Jeff Stankard, Author at Brake & Front End - Page 4 of 10
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10 Ideas To Increase Customer Loyalty

A solid customer base is not something that grows overnight. It takes time to cultivate a database of vehicle owners who return for service time and time again, and who also recommend your shop to others. Several factors work together to enable you to earn their trust and respect, which translates into satisfied customers and

10 Ideas to Effectively Recommend Preventive Maintenance Services

Preventive maintenance has long been a sensitive issue with vehicle owners because many of them feel like the recommended services outlined in their owner’s manual are unnecessary, especially if their vehicle “seems” to be running well. But is their vehicle performing as well as it could be? Are they getting the best gas mileage? Are

10 Ideas to Improve Your Shop’s Scheduling System

News is quickly being reported that economic-stimulus rebate checks are going toward car repairs versus new car purchases. This economic downturn has customers shifting gears toward vehicle maintenance, as they weigh the cost of repairs versus monthly new car payments. The good news is that those consumers who typically put off scheduled or necessary maintenance

Perspectives: 10 Ideas to Improve Your Shop’s Appearance

Ideas to Improve Shop Productivity

Perspectives: Ideas to Improve Shop Productivity

How many technicians do you have at your shop? How many bays do you have at the shop? The average shop has 1.6 bays per technician. With this type of ratio, technician productivity should be very high because the tech can stay busy on one car, while waiting on parts for another car. But what

Ten Ideas to Improve Employee Retention

Marketing gurus say it’s less expensive to keep an existing customer than it is to go out and attract a new one. The same can be said for a good technician. There has been a lot written through the years about a technician shortage. In research we’ve conducted on this subject, we found that roughly

Perspectives: 10 Ideas to Improve Shop Profitability

Profitability is the number one concern of shop owners across the country. In research we’ve conducted through the years, we found that roughly one-third of shops experience sales growth compared to the prior year, one-third said sales were flat and the last third reported sales were lower than the prior year. As the cost of

Perspectives: 10 Ideas for a Successful Car Care Event

April is National Car Care Month, so take this opportunity to plan an event to tie into this national program. By doing so, you will showcase your shop as an expert in automotive repair and service, plus you’ll ensure the safety and performance of your customers’ and prospective customers’ vehicles. It’s also an ideal way

Perspectives: Finding the Silver Lining

Positive Market Influences Spell Good News

Perspectives: Super Warranty = Super Trouble

There are some words and acronyms being thrown around many state governments that should cause you to pay attention if you hear them or read about them in your local newspaper. They include: CARB, super warranty, 15/150,000, ZEV, SULEV, PZEV and sealing-the-hood. If this is starting to sound familiar, but you think it’s just about

Perspectives: ‘We Can’t Fix it.’

Did you ever tell a customer you couldn’t fix his vehicle? Have you told a customer, “We don’t work on that type of car”? Have you ever not recommended service because you don’t have the tools or equipment to do the job? Have you sent a vehicle to another shop or dealership? I would expect

Perspectives: Made in America Still Has Value

There has been a lot written recently about quality issues with products manufactured in China. While I’m not going to rehash the history of those problems, it did prompt us to have our Babcox Research department survey repair shop owners and managers to see if it has had any impact on the way automotive parts