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mspecperformance

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Posts posted by mspecperformance

    Phone shopper wants a price and says, "I know exactly what I need give me a price" What do you do?

    in Customer Experience & Reviews

    Posted

    Just curious about this. Had a call this morning, tried to get to come to the shop so we could inspect his cooling system for a leak. Was adamant it was coming from the water pump. Acknowledged he could have other issues was super insistent on getting a price for the water pump. Do you give him the price or tell him something different? I find that not giving someone a price once they have made up their mind that's all they want is a recipe for disaster. Thoughts?

    Do you guys perform Fleet work? Do you work on Sprinters? How profitable?

    in Fleet Service and Contracts

    Posted

    We service sprinters and we are not a bottom feeder shop. We have an Autologic scan tool which takes care of all sprinter needs under the Mercedes Benz. Actually easy to work on and since no one else thinks they are.

     

    Thanks for your post! We also have a Autologic unit dedicated strictly for Mercedes. From what I understand the factory MBZ tool actually no coverage for Sprinters.

     

     

     

     

    Thanks bstewart. I've read those articles already as well as another one from shopownermag.com that were helpful. I want to go into this with my eyes wide open to make sure we are profitable and waste little time with getting it up and running when it comes time.

    Pick up and delivery

    in Auto Repair Shop Management Help? Start Here

    Posted

     

     

    1. I purchased a 16 foot uniform company truck. I am in the process of building this truck into a mobile tire installation unit.

     

    Have you done research on how profitable this service may be?

     

    2. I have added a free 15 point inspection which we use to sell needed repairs and maintenance.

     

    This is a great idea. Make sure you have a process from start to finish on how to present your findings. This will greatly impact your customers receptiveness to the recommendations and ultimately your sales and ARO.

     

    3. I am slowly but surely adding the value my customers are getting to every job on the invoice description.

     

    Adding more detailed description to your jobs on the invoice is a great idea. You also should emphasis your warranty and anything you give away COMPLIMENTARY (never free).

     

    and finally the reason for this post.

     

    4. I am going to offer a pick-up and delivery service. RI is a very small state and I think this will work well. A huge hurdle for customers is simply finding the time to get their vehicle serviced. I plan on hiring a shop hand who can pick up and deliver these vehicles.

     

    Certainly advertise this without any restrictions. Most people I have found will not take you up on it. If you are getting a large ticket, taking the customer where they need to go or ever given them a rental isn't a bad idea. It really depends on how your business is set up.

     

     

    My questions are:

     

    Can anyone tell me if they have tried this and what are the pros and cons?

    What should I charge?

    Is it a good idea to offer this free for repairs over a certain amount or should I charge a flat fee or fee per mile?

     

    Any input would be greatly appreciated.

     

    Jeff

    (If they can't come to me... I'll go to them)

     

     

    Do you guys perform Fleet work? Do you work on Sprinters? How profitable?

    in Fleet Service and Contracts

    Posted

    Some of you may know my shop is a German Car specialty shop. We Service BMW, Mercedes, Audi/VW, Mini (no Porsche not sure if I want to invest in that).

     

    We do ZERO fleet work. My general outlook on fleet work is that I would be competing against a ton of bottom dollar shops out there and there are just too many people out there that do not understand what quality work is. With that being said I am thinking about how to rearrange a few things in my shop and also add a 6th lift for productivity and efficiency purposes. If and when I do I was thinking why not add a lift capable of working on Sprinters. It is after all sort of a Mercedes LOL and from what I am told I should be able to charge a decent rate for labor and the parts are expensive. If I can attract a few accounts that may see value in a German Car shop servicing their German work vans/trucks I may be able to add some significant dollars.

     

    I'd like to get some input on what I should expect with this also specifically if anyone works on a lot of Sprinters. What payment terms do you set with fleet accounts? Your price on labor and parts comparatively to your normal rate? How fast do they expect turn over?

    Notice to all customers bringing their own parts

    in Customer Experience & Reviews

    Posted

    I had a hard and fast policy of NO CUSTOMER SUPPLIED PARTS! Then this summer I broke that rule and agreed to install customer supplied A/C compressor, receiver/dryer, expansion valve and belt. Well it seems there were two belts, an early and late design. Guess which one she had? She was told right up front, before ever touching the thing how much it would cost and that there was ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY. Seems her stretch fit belt was a little too long so after a day or so it started to squeal. She brings it back, of course it's my fault because I just "fixed it." You know that story of the charges are directly related to your attitude? Well she was to a *itch what a *itch is to a reasonable person. So she is going to pay me to look at the car, she is going to pay me to replace HER wrong belt and she is going to pay for the belt. When I tell her what is wrong, what it will cost and how long it will take to get the parts she goes ballistic. Where is the part? Why can't she go get the part (the car is on the hoist partially torn apart). Why does she have to pay to fix my mistake? Etc. Etc. Etc.She refuses to agree to pay for the proper belt. She also complains because I will not take her car down off the hoist until she pays me for my inspection. Like I said, it's all related to attitude lady.

     

    A couple months later she posts negative reviews on farcebook and Google. Like all good fiction there is a basis in reality but everything else is pure fantasy. I was going to charge her $150 and the dealer installed her belt for $40. Well the belt was $29 plus tax and labor. The dealer would not be installing a stretch-fit belt with a labor time of .6 hour. Oh, and the noisy belt was a "fire hazard." And I "told her it would take only 4 hours and it took 7." The expansion valve alone has a book time of 2.8 hours, plus the receiver dryer (.6) the compressor (.9) evac and recharge, yep, I told her 4 hours alright.

     

    Bottom line is I never should have broken my own rule. No matter how many times, how many ways, or how many reminders you give the customer, even notarized documents won't stop the amnesia of NO WARRANTY. "But you just fixed it." Nope, never again, NO CUSTOMER SUPPLIED PARTS! With the exception of special interest/vintage vehicles where there ar every few sources anyway. And even then I will resist. Don't do it guys. Just don't install customer supplied parts. There literally is NOTHING (good) in it for you.

     

     

    The problem isn't so much with the parts it is the customers it attracts. These people do not value your service. They believe that they are purchasing a commodity like they would at Wal-Mart. This is all besides the fact we are losing half of our gross sales when we don't sell parts.

    • Like 2

    Vote of confidence in Elite's High Impact II Sales Seminar

    in Education & Training

    Posted

    kingwoodshell,

     

    If you have a class nearby I would recommend to take advantage. The cost is really nominal if you can take even 1 thing away from the class. What I like about Elite is they are not pushy when it comes to their sales pitch on their other services. They mention it, give you some information about it and invite you to ask them questions if you are interested. I've been to other 1 day classes and they are absolutely horrible with their pushy sales of their other services. Management Success comes to mind and I had a HORRIBLE experience with them. Also the difference with other 1 day workshops is this is strictly a sales workshop opposed to a shop management/shop owners work shop. If you as the owner are the SA or you have SAs it is worth attending.



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