Joe Marconi

Let us all take a moment this Memorial Day weekend to remember and honor those fallen soldiers that have paid the ultimate sacrifice to defend and preserve the freedoms we enjoy. The United States is the greatest country in the history of of the world, we thank and honor those that have died in combat to ensure our place in history. Happy Memorial Day everyone! Joe Marconi AutoShopOwner.com Cofounder

This is a great question. We do not have an O'Reillys Store near us. Not yet anyway. But, I do care if the company that I buy from is dedicated to the professional, not the DIY. The problem is that although the DIY is shrinking, there are part companies that will not give up the DIY market. Those that know me, know this: There will never be a strong alliance with any part company until companies are willing to promote the independent shop owners, and not market to the DIY.

Thanks for the kind words. We must keep the dialogue going. We are all in this together and in numbers there is strength.

Yes, you should do a background check. Get references, even friends and family. I can't speak for all states, but your insurance company can run the driver's licence to check for a valid licence and to check for recent violations. There are online services too that you can subscribe to to get information. You can even google people, or check Facebook and other social media sites. As far as calling friends and family, people assume that these people will talk good about the candidate. That's ok, you can get a lot of information from friends and family and also, these are the people closest to the person you are considering to hire. So, you can get a good idea of the type of person he or she is. Get references such as techs they worked with, or a service advisor they worked with. You will not only get a good source for a background check, but also another future potential employee. Good luck!

Thanks Frank, we need to keep this conversation going and my hope is that the independent shops around the country realize what we do.

Source: Are we seeing the Home Depot effect in the Auto Parts Industry?

It's no secret that Home Depot changed the Hardware Store business. Are we seeing the same thing occur with the auto parts industry? Will Wall Street dictate the future of the parts business? Main Street, not Wall Street once dominated our business landscape. Part stores were part of the community. Did they cater to the DIY? Of course they did. But the DIYer was someone who could actually work on his car, not the weekend warrior who has no business sticking his head under the hood. And why does he attempt to stick his head under the hood? Because companies like Advance and Auto Zone tells them they belong there. Don't know how to install your alternator, no problem, click on this video and we will show you Mr. DIY. There is no stopping big business and what mass consolidation will do to our industry. But, guys like me don't have to like it. The truth is Home Depot may have shifted their industry, but it also made a select group of business owners only stronger. The same may happen in the parts business. Big Parts Guys, if you truly want OUR business, you need to stop catering to the DIY market and insulting us by telling us the DIYer is not our customer. The motoring public hears your commercials, they see you ads, they get your discount flyers in the mail. So, stop the insults. I would have more respect if you just come clean. My guess, nothing will happen. The big guys won't change when money gets in the way. When home town and Wall Street collide, Wall Street usually wins. Usually, but not always.

My vote's with Xrac.

Gonzo, you haven't seen the Bird Lady in 15 years? Maybe she flew the coop?

I learned a long time ago that you cannot be everything to everyone. When you market to the masses and target price, you get exactly what the advertising is supposed to do: Bring in people looking for that offer. If this is contrary to your business model, then it's a waste of time. It would impossible to all the explain all the different marketing strategies in this post, so let me say that in order to get the customers you want, you need to clearly define what your profile customer looks like and create your marketing and advertising to target these people. Define your brand by your culture and a world class customer experience. If you define your business by price, at any range, you will get exactly that...price shoppers.

That's a great question, and it depends on your business model and what you want to achieve. For me, my waiting area is a place where customers can relax and unwind while waiting for their car or waiting to be picked up for a ride. The waiting area needs to promote your culture and your brand, the more customer-friendly it is, the better. That's why I would not make it a place to push products. With that said, you can educate your customers on what you have to offer, just be careful about being too business-like.

Welcome to AutoShopOwner.com. There is a ton of information on this site that will be helpful for your son. Best of luck and please don't be a stranger. Looking forward to your comments and posts.

Again Gonzo, you bring up a topic that we deal with on a daily basis. Through the years it has become increasingly harder to explain the need for preventive maintenance. Perhaps it was better in the old days when cars broke down, when they started to run rough, stalled out, etc. The average person could feel something was wrong and brought the car in for you to perform your mechanical magic. Today, cars run and run and when it's time for maintenance, the customer has no clue why and truly thinks that vehicle maintenance is putting gas in the tank and changing the oil every now and then. Let me stop here....I could go on and on. You really do have a knack of get my blood pressure up, don't you?

Source: More consumers going back to the New Car Dealer for Auto Service

At a recent local business EXPO, I had the opportunity to meet and speak to a lot of people. One of the questions I asked people is, “Where do you get your car serviced?” This is a question I often ask when doing these events. What surprised me was the increase in consumers going back to the dealer for routine service and repairs. I followed up the first question with a second question, “Why do go to the new car dealer for service and repairs?” Here are some of the answers I got: · It’s a new car · I have to go to the dealer, it’s under warranty · My sales person said I had to · My dealer uses original parts, I don’t want any problems · It’s a lease car · My dealer packaged a service plan for my car · I got a discount book with services · The dealer extended the warranty if I do all the services there · My first year of services were free, after that I got used to going back I have been in business a long time. Years back people bought new cars and maybe went back for a few oil changes, but that was it. Things have changed, and dealers are very aggressive with their marketing tactics. From what I am seeing, the dealers are winning back customers. The fact is dealers want our customers. Between the shrinking margins on new car sales and the fierce competition, the new car dealer needs the income from service and parts. We need to take this seriously. We, the independent aftermarket repair shops, are still the first choice with the motoring public, but for how long? Smart dealers are doing a great job at winning customers back after the sale is made. Dealers are also booking the vehicle’s first service and selling service packages. Many dealers are positioning themselves as “price competitive” too. Thirty years ago dealers charged what they wanted in the service bays, and sold cars in spite of themselves. And we had an endless stream of broken cars lined up in front of our bays. All was good. It’s not that way anymore. Cars are built better, have less routine service items to replace, last longer and don’t breakdown the way cars did years ago. Add to the fact that every sector of the repair industry is a Total Car Care Center. We can remain number one, and we should. But we cannot ignore the new battle field. The competitors you need to pay close attention to are the new car dealers in your market area.

Years back we stocked up to a few hundred tires. That was a much different time. Today there are so many choices and so many brands. You need to define your business model too. Tires are considered a commodity, so selling the masses is not easy. However, selling to you profile customers is not a issue. Today, we have sourced out a few tire companies and get deliveries all day long. Stocking tires requires a lot of cash sitting in inventory and can impact your cash reserve, which will impact your ability to pay your bills.

Great topic Gonzo. The car has evolved so much in the past few decades. I do feel fortunate that I became a mechanic during a time when things were very mechanical in nature. But, I have to agree, today's cars require a different mindset and the commitment to continuously evolve.

Great idea. This helps builds relationships, which promotes morale and team spirit.

We use torque sticks as a first step, then we lower the car until the wheels just touch the ground; we re-torque the wheels again with a torque wrench. As the tech re-torques the wheels, he also chalks the top of the tire with white chalk as a mental note that he completed the operation. This may be a little overkill, but having a wheel fall can also kill.

Yelp has a love/hate relationship. While I personally do not agree with their strategy, many companies do. And Yelp is very proactive with respect to search engine and ranking on the web. I would speak to a local marketing person who understands web marketing, reviews and website/business ranking. There are other ways to promote your shop. Paying Yelp has to factor into your budget, and for some that can be costly. Good luck and great post!

This is a tough one, and I have sure many of us have been through this situation. I think all the posts are right on target. One thing to remember; no matter what happened, we need to make sure we regain the confidence of the consumer. Have the customer return two more times within 100 miles to recheck ALL lug nuts on ALL wheels. I had a similar situation years ago on a Ford. After replacing a set of tires, one of the wheel loosened up within a few hundred miles. We took blame, but the car came back again, and one by one all the lug nuts would loosen up after a few hundred miles. We ended up replacing all the lug nut and studs and no further issues. I have no concrete explanation for what happened. But if you are in this business long enough, it is amazing what you will see. Good luck, I know what you are going through.

Nice proactive approach. Thanks for the post on such an important topic!

Social Media Marketing is word-of-mouth advertising on steroids.

AAA has a long history, and has been a partner to the auto repair and service industry, especially with Approved Auto Repair (AAR) certification for the independent auto repair shops. But, in recent years the AAA has caused a lot of friction among shop owners, resulting in many shop dropping their affiliation with the AAA. For a number of reasons, I too have decided not to renew my AAR contract with the AAA. Let me be clear, AAA is regional, so the northeast may have a slightly different program from the southwest. But, we need to remember, that the AAA in the eyes of the consumer is one brand and they do cross channels with their concepts and objectives. AAA has competing shops in some areas in the country, and in some regions wants a backdoor access to the shop's customer information through the shop's business management system. This is a step in the wrong direction. Whether you are an AAR shop or not, you need to be informed on this important issue. Below are a links to a few recent articles in Ratchet and Wrench, one written by Mitch Schneider. I strongly urge you to read them. http://www.ratchetandwrench.com/RatchetWrench/December-2015/Vision-and-Visionaries/ http://www.ratchetandwrench.com/RatchetWrench/April-2016/Regional-AAA-Network-Changes-Put-Pressure-on-Shops/

First, I am very superstitious. Gonzo, you know I have been around the block more times than I care to admit. Every now and then, for someone reason I will think of a customer I have not seen in a while, and that day, the phone will ring, and it's the customer I was thinking of. If it happened only a few times, I could call it coincidence,but it happens a lot.