Wes

The issue of renting to someone is the potential impact his work may have on your business. The customer will not separate his work from yours, they will just identify the building and your name. If he does a job that doesn't meet your quality standards, you will pay the price. I would either hire him to do transmission builds for your customers, bring him on as a partner, or help him find a small location somewhere. These situations always look good in theory, but they always seem to end up in a bad way. If he is doing work for his customers, you have no say in the quality of his work, when he works, or how he works...he is renting the space. Safety, housekeeping, tools, money, customers, and time are all factors that matter a great deal. Basically its like getting married to someone who squeezes the toothpaste, when you prefer to flatten it from the bottom. If you do decide to let him rent, I would have all this lined out in a contract or agreement.

I took a boot camp from ATI and I gained a lot of information that helped. I could not see spending the amount of money they want for the full program. I also took a class from Vin Waterhouse thru NAPA, and that was a great class too. One thing that rings true, no matter what or who gives the class, is that you have to know your business inside and out. Numbers do not lie. Another thing, this is a process that takes time and changes should be made slowly so the results can be measured. It takes time to know what will work in your business and your market area. Everyone wants the silver bullet, but the fact of the matter is, you already have the answers, you just have to take the time to know where you stand and where you want to go so you can plan how you want to get there. I recommend going to a variety of classes and take the pieces and parts that you can use to develop your own key to success. You also have to be brave enough to believe in yourself and your decisions to lead with your mind and not your heart. This is a hard thing to do when you care about people, but good employees will work hard for a goal if they know what your expectations are. Know your numbers, set goals for minor improvements until your objective is met. Let everyone know what you expect. coach and counsel your employees, reward good behavior and celebrate milestone achievements.

We refuse to install customer supplied parts related to engine, drivetrain, suspension and brakes. We do not do internal transmission service. If we agree to install a customer supplied part we charge $125.00 per hour and that is limited to extreme circumstances. I would recommend speaking to an attorney so you can find a solution that will protect you should a situation arise. In all, let the customer go down the road to another shop because it is just not worth the risk of a tarnished reputation, legal fees and potential judgments or criminal charges that you may face. Unfortunately, It is the world we live in.

I have tried a few different ways of doing this. We have the SW collect all the customer and vehicle information, check for damage and create the tech worksheet. Your technicians are the lifeblood who need to spend time on diagnostics and repairs. The tech should do the test drive as part of the diagnostic. Our SW is responsible for creating estimates, selling services and ordering parts. This helps to ensure there is no break down in communication and the customer has one person to deal with. Make sure you charge for diagnostic time.