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We did a women's car care clinic last October. Usually a nice cool mild month here. It was just awesome. We all had fun. The planning is rather intense especially for the first time and it does cost money to do it right. Well worth the time, funds and effort though. Our women's care care clinic was all hands on and we gave each participant a Safety Girl Roadside Emergency Kit plus CarCare.org literature. We formed up groups of four or five and had two mechanics at each station. Starting out with the basic maintenance. We had pizza deliver from the local pizzeria and plenty of cold water and soft drinks. It was a success and is now a permanent part of our event calender. We are hoping to also organize a teen car care and driving safety clinic, still working out the details but there's tons of interest in our community especially among women. I'll post some pictures from our first clinic.

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Posted

How much did you charge for that event or did you give everything away? I love those kits but at $70 each to give away would get kinda expensive.

 

We had a car care event last weekend. Unfortunaly since it was our first event, we didn't have very many cars. Pretty disappointed in that but the good thing that happened was we were here to lift a car off the neighbor who was trying to change his oil his garage and had the car fall on him. Thankfully he wasn't seriously hurt.

Posted

I'm doing free 20 point inspections (tires, belts, hoses, fluids, etc..) along with allowing the customer to follow along, many don't know how to look at these simple items and are wanting to learn. it doesn't tie my bays up for long and allows me to point out how my service differs from their current shop if they are not already a customer.

 

Dave

Dave's Shop

-Power & Machine-

Camden IN

Posted

it was a good PR day and boosted our brand in our community.

 

 

I have to really make a decision, if I want to grow and take it to the next level or stay where I am in terms of size of business.

 

Your comment has made me think about seriously developing a brand identity for marketing purposes.

  • 2 months later...
Posted

When I had my business across the drive from a auto repair shop I was asked to donate for the cause. They were having a free auto safety check for single parents from two or three, maybe more? churches in the area. These were different denomination and not for any one church religion. The pastors, or clergy had to sign the letter that gave some kind of proof that these were indeed needy individuals from that church. They also got donations from the various church goers and auto parts stores, and other businesses in the area so they had a small pile of money to fix the cars as needed. They were amazed at the conditions of some of these cars, you had to wonder how they even ran, or stopped or moved with the worn,failed or broken parts on them. I recall about 50 cars going through on a Saturday and the money in the kitty was spent to fix these cars. Some got a tire or tires, some got shocks, brakes,wiper blades, tune ups, heater fixed, fan belts replaced, leaking hoses replaced and anything to make them safe and then the church groups washed them when done. Sometimes it looked like the windows had never been cleaned in years. Each person that got their car worked on or looked at got a receipt of what was done and who had contributed. Each church got a letter saying like a break down of what amount of cars got what, not naming any person who got the work. It might say 50 cars were seen, 27 got wiper blades, 14 got 1 tire, 4 got 3 tires, 1 got 4 tires and so on. Besides making the crew feel pretty good bout doing something for people that really needed help, the shop was rewarded in many new customers from the various churches from folks that wanted to thank them for doing what they did.. It was a win win deal. As I understand since I no longer have my shop and moved away that the fellow who started this has died and I don't know if it has continued or not.

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

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      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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