Joe Marconi

Simply amazing! Gonzo, you are a mechanical god! You never cease to amaze me with your diversity!

It's amazing how much we have evolved in just the past few decades. But it is true what you say...Plastic does dominate!

October starts the year’s fourth and final quarter. A time where shops begin to reflect back on the year and look toward the next year. For many of us, it’s been a wild roller coaster ride, for others not so bad. That’s business, and we all know that there will always be good days and bad days. The key thing to remember as leaders of your business, is to always be looking to the future. Learn from the past, but don’t dwell on it. Become more proactive. Try different things and don’t be afraid to fail. Through failure are valuable lessons. Set your sights high and remember to begin planning now for 2016. Don’t wait until the end of the year, or even worse the start of 2016. The earlier you begin to dissect and analyze the current year, the better position you will be to improve your chances of a more successful future.

Before you call me crazy, please read on. Last year was one of the toughest winters in history for many shops in the northern states. Records snow falls and frigid low temperatures caused many shops to lose days, and in some cases weeks’ worth of sales. Many shops are still struggling to eke out a profit for this year. That’s the bad news, and the reality of what happened and what can happen again this winter. The good news is this: We all learned from it. And because of what happened we are better prepared, or should be better prepared for it. He’s a rundown of the strategy most of us will implement. Please feel free to add to this list, so we can all share in each other’s knowledge: · Create a Fall Promotion to get your customer’s car ready for the winter · Have a meeting with the entire staff; key on the service areas that are winter-related and check these items at every vehicle visit: o Battery testing o Antifreeze testing o Check wiper blades o Check tire condition o Suggest snow/winter tires o Check all fluid condition o Check operation of heater and fan speeds · Make sure your service staff is proactive with regard to needed maintenance services · Identify the next service for all customers, inform the customer. · Book and flood your customer base with service reminders during the slower months to boost sales · Implement a phone call system to call customer to remind them of recommended services, especially during the slow months · Create another Winter-Related promotion and send out during the months of January, February and March. o Flood your customer base with these promotions. No one can predict the future, and no one can tell how any effect any marketing plan will be. But there is one thing I CAN guarantee; if you do nothing, expect nothing. Your thoughts?

This past Saturday, October 3, was the ASA of Pennsylvania’s Super Saturday Event. I had the chance to attend the key note breakfast meeting. Tony Molla, longtime industry veteran and Vice President of ASA (Automotive Service Association), gave the Key Note Speech. Tony projected an optimistic future, with big changes to come in the next decade. Here are a few highlights of his speech: · The internal combustion engine will be the main power plant well into the future · The average age of cars built today will still be on the roads 10 to 15 years from now, which means for the most part, there is a lot of potential work for the aftermarket · The auto industry will continue to build and develop more Hybrids, electric cars, increase diesel engines and experiment with hydrogen cars. Although the internal combustion engine will dominate for the next few decades · New technology and sophisticated electronics will increase and will be a main factor in new car models · The need to understand the Y-Generation is important for our future success · Training will become more important than ever, to keep pace with technology · Customers will become more educated, which means we need to become better at understanding the needs of the consumer and learn how to market to them · The aftermarket independent shops continue to dominate the auto service and repair landscape and is still the first choice by the motoring public · Value and trust ranks higher in all consumer surveys over price · Becoming involved with your local community will become a key part of your overall marketing strategy to attract the right kind of customer · Becoming involved with Auto Part Company Programs, such NAPA Car Care and CARQUEST/Advance TECH NET should be considered. Partnering up with National Brands can be a viable way to remain competitive in the future Tony Molla also may it a point to say that the auto aftermarket must put aside any differences it has and work together. He went on to say that we all need to get involved with the industry, attend trade shows and keep up to date with what’s going on in the auto industry.

Great story Gonzo! And thank you, now I know two more things I should never do...buy a used rental car or go to Pike's Peak! Joe

Great, I will let people know when and if this happens.

Yes, but not soon. I will keep everyone posted. Thanks for asking!

Thanks, looking forward to it!

Below is a link to an article in Body Shop Business. If you are a shop owner, you need to read it. As a business coach, and a shop owner, I know first hand the financial hardships many of us go thru. This business is not easy and we need to come to terms that we all in this together and collectively discuss ways to improve of business, our profit margin and our lives in general. http://www.bodyshopbusiness.com/auto-repair-study-reveals-financial-hardships/?eid=284835314&bid=1188052

Great insight! It's a recurring theme....no matter where you go and how long you have been around this business...the consumer will continue to shock us with what they say and think.

One of the best way to promote morale and a feeling of belonging is to issue business cards to all employees. I do suggest a probation period, and that's up to you; perhaps 30 to 60 days. But after that, get them business cards.

Source: You have goals…but what about your employee’s goals?

As a shop owner, you have both business goals and personal goals. Goals are critical to your success. Setting goals is like planning out a trip. Each step is carefully outlined and mapped out. You know where you want to ultimately end up, and you know how you will get there. But what about your employees? Don’t they have goals? Employees may not have sat down and wrote out a detailed plan, but let me assure you, they have goals too. Employees care about their future, their kid’s future and also have wants and desires. My advice is to find out what those goals are, and here’s why. When employees know that you care about their well-being as a person, they will begin to align their goals with your goals. They see the bigger picture; that in order to achieve what they want out of life, they must help you achieve what you want also. But the key here is to make sure you as the shop owner make the first move. Sit down with employees, ask them about their future desires and dreams. Then begin to build your business around not just what you want, but what everyone wants. This also means that you must become profitable enough to be able to continue to compensate your employees at a level that they feel secure in their position. But, it’s never all about the numbers and the dollars. As shop owner, you are also a mentor. And the most important employee-related job you have is understanding your employees and helping them achieve their wants and desires. Motivational Speaker Zig Ziglar once said, “You can get anything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want”

Yes, I know. I saw his name on the list. That is great!

Amazing! Very funny!

I will be presenting the Fly with the Eagles course next week from September 23-26, in San Diego. I will be checking in on the ASO and all the posts. Looking forward to the seminar; I am always amazed by the all the great shop owners I meet.

Let’s look at sports for a minute. Take for example two premier quarterbacks. Both equally talented and both equally successful. While they play the position according to the rules of football, neither quarterback plays the position exactly the same. The inherent differences between them allows them to bring out their personal best. They draw upon their uniqueness, which translates into their individual strengths. In essence, this is what makes them great, but different. It’s the same for your technicians, and in fact, for all your employees. Years back I tried to mold my employees to follow a strict set of rules and guidelines. I soon realized that although we need policies and procedures, being different is ok, and doing things differently is ok. With regard to employee management: Set the parameters of your business, establish each job role and clearly describe each position, set the goals for each position, and then let the employee flourish by allowing the employee to bring their uniqueness to their role. Oh, one more thing. Not doing things your way is not the end of the world either. Thoughts?

Same here...keep us posted.

In my senior year of high school, my guidance counsel told me my grades were too good not to go to college. Well, after 2 semesters, I quit to pump gas at min wage in the Bronx. THE BEST DECISION OF MY LIFE. The world is slowly changing. I am involved with the local high schools and trade school, and I can tell you there are a lot of parents who followed the College route, only to end up in a job they hate. I think this article is so important, not just for our profession, but for all the trades. If there is going to a turnaround it must come those still in the trades. Thanks Gonzo for bringing this to the forefront. It's something wonder if ASO can get invoked with.

This is seems to be a new theme among many shops, and businesses everywhere. We too had a lot of employee issues the past few years. Employee issues today are quite different from years back. We need to rethink who we are and how we interact with our employees. I can tell you one thing; that's not easy for someone like me who was brought up with the mindset, "My way or the highway." But, today it's different and we need to realize that. People today are different, we were different. It's not about being wrong or right. We need to all find a way to get along and move forward.

As we head into the fall, many of are looking back on the year to determine the state of our business. While looking back and learning from the past is a good thing, we need to look forward and continue to push to reach our goals. For most shop across the nation, this year has been a wild roller-coaster ride. To be honest, business has always been challenging. You know the old saying, "If were easy, everyone would be doing it." What ever happened yesterday is gone. All you have is today and tomorrow. So, set your goals, adopt the philosophy of continuous improvement and work hard to make today better than yesterday, and tomorrow better than today.

I want to take this time to thank all the members of AutoShopOwner.com, for their contributions and making ASO the go-to auto business site on the planet! Have a great Labor Day weekend. I hope everyone gets some much needed R&R. Joe Marconi ASO Co-Founder