January/February 2013 Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Shop Owner Magazine
Waiting Room Tips For Shop Owners

If you want to build a more profitable auto repair business, here are six proven tips for your waiting room that can help you do just that.

How Advertising Works

People buy when they are ready to buy, not necessarily when you are ready to sell. Don’t get frustrated if an advertisement does not get the response you were looking for. The purpose of advertising and marketing is to maintain a continuous stream of information to your customer. The more you can connect with your customers and other people in your market area, the more you increase your chances of those people coming to you when they are ready to buy.

Bring In More First-Time Callers

With vehicles being built better than ever before, and with service intervals continually being extended, you are going to see your customers less often. This means that your service advisors have to be razor sharp when that phone rings. Although there is no silver bullet that will allow you to bring in every first-time caller, there are a number of things you can do to get more appointments. In this article, I would like to share some of the best practices your advisors can use that will bring immediate results.

Help Service Advisors Sell Value And Benefits

We all know that selling the benefits of a particular service is far better than selling parts and labor. But sometimes, especially when we are busy, we forget and fall back into bad habits. To help the service advisors and add value for the customer, we have been changing all of our most common service operations to include a note that features the benefits of the service or item we are presenting to a customer.

Francis Automotive: Unique Marketing Efforts Help Build Shop Brand

While some shop owners may rely on traditional forms of marketing – direct mail, print and on-line advertising, and word of mouth – to bring customers through the doors, John Francis Jr. says his marketing efforts are unique, but also quite successful.

Accountability Raises The Performance Bar And Helps Achieve Goals And Objectives

Accountability is a big word. We see examples every day around us where we can safely surmise that “that person” is not being held accountable for their actions. We are surrounded by people every day – customers, employees, family members and even strangers in the stores and restaurants we frequent – doing or saying something that causes pause.

Protecting Your Business With The Right Insurance

Running a business is expensive and the capital that you’ve poured into your company can disappear in an instant if a major weather event damages your offices, or if someone in your shop gets injured while on the job.

Web University: Part 3

And here we are again. With all the Google changes, small businesses are scrambling to avoid being relegated to the Internet’s junk bin. Let’s stay on top of it. Whether it’s Google Search, social media or what to do with Google+, you’ll find answers to the most challenging questions, in both a “Go Deep” and “Quick Bites” format.

10 Mistakes To Avoid When Selling Your Business: An Insider’s Guide, Part 1

The majority of challenges and frustrations experienced by sellers can be avoided with solid information about the pitfalls of selling a business in today’s market. While there are dozens of challenges to overcome, here are the first five of 10 of the most common mistakes that can have drastic repercussions and cause both stress and loss of value on a business sale.

Larry’s AutoWorks: Shop Owner’s Success Linked To Accepting And Adapting To Change

Most people don’t become automotive repair shop owners overnight; they may start out as a technician who agrees to slowly take over a retiring owner’s business, or open their own shop and steadily build a customer base. When the first option fell into Larry Moore’s lap, he jumped at the chance – with some mixed results in the beginning.

Marketing Budgets For Building World-Class Auto Repair Shops

In the world of auto repair and service, one thing is certain: You are going to lose customers. They will move, no longer have a need for their vehicle, turn to one of your competitors, or buy a new vehicle and then take it to the dealer for service.

Executive Interview: Dan Moody, General Manager, MAHLE Aftermarket Business, North America

During his career with MAHLE, Dan Moody has served as project leader of several acquisition projects, including the Dana Engine Parts business and most recently, RTI Technologies. Moody began his career at Sealed Power Corporation (now SPX Corporation). He later served as president for the Dana Sealed Power/Perfect Circle group, and became group vice president of the Dana Engine Products Group before joining the MAHLE Group in 2006. Moody’s extensive experience strengthens MAHLE Clevite Inc. as the premier supplier of engine system components in North America and a leading supplier of filters to the import aftermarket.