Joe Marconi

I remember in the 70s working at a Ford dealership, every car that entered the service drive area had to run over the Bear Alignment check machine. After the car ran over the equipment, a big needle on the machine would let the service advisor and customer know if the wheels were out of alignment. The service advisor would then sell an alignment based on the findings. Well, times have changed and that old machine may be outdated but not the concept. Hunter has its own version called the Hunter Quick Check, claiming it can check an alignment on a car in 60 seconds. It’s another piece of equipment, not part of your existing alignment machine. I understand the concept, but how can it fit into the average bay designed shop? Does anyone own this equipment or know of anyone who does? Any feedback would be helpful.

I would imagine, Shop Key is the Mitchell system. Oil changes fall into the concept of the Razor and the Razor Blades. The razor is free or nearly free, the money is made when buying the razor blades.

How you address a customer depends on how they introduce themselves. When I meet someone for the first time and they tell me, "My name is Tom Smith", I will use Tom. If the person tells me "My name is Mr. Smith", then I will use Mr. If the person is significantly old than me, I will always use Mr, Mrs, etc. If I know someone is a doctor I will always refer to them as doctor. When I am not sure I may use Mr or Mrs, but it depends on the customer. I prefer to be on a first name basis if i can, and I don't think it's too casual. I think the more you can establish a friendly relationship, the better. Hope this helps.

BG has great products and great programs. It's a way to really promote tons of benefits to your customers. Here's a link, find a rep in your area. You will not be disappointed. http://www.bgprod.com/home

Great comments, I understand your frustration and agree that business today has changed. What are some of your ideas to compete with these changes?

I have come across the same issue. The way I look at it is this. If I went to the doctor for a pain in my knee and he wants to do surgery, how would I feel if that doctor never past a test on knee surgery? Oh, I know he knows his stuff, but he can't pass a test? If this tech is very smart and works on cars every day, why can't he pass an ASE Test? Those tests are not designed to trick you, they are designed to qualify you that you are certified to work in your field. Part of reason we lack the respect and image we deserve is that we don't hold all the people in our industry to the standards we have. If a tech is a good tech, get him or her the help, the training to pass the ASE tests. For me it's that's simple. I know the naysayers will say that a test does not prove a tech can do the job and that some that pass the test are just good test takers. My answer to that is the next time you need a doctor, just go to someone who is good in medicine, but one that never passed a test in medicine.

Just a word of thanks to Alex. He is the engine under the hood, and he does a great job. I am excited about the future of AutoShopOwner.com. In the coming weeks Alex and I will meet to brain storm a few ideas. If anyone has any suggestions or ideas, please let us know. Joe Marconi

Welcome Helen! Glad to have you on-board. There is a wealth of knowledge on this site, tap into it, it will enrich your life. And please, join in the forums. Our strength is our collective knowledge. Joe Marconi

There is a book by Simon Sinek, "Start with Why". The book is about how great leaders and great companies understand "Why" they do what they do, not the what or how. In other words, car repair is what we do, it's not why we do it. Yes, we make our living fixing cars, why we started in business and why we come to work each day is truly what we need to focus on. I think all of us, myself included, started with the why, but somehow got caught up in the day to day job of fixing cars, and for many, it's not fun anymore. Also, we rely on ourselves way too much and not on the people around us. I can tell you that for the past 5 years I have been building my company around the people that work here, not around me. I lost the why, but I'm getting it back, and it's fun again. It's not always a walk in the park, but we choose this life and we need to be happy with our choice. There was a time when I hated the business, mostly because I was the center of my universe and did not have the confidence or trust that others that I employ could do the job that I could. The truth is, those around me could do it better. Can a baseball coach play better than the players on the field? We all know the answer to that question. It's no secret to ASO members that one of the reasons why I started ASO was to find ways to help us become better business people and enrich our lives. I urge everyone to get back that passion and stop feeling like it's doom and gloom all the time. This is very emotional topic we are discussing. Too many of us end up miserable with our lives. It does not have to be that way. Help others around you become better at what they do. Encourage your people to help themselves succeed and become part of the business. Helping others succeed will help you reach your goals. Dismiss the negative and focus on the positive. If you look for the bad, you will find it, trust me! Never forget, it all starts with....Why?

I agree, I also question the ability for these places to properly inspect a vehicle; brakes, steering, suspension. Are safety issues being overlooked?

Years back when Costco and BJ’s opened in my area, many people flocked to these places and I had a noticeably drop in tire sales. However, thru the years, those big box stores have not had any impact on sales. In fact, people have told me horror stories about the experience, plus they cannot perform the alignment, they cannot do a complete inspection and to go back to them for their free rotation is not worth the time and effort. It’s not to say the Costco, BJ’s and Wal-Mart does not sell tons of tires, but their customers are not mine, thankfully.

Small world, right?

The look of a Facility is no Guarantee for Success A recent report from the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) revealed that although major renovations of run-down dealerships is a positive move, no amount of refurbishing can compete with the consumer’s trust and relationship with a particular business. New car dealers across the country are upgrading and modernizing their facilities. Independent shops have successfully competed with new car dealers and national brands largely because they develop relationships in their community. Their customers are loyal because there is an emotional tie to the shop owner or mechanics. It is my opinion that we need to have nice clean facilities, but our strength will always be the superior customer service we deliver and our ties to the community. It’s no secret that new car dealers are competing with us for the service and repair market, and they are also competing on price. We need to closely watch what the new car dealers are doing, but never forget what has been our success for decades: The one-on-one world class service we deliver each and every day.

Last month on a cold, drizzling Friday afternoon, a customer came in needing a set of wiper blades. All the bays were full. With the temperature near zero, and with high winds, the service advisor told the customer that a bay should open up very soon, and we’ll get you in. Normally on nice days, if all the bays were full, the service advisor was would just instruct a tech to go outside to install the wipers. But due to the cold, rain and wind, he decided to bring the car into a bay and told the customer that because of the weather the car needed to be brought inside and it would be a little longer than usual. She didn’t say anything, but apparently she did not like that answer. A few days later, her son came by to see me. He stated that he could not understand why we couldn’t go outside to replace the wiper blades. “Why did my mother have to wait so long for a set of wiper blades? After all, aren’t your mechanics tough enough to stand a little cold for a few minutes?” I told him how cold, wet and miserable it was that day and that we are not afraid of a little cold, it was a decision by the service advisor. I could see I was not getting through to him. I asked what he did for a living. He told me he worked on computer programing and design (I won’t mention the company, but it starts with “I”). I asked the son how he would feel if his boss told him to sit and work at a desk outside in the parking lot on a cold, drizzling, winter day. He started to say something and caught himself. I finished his sentence for him, “"You were going to tell me that it’s not the same, right”?" I told him politely that my mechanics are hardworking, tough people, but they are people, and if we don’t have to put them in harm’s way unnecessarily, we won’t. He ended up thanking me for listening and said he and his mother would be back as customers. Maybe I reached him, maybe not. Maybe it’s our fault for not communicating a professional image enough. Maybe it’s a lot of reasons. It just never ceases to amaze me how people view us at times.

Wow, and all these years I thought that "these" people were only our customers. You mean they exist all over?

I require all techs to be ASE certified. For me, it's the only standard that is somewhat universal. I don't really do it as a consumer marketing point, but I do think that techs need to able to pass some test criteria. Different level techs have different requirements, if you want to be an A tech in my shop, you need to become a ASE Master Tech. We help the techs with prep books, training and in-house study groups. I also believe that it's good for moral and great career path reasons. Techs must pay for the tests upfront and WHEN they pass (notice I said when, not if), they get all the money back, plus an $25.00 bonus for each test passed. Also, all service advisors must be certified in C1 (Service Consultant) Do other shops have a ASE or other certifcation policy?

I have a brother that lives in Joliett Quebec, north of Montreal, know the town?

First, welcome and congrats on taking the plunge going into business. It’s not uncommon for a new business to get a sales bounce, only to plateau or even recede after a few months or after a year. Many people, for a number of reasons just don’t come back. But, with that said you need to give them a reason to come back. I would be very cautious about spending too much in advertising. I am a believer in advertising, but only to my target customer base and I do more brand awareness, not discounting. For me, targeting my profile customers and taking care of my customers when they come in is crucial. Customer retention needs to be your focus. When a vehicle is in, make sure you do a multi point inspection. Speak to each customer about total car care. Ask them how long they are keeping their car and help them to understand the importance of maintenance. Before a customer leaves, inform them of their next service and create a system where you can remind them of their next service due. For all first time customers and big repairs, call the customer in a day or two, just to make sure everything is ok. Get out in your community and meet everyone and I mean everyone! The hardware store, the dinner, local schools, the hospitals, local restaurants, local business organizations, everyone. Get your name out there. These are just a few things, hope this helps and best of luck to you!

As we grow we will have more particpation. ASO members are active, but not necessarily on the forums. Whenever I do a seminar or meeting around the country, there is a least one or two shop owners that come up to me and introduce themselves and tell me that they are members of ASO, and they tell me they use ASO as a business reference and love the content. They follow the posts, but are somewhat uncomfotable about posting and replying. I have a few ideas to get people to particpate more, in time it will. Thanks to all, keep those comments coming!

It was not that long along when a vehicle from 4 to 7 years old was our sweet spot, the typical time when a vehicle left the new car dealer and entered our repair world. That sweet spot has been changing through the years and the recent recession, which resulted in less new cars being sold, has us now repairing and servicing cars that are well over 12 years old and well over 200,000 miles. I don’t know if this has been typically good for us or not. Years back, when consumer confidence was high, people with a 4 to 7 year old car were more easily sold on service, repairs and maintenance. When people put off buying a new car for economic reasons, or worse, for lack of confidence in the economy, it’s much harder at times to sell to this mind set. New cars must be sold in order to maintain a fleet of cars that will replenish an aging fleet. What’s your stand on this issue? What’s your so-called, “Sweet Spot?”

AutoShopOwner.com Exceeds 1000 Members! AutoShopOwner.com is proud to announce it now has over 1000 members! This truly is a milestone and exciting to see how ASO has grown in just a few short years. AutoShopOwner.com was founded on the concept that there is a wealth of business knowledge among automotive shop owners, and by bringing these shop owners together, great things can happen. Thanks to its loyal members, AutoShopOwner.com has exceeded expectations. It is within the forums that shop owners engage in dialogue, communicate ideas, voice opinions and help their fellow shop owner through difficult challenges. What ASO also discovered is the dedication and commitment shop owners have to the industry. AutoShopOwner.com will continue to bring exciting posts, content and information to keep its members up to date with the latest business challenges faced each day. ASO is OUR website. It’s our online voice to collectively work to help raise the image and level of professionalism of the auto service industry. As a fellow shop owner, I am proud and honored to be part of this extraordinary group of business people. Joe Marconi AutoShopOwner.com, Cofounder

Don’t Buy Into the “New Normal” A few weeks ago I attended a business networking luncheon and overheard a few business owners having a heated discussion over the economy. They were discussing the economic climate as it exists today and someone made a comment that due to a variety of reasons, what we have today is the “New Normal”. He went on to say that our best days are behind us and that we need to adjust to the ways things are today. Not knowing what to say to this group, I kept silent. I do realize that the past few years have not been a walk in the park, but to accept that things will never be the same as it was and because of that we should give up hope, is not only ridiculous, but self-defeating. A defeatist attitude will in fact cause the very thing they probably fear the most; and that is, failure. Let’s say a ball team like the Yankees fails to make the playoffs a few years in a row. Do you think the managers, players and coaches get together during the off season and tell each other; “Well, I guess we should accept the fact that we can’t win anymore, after all, this is the New Normal.” On the contrary, not matter what kind of success the Yankees had last season, when the new season opens, their goal is to win the World Series. And as business people, we need to think the same way. Today is not like it was yesterday and tomorrow will not be like it is today, that’s call life. Nothing remains the same and what happens in the past does not guarantee tomorrow’s success or failure. Make today better than yesterday and work hard today to insure that tomorrow will be better than today. That’s the only thing we have, our ability to not just embrace change, but to actually create it. There will always be the naysayers. Those that say the world is against us, that there is some unknown force that stands in our way. Don’t listen to them; don’t get sucked into going down the path of mediocrity. It’s a road with no future, a road littered with causalities. Accepting the “New Normal” is accepting your fate, and that means accepting failure. The truth is, your biggest obstacle to your personal success is the person your look in the mirror each and every day.