Taking the Word ‘Customer’ to a Higher Level
I always remember as a child my mother telling me to keep my room clean or to put the toys away in the family room. The reason for keeping the house extra clean was to make the place look nice because we were having guests come to visit. A couple weeks ago, I was at
Carley’s Corner: Sorry Charlie, No More Free Auto Repair Advice
As technical editor for Babcox, I frequently receive e-mails and letters from readers who ask me for free auto repair advice. Most of these requests are not from professional automotive technicians, but from motorists who have seen one of our publications while visiting a service facility somewhere. One guy in particular seems to think I’m
The Pricing Game: Technology Puts Part Prices in the Hands of Your Customers
What is the right amount for parts mark up? 20%, 35%, 100%, or do you just go by the retail price of a part as determined by the manufacturer, jobber or WD? This is a tough question in terms of business practices and ethics. This gray area can get a lot of people in trouble.
Human Resources: Growing Great Employees
Interviewing prospective employees is something every business owner must do. Good interviewing skills can go a long way to picking out the cream of the employee crop. A successful interview begins long before the actual interview takes place. First, make sure both you and the interviewee agree on an acceptable time for the interview. Next,
Management: Reducing Risks and Premiums
All insurance premiums are based on the risks involved. Insurance companies evaluate the situation to determine the risk of potential loss that they will have to assume and base their rates on the results. Therefore, any steps that a shop owner or manager can take to lower their risks not only helps safeguard the business,
How’s Business?…Gas Prices Aren’t Helping
After a robust 2004, optimism among repair shop owners was extremely high when we surveyed readers in January 2005. Three months later, with gas prices consistently above $2 per gallon, the mood is changing. During the first week of April, we faxed a survey to 3,000 automotive service and repair shop owners across the country
Directions: Caution — Dangerous Precedent Ahead
A case had been shaping up in New York last month that could have set a dangerous precedent for the vehicle repair industry. In a scary move, prosecutors in Wampsville, NY, last year filed homicide charges against a muffler shop manager who inspected a car just days before it hit and killed an 8-year-old girl.
Servicing Solutions: Working on Customers’ Work Vehicles
One of the finer lines to walk in the service and repair industry is how deep in the mud you’re willing to get when a customer brings in a vehicle with an intermittent driveability problem. An intermittent surge with a vehicle that is driven once a week is one thing. An intermittent stall on a
Odds & Ends: Book Report
The classic Sebring race of 1970 – when Mario Andretti’s Ferrari 512 passed the Peter Revson/Steve McQueen Porsche 908 in the closing minutes to win by a scant 23 seconds – is relived in a new hardbound book, 12 Hours of Sebring 1970. The book has more than 100 photos and includes comments from Andretti,
This is a Great Time for the Brake Industry
As the editor of BRAKE & FRONT END, I make it a point to try out as many friction materials as possible. I have tried $20 pads, and expensive performance pads that can cost as much as $180 a set. I fint it amazing what a great set of brake pads or shoes can do
Perspectives: How Global Issues Can Dictate Your Bottom Line
One of the vital tasks that shops must undertake is managing the expectations of their customers. This is really a job for anyone who sells a product. When I complain about the price of a pair of jeans that my wife buys for herself, she always says, “They don’t cost the same amount as they
Customer Service is Key at Stephens Automotive
In business for almost 10 years, Joe Stephens puts his customers first. Quality repairs keep them coming back – and telling their friends and family. For Illinois shop owner Joe Stephens, it’s not just about fixing cars. His goal is to not only provide his customers with quality repairs, but to educate them as well.