OpenBay

[xrac]

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[xrac]

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[ATSAutomotive]

I would never do something like that. That hands all the power to the customer. Just had a conversation with a customer today about his 2000 Grand Prix GTP. He lived over an hour away and had his car break down over the holiday weekend. We diagnosed it when we came back and gave him the estimate. Overall went really well and he felt very comfortable with the entire experience. When we were just talking after he picked the vehicle up. He let me know how happy he was with our service and how delighted he was with how in depth of an inspection we do and the explanation we go through with him. Told me he had never experienced that at a repair shop and since he knows nothing about cars, he was happy to gain an understanding of what repairs/maintenance he needed and why. That was on a 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix, not a technological marvel by today's standards. What if he owned a 2015 GM product. Probably has GDI, does the customer even know anything about GDI. Has anyone told him the common problems with a GDI engine. What he should expect? What he should do to minimize failures/issues? No, our customer's buy these vehicles because they like them. They like how they look, they like how they ride or the car was just "cute" as one of my customer's puts it. They need us and we need them. Programs like this bring everything back to price and price alone is not what keeps our doors open.

 

We are here to explain to our customer's what repairs/maintenance are needed and why. Menu servicing in my eyes has no reason to be in a shop. Most customer's do not know what they need and they should be informed by our service advisers of what should be done. They should always be kept up to date and reminded of any work they didn't perform last time they were in. Don't focus on price, focus on the customer and you will do well.

[davine4real]

Sounds likerepair pal. Quality is something that you can build on, notsolely price. I invite people to bring their AutoZone diagnosis. I make twicethe money lol. Once when AutoZone diagnosis doesn't fix it, and again when they pay me to find the real problem. I don't"double check" AutoZone diagnosis for free either. Customer can pay me for diagnosis or run with their own.

[stowintegrity]

Sounds likerepair pal. Quality is something that you can build on, notsolely price. I invite people to bring their AutoZone diagnosis. I make twicethe money lol. Once when AutoZone diagnosis doesn't fix it, and again when they pay me to find the real problem. I don't"double check" AutoZone diagnosis for free either. Customer can pay me for diagnosis or run with their own.

I agree very much. As I've already touched upon in other posts, I am sternly against competing on price. I am completely inclined to make certain my price is fair, but those two statements are mutually exclusive. "Fair pricing" has a lot less to do with what 10 of my competitors charge than the average customer understands.

 

I looked into Openbay some time ago, and although they put a strong focus on price, their vantage point is different than RepairPal. It has been some time since I spoke to OpenBay, but if I'm correct, the customer pays OpenBay, and then OpenBay sends you the money, minus their fees. To my knowledge, this isn't something RepairPal gets into.

 

My opinion is simple - I don't need to invite anyone else to put their hand into my pocket, and take a share of what I earn simply because they claim they can send some cars my way. If your value proposition is correct...you don't need them anyhow. Other, more traditional forms of promotion or marketing are more effective, anyway.

 

Just one man's opinion.

[xrac]

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[carolinahigear]

I've never heard of it. While we're talking about pricing jobs and so on, I'd like to share a few things. I'm wanting to get 3 new toilets installed in my 26 yr. old residence. I looked on-line at some, and then I called a highly-regarded plumbing company in my area. I asked the lady if she could give me the price on toilets and installation costs. She politely told me that a technician would have to come out and look at the job, make some recommendations, and then they would give me a price.

 

I thought....well, this is like people that call us wanting a price on brakes, tune-up, and other jobs that we haven't seen or inspected. So why would we give a price when the leading plumbing company won't? I have found that I like to have a goal of setting an appointment with the caller, because if they never come in the shop, I cannot get their business. Let's all get better at setting appointments, and from that appointment and inspection then let's sell the job!!

[Elon Block]

I've never heard of it. While we're talking about pricing jobs and so on, I'd like to share a few things. I'm wanting to get 3 new toilets installed in my 26 yr. old residence. I looked on-line at some, and then I called a highly-regarded plumbing company in my area. I asked the lady if she could give me the price on toilets and installation costs. She politely told me that a technician would have to come out and look at the job, make some recommendations, and then they would give me a price.

 

I thought....well, this is like people that call us wanting a price on brakes, tune-up, and other jobs that we haven't seen or inspected. So why would we give a price when the leading plumbing company won't? I have found that I like to have a goal of setting an appointment with the caller, because if they never come in the shop, I cannot get their business. Let's all get better at setting appointments, and from that appointment and inspection then let's sell the job!!

This is a great example of what's happening daily in shops everywhere.

 

Whether we like it or not and whether we agree with it or not...

 

Sites like OpenBay, RepairPal and AutoMD are just the tip of the iceberg. More and more

sites, like this, are popping up every single day. We're never going back to the good

old days. As a result of the internet, everything is out in the open.

 

For example, your parts and labor pricing, is public knowledge now. In other words, your

customers have access to the exact same information you do.

 

To pre-judge them or immediately jump to the conclusion that "they don't match my customer

profile, anyway" is costing your business money.

 

The truth is:

They're just trying to be smart shoppers - like you and me.

 

The solution is to be able to communicate effectively with today's more educated, internet-

driven customer. The challenge is: most shops in your area have also decided not to quote

pricing over the phone for obvious reasons.

 

So what happens is: your service advisor might be the third person they've talked with that

hasn't given a bonafide reason that makes sense to the customer as to WHY they

would be best served by having them bring the vehicle in.

 

It's no wonder the customer gets impatient because they feel frustrated because they can't

get a straight answer to what they perceive is a simple question.

 

The shop that communicates the best, during that step and every other step of the sale, will

not only get that one job...

 

They will win that customer's loyalty, which is worth tens of thousands of dollars of work

that customer will need over their life-time of vehicle ownership.

 

Bottom-line: the wing it and hope method of selling is no longer an option.

[CAautogroup]

I was recently contacted by a sales represenative from OpenBay. They are the ones who pay you directly via direct deposit or send you a check. May I add that they also take 13% of the total charged to the customer.

 

 

I have still yet to set up an account with them....

[xrac]

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[alfredauto]

Its a hard pill for millenials to swallow but they need to understand that you can't do everything on the internet. Their dentist doesn't quote them how much for a cavity repair over the web, its not possible. Same goes for auto repair. "How much is a tune up?" Yea right, are we to believe the customer just decided today to fulfill some preventative maintenance? Probably not.