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Joe Marconi
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Everything posted by Joe Marconi
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In tough economic time people get picking and frustrated easily. Don’t loose a customer over an overlooked service item or a grease spot on someone’s seat. Create a checklist where every aspect of the job is completed and reviewed. You can also go to the download section of AutoShopOwner and download some of these checklists.
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Make this year the year to look to add more services to your sales arsenal and increase your marketing strategies. Be innovative. Here are few suggestions, let’s hear from other shop owners and add to this list: Create a lube bay and offer while you wait service. Purchase flush machines Start doing detailing work Consider buying an alignment machine Sell a few used cars Offer a late night for service work Carefully consider opening Saturdays Solicit to other shops and body shops for work they don’t perform. Let’s add to this list and make 2009 an banner year!
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If you listen to the news reports, you might as well climb out onto a window ledge and throw yourself off. We know things are bad, but we don’t need to hear it 24/7. Is there no good news anymore? Of course there is. It’s more important now than ever before to remain positive and upbeat. I know it’s hard. I’m a shop owner too. But to focus on the negative news and things that can go wrong just may make you another causality of the recession. People want to do business with winners. People want to work for winners. In times like these, the difference may be your attitude.
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Great advice and response, I totally agree. Have the passion to be the best. Understand both sides of the business, the mechanical side and the business side. Your success will be determined by how you run your business and your knowledge of business. I learned the hard way, but once I understood it, it changed my life.
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How to pay your Service Advisor
Joe Marconi replied to Vegas14's topic in Accounting, Profitability, & Payroll
Are there sales goals to reach? Do you consider your break-even? -
I have my business set up in a way that all positions are taken care of. My role is to oversee the operation, work on growing the business and to coach the people around me. There was a time when I did everything. From service writing to working on cars, all the office work, road testing, etc. But I was killing myself. We are much more profitable now that I concentrate on running the business, instead of working in it. We have 4 techs, a service advisor, office manager, shop foreman and a clean up crew.
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Discounting for Profit???
Joe Marconi replied to Joe Marconi's topic in Marketing, Advertising, & Promoting
So, you find that offering specials increase car counts? -
New cars are not selling and people are keeping their cars longer. People will eventually need cars for themselves and/or children. They may not be in a position to purchase new. You have a distinct advantage, since your customers already trust you. Offering them a used car may be another way to add a few bucks to your bottom line.
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You stand behind your work. I know you do, because I do! But what about a part company that gives you grief over a part failure. Who pays for the comeback? We need to talk to our suppliers. And the worst are the new car dealer parts departments. I recently had an issue with a catalytic converter that was special ordered for a Jeep that took a week to arrive. The O2 sensor hole was drilled in the wrong place and the dealer told me it would be at least another week to get another one. It took my tech 2 hours to cut, weld and re-engineer the converter. When I brought it up to the dealer he told me there was nothing he could do about it and would issue no form of credit for my labor. That dealer no longer gets my business.
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With the closing of new car dealerships in our area, we have seen a lot of techs looking for work. If you are looking to hire a tech, my advice would be to carefully screen these techs. The first to get let go at the dealer may be the bottom of the barrel or the least experienced. The dealership also may be looking to get rid of the dead wood.
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Discounts eat into profits. All of us understand this. In this economic climate it seems many businesses are offering discounts to increase sales. But at what cost? Another problem, it may to hard to increase prices when the economy turns around if you have established yourself as a discounter. However, if discounting drives more traffic into your bays and gives you the opportunity to increase other related sales, is it wrong? I would like to hear from other shops on how they feel on this topic.
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How to pay your Service Advisor
Joe Marconi replied to Vegas14's topic in Accounting, Profitability, & Payroll
Many shops put their advisors on salary with a performace bonus. Salary based pay has its pros and cons. For those advisors that don't watch the clock, it can work out to the shop's benefit. For advisors who need a lot of flex time for family reasons, it may present an issue.
