VIDEO: The Benefits Of Service Reminders
Service reminders are a device you should have in your toolbox. This video is sponsored by the MyPlace4Parts Studio.
In Search of a Good Technician
All too often, an owner’s solution to low production is to hire more people.
Viewpoint: How Did We Get To This Point?
I recently spent a day at a shop sitting in the waiting room and hanging around the bays. What really amazed me was the volume of cars with check engine and other lights on in the instrument cluster and how long they have been illuminated, said Andrew Markel, Director of Content.
There Is No Trough: Looking For The Sweet Spot In The Aftermarket
If you looked at U.S. car sales over the past 18 years, you would see a pattern. On either end of the chart, you would see years where 17 million vehicles were sold. In the middle is 2009 when sales dropped to 10 million vehicles. After that is a steady nine-year recovery. Some people call this dip “the trough,” and they think it is hurting aftermarket sales. I think it is an opportunity and a sign of the aftermarket’s future.
Monitoring Employees: Staying Within Legal Boundaries
In this article, we are going to discuss the steps you should take to stay within the legal boundaries if you’re checking in on your employees.
U.S. House Committee Holds Hearing On DOL Overtime Rule
On June 9, the U.S. House Committee on Small Business held a hearing titled, “Damaging Repercussions: DOL’s Overtime Rule, Small Employers, and their Employees.”
Marketing: The Most Costly Mistakes Shop Owners Make
If there is one thing most shop owners have in common, it’s that they have big hearts. They typically start their careers as technicians, and, as soon as they have their own shops, they want to help as many people as they can. To achieve this goal, they network through their family and friends and do everything in their power to get the word out into their communities about their shop. And then the inevitable happens: they wake up one morning and decide it’s finally time to advertise.
Price Shopping Auto Parts
There is no question; if you plan on being successful in the auto repair business, you have to buy high-quality parts. Substandard parts will drive up your repair time, they’ll drive up your warranty claims and they’ll erode your customer base.
Dealing With A Difficult Employee?
When you start to see a pattern in behavioral issues; such as a tech, manager or service advisor coming in late, here are three things you need to consider.
Managing Cash Flow
Without cash, a repair shop will inevitably shut down, regardless of how profitable it looks on paper. You can be “rich” in accounts receivable and inventory, but cash poor if these assets are not convertible into cash to meet current obligations. In fact, cash is the only asset a company needs to stay in business.
Managing Problem Employees
Two important management tools for handling challenging employees are progressive discipline plans and performance improvement plans (PIPs). Both methods allow you to provide employees with feedback on their performance and reinforce your expectations.
Lost And Found: When Good Tools Go Missing
There are those occasions when a phone call or a complete search of the shop doesn’t yield any sign of a lost tool. For the most part, you can mark that tool down as “gone for good,” lost to that place where wayward nuts, bolts and tools always end up.
