2018 Editions Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Shop Owner Magazine
Avoiding Lawsuits: How To Save Your Company Money

While every company would prefer to not get sued, chances are it will happen. So, if you’re interested in learning about some common issues with fairly simple solutions that could save your company thousands (or millions) of dollars if you are sued, please, read on.

Establishing A Shop’s Chain Of Command: Motivating Your Team To Succeed

A team of great employees is a lot like a well-oiled army platoon. In order to succeed, everyone needs to know their role, needs to support one another, and needs to share a common objective. The team also needs to understand and respect the chain of command.

Brakes For Breasts

Brakes for Breasts is hosted each October by several independent repair facilities (IRFs) nationwide. The fundraiser not only supports breast cancer research directly (by supporting vaccine research), it also helps bring customers through a repair facility’s doors, says Kristen Criswell, editor of Shop Owner magazine.

Finding A Love For Auto Care

As the new editor of Shop Owner, I want to build upon what has already been established within the pages of this magazine. Your day-to-day is about solving other people’s problems, so I want to help you solve the problems facing your business. From HR issues and marketing to customer service and keeping up with today’s technology, I want to cover it all, says Kristen Criswell, editor of Shop Owner magazine.

Uncopyable Innovation: Stealing Genius

These days when you get into your car and you want to listen to music, you wirelessly connect your smartphone via Bluetooth to your car’s sound system and rock Spotify. But it wasn’t always like that, kids. First, there was this thing called radio. You turned it on and hoped it would play something you wanted to hear. Most of the time, you just took what you got because the alternative was silence.

Educating Customers To Make The Right Decision: Building Trust And Lasting Loyalty Among Your Customer Base

There used to always be a fight in our shop. A fight with the customer to get them to open their wallet. A fight with the staff to get them to treat the customer right. A fight to be profitable. It’s amazing to look back on how hard things used to be, before we made educating our customers to make the right decisions a way of life.

How To Avoid Making The Three Most Common Hiring Mistakes

In this tight labor market, it’s getting harder to find good help. But that doesn’t mean you should hire every Tom, Dick and Harry with a pulse and a driver’s license.

Why Champions Don’t Have Time To Procrastinate

If you’re a procrastinator, there’s a really good chance you’ll bookmark this article to read later. That would defeat the purpose. Sort of like that book “How to Improve Your Memory” that I can’t seem to find. It’s been over two hundred years since Benjamin Franklin famously said, “never leave that ’till tomorrow which you can do today.” One would think that’s ample time for that success tip to catch on with the human race!

Selling On Trust: Established Relationships Beat Selling On Safety And Value

Wouldn’t it be nice if cars came into your shop with an ATM machine in the dash? After you fixed what was necessary on the car, you put in your shop credit card, punched in the invoice amount and the money due came out. I’m hoping to make service writing seem that easy.

Robertson Automotive: A One-Stop Shop – Where Customer Satisfaction Is Top Priority

Personal service with a smile, quality work, and fair prices are a difficult set of standards to find at a single automotive repair shop in Tyler, Texas. However, one shop stands out among the rest – Robertson Automotive, a Confidence Plus Certified Service Center and Auto Value customer of ABC Auto Parts, Ltd. This repair shop offers a completely different experience upon entering the building.

Steps Toward Smooth Sailing: Establishing Proper Policies & Procedures To Improve Your Shop’s Productivity

We’ve all been there. Customers keep coming in waves and your shop is crazier than it’s ever been. The bays and parking lot are completely full, your waiting room has guests who are waiting to speak with a service writer and you can’t catch your breath trying to keep it all organized. In other words, your policies and procedures broke down. The systems that worked when business was slower fell apart as you grew, and now you’re left trying to pick up the pieces or the shop morale will take a dive and your customers’ trust will fall right along with it.

Healthy Curiosity: Clinging To The Old Ways Of Doing Things Could Be Detrimental To Your Shop’s Growth

Curiosity is a key element in the evolution of both people and businesses. Often, however, the structures we surround ourselves with don’t lend themselves to exploring new ideas or new ways of doing things. Many of us cling to processes that have worked in the past – and we depend on them to work for us in the future.