Joe Marconi

What a fish! When I was younger I use to fish off the Long Island Sound (New York) on a charter boat. We went for Tuna, Stripe Bass and Blue fish. It'sbeen a while since I have been out, but it was always a lot of fun.

Are you bombarded throughout the day with an endless stream of questions? Well, it just might be your fault. The more you allow yourself to be the “go to” guy when a question arises, the more your employees will come to you for answers. This can zap your energy and decrease your effectiveness for the tasks you need to get done. Try this, when Tom the Tech approaches you with a question, instead of giving Tom the answer, throw the question back at him and ask him how he thinks the issue should be handled. If Tom says, I tried everything and can’t find the problem, ask him to tell you exactly what he did and review all his diagnostic procedures. Continue to ask Tom a series of questions and then ask him what he thinks we should we do next? This process allows Tom to work out the problem in his own mind and will help him with future problems. You should do the same with service writers and other office staff. If your service writer comes to you with a question on how to handle an unhappy customer, ask the service a series of questions to get at the root of the problem. Your questions to the service writer need to be put in such a way that the service writer actually comes up with a solution by himself. There will be times when you as the owner will need to make the final decision on some matters, but the more your staff is thinking and making decisions on their own, the stronger your business becomes. One more thing, if you are worried about them making mistakes…they will. It’s all part of the learning process. The reason why you as the boss can make quick and decisive decisions is because you have been making a lot of decisions over the years, but also made a lot of mistakes too. But, knowledge is gained through each mistake. So remember, answer a question with a question.

That's what ASO is all about....sharing and exhanging ideas and learning from each other

Do you any special promotions?

Summer is returning for most of us in the northern parts of the country. How are shop palnning to capitilize on the summer heat and promote air conditioner service and repair?

I like the car wash feature too. Morale is an issue, anything that an employee can view as a added perk is good.

Great point! We all need to be carful, it's still a business; favor or not.

I agree. Increasing shop productivity is more complicated than the actual time the technician takes to complete a job. We all know that a tech can beat the book time on most jobs, so why would productivity be lower than normal in a given shop? To elaborate on Evan’s remarks; wasted time between jobs, techs performing tasks that are not productive, time wasted finding the right tools or equipment, receiving the wrong parts, on and on, all contributes to lower than normal productivity. I too agree that shop owners need to do an analysis on the actual work-flow process, much the same way the Japanese did decades ago when analyzing how to improve the efficiency of the assembly line, in order to find the waste in shop production. As each problem is solved, more profit is generated to the bottom line.

It felt REAL GOOD to take this poll. My marks were not favorable, trust me!

You would think that in this day and age, a business owner would realize the importance of signage.

I limit my techs to their own cars and immediate family, not their uncles, cousins, etc and NEVER friends. It must not interfere with business and I prefer they come in early (before the day starts). I don’t allow big jobs like engine swaps or transmission, that’s taking it too far.

I hate to repeat myself, but once again I tip my hat to my fellow shop owners that truly take this industry to another level!

First, thank you for serving your country and protecting this great nation, I salute you. As one of the founders of ASO (AutoShopOwner.com) I want to personally welcome you and look forward to sharing your thoughts and opinions. You will have the opportunity to network with ASO shops across the country and around the world. If you need help, just ask. ASO will be there for you. Again, welcome and best of luck to you, Joe Marconi

The better you can automate the customer process the more productive you become and the more prodcutive your shop becomes, which adds dollars to your bottom line. We all need to use technolgy to not not help us in the shop, but also in the front office.

Thanks for your great input. I see you truly understand customer relations and how it has a positive affect on your business and the auto industry. Your comment on your suppliers is right on track. You actually stole part of my thunder for my next tip.

At least it worked out. I know shop owners that were not so lucky. Happy Easter, BTW

That's a perfect situation of what really happens. It has happened to me too; a customer gives us the ok to do the work, only to find out later that they can't pay for the repair. To be honest, there are dishonest business people too, but dont make the "Cure" worse than the "Crime".

It’s important to connect with your customers. Take for example: When a customer informs you that she needs her car back by 4:00 because her son has a soccer game, make a note of that. Make sure you have that car ready on time when she picks up the car that afternoon, say something such as, “Tell your son good luck at the game”. She will remember that more than the service you performed. Here's another tip. We use the customer remarks field in Mitchell Manager to make notes about the customer. If Tom Smith enjoys playing golf, we make a note of that. The next time Tom brings his car in for service, we ask, “How’s your golf game going”? It’s a nice way to connect with your customer and trust me, being personal will help you with sales.

That is a different story, and in that case the tech's head is not on straight anyway. I have been down that road too and it's something that's part of life. But you can't make policy based on the extreme. That's the way I feel, anyway. And, of course, no cell phone use while road testing, AGREE.

I read Elite’s article and I “kind of” agree. I understand the need to concentrate and the safety issue. And if this were 1995 I would totally agree, however…this 2010 and the world has changed. Many people today don’t even own a land line and are too accustomed to staying in touch with their family via the cell phone. I would not feel right if I did not give my people the same privileges that I enjoy. How can you tell a tech that his wife can’t call or needs to leave a message and their husband can only return a call during break time or lunch? Would you accept that? Not me. If my wife calls or a family member calls, it’s important. Having said that; I don’t allow cell phone abuse or in any way encourage cell phone use. I tell my entire staff, please do not abuse the privilege, you can have the cell phone on you, but it is only to receive emergency calls. I also tell them that I know that having a cell phone attached to your hip is part of how our society functions. This is my policy and I never have an issue.

The good news is that you kept the cars. I had a few cases where I trusted the customer. I will never to that again. I lost money. You will get your money, it's just that the process can add stress. People don't realize what we go through, right?

What happened, they could not pay the bill?

Here we go again...What about the honest repair shop. What about the people who try to get away without paying or agree to a job only to find out they can't pay. Why is always the "Dishonest Shop". Here's my reply I made at the end of the article: Another short-sighted stupid political move. What about the honest repair shop and the dishonest people who don't want to pay thier bills. Ever think about that???

I like that quote from Carnegie. Once shop owner realize what it cost to be in business and to earn a profit, the fear of charging goes away. Why are so many shop owners afraid to charge what they are worth? Is it really the fear that "some" people may complain? SO WHAT if someone can get it cheaper from Pep Boys or AutoZone. I truly don't care. My mark up is a reasonable markup at 50% on parts and 70% on labor. That's needed to pay my bills, pay my people, put food on my table and put a little aside for the future. Don't I owe that to myself? I am not ashamed of what I charge and when I person says to me; “I can get that part cheaper”, I reply and say, “YES YOU CAN, DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR ME”?

Priceless! A picture is truly worth a thousand words!!!