We are spending a lot of time discussing within the industry this challenging time with COVID-19. Fear is running rampant. The industry is spending a lot of time on what we need to do and what we need not do. These discussions recently reignited a thought I've had for some time. The industry has struggled with it for many years, but it is more apparent than ever today. We are fighting with The Enemy Within. I field many phone calls from repair shops of all kinds and sizes; A significant worry is the competition. "The Outside Enemy," what I call your competition. Every shop looks for the edge, that "something" that nobody else has or is doing. And if they find that "it," they want to keep it top-secret. The thing that makes them different, to stand out from the rest of the shops in town. If the truth is known, none of us are all that different, and there are very few top-secret things that you can do that no one else has already tried or will be trying ... read more
“If it worked yesterday it should work tomorrow, right?” If there is one thing that we do know, it’s that just because it worked yesterday doesn’t mean it will work tomorrow. So with so many mediums to choose from; Internet, Direct Mail, TV, Radio, Reputational, Phone, Text….well the list goes on and on, how do you choose? The choice sometimes boils down to simple basics, the area demographics, but most often it is not that simple. To help you in your choice of marketing we sometimes suggest to our clients that they ask their customers what they look for when they get mail, watch TV, are on-line and such. What gets their attention? Remember, you are NOT your customer, so writing or designing something that you would look at may or may not be something that would or could get the attention of your actual customers! Then write or design your marketing program for the masses which means maybe asking a large segment of your clients these questions ... read more
WOW…….we just returned from a month of trade shows all over the country. And after having spoken to hundreds of shop owners in the last 30 days and heard a variety of concerns and opinions about their business. Trying to evaluate all the information, we started looking at what makes one owner successful, while another struggles. Taking that thought process a step further we looked at establishing a categorization process for Shop Owners. The following is a summarization as to the five categories we isolated “today’s” shop owners into; Inspired: I’m not satisfied These owners are motivated and looking to the future as evident by their questions and comments throughout the show. They understand their business and keep a close watch on the numbers, and as soon as a number or trend changes they isolate why and are making adjustments immediately. These owners understand what the history of the business means and use it to influence the future and as a net result we see ... read more
When I first started selling automotive service I was always puzzled by why some customers bought and others did not. At first I thought it was that they did not need what I was selling, but the more I became a student of my position I realized that everyone who I came in contact with needed what I was selling; their car fixed. They did not get up in the morning and say “I have nothing better to do today so I’m going to take my car to the repair shop!” So when I came to realize that I was doing something to create the “no sale” customer, I started to analyze each and every sale, both yes and no. I spent a great deal of time learning about sales and the psychology of selling. Very soon it became clear to me where the issue was... it was ME! This was a harsh reality and it was darn hard to accept, but true. I had lost slam dunk sales... they never said no till today. I made sales that I would have never have thought possible. Why? Because of my level of confidence ... read more
This month we are going to task about something that makes most of us very uncomfortable… What happens to our business when something bad happens? Anytime we bring this subject up most people tune us out, because we have never given any thought to the idea that we may not going to be in business tomorrow. Part of what makes us Automotive Business owners is the personality type that we are invincible. Succession planning is something we all need to have discussed, and have a plan in place; otherwise we can burden the business and our family with debt, uncertainty and fear. What is succession planning? The dictionary defines succession as; “the act or process of following in order or sequence.” In most cases small business owners are so concerned and involved with running the business they never get to plan for the future. In our opinion succession planning needs to be a high priority, because without a succession plan the future of the business is not defined. What ... read more