Joe Marconi

Yes it is, any information is important.

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I have employees that want to schedule and overlap vacation time around the holidays. Some want to schedule ALL their vacation time around ALL holidays. This is a constant struggle between being fair and balanced for all employees. We are in a service business and during the holidays we are always busy. I want to know how other shops handle this. I know shop owners that will not anyone to schedule vacation time around a holiday. Need advise...

I have heard of this company. The advise she gives on the vedio is good advise for all people. I am going to check it out.

WOW! I like my hand and finges too much to try that!

The artilce is ok, not too specific, too generic. I think most of the conversations found in AutoShopOwner have more relevance to every day business.

Ok, I can't resist...here's my blonde joke: Three blondes were walking through the forest when they came upon a set of tracks. The first blonde said, "Those are deer tracks." The second blonde said, "No, those are elk tracks." The third blonde said, "You're both wrong, those are moose tracks." The blondes were still arguing when the train hit them.

THat's a very impressive program. I think I will "borrow" your idea...

Please keep us informed about the sucess of this program. Thanks!

That's great public relations effort. Good job. Has it made you new customers too?

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That's great! What is the fee after the first free month?

I was an SOB when dealing with people. I use to say "My way or the highway". But I found thru the years that I was not an effective leader. To get people to do what you want means they need to buy into what you want them to do. You can "demand" people to do something, but that only works to a point. If people do things because THEY want to do it, you will get more from them.

I can spend hours on this topic. First, let me say that in order to have formal reviews and track your employees you need to have clearly defined rules and written policies. Along with that you need to have a set of written procedurs and systems. Without this, you are telling your employees to shoot an arrow without giving them a target. Have you read or heard of a book call the "The One Minute Manager", by Ken Blanchard? It's how to manage people. If you have not read it, I think you would enjoy it and all his other books. His books are shorts and in story form. I do have reviews often. It's more a one-on-on pep talk. I have team meetings every day except on Saturdays before work. They last about 10 to 15 minutes. I feel that this brings the team together. I could go on and on with this. Any thoughts?

I agree with you. We don't run a deli or diner where there are a limited choices. Plus, I think we need to promote that specilized customer service, not a "cookie cutter" approach with are marketing.

Geat article. We too have a mixed sales year. Our numbers are up, mostly because we expanded and launched a new facilty where we do a lot of walk-in service. But people are not willing to let go those dollars that easy. I see the economy being very unstable the next few years, plus I fear that the currect adminisrtation may be damaging long term.

I am not a fan of customers looking into the bays, nor do I allow customers to watch from behind the bays. I built a beautiful waiting area with hot coffee, TV and donuts, and that's where they belong. Plus, I don't want my techs feeling like they are in a zoo. That's me. I have nothing to hide, it's just the way I feel. Is that all there is to this article. The photo is hard to see. I take a completely different approach to my waiting area. It’s more like a doctor’s office with very little automotive signage. The only thing I post is my seasonal special, that’s it. It’s too difficult to start listing a generic price for the many different models. I understand the basis behind menu pricing, but I do things different. I don’t even post my labor rate, which is not mandatory in New York. I like to sell based on the individual customer’s needs. If your selling tactics allow your prices to be compared by other shops, you have no competitive advantage. Maybe I am reading too much into this. Am I?????

We all need to reflect during this holiday season and be thankful for our family, friends, customers and staff. We should do something special for our employees and it doesn’t have to be lavish or cost a lot. But a little recognition will do wonders for morale and help your company start off on a positive note in the New Year. What will you be doing?

The holidays are upon us and we all need to think about promoting our business. I am interested in what other shops do as far as promoting their business during this time. I know a lot of shops are involved with community charities such as Toys for Tots. It’s things like these that will go a long way and stay in the minds of your customers. Let’s here from everyone so we can all benefit and end the year on a positive note.

Here is how I handled the situation. Let me re-cap. As I wrote previously, a customer accused us of breaking her windshield after we performed a routine oil change service. My tech followed the walk-around procedure, noted the broken glass on his tech sheet and informed his service advisor. The customer was adamant about the fact that we broke the windshield. In the end I felt it would be better to pay for the glass. The glass cost me $185.00. I weighed all the possibilities and came to the conclusion that I would rather loose the battle and put my self in the position to win the war. This customer was recommend to me by another long-time customer. By loosing this customer, I might loose more that $185.00. Agree or disagree? Let me know…

Again, I want to express my sincere gratitude for the wealth of inspiration and knowledge you bring to AutoShopOwner.com. It is gratifying to know that there are shop owners like you out there. It gives me hope. Thank you, Joe Marconi

I want to add one thing. There are areas that we need to be more competitive where pricing is more sensitive to the consumer, such as; brake work, LOF, tires, etc. That's why we need to be profitbale in other areas such as check engine lights, electrical work, suspension, steering, etc. We need to understand the mindset of the consumer before we build a pricing stradegy.

Most shops that I speak with do charge over list, any where from 35% to 55% depending on the part. I do the same. For example; I just bought a pre-molded transmission line assmebly for a Subaru that cost $38.00, the dealer list was $44.00. That's crazy. My matrix bumped it up to $81.00. A fuel injection relay that cost $21.00, can easliy be sold for $48.00. Even though the list is $29.00 The only time I charge list are for wheel covers, some side view mirrors, some body parts, etc. List price has nothing do with what you need to make a profit. You can't be out of the ball park, but you need to make a profit. It's a delicate balance.

Charging list price may or may be correct for your business. You need to sit down with your accountant and establish your “breakeven”. After that is determined you will find what mark up you will need to achieve not only breakeven, but to make a profit. Shops that I speak with usually look for a GP% on parts any way from 45% to 55%, but every business is different. Don’t’ be afraid to charge over list and don’t change your entire business model because one or two people may call around to check your prices. Those people won’t care when you don’t have enough money to pay your bills. Joe

Do you track productivity? And do you base commisions off of that?