.jpg.d7c4811371ebabebbd932752fad368e4.jpg)
Joe Marconi
-
Posts
4,951 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
458
Content Type
Forums
AutoShopOwner Articles
Downloads
Blogs
Gallery
Profiles
Events
Store
Links Directory
Shop Labor Rates
Community Map
Everything posted by Joe Marconi
-
Do you think we are conditioning people to always look for the best deal in terms of money? There was a time when "quailty", not price, meant something to a lot of people. Now, I see more and more people focus on price alone. Thoughts??? -
Interesting article, the world of arvertising is changing and headed into new terrotories. I guess, we need to consider these new forms of attracting new customers. My only issue, which was mentioned in the article, is the loyalty aspect. Are consumer being too conidtioned to look for "good deals". We all know that a "good deal" does not always equate with the "best deal".
-
young guy here to learn from your mistakes haha!
Joe Marconi replied to dklimek's topic in New Member's Area
Welcome to AutoShopOwner.com. I am sure that with the wealth of knowledge found within the posts, you will have access to some very important information. Please post any question you like and best of luck! -
Luckily, I only have a few employees that smoke, but I DO NOT allow smoking in the shop and they need to smoke durning breaks and lunch. Now, cell phones and texting, it's almost an extension of people's lives. It's a problem and a constant battle. I tell my people, I understand how the world is today, but if cell phone use affects productivity and quality, we have a problem. Last year, I let an employee go; one of reasons was for too much cell phone use during working hours. Cell phones are a distraction and can lead to mistakes.
-
The radio is always on, the techs take turns with different stations. It works, some of the music I don't care for, but that's how it goes.
-
Yes Mrs. Customer, We Can Work On Your New Car Many of your customers may mistakenly believe that they need to bring their new car back to the car dealer for routine services under the warranty period. We know this is not true and we need to educate our customers of this fact. Smart sales people often mislead consumers in order to get them to return to the dealer for routine services. You need to promote the fact that your customers do not have to return to the dealership with their new car for basic services and repairs. Talk with all customers who have vehicles under 3 years old and inform that bringing the car to you will not in any way affect their new-car warranty. If your management program has the capability, perform a search of your customer data base and find those you have not seen in a while. They may have purchased a new car recently and may be bringing their new car to the dealer. You need to contact these people. Also, let your customers know that you have access to all the same service information the dealer has. Dealerships want to increase their market share and are willing to fight to attract your customers. Start an action plan today to maintain your customers. As we see new car sales begin to increase, this becomes even more important.
-
Back from Hawaii, nice to get away,great to be back....thanks to all members for all the posts and contributions!
-
Save $500 on 1-on-1 business development coaching! I wanted to give you all a heads-up that through March 31, Elite Worldwide is offering an unprecedented $500 off of the Elite Coaching Program, which offers 1-on-1 business development coaching for shop owners. Regardless of the issues your shop is facing, I am confident that the customized action plan created for your shop, and the on-going guidance you’ll receive from your personal coach will help you increase your sales, car counts, productivity and profits. As many of you know, I recently became one of Elite’s business development coaches, and have come to an agreement with Elite where upon your request, I will be assigned to you as your personal business coach. So if you would like to start increasing your profits, and save $500 at the same time, I would encourage you to reach out to Elite to learn more about this special offer. To learn more about this special offer, call 1-800-204-3548 or visit the Elite Coaching Program web page http://www.eliteworldwidestore.com/affiliate-details/9/elite-coaching-program.html
-
Tough Winter Will Pay Off If you are a shop owner that has endured one of the toughest winters in history, don’t despair. The effects of winter are already taking its toll on the road ways and will no doubt have an effect on your customer’s cars. Get yourself and your team ready to inspect all cars for pothole damage and other damage as a result of the winter. Look for damaged tires, wheels, exhaust, steering, suspension, wheel alignment, splash shields, bumper covers and other areas. Maybe create an “End of Winter Promotion Package”, to include a complete vehicle inspection with a tire balance, rotation (if needed), wheel alignment. Or create your own promotion. The point is you need to look out for what is best for your customer, which in turn will bring in much needed dollars after losing so many days from the winter storms.
-
Toyota Cleared of Unintended Acceleration?
Joe Marconi replied to Joe Marconi's topic in AutoShopOwner Announcements
It was announced this week that Toyota will have to recall another 2.1 million cars for sudden acceleration, gas pedals being trapped by the floor mat. What happened to "Driver Error". Something smells rotten to me... -
Getting ready to fly to Hawaii for the week!
-
After two days of winter storms I was eager to get some work produced in the shop. It was Wednesday, the third week in February, two years ago. The winter already had its share of storms, which was killing business. Winter storms might be good for future work, but at that moment I was looking ahead to Friday…Payday. And with little money generated so far this week, things became a economy industry people Recession repairlittle worrisome. Among a few small jobs we had scheduled this Wednesday, we had a Subaru booked for a 60k service, a nice profitable job. I assigned a tech to the job, that returned to me about 20 minutes later, with disturbing news. The cylinder heads were leaking coolant. I now had to tell the customer that the pre-sold 60k service had a more pressing issue. I called the customer at her office and explained the problem. I also explained that it would be in her best interest to replace the timing belt, drive belts, and water pump, if we were to do the cylinder head work. After an endless series of “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God”, she asked how much would it be to do all the work, including the 60k service. Were my ears hearing correctly? If I could sell this one job, it would bring in much needed dollars to the shop. I gave her the entire price and after a long pause she said, “Do it all”. After printing an updated work order, I ran over to the tech and gave him the good news. As I was walking away back to the service counter, a depressed thought came to me. Is this Subaru covered under the extended warranty for cylinder head failures? If so, shouldn’t the customer be informed? I asked the shop foreman to find out. After a quick call to the local dealer, the foreman confirmed it: this customer was indeed entitled to have the cylinder head work done at the dealer, at no charge. My thoughts immediately again went to Friday…Payday! What do I do? Tell the customer? Don’t tell the customer? This is when that devil shows up on your shoulder just like in those old Bugs Bunny cartoons and starts telling you things like: “Hey, don’t be stupid, you need the money for payroll and besides, the customer will never know”. But the angel on the other shoulder tells you, “Joe, do what’s right”. I have to be honest; at the time I was tempted NOT to tell the customer and began to rationalize in my mind that this is a matter of survival. But, the angel won out and I decided to call the customer and give her the news. The customer was ecstatic. She could not thank me enough and said my honesty was refreshing. She called the local dealer, which sent over a flatbed. We all sadly watched as the flatbed drove away, fading into the winter sunset. I don’t know how we did it, but we somehow got through payroll that Friday. We’ve all heard the expression, “Give and you shall receive”. What happened in the next few months was incredible. What I didn’t know at the time is that after I hung up the phone with the customer, she began telling everyone at her office about what I had done. The news spread like wildfire and I picked up a few of her coworkers as customers. The best news was that the dealer wanted to sell her the 60k service along with the cylinder head work, and she told the dealer no. She came back to me, to finish the 60k service. In retrospect, being honest was the right call. We’ve all had that devil on our shoulders from time to time, but my advice is not to give in. Always do what is in the best interest for the customer, even though the short-term loss for you appears unbearable. -
Leave Your People Alone! Sometimes, in our effort to strive for perfection we end up accomplishing the exact opposite. Getting too involved with your team could end up in micromanaging, which is a recipe for failure. It’s better to leave your people alone. Let them make decisions, support them and always be positive. Let them come up with solutions and answers to issues and problems. This will lead to increased productivity and higher profits. Obviously you need to hire the right people, build systems and policy, and wok on strategy. But just like a baseball or football coach, when the game begins the coach manages from the sidelines, he’s not on the field peering over a player’s shoulder.
-
Hidden between the words of these forums lies the true spirit of the independent auto repair industry, expressed from the hearts of those who live in trenches of the service bays every day. I always knew AutoShopOwner.com would bring out the best....I never realized how great the people in our industry really are. There are so many articulate shop owners with multi-talented, multi-faceted lives. I have said before but it's worth saying again, "I am truly proud to be part of this industry"
-
Wow, is it me or are there multiple messages all wrapped up in one story? My emotions were on a roller coaster ride as my mind shifted from the customer, the new technology, how we did things in the past and even brought back memories of my own father. Here's personal note: Thanks! Thank you for explaining in one article why people like us choose this business and why we are the best of the best! I was having a tough time today thinking about an article for the next ASO newsletter….well thanks to you I know what to write about.
-
Amazing, if this is true, it will never be used. This type of discovery would tip the economic scale and cause the fall of the global business as we know it. It would rewrite our future.
-
I maintain my position too. Unless I miss the point, I really don't look at what I spend in ratio to my sales. BUT, I do look at the gross profit precentages and gross profit dollars I make on parts and labor. If that is what you are asking that's different. NOW, every shop is different, so numbers will be different. But I try to make 48-52% GP on parts, 65-70% on labor. Again these are my numbers....I did the math. When you factor in you cost of doing busines, you will come up with a number you need to obtain in order to turn a profit. So the more I sell, the more parts I buy, the more labor I sell, and the happier I am. I hope I am helping here and not confusing the issue. To sum up: I know what my breakeven is, I know what my cost of tech labor is and I know what my goals are. I creat a plan to turn a profit. PLEASE, let me know I this is helping...
-
I have to agree with Southeast tires. Those percentages are not looking at your numbers the way you should be. You need to do the math and understand your break-even. You also need to check shop/tech productivity and overhead expenses. In addition, you need to find out what your capacity is: Number of techs, number of bays, number of days open and potential labor hours. knowing what your potential is will give you a true goal to shoot for. From these basic number you can put together a plan to become profitable. And remember, break-even means paying your bills, not making a profit. You goal is to make above break-even. There is a lot more to know about your business, this is just a basic starting point.
-
Quality techs are getting harder to find. With all the new technology and a different work ethic today, it seems the work force is in need of competent people. As far as crossing the line, if a tech is not happy he will look for another job somewhere. If it happens to be your shop, that's life. I have had techs from other shops come to me for a job. If I know the other shop owner, I ask the tech if it would be ok to call his present boss. His reaction will dictate his true feelings. Sometimes, the tech is the problem, not the other shop owner. It's a delicate situation. I would not actively seek a tech from a shop that I know, but if he comes to me, that's another story.
-
Toyota Cleared of Unintended Acceleration?
Joe Marconi posted a topic in AutoShopOwner Announcements
Toyota Cleared of Unintended Acceleration??? Federal Highway Safety Officials on Tuesday of this past week absolved Toyota for problems pertaining to unintended acceleration with respect to its “electronics”. As Toyota cheers this finding, the news media now reports that according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: Driver Error is the cause for most cases of unintended acceleration. That’s right, MOST cases. All that was cleared in this investigation, which NASA also participated in, was the electronics systems of the Toyota vehicles. No conclusions were reached for the mechanical issues Toyota has with either the floor mat or the gas pedal. Many news stories failed to report other parts of the investigation. Here’s a quote from the Wall Street Journal, “In a few cases of prolonged uncontrolled acceleration, NHTSA said slipping floor mats that trapped the gas pedal were the likely the cause” Here is a direct quote from Mr. Ray Lahood, US Secretary of Transportation, “ The evidence points to mechanical and driver problems, not electronic”. And, the last quote for today from NASA’s lead engineer Michael Kirsch, “An electronics failure couldn’t be entirely ruled out”. For me, there are still a lot of unanswered questions. Three main causes for unintended acceleration were found, Sticking gas pedal, floor mats that trapped the throttle and driver error. I don’t know how you feel, but for me the jury is still out. I know firsthand that I had customers complaining of run-way Toyotas long before the problem hit the news papers. And, if this is driver error then why only Toyota vehicles? Wasn’t it Toyota who finally admitted to the problems? Please, I want to hear from my fellow shop owners. What do you think? -
We all need to be reminded of the basics from time to time. Too many times in this hi-tech industry the tech looks for the most complicated reason for failiure. How many times have you heard of techs condeming a fuel pump when the problem was "no fuel" in the tank.
-
Gonzo, I was too afraid to pick up the hammer, but you did and hit nail right on the head! Those are my thoughts too. Well said.
-
I can always rely on you to bring a smile to my face!
