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Do you Know Your Competition in your Community? Do you Want to?

Joe Marconi

By Joe Marconi
in Dealing With Competition

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bantar Community Regular

bantar

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I keep in touch with a number of folks that operate a business similar to mine (same name).   We share information somewhat freely.    I've walked into a few shops to say hi, but I'd have to say that Cold Calling is not a great way to make friends.   You're viewed as a salesman.   Hard to break the ice.

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tomkatv10 Apprentice

tomkatv10

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My competition is the grocery store, the cable bill, phone bill, college tuition and anything else that splits up my customers income pie. 
I don’t pay any attention to other shops or what they are doing. I’ve always told my employees, keep doing what we do right and fix the wrongs, everything else around us is white noise. 

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bantar Community Regular

bantar

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4 hours ago, tomkatv10 said:

My competition is the grocery store, the cable bill, phone bill, college tuition and anything else that splits up my customers income pie. 
I don’t pay any attention to other shops or what they are doing. I’ve always told my employees, keep doing what we do right and fix the wrongs, everything else around us is white noise. 

I think we're saying the same thing.    Rather than competition, you can say fellow-shop-owners.    I too do my own thing and just focus on success, but sometimes, local perspective / comradarery is useful.  

We have our internet frens, here, and our local frens (friends).   With my very close local frens, I try to discuss less business strategy than I do with my further away frens, to respect the competitive nature / boundaries.   There are times when I refer someone to a shop that I know for specific reasons.  However, I won't refer to one that I don't have a relationship with.  

What is interesting in the local vs internet world is that sometimes, you may have a better / closer relationship with your internet frens than you do with some local frens.   The internet allows you to connect with folks that are more closely aligned with yourself that may not exist or be known locally.

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Gary Childs Explorer

Gary Childs

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We are very friendly with many shops around us, there is enough cars for everyone in this area and I always say if you get stuck on a brand we specialize in give me a call and i'll try to help. Most of us all also go on vacations together and even play poker and have bowling teams so always trading idea's on how to better all our shops. This I think really works out good for all of us. 

 

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    • Joe Marconi
      The Toolbox is Last to Leave, First is the Heart
      By Joe Marconi in Joe's Blog
         0 comments
      It always amazes me when I hear about a technician who quits one repair shop to go work at another shop for less money. I know you have heard of this too, and you’ve probably asked yourself, “Can this be true? And Why?” The answer rests within the culture of the company. More specifically, the boss, manager, or a toxic work environment literally pushed the technician out the door.
      While money and benefits tend to attract people to a company, it won’t keep them there. When a technician begins to look over the fence for greener grass, that is usually a sign that something is wrong within the workplace. It also means that his or her heart is probably already gone. If the issue is not resolved, no amount of money will keep that technician for the long term. The heart is always the first to leave. The last thing that leaves is the technician’s toolbox.
      Shop owners: Focus more on employee retention than acquisition. This is not to say that you should not be constantly recruiting. You should. What it does means is that once you hire someone, your job isn’t over, that’s when it begins. Get to know your technicians. Build strong relationships. Have frequent one-on-ones. Engage in meaningful conversation. Find what truly motivates your technicians. You may be surprised that while money is a motivator, it’s usually not the prime motivator.
      One last thing; the cost of technician turnover can be financially devastating. It also affects shop morale. Do all you can to create a workplace where technicians feel they are respected, recognized, and know that their work contributes to the overall success of the company. This will lead to improved morale and team spirit. Remember, when you see a technician’s toolbox rolling out of the bay on its way to another shop, the heart was most likely gone long before that.

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