Employee Retention is Key to Continued Success
Companies that build and maintain a superior workforce will have a long-term competitive advantage in their marketplaces. Here are some strategies for doing just that.
Don’t Close the Sale – Open the Relationship
Extensive consumer research has proven that there’s a direct link between positive customer experiences and greater sales results and reveal that when there’s a disconnect between the way businesses go about selling their products and the way consumers want to buy them, sales results suffer.
Buy Now, Depreciate Now: What Does Section 179 of the Tax Code do for Capital Equipment Purchases in 2010?
Almost every shop owner can recall what he/she paid for a
piece of capital equipment in his/her shop. Smart shop owners
can even tell what year of depreciation a piece of capital
equipment is in, and how much was claimed on the shop’s taxes. But, a recent rewriting of the tax code has changed this practice.
Youthful Drivers…Is Your Company Exposed?
Making appropriate decisions with young drivers of company vehicles can help prevent losses and protect company assets.
Are You Ready for More Business?
Develop a checklist to make sure you are ready to take full advantage of the massive population of vehicles on the road that need engine work.
Key Person Insurance: Proactively Protecting Your Business
If you consider your employees to be your most important
business asset, then it would be short-sighted of you not to
insure them. Key-person life insurance policies help ensure continuity in a business after the loss of a partner or important employee and also offer valuable employee retention benefits.
Getting ‘Green:’ Reduce, Reuse, Recycle To Reignite Your Business
By now it’s evident that the whole ‘green’ movement is more than just a fad. In fact, successful businesses everywhere have
adapted their operations to cater to consumers who are looking
for more environmentally friendly products and services.
Exclusive Excellence: Exclusively Bimmers Banks On Its Solid Reputation
Dennis Walczuk’s Exclusively Bimmers shop in the Charleston, SC, suburb of Mount Pleasant is a far cry from “the dungeon” that was the back office at the independent repair facility’s previous location. While Walczuk admits the old shop’s less-than-ideal setting definitely lost him a customer or two, he knows that the current facility on Lansing Drive has the opposite effect.
Tips for Revving Up Your Credit and Debit Transactions
“Cash moves everything around me.” It’s a common thought for many automotive repair shop owners. Cash flow is one of the biggest and most important challenges many business people face, especially in the service business. Capital equipment payments and rent are both expensive, not to mention parts purchases and payroll.
Executive Interview: Rusty Bishop- CEO, Federated Auto Parts
Rusty Bishop began his career in the automotive aftermarket 38 years ago when he joined Fisher Auto Parts, where he held a number of positions in warehouse and jobber store management and also served as a director of the company. In 1985, Bishop co-founded Federated Auto Parts Distributors, a program marketing group for major warehouse distributors.
Outsider Interview: Jim Ruggles, Sr., Bicycle Shop Owner
Albert Einstein once said, “Life is like riding a bicycle, in order to keep your balance, you must keep moving.” The same can be said for any business, especially automotive repair. If an automotive repair shop does not stay current and grow, it is at risk of going off track and failing.
Tap Into the Power of Collaboration to Grow Your Business
When it comes to making business decisions, going it alone can be a recipe for disaster for automotive repair shop owners. The world is more complex than ever. To make smarter choices for your business, you would do well to tap into the knowledge and experience of others. In Part 1 of this two-part article, I’ll discuss why collaboration is essential to your business. “We all learn from experience, but it does not have to be your own.”