Joe Marconi

For the past 14 years or so, I have been involved with helping local Police departments, State Troopers and insurance companies putting the pieces of an accident together to find out if the cause was human error or mechanical error. And there have been times where I was hired to testify as an expert, but usually to explain to the jury or a grand jury “how” a particular system works. I remember one case where the jury had a tough time understanding skid tire marks vs. yaw tire marks. So the D.A. office hired me to explain the difference. I brought in photos and charts, it was like a TV show. Real neat! NOW, because of this, from time to time I get these liars….ah…lawyers, that bring up some ridiculous case about a consumer wanting to sue their mechanic. I see right through it and tell the lawyer, "I am not interested in burning a fellow shop owner for monetary gain which has no basis on truth or fact." Great story, Gonzo!

The service writer position is a key position, it can make or break a business. An effective service writer can increase sales and improve customer service, all positive things. If this women was not doing service writing, you need to hire a service advisor. You might make enough money with a service writer to eventually employ that women too. Plus, who does all the book work and other administrative duties? The more you grow, the more you need to have people working with you. Don't put everything on your shoulders.

I agree with all the replies. I have used Hunter, Snap On and John Beam thru the years. Hunter is my choice, hands down.

It amazes me how some mechanics are always productive and others are just mediocre at best. From my experience, it has a lot to do with the attitude of the mechanic. Those that produce more on a consistent basis are self-motivated. It’s not solely about the money; although I believe that top produces need to be rewarded, especially if they contribute more to the successes of the business. In addition, I have I found that the more you include your staff in the daily business and ask their help with solving problems, the more they are willing to work as a team and to the success of the shop. But in the end, from my experience, is really depends on the people. Great people accomplish great things. Mediocrity breeds mediocrity. Thoughts anyone?

Holiday Parties I just read an article in the local paper, and due to the economy and budget reasons, many businesses are not having a holiday party this year. My advice, try to do something. The people at work are like family and coming together at the holidays will go a long way with morale. It doesn’t have to be a lavish event either. People respond to appreciation, and one of the best times of the year to show the people who work with you that you truly appreciate them is during the holiday season.

Mechanics love tools. Even now I still enjoy strolling up and down the aisle on the tool truck. It’s amazing how we all are so much the same. I too have those specialty tools, purchased long ago, with no use, but will never get rid of. And, I also have those “homemade tools”. Just the other day, I opened my brake tool draw to grab a bleeder wrench and came across a brake shoe retainer tool (for large trucks) I made over 35 years ago when I first started. I picked it up, and it was like touching the past. I will never get rid of this tool, and I pray that I never lose it. I still have some of the tools my father gave me; one is a Snap-On ratchet which has to be over 60 years old. A few months back one of my young techs asked me if I had a real small snap ring plier. As I opened up my box to find the tool, one of my other techs said, “It’s like walking through a museum”. If it is a museum, I am one proud curator!

I don't use it, I use Mitchell1, but I have seen it and it's not bad, it has a lot of nice features and easy to learn and to use.

The total car care theme is rampant around the industry. Are collision shops also considering expanding their business into other repairs or services which are not traditional to collision shops? Such as brake work, preventive mainteance and other similiar services. Is this a good thing, or should collision shops focus on their core business and not try to move away from their business model?

First, if we recommend a service or repair, the customer needs it. If we cannot sell a particular service or repair that day we make sure we inform the customer and give him/her a timeline in which to have it done. We then try to book that appointment. For example, if a customer is in with a check engine light repair and also needs tires, but due to budget reasons, they cannot go for the tires, we try to bring the customer back within a reasonable time for the tires. Before they leave we will discuss tire options and price. We then enter a recommendation reminder in our Mitchell system so they will get a post card or email reminder, and if they do not show up for the tires, we call them to see why not. I do not think this is too invasive. If MY customer truly needs tires, they will have to buy tires somewhere, so it might as well be with me.

Wow, that video opens up multiple possible scenarios!

Overselling is always a concern and I will not stand for it. The other side of the coin is underselling, which sometimes is as great a problem. From speaking to many shop owners, too many of their customers may not be getting the complete total car care treatment they should be getting. For example, a customer comes in for a check engine light problem, which is taken care of in a timely manner, but the rest of the car is never inspected to insure other vital safety items are up to par. In the end it takes the right people, the right pay plan, with the right system understanding total car care, to insure that the customer is always taken care of properly.

There is a lot of confusion out there about the direction of health care insurance and the costs of premiums. The news is filled with stories from companies, large and small, that are planning now for what they believe will be big increases in their health insurance premiums. Insurance companies will also be required to pump large amounts of money into health care program to pay for the uninsured; many say this will lead to increased premiums across the board for everyone. I would like to hear from other shop owners and what they are doing or not doing with respect to health insurance.

I want to wish everyone and their families and Happy Thanksgiving. Spending time with family and friends is what life is all about. Joe Marconi

Early End of Year Tax Tip 2012 With the end of the right around the corner, we all need to think about any items, tools and equipment we are considering to buy in the near future and purchase those items before the end of year to maximize deductions for this year. If cash flow permits it, it is recommended that you act before the end of the year. As always, speak to your accountant to discuss this and other tax tips.

Sorry, I have no knowlegde of this. Is it more of a accounting program than a business management like Mitchell1?

I am not in this line of business, but will support you and help in any way I can. I think xrac brings up excellent points and we need to listen to what he says. There is a market for anything out there, as long as we understand the market. We also need to know what is profitable and what is not. I know of a restoration specialty shop that recently closed its doors, mainly because all his customers with money have been affected by the economy and are trying to do things themselves or not doing anything. As business people we need to balance our passion with the reality that we also need to feed our economic engine. Maybe diversify into to other services to bring in a steady stream of income. Also, the people that fit in that specialty market also own regular cars and have family and friends that own your everyday cars. Maybe expand your market penetration to reach out to repair work on these vehicles. Again, I am not in this line of work, but those are my thoughts and trying to brainstorm ideas to help.

We see a lot of that type of damage in my area. What's nice, is that a situation like that makes a connection with your son, things happen for a purpose. I have two sons and both of them worked with me starting around 12 years old. I would bring them down to the shop and make them sweep the floors, clean the office and I introduced them to My World. They also got paid, which they really liked. As they got older I had them changing oil, do brake jobs, tire rotations and other minor repairs. Both of them worked until they went off the college. My youger son worked as my service advisor durning the summers while in college. That was real special, working side by side. Both of my sons went into different careers. They had to follow their own dreams, which I understand. My younger son Anthony works for company in California that buys, sells and invests in commercial real estate. It's a high presure job. He has told me on many occasions that he often thinks back about when he worked in the shop with me with fond memories. That's really special and for that I am truly grateful.

Yes, it really made me feel good to help a neighbor in need.

History of Veterans Day World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.” In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations." Let us honor all those that have fought, died and served our great nation in order to protect the freedoms which we enjoy each day. Joe Marconi

I have a related topic about information and communication. That’s the information received from the customer to the service writer, and relayed to the mechanic. I instruct my service writers to write down or enter in the computer everything the customer’s states and exactly what they say. Do not interpret or put a spin on what the customer is telling you. For example, a customer says to you, “Once in a while on wet mornings only, I hear a click when I turn the key and the car won’t start. I try it again a few times and the starts up normally”. Don’t just write on the mechanic’s repair order, “Check for no start at times”. This drives me crazy.

I have every machine BG offers. I believe in fluids services and the advantages of promoting the BG Lifetime Protection Pan. People keep their cars longer these days and people want value. With so many maintenance items taken out of the owner’s manual, you will need to hone your skills as an advisor in order to promote preventive maintenance. For example, with a spark plug change, we will also sell the added benefits of a fuel system/Decarb service. Once the customer understands the benefits of the service and the value of the lifetime protection, they are more inclined to go ahead with your recommendations.

No matter who is sits in the White House, we ultimatley answer to one person on this planet, and that's that person you look at in the mirror each day.

She did not have the invoice with her from the dealer, but she said that she did everything that was listed on the dealer 15k. She would not tell me what she spent, but said it was "a lot".

All great advice. Let me add to make sure that a service writer understand the sales goals of the business and know when the shop is making money. Many shops base the writers pay and/or bonus on sales without knowing breakeven. We all know that gross sales and gross profit dollars are two different things. Gross profit dollars is what we need to focus on. For example, a service writer can sell a ton of tires in one week, so the gross sales look great on paper, but the GP dollars will be lower than if the same writer sold a ton of brake jobs, steering, suspension and preventive maintenance. My advice is to carfully look at the numbers of the business, know when the shop is making money and base the pay/bonus on this number. When the writer has a target to shoot for, he or she is apt to hit it more often. BTW: For me, breakeven is not just paying bills, it's a precentage above when all the bills are paid. That percentage above is determined by many internal and personal factors.