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The best thing I ever did for my business.


John Pearson

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I am a nice guy like really nice guy, and with that I make a terrible service writer. I am always trying to give people a deal, or not charge diag, or hear how someone is broke and let them make payments and never get paid.

 

The best thing I ever did for my business was get out from behind the computer. I still come out of the shop to interact with customers, talk to them, explain things and meet them but I stay away from that damn computer.

 

Part of it is our reputation has grown and word of mouth has spread, but with my service writer taking over things we are seeing double the sales that we saw last year in this first quarter.

 

 

What is the best thing that you have ever done, or not done for your business?

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I am a nice guy like really nice guy, and with that I make a terrible service writer. I am always trying to give people a deal, or not charge diag, or hear how someone is broke and let them make payments and never get paid.

 

The best thing I ever did for my business was get out from behind the computer. I still come out of the shop to interact with customers, talk to them, explain things and meet them but I stay away from that damn computer.

 

Part of it is our reputation has grown and word of mouth has spread, but with my service writer taking over things we are seeing double the sales that we saw last year in this first quarter.

 

 

What is the best thing that you have ever done, or not done for your business?

 

I completely agree. I am the exact same way

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I hired a service writer a couple years ago. Set him up with a pricing matrix and some standard policies and things were going great.

 

Then one day my wife tells me that she heard rumors that people did not like my service writer and I was losing business because of him. I investiagted a bit and found out the few people that were complaining were the ones I used to let make payments or give "deals" to.

 

They didn't like having to actually pay for their car when the repairs were finished.

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That's too true.

 

I ended up having to eventually let him go and I moved myself back to the front desk. Now I treat myself as an employee when at the desk and stick to the policies I had set up for him.

 

It's hard to do, but well worth it. I didn't lose any customers that were worth keeping.

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I have a pretty good one right now, she had no knowledge about cars before coming to work for me but has work ethic and is learning. I can see her getting a pretty good grip on things, the only problem is that she is a military wife and scheduled to move in 1.5 years.

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The owner giving deals and letting folks take their cars before they pay is typical. I think a service advisor as a firewall is a great idea. Give them parameters and back them up. In the end people respect the fact that you have a business that's run like a business. The "deal" customer and the "ill pay ya later" customer usually ends up upset, and that's what you get for your trouble.

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I had a shop many years ago with my brother and we let a handful of customers charge. When I moved and left the shop we had $45,000 on the books which was never recovered.

 

When I started RI Tire and Service on my own I made a deal with the bank. They promised not to fix cars and I promised not to give credit.

 

I love when the customer says "I'm Good For It". I tell them that I am sure that they are good for it so it should not be a problem to borrow the money from a friend or family member.

 

This is an easy one in today's market place. Simply do not give credit. Customers are reluctant to ask for credit because they know financing and credit cards are apart of our everyday life.

 

If you want to make credit available and make a few points at the same time then you should contact a company that specializes in credit. I use http://paramountpayment.com/

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I had a shop many years ago with my brother and we let a handful of customers charge. When I moved and left the shop we had $45,000 on the books which was never recovered.

 

When I started RI Tire and Service on my own I made a deal with the bank. They promised not to fix cars and I promised not to give credit.

 

I love when the customer says "I'm Good For It". I tell them that I am sure that they are good for it so it should not be a problem to borrow the money from a friend or family member.

 

This is an easy one in today's market place. Simply do not give credit. Customers are reluctant to ask for credit because they know financing and credit cards are apart of our everyday life.

 

If you want to make credit available and make a few points at the same time then you should contact a company that specializes in credit. I use http://paramountpayment.com/

Is this different from Carcare one?

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ill pay ya later customers suck so much....

I did that with a really nice older guy that needed the car so he could take is ill parents somewhere out of state. Let him go with the deal that he would return as soon as he got back to pay the bill, just a shade over $500. Well he fell over and died from a heart attack while on the trip, and his wife said, not my problem what he owed you, take a hike! So that was the first and the last time anyone got out of the shop without payment in full!

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I guess the nice older guy was married to a ??????

Ya just never know, he was a very nice guy, never had any dealing with his family. But I sure learned a valuable less in my life, Nice or not, you pay when I'm done. We all make mistakes, I always tried to learn the ones that cost me money out of my pocket only once!!!

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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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