity, Family Atmosphere: Formula for Success at Marshall Motors
As a shop owner, hiring a new technician can be daunting task: finding the right recruiting avenues, narrowing down the applicants and, then, hopefully, making the right choice. But for Thom and January Marshall, siblings and co-owners of Marshall Motors in Dallas, the process takes a unique turn to ensure the right person is hired for the job.
Good Interviewing Takes Time and Preparation, Part 2
In Part 1 of this article in the March/April issue, I discussed how investing ample time in the interview process can prevent hiring the wrong person for the job, as well as employee turnover, because you can get a more accurate assessment of a candidate’s qualifications. This article will continue with that discussion, zeroing in on how to properly assess a job prospect’s skill sets.
On-line Group Discount Programs Guarantee New Customers
Imagine a form of marketing that’s 95% guaranteed to drive new customers to your shop’s door without any upfront costs. Believe it or not, there’s no catch. On-line group discount websites are making this scenario a reality for a variety of businesses, including automotive repair shops.
Executive Interview: Jim Dirksen, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, North and South America, Vehicle Service Group (VSG)
Vehicle Service Group (VSG) comprises eight major vehicle lifting and collision repair brands, including Rotary Lift, Revolution Lift, Forward Lift and Chief Automotive Technologies. As vice president of sales and marketing, Jim Dirksen leads the teams that promote and sell all of VSG’s lift brands throughout North and South America.
Recipes For Shop Success
I spend nearly every day talking to shop owners. While some seek my advice, others I encounter as I search for locations to open new shops. Despite the differences in their backgrounds, locations and individual situations, all of them inevitably ask me the same question: “What is the magic bullet that will take my business to the next level?”
Good Interviewing Takes Time and Preparation, Part 1
To some degree, I think everyone in a job interview is a bit of an actor. For the most part, the interviewer/interviewee relationship tends to accentuate the positives and gloss over the negatives. But, the information each party shares in the interview should give the other party an accurate image of the qualifications, experience and general work ethic or attitude he or she brings to the negotiating table.
Re-Inventing Rebates Drives ROI, Enhances Customer Loyalty and Delivers Value-Added Benefits
Bringing in more revenue is at the top of the list of things to do for most shop owners in 2011. Selling more and cutting costs are the tried and true methods for doing this but, often, both are easier said than done. That is why some smart automotive repair shop owners are considering alternatives.
Integrity is Key to Success at Theo’s Automotive
Reputation is everything at Theo’s Automotive in Peachtree City, GA, and even the rare negative review can’t slow business down a bit for Owner Theo Kazadzis. In fact, Kazadzis says his response to a recent negative review amidst several positives at Repairpal.com actually brought in new business and won over a new customer, most likely for many years to come.