Joe Marconi

This is an ongoing issue and appears to be getting worse. Years back I would put the word out for a mechanic and there would be a hand full of guys to pick from. Now, no so. Also, back then most of the mechanics we hired came from gas stations and repair shops, with no formal training. They started, like I did, as a kid working on the family car and friend's cars. With all the Tech schools, like UTI and Lincoln Tech graduating all the techincians today...where are all the techs? Plus, with all the new car dealers that closed down the past few years, you would think there would be a surplus. Again, not so. I use word of mouth, Craigs List, the local paper and speak to all part reps, tool truck guys, etc. I do think we need to do more. Add a page or two to our web site to constantly recruit and be constantly active looking for future techs. It's like looking for a good doctor, you don't want to scamble looking for a doctor when you are sick. Good luck! I am looking too, and no one so far...

Killer A/C Sales Tip I have posted this tip before, but it’s worth mentioning again. For those of us in the northern states, our A/C months are typically between late May and into September. But as we all know, it becomes increasingly more difficult to sell A/C work as we head into the summer months. So, here’s what I have done in the past and it works great. First, at write up and when scheduling an appointment, ask the customer if they have turned on the A/C yet and if they did, ask them if they feel if it’s working ok. Next, tell your customers that as part of the service today your techs will turn on the A/C just to see if it is functioning correctly. Make it part of your workflow process to include a quick A/C check. Create a little check list for the techs and have a quick meeting to review. It does not have to be elaborate, just something that is proactive and quick. What you don’t want is for the customer to turn on the air conditioner for the first time on their way to a wedding on Sunday afternoon to find out it’s not working, when it was just in your shop 3 days ago for a 60k service. You can also create a few promos. For example, and “A/C Performance Test and Inspection”, or an “A/C Performance Test and Service”, which would include and gauge check, check the cabin filter, inspect the belt, condenser and other components, etc. Be creative and price it right. The key is to be Proactive and Promote!

The 2013 Industry Profile is featured in the May Issue of BodyShop Business magazine. There is a lot of great information. The shop owner profile caught my attention. Sixty percent of body shop owners are between the ages of 50 and 64 and the average years in business is 31.6. This stat is very similar the mechanical shop owners. This indicates an aging group of shop owners. The survey did indicate that 86% of body shops are family owned, so many of these shops will someday be taken over by a family member. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the next decade or so. For those nearing retirement age, what are your plans for your body shop? Who will take over? Will you sell?

When someone asks me how long have I been working on cars, I look down at my watch and answer, "Including today?" The looks I get are priceless!

Me too!

New York also has a free inspection program. I had it done last year and it was a real eye-opener. We had a lot of issues I was not even aware of. If I had a real OSHA inspection, boy it would have cost me dearly.

Don’t Be A “Me Too” Brand When someone says “Volvo”, we think safety. When we say “Starbucks”, we think coffee. These companies have done an amazing job at marketing. They own a concept or position in the mind of the consumer. It is nearly impossible for two companies to the same concept or position. Market leaders are often the first to bring to the market a concept or position. Being first is important. Other car companies have tried, including Mercedes, to brand safety in their marketing campaigns, yet only Volvo has succeeded in anchoring the concept of safety in the prospect’s mind. For shop owners, we need to study and understand our market, but be careful not to copy our competition, especially if the competition owns a concept or position in our market area. Copying what the competition does will result in you becoming what’s known as a “me too” brand, a copycat. And copycats are rarely considered credible. Find your niche, find what makes you different, find out what you do that others do not do. Only then will you stand out from the pack and become a market leader in your area of differentiation. I know we all service and repairs cars. That’s how we generate sales, but it’s not what defines us. Find what makes you different and you will build your pathway to success.

I thought I would really switch gears today and ask; What's your favorite BBQ. I have two Weber grills and I love summer time and BBQ. My Weber charcoal grill is my favorite. It's a lot more work and you have to wait for the charcoal to get to the right temperature, but for me you can't beat the flavor of charcoaled steaks, hot dogs and burgers. Later today I am trying for the first time those wood planks and will be cooking salmon.

ASE certification is a requirement in my shop, with the techs and with service advisors. We started holding study groups at lunch and after work to insure that techs and advisors were studying. I attended a few of these study groups and help to tutor the group. We just started this and the test scores were amazing. The interaction of the group makes a difference. The group also took practice tests and we reviewed the tests and the answers. Just thought I would pass this along.

I was wondering if any ASO member has experience with OSHA and what were the results. We have all heard horror stories about OSHA and violations. Also, what training and self-inspections are shops doing to prepare themselves in the event of an OSHA inspection?

I wonder how many other professionals get grilled and interrogated? When the plumber arrives at someone's house, I wonder how much interrogation goes on? I do think that it is somewhat a personality trait of some people to doubt and question. My concern is that it happens way too much with us due to the image we have.

This appears to be a problem with many shops. A few years back we furnished a roll around tool box for the shop. It had all the basic tools that a tech can used to take care of most small jobs: LOF, mulitpoint inspections, etc. The idea was to have a tool box that can be easily moved around the shop if a tech had to work in a bay that was far from his own box. Also, it would be used for entry levels techs that don't have a lot of thier own tools. We took inventory and set up perodic inspections. Sadly, tools were lost and no one knew where they went. We stopped the program, now everyone is required to obtain their own tools and shop tools are the responsibliy of the manager. Every shop tool is inventoried and we check the list periodically. What bothers me is the lack of respect some techs for their own tools and personal belongings.

We recently had two bad PCMs from the dealer, for a Dodge Van. Drove us crazy. The original had a intermitnent stall, the first replacement had a no start right out of the box, and the second replacement had a rich idle and would missfire under a load. Hey, that makes three, right? The original, the first replacement and the second replacement...

When the day comes that collectively we realize all the true costs of being in business, and when we realize that as an industry to attract the best we need to offer a decent salary, then things will begin to change.

Everyone has their own perception on life and the world around them. This perception becomes reality and it’s the only reality that matters. At least for most. This does not always hold true for shop owners. As shop owners, we don’t always have the luxury of viewing things from our perceptive. There are other people around us and their families to consider. As the owner, and the leader, our concerns and issues take a backseat to the concerns and issues of others. This is something I know we accept and we do our best everyday to look at things from the perceptive of others. For me, it’s been 33 years since I put the key in the door of my repair shop for the first time. And I can tell there are times when I feel like it’s the 12th round of a 10 round boxing match. I am not complaining, mostly because my position does not allow me to complain. Leaders and business owners have to remain strong, positive and put the interest of others before themselves. This is in part what makes a leader a leader; the ability to put one’s interest aside for the greater good of others. However, this makes it very lonely at times. Leaders must have vision and work to not only improve themselves but improve the lives of others. Leaders also must look to praise and recognize the accomplishments of others. Moral building and team spirit become the essential building blocks of any organization. We as shop owners are well aware of this. I am not asking those who are employed to understand all of this. But please, is it too much to ask for just a little consideration and understanding of what WE go through? I am not going to get into all the petty situations that drive us crazy. It really does not matter. I also realize that the words I am putting on paper will do more good for me, and hopefully for you, reading this. It will not, I am sure, change the way many people think and act who simply go to work each day and expect a pay check at the end of the week. Ok, that’s off my chest. I feel better. To be honest, things are not that bad. I have a great family, great wife and three amazing children. I have built a company that I am proud of; a business that was only a dream decades ago. I entered this industry as a mechanic and was transformed into an entrepreneur. I have achieved a lot of the years. And I am not done yet. There is still much more to do and will work hard to achieve my goals and aspirations. Maybe I try too hard. Maybe I judge others by how I was and how I am today. Maybe that’s wrong. Perhaps, I am not the leader I think I am. Leaders must find other potential leaders and cultivate them to become future leaders. Leaders must also be understanding and find the good in others, and not focus on the negative. Maybe I needed to write this tonight to remind myself to stop complaining and get back to work. If something isn’t right, then I should take a long hard look in the mirror. The answer to my problems and questions can be found in the man staring back at me. So, let me get back to work. Yes, a leader can be real lonely at times. But I would not want it any other way!

The other day, the alarm panel at the shop displayed a message that said, “Low Battery”. I called my alarm company and got the owner on the phone. He said that means the battery in the panel needs to be replaced and he would be over in a few hours. A few hours later, the alarm company owner arrived with the battery in his hand, walked over to panel, opened it, pulled off two spade terminals, removed the old battery, put the new battery in place and push on the two terminals. All of this took about one minute, which included saying hello to me and complaining about the Knicks losing to the Pacers. Then he handed me the bill: Labor: $95.00 Battery: $45.00 Total: $140.00 plus tax I did the math and the labor works out to $5700 per hour. What do we get to install a car battery? I know, I know, it’s a ridiculous analogy. But hold on for a second, is it really? Installing a car battery is a lot more difficult than a little alarm battery with push on terminals. Isn’t it? We have the battery hold down to deal with, corroded terminals, corrosion on the tray to clean, a memory saver to hook up to the OBDII connector. And on some cars, like BMWs, we have to register the battery in the computer to insure it will charge properly. And, we have to sell the battery after we spend time testing the battery and the charging system. And what’s the average labor charge for installing a car battery? 25 bucks? 35 bucks? Some charge no labor, just happy to sell the battery and make the part markup. I am having a little fun with this, but the truth is the alarm company owner did the math and knows what he needs to charge to remain profitable. He knows what every service call costs him in time, gas, insurance, workers comp, payroll costs, and other overhead expenses. If this is what he truly needs to remain profitable, then so be it. I only wish we can be as brave at times to charge what WE need to remain profitable.

Welcome aboard John, glad you chose ASO. Looking forward to your posts on the forums.

Very funny, big gas funny!

I would set up a meeting with the landlord. It sounds like the move has potential and worth making. Speak to your lawyer too. Even though the lease is a contract, it can be altered or broken. Back a few years ago, I owned property that I leased to tenants. One of the tenants came to me to break the lease and we worked it out. Hopefully the landlord is open to working things out.

Thank you for posting this again. And thank you for being such an important part of ASO.

Like many other shop owners around the country, Identifix is a great online resource for repair information, known problems, a hotline resource and other valuable information that shops need and use on a daily basis. I can also say that what we pay for the online service is well worth the price. However, there are some out there that circumvent traditional channels and resort to stealing a fellow shop owner’s identity. How do I know this? It’s been happening to me for over a year now. Here’s how it works. Someone will call Identifix claiming to be the shop owner of a targeted shop. He or she will say that they need to verify the user name and password because they are having problems logging onto Identifix. These people will even go as far as using a program that mimics the phone number of the shop they intend to steal the credentials from, so the rep on the line at Identifix thinks it’s a legitimate call. The user name and password is then given to the caller. The user name and password is then sold to other shops and techs (even at dealerships) at a price far less than what we would pay for it. Identifix eventually finds out because they notice that the IP address from the computers are scattered all over, covering numerous states, and the number of users increases. Now, there will always be crooks who want to make a fast buck the dishonest way. But, I don’t know what bothers me more; these dishonest people or the shop owners and techs in our industry that are willing to go along with this cheating. Don’t they realize that this hurts us all? It’s bad enough that shop owners are having their identity stolen, but what does this say about our industry? I know this is a select few bad apples, but it needs to stop. And it will only stop when shop owners chase the S.O.B. out of their shops when these crooks come knocking at their door. Sorry to vent today. But anything that hurts our image and may tarnish our good name is a cause I am willing to fight for. PS: By the way, if you are not using Identifix, check it out and consider it as another informational source. You will not regret it. It is a powerful informational resource and will help you become more efficient and more profitable. Here’s the link: https://www.identifix.com

With all the controversy and turmoil around the world, it’s so important that we never forget the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. Our great nation enjoys freedoms not found in other countries and we need to cherish the memories of those that fought to maintain these freedoms.

I highly recommend the Masters Course By Eliite. I have been through this course and can tell you it's a winner. It's primarily for service advisors and will make a difference in sales, that I can attest to. If anyone is interested the information is below, or you can alwways contact me. Info on the Elite Masters Program: The Elite Masters Program starts with three days of intensive sales training June 6-8 in San Diego, which is followed by 6 months of guidance from an Elite sales expert to ensure permanent results. This industry acclaimed course has been proven to help service advisors: Turn first-time callers into customers for life! Master customer concerns and put the most difficult sales objections to rest! Effectively sell maintenance, diagnostic services, single point repairs, multiple services and repairs & more! Implement the sales procedures and best practices that are essential to increased sales! Utilize their customized action plans to ensure permanent results! Presenters: Bob Cooper and Doris Barnes of Elite Dates: Thursday, June 6th - Saturday, June 8th Location: Sofia Hotel - 150 W Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101 Learn More at: http://www.eliteworldwidestore.com/affiliate-details/3/elite-masters-program-service-advisor-training.html Contact Number: 800-204-3548

Are You The Boss, Or A Leader? Legendary Green Bay Packers Football coach Vince Lombardi was more than just a coach, he was a leader. Lombardi made average players great and great players even greater. He understood the principles of leadership and how to motivate people beyond the ordinary. Lombardi knew that if he could get his players to think as a team, and focus as one, he would be successful. He accomplished this strategy, wining 5 national championships and the first two Super Bowls before retiring in 1967. Vince Lombardi preached more than football. He preached discipline, integrity, respect for authority and to always strive to be the best. He was tough on his players, but dedicated his life to them. Lombardi lived by many rules; among my favorites: “Chase perfection. If you settle for nothing less than your best, you will be amazed at what you can accomplish in your life.” We are Shop Owners. We are the bosses of our companies. But we are more than that. We are leaders. And with that comes a responsibility to ourselves and the people we employ. As the leader you need to bring out the best in people. Inspire them to work hard to achieve excellence. Create a philosophy of teamwork where everyone knows the vision of the company and all are unified by the same cause. And above all, understand that as a leader you must always do what is in the best interest of your customers and the people that work with you. Vince Lombardi was also a man of character. This one attribute is crucial for us as business owners. Moral Character dictates our culture. It’s who we are as a person. Our moral character will ultimately determine how effective we are as leaders and consequently how successful we become. By the way, the only true way to attain success is to help others around us become successful. I will end with another favorite quote from Vince Lombardi: “Improvements in moral character are our own responsibility. Bad habits are eliminated not by others, but by ourselves.”

The other day someone walked up to the service counter holding a code reader and asked if I would hook up my scanner and give him the code. He said his car was a 1994 Buick and his scanner would not plug into it. He went on to say that all he needed was the code, he’ll do the rest. My luck (or his bad luck), I happened to be on the front counter that afternoon. I asked him, “What do you mean when you say, you’ll do the rest?” He said he would go online and Google the code and get the needed information to repair his car. I couldn’t hold back at that point. I said to him, “Really, you think it’s that easy”? I tried my best to make him realize that it would be in his best interest if a professional did all the testing and inspecting. After a few more words back and forth and his persistence of just reading the code, I finally told him, “No”. He had this look on his face of disbelief. I did ask him why didn’t he go to an AutoZone and he replied that he tried but due to the age of the car, they did not have the right code reader. I ended the conversation by telling him, the only way I will hook any piece of equipment to his car is if I do all the testing and diagnosis and that he will have to pay for it. Again, I got that blank stare of disbelief. He didn’t say a word, and walked out. Was I wrong? Should I have helped him? Or better yet, should I stay away from the service counter???