mmotley

I'd say you handled it correctly. I also agree with xrac. The gloves have come off. You bent over backwards to make it right, now they are just being *****. File a mechanics lien and call the cops if they show up again. If they showed up yelling, I'd tell the police it's harassment and they have abandoned their vehicle on your lot. We've all heard it before, but you can't make everyone happy. And some people just can't be made happy by anyone. They sound like scum, so treat them as such. Get your money out of em or take the car, forget about it, and move on.

I'll just leave this link here: https://www.ratchetandwrench.com/articles/4444-six-steps-for-a-better-closing-ratio

All I'm saying is, if you're truly closing 95%, you need to talk with Elite, RLO, ATI, Jeremy O'Neal, or any of the other big names, cause they are all pitching expensive sales courses and none of them are even saying 95% is possible. I have a feeling you could also get a 6 figure salary with benefits from many shop owners on here if you could guarantee that ratio. "only sale things that we can prove have vaule" - I think this is how you're getting 95%. You're selling things you know you can sell. Get an MPI, write it up for all the maintenance and repairs it needs, then see where you're closing ratio falls.

So with an ARO of $465, that might explain why you have a 95% closing ratio. Typically, your technicians should be finding around $700-$1,200 worth of needed maintenance and repairs per repair order. Given that number, you're closer to 66% if they are only finding $700 per repair order of work needed. 66% is great, but I'd really be looking to make sure all potential work is being recommended (this includes spark plugs, fluids, wipers, bulbs, etc.). If they are capturing all that, your closing ratio would be closer to 39% (using the $1,200 figure). Not great, but not bad either. If you truly had a closing ratio of 95%, that means a tech could turn in a multipoint with $1,000 of recommended work and you'd sell $950 (eh, you missed the wiper blades, not bad!). Closing ratio is only part of the equation though. An ARO of $465 is not bad at all, in fact, probably better than average (I think average for the nation is around $350). A high closing ratio can point to sloppy inspections, a low closing ratio can point to recommending too much work. Closing ratio typically falls on the advisor though. I used to track closing ratio, but totaling each tickets potential $ amount, then comparing to actual ticket $ amount and doing the math was too time consuming for my operation. I've since decided to focus more on ARO and HPRO instead. @spencersauto, One thing we are trying is when a new customer comes in, is asking them a few qualifying questions. Asking them what their plans with the vehicle is (keep it, trade it in, etc). Based on their response, you can respond with a few loaded questions to make the sale later on easier.

I am by no means calling you a liar. However, I have researched a lot of advisor training courses from different companies and NOBODY claims 95%, 80%, or even 75%. I know of one company that claimed 70% to be the target, but I never got any proof from them that it was actually attainable on a consistent basis. Personally, I feel if an advisor closes 50% or more for the year, they are doing very well. Much higher than 60%, I'd be looking at the techs to make sure they are doing a thorough inspection. Would you mind sharing how you calculated your 95% closing ratio? Would also like to know your ARO.

Close 95%?!?! If that's true, I'll pay you whatever you want to come train my advisor. Sorry, but either your techs aren't doing a thorough inspection, or your advisor is fudging numbers. What is your ARO?

Seems more trouble than it's worth to me. Sure, you would probably win in a small claims court, but I've got better things to do than to file paperwork and make my way to the court.

Technician efficiency benchmark is 125%. I'd have the technician punch in and out on the job, then multiply by 1.25. There needs to be an understanding that the technician is not to milk the clock however.

Are your techs doing that from their tablet while they do the inspection, or is this something your advisor is doing at the counter?

On a side note, how are you having technicians look up spark plug schedules? We've been trying to find a quick and easy way to look that up, but outside of looking through Identifix, we don't see many other options.

Right now, we charge $15 for a rotation. Techs visually look at the pads while rotating. We're in process of getting a 'brake inspection' put together and I imagine we'll charge around $50 for the inspection. The inspection will not include any diagnosing, strictly measuring pads and rotors, testing brake fluid, and overall brake system visual inspection.

This is something we've dealt with and continue to deal with. A lot of factors come into play. Marketing is one, and how you market will affect what kind of customers you attract. Second is your multi-point. In the near future, we are going to stop identifying 'oil sending units leaking' and going to start find 'oil leaks' and asking for a $49.95 UV dye oil leak inspection. We've got tired of building 7 separate estimates just to have a customer decline them all. Same with coolant leaks. If they're not willing to spend $50 to know what is leaking, we're not gonna waste our time getting prices for parts and labor. I'd also look into some sales training. A service advisor who can build value in the presentation may convert more customers into doing repairs. A lot of things to look at, but hopefully some of these will help get you started in the right direction.

I agree, however, I think most of the points you made can be tracked and converted into valuable data when trying to gauge overall performance vs just guessing at how they are doing. I've come to the conclusion that, going forward in 2018, I will be using ARO and HPRO to track my advisor's performance. I will add that I am fully aware that factors outside of the advisors control can affect these numbers. I picked these two because they are they easiest and quickest numbers to monitor. If we fall short of our goals, me and my advisor can sit down and discuss why we think we are not reaching the goals and go from there. I would like to add something to this thread however. I was checking out some advisor training coaches online this morning and noticed an individual claiming that top advisors can achieve a 70% closing ratio. I've heard this before from another source, but after sitting down and doing the math, I really don't see how a shop that is thoroughly inspecting every vehicle & making proper maintenance recommendations can CONSISTENTLY achieve 70% closing ratios. Without fudging the numbers, poor vehicle inspections, or simply working on newer cars that need absolutely no work or maintenance, I sincerely don't think it's possible to achieve week after week. Just my 2 cents.