Part Two of a three part series –
Get more efficient. Time is money. If your help isn’t working on some one’s vehicle, you’re not making money. If they are working, but not in the most efficient manner, then you’re not making as much money as you could. It’s just like looking at your home’s heat flushing out some drafty old windows. You need to get more efficient and put some caulk in some of those cracks. If your employee is working on cleaning a part in the Parts Washer, and he’s standing around waiting for it to complete it’s cycle, he could be doing something more productive than just standing around. Even if it’s just sweeping the floor around his work area.
Build trust. Most customers don’t trust their repair shop. They probably had a bad experience at a shop at one time and now bundle you in with all the other “crooks”. As an example, I brought my car in for service one time to a local independent repair facility that I had been using for several years. They seemed to be a reliable and trustworthy place. I had dealt directly with the owner, and my instincts told me I could trust him. Looks like my instincts were wrong. Along with other things I needed done, I asked him to rotate my tires. When I came back to pick up my car, I noticed that the tires were not rotated. I could tell because of the brake dust build-up on the front rims. They were still on the front rims. Forgive me if I don’t often wash my car. I’m very busy. Anyway, after looking at the bill, I asked the owner if he really rotated my tires. He said yes. I gave him another chance to come clean, and told him about the brake dust. He stuck by his story. At that point, I just politely paid my bill and left. I haven’t been back since.
Invest in new equipment that could generate revenue. As they say, “It takes money to make money”. Consider it an investment. Just as we place many ads in trade magazines. We don’t have a way to immediately quantify the benefits of the ad. But we can notice the results long term. If you invest in our new RTI smoke machine / leak detector, you may have to lay out over $1400, but it will save you loads of time in diagnosing problems. It will pay for itself in a relatively short period of time. Or maybe our RTI ATX-3 Transmission Fluid Exchanger. It can exchange the transmission fluid directly through the dipstick tube. Talk about a time saver. You’ll be changing fluid in a fraction of the time it previously took.
Look at your local market. Do what nobody else is doing. Evaluate what the market offers as far as your competition. Find a need and fill it. You may want to concentrate on being a transmission specialist. Maybe brakes, or body work. See whats out there, and what’s not out there. Market research is a priority for any successful business.
Next Post – Part 3
