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mmotley

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Everything posted by mmotley

  1. mmotley
    That is a big reason why we specialize. Two other reasons, 1. It really does make it easy to be a 1 stop shop. Since we only work on Toyota and Lexus, we can cut and program keys, reflash ECMs, diagnose airbag and theft modules, etc. 2. It immediately establishes a level of trust with our customers. Since this is all we do, they automatically feel like we can be trusted with their cars and diagnosis is easier to sell. As far as techs specializing, I can see pros and cons. If your transmission guy is sick, calls in, or quits, your SOL. However, when all you do is transmissions, you can get pretty quick at fixing them and diagnosing probably becomes easier.
  2. mmotley
    Great! Thanks so much for the reply. Very helpful! I wish Mitchell had a time clock built into it, so techs could clock in and out of individual jobs on the computer.
  3. mmotley
    I would have said sure. Get authorization for 1 hour diag, diagnose the concern, then doubled whatever the labor guide told me to make up for your parts.
  4. mmotley
    Agreed, I wouldn't pay more than $100 for one of those plastic totes
  5. mmotley
    We have a 275 gallon container. Sell it of 50 cents a gallon. We use a container like this... http://www.tank-depot.com/product.aspx?id=3268
  6. mmotley
    Joe, did you ever end up getting some license plate frames made up? If so, do you think it has benefited your business any? Or did you try key chains?
  7. mmotley
    Most 'economical' advertising we have done has been in the newspaper. It is cheap and we got a surprisingly good ROI on it (don't have an actual figure, just know I was surprised at how many people mentioned the ad). Mail outs had a good ROI, but you need to pay a professional to design them and send them out in bulk to get a good enough discount.
  8. mmotley
    Curious how others are keeping track of technician productivity. Is it something built into your shop management software that you are able to run a report on? Do you have a simple equation you run at the end of the week or month? Are you having guys punch a time clock? Do you even track productivity? If you do, do you mind sharing what your productivity numbers are? And do the fluctuate much?
  9. mmotley
    I have 2 dannmar 10k lifts in my shop. Haven't had an issue yet out of them. Would advise getting the 'extra-wide' model if they offer it.
  10. mmotley
    Don't give up. 6 months is not enough time to tell really. If you are really doing everything you say you are doing, you should be fine. If it was easy, everyone would do it. I had a pretty good dip right about 8 months after opening, followed by some pretty good months. I say keep at it for at least a year. Funny timing, I just finished watching 'Pursuit of Happyness'. Watch that, then ask yourself when you should give up.
  11. mmotley
    Curious if anyone has a procedure for reaching out to customers who haven't returned to your shop in a while. Maybe they came in for an oil change, and check engine light diagnosis, or oil leak issue. They had the work performed, but you never hear from them again (outside of maybe a follow up call). Does anyone have a letter template they maybe send out after 6 months or whatever time period if the customer hasn't returned? Do you include a coupon for an oil change, or percentage off? This doesn't necessarily need to be for recommendations made on the last visit, just trying to get them back in the shop. How are you guys handling this, or do you bother at all?
  12. mmotley
    Why is it so hard to justify raising your shop rate? It seems like a lot of people think they should be able to mark up their parts 50%, but hell will freeze over if they raise their labor rate?
  13. mmotley
    1 man shop bill out 6 hours a day??? Not consistently, no way.
  14. mmotley
    I started out as a 1 man shop with 1 lift. I'm now a 2 man shop with 2 lifts. Looking to move to a better location here very soon.
  15. mmotley
    Why are you charging list prices? Raise your labor rate to account for this and charge regular prices on parts.
  16. mmotley
    Keep us updated, I'm interested to hear how this turns out and what the options are.
  17. mmotley
    I agree, but I'm also one of the few around here who doesn't pay much attention to parts markup and related ratios... And I'm a specialty shop... And I'm a small 2 man shop...
  18. mmotley
    I think your guys handled this just fine. Customer wanted something done, your guys explained that without them diagnosing it, there was no guarantee it was gonna fix it. Both parties agreed and went ahead as planned. You may very well earn a customer for life now, if you diagnose it correctly and fix it... Just my thoughts
  19. mmotley
    He didn't ask anyone to sign up and hand over their customer database and history. He just asked what features we are looking for in management software. Geez, no need to go kill his dream right from the start... Screw it Jake, give up now I guess. It can't be done! xrac said so! Save yourself the time and headache. Give up and just go to work for someone else, punching the clock... You're only one man anyway, how dare you dream! Text messaging is a huge plus, a decent scheduling tool to schedule customers coming in, the ability to customize reports (end of month, new customers, recommended repairs, etc), customized and electronic multi point inspections, and the most important... customer support. When someone needs help, don't try the over the phone crap. Remote log-in and fix the problem now... not later, now!
  20. mmotley
    I worked for over 7 years at 2 different places that had showers... Maybe saw the showers used twice. They are nice to brag about when trying to hire on a tech, but that's about it. Edit: The 2 places I worked at had over 25 techs at each place. So there were plenty of opportunities for the shower to be used.
  21. mmotley
    Maybe he thinks he can improve it? I use Mitchell and there are times I really hate it... Bolt On Technology is a company that has done well for themselves making and selling improvements for Mitchell...
  22. mmotley
    This is a really good question. I would say 'technically' you can replace just 1 rotor. After all, if the other one is within spec... it's within spec! I would say 'replacing as a pair' is probably more of a good practice, IE Jeff - " If the old rotor is thinner it will build heat and thus fade faster than the new one. That in turn will develop a brake pull that could cause loss of control" . I would also agree, now that I think about it, that I don't recall reading or hearing any official material say that they should be replaced in pairs... Maybe a quick google search would turn something up?
  23. mmotley
    Quick question, which the answer may be obvious, but the average car count for the month... Is it figured on total RO's divided by 30-31, or is it divided by the total number of days the shop was open for business?
  24. mmotley
    I simply don't mark my parts up as much, so a customer is less inclined to supply their own parts. If they still insist on bringing their own parts, no warranty is offered with the work.
  25. mmotley
    Thanks Alex. Does anyone have any feedback/experience with these electronic inspection forms? ROI? Ease of use? Ease of set up? Cost of set up (did you have to purchase tablets, cases, etc)?

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