Mitch Schneider: Sealed, Signed and Delivered
Profit, Productivity and Proficiency are destroyed when parts adversely impact our profit model. It doesn’t matter what the reason – someone is going to suffer and I’ll bet you already know who that someone is going to be.
Mitch Schneider: At Any Rate…
I was out of the shop all day Thursday and most of Friday. Realistically, coming in just before three on a Friday afternoon didn’t seem to make much sense, but there was a “big job” that just “had to go out” – a project car with lots of hours. It seems like there is always a big job with lots of hours that just has to go out. So, let’s just say that going back to the shop on a Friday afternoon after being gone for a day-and-a-half wasn’t a first-choice option! Nevertheless, I found myself sitting at my desk at a quarter to three, drowning in a sea of unopened mail.
Mitch Schneider: The View From Terrace East
An automotive service business runs best when its purpose, mission, vision, goals and objectives are understood by everyone involved.
Mitch’s World: Getting ‘Schooled’ in the Shop
Mitch gives his take on the old saying — “Those who can, do…Those who can’t, teach!”
Mitch’s World: Getting ‘Schooled’ in the Shop
Mitch Schneider discusses the importance of getting “back to school” when thinking about changing anything within the context of one’s business, and asks critical questions that all shop owners should contemplate.
Mitch Schneider: The Other Side of the Mountain
It is rare that a situation or event will present itself in such a way as to so profoundly alter the way you see your world that you know you will never be the same. I’m talking about a paradigm shift so powerful it either reinforces everything you believe to be true or forces you to redefine even your most fundamental principles. I am muddling my way through such an event even as I write this; and, to be completely honest, I’m still not sure where it’s all heading. But, like so many of the other profound and sometimes confounding events in my life, I’m hoping that sharing it here with you will help me achieve a level of clarity that has so far eluded me.
Mitch’s World: Behind the Magic Curtain…
Like small children called before an angry adult, they stand and cower, afraid, and rightfully so. Dwarfed by their surroundings, surroundings guaranteed by design to produce that very effect, they look at each other as sparks dance between the two pillars and that voice resonates across the great hall shattering the silence… “Do not arouse the wrath of the great and powerful Oz. I said, ‘Come back tomorrow.'”
Mitch Schneider: How to Pass the ‘Reasonable Man’ Test
We’ve been doing a fair amount of restoration work lately. Certainly, more than we’ve done in a very long time: a 1962 red Corvette convertible (Like there is another color…), a number of vintage ’50s and ’60s Cadillac Coupes and Sedan De Villes, a few early ’50s Roadmasters, a couple of classic ’60s Mustangs, a 1931 Oldsmobile (I know…How did that one sneak in there?) and more.
Mitch Schneider: Who’s Not Interested in Becoming Extraordinary?
I’m excited! And, if you find a hint of evil at the corners of my crooked smile – well, so what! It’s been a while, and smiling feels pretty good right about now. What is it that feels so good? I’m afraid you’re going to have a wait just a little while longer to find out.
Mitch Schneider: Compound Fracture – Binding Broken Pieces Together to Make our Industry Stronger
I was in the car on the way home from work about an hour later than I should have been after a particularly difficult Monday. It wasn’t a difficult day, in and of itself, it was me and the difficulties were mine. I was tired, bone tired, and suffering from a bit of sleep deprivation, a problem I’ve more or less learned to live with over the years. The problem with that particular problem was that tonight I was going to be dealing with the “more” part of the “more or less” a lot more than I wanted to!
Mitch Schneider: If Vehicle Repair Customers Only Knew…
What would you do if a company you trusted, a company reputed to be “Best in Class,” seemed to go out of their way to profoundly disappoint you? What would you do if they appeared totally disinterested, if not incapable of delivering on their promises of quality and service? What would you do if it turned out their QC Department were more concerned about Quantity Control than Quality Control? Do you think you might lose your temper?
Mitch Schneider: How To Handle Customer Anxiety Over Intermittent Problems
Intermittent automotive service problems are one of the few things capable of terrifying and paralyzing folks on both sides of the
service counter.