FROGFINDER

Charges should start at "Hello, How may i help you"

Should be a claim. Thank God no one was hurt. Was the car road tested and quality checked before it was released? Over the many years i found issues related and unrelated to my shops work before i released it to the customer.

Well you could adopt some teens to train or get some foster care teens to train.

You gotta give the good ones and offer they can't refu$e. The good ones don't always quit, They fired you.

Check the oil level ,last oil change sticker if it has one, fluid levels and report on leaks at check in when people come in for service. Many cars come in low on oil or fluids and it is good to document that on the invoice. When people then blame you for a blown engine or fluid leaks you will have a record.

Good Job. Keep a watch on that car's cooling system, Intake and Throttle body coolant housing area. Don't ask me how i know!

Health is wealth!

You are not giving it away if you use it as a tool for your advertising and salesperson recruitment expense. I would give a tire shop a pizza on fridays in my area. I kept track of referrals. In a year it developed into $250k per year of business. I gave a bike shop a box of donuts every couple of weeks and serviced their fleet of vehicles and trailers. I gave a body shop a pizza a month and referred that body work that i made a profit on every job. They repaired two wrecked personal vehicles and minor shop caused customer car dings n/c $8k.

The fact that i was located in and near one of the richest zip code in Texas helped alot.

I duplicated that "Unicorn account" so many times that i was known as the "Richest Car washer in town" My very first customer in 1969 brought me a car that needed $75.00 to fix. When i quoted that repair he said i was too high and wanted to pick the car up. I told him give me 30 minutes. I washed his car and cleaned the windows so good it looked like a new car. The customer came up the driveway and asked where his car was because he could not believe that the cleaned up car was his. He asked me why i cleaned up his car when he did not buy anything. I told him that Jesus washed feet and i wash cars. I told him that i don't need his money but i need his referrals! He never spent a penny with me but over the next few months referred $4k worth of work to me. Our business is all about referrals. I spend my "Advertising money" on my customers and ask everyone for referrals. I even cut customer yards for referrals. The last time i did that before i retired it netted me a $25k mechanical restoration.

Somebody sold that "oil change customer" a car,clothes,watch,sell phone,place to stay,etc. I figure it costs $100.00 each to get a new customer to brag about my shop. Give every oil change customer a reason to sell your shop to others. I would change oil with filter, hand car and clean windows, place $2.00 bill with discount card behind his fuel door and ask for their referrals. I keep track of all referrals. After years of doing this i a few customers just swing by for a free hand wash, fluid level and tire air checks. My co-worker scolded me for wasting my time. I then pulled up the "time wasting" customers account showing that in the last few years they spent $6k but referred $40k worth of work to our shop.

It gives them something to talk about. I've even had people buy a used car, Find the $2 bill and come to our shop for service. A couple of customers told me that their young driver ran out of gas with no money and was able to use the $2 to get home.

Try this asap. Go to the bank and get $200.00 worth of $2.00 bills. Get a box of clear snack bags and business cards . Write $10.00 off any service on the business cards and place a card with a $2.00 bill in the snack bag. Hand wash customers vehicle and clean the glass inside and out until clear. Place the snack bag underneath the door in fuel fill area. Do it for three months steady and get back to me. ps. When customers tell you that your free Hand car wash looks better than the other guys detail you are doing it well. Keep watch on customer feed back and chances for you to make appointments or ask for referrals.

You all have a new year coming up. Your customers are your best sales people. Business is like fishing You gotta keep bait on your hooks at all times.

Merry Christmas from Houston Texas!

Watch A Christmas Carol with George C Scott as Scrooge. After being visited by 3 spirits he Doubled his employees salary.

I think that offering a mini detail service (hand wash,vacuum and spotless glass) with any service makes one less stop for the customer. A clean vehicle makes for a happy customer.

Dress up as Santa Claus and pass out candy canes and cards! Have ladies day special with Chippendale mechanics on staff.

Bingo! Not owning and maintaining a vehicle is gaining ground. Heck if you tell a customer they need Tires they are ready to trade it in.

Self driving cars that drive themselves back to the dealership for service could be a concern.

Old saying by an old employer " If your customer is not calling the police-you are under charging"

or promote you are open on saturdays.

Cleaning wheel hub surfaces, inspecting lug studs and nuts for wear, checking for tsb's, torque with torque wrench, road test and recheck torque, document recheck warning in 25 miles on invoice and have customer initial solved these issues for us.

Election Result? The Digital world lost to the Real World. I've told people for years that sooner or later they will look at their smart phone with terror and run away screaming in despair.

Hire attitude and Train skills. I look over all cars that were checked in and see many issues upon writing up the car. I would have pointed out the leaking radiator to even my lead tech. I research each car for tsb's and recall's . I look on Identifix and use a tech hotline if search for an answer is a struggle. All things being equal we paid good people wage that they could not refuse. If a person has a good heart , asks questions and is not tearing up things it's cheaper to keep them.