Tuesday, December 1, 2009
How to Help Your Boss Succeed
A key to your success is to help your boss succeed. This sounds like brown nosing, but it really just recognizes the symbiotic relationship you (hopefully) share with your boss.......
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Motor Age Magazine
The best auto service magazine. Get the e-magazine here and get a free subscription if you're in the business
Monday, October 5, 2009
What is an oil change?
Hate oil changes. Hate them, hate them, hate them! Got to do them, keeps them coming back. Free rotation doesn't work, screw the tires. Got to change the oil though.
Most folk are wise to the $19.99 special. We charge $33 for a 5 quarter, including tax and shop. Many say we are cheap and I agree. But realistically, what is an oil change on a 2008 Toyota Highlander worth? $6 cartridge filter, 5 quarts oil @ $10, some fluids, $1, and 45 minutes of a trained c-tech to do it and check pressure,fluids, lights etc.
There are no easy oil changes out there anymore. It's 45 minutes, plus a lot of liability, to make $15?
Do you sell quick oil changes? How much are they? Do your customers just walk in with a 2005 Toyota Landcruiser without an appointment? Do you hate them as much as I do?
Most folk are wise to the $19.99 special. We charge $33 for a 5 quarter, including tax and shop. Many say we are cheap and I agree. But realistically, what is an oil change on a 2008 Toyota Highlander worth? $6 cartridge filter, 5 quarts oil @ $10, some fluids, $1, and 45 minutes of a trained c-tech to do it and check pressure,fluids, lights etc.
There are no easy oil changes out there anymore. It's 45 minutes, plus a lot of liability, to make $15?
Do you sell quick oil changes? How much are they? Do your customers just walk in with a 2005 Toyota Landcruiser without an appointment? Do you hate them as much as I do?
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
MRSA update
MR is back at work. The hole in his leg is about the size of a quarter now and thankfully it was treated in time.
CA-MRSA stands for Community Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, a serious “super bug” that is everywhere and resistant to common antibiotics. If your skin is broken, you can get it and this is the stuff that you hear about where someone gets a paper cut and three days later they are dead, or getting their leg cut off. Serious stuff.
Outside of the body, it is fairly harmless and lives there undetected. But, the one person who has it can pass it to someone else with direct or indirect contact. Let’s say there are three techs in a shop, one of them has staph germs on his hand and grabs a door knob. Then the other two techs use that same door knob. If either of those techs scrapes a hand afterward, before they can wash, they may have happen to them what happened to MR.
Preach hygine at your shop and demand that every cut gets treated right away. Take a look at your first aid box and make sure you have what you need to treat cuts effectively and immediately.
CA-MRSA stands for Community Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, a serious “super bug” that is everywhere and resistant to common antibiotics. If your skin is broken, you can get it and this is the stuff that you hear about where someone gets a paper cut and three days later they are dead, or getting their leg cut off. Serious stuff.
Outside of the body, it is fairly harmless and lives there undetected. But, the one person who has it can pass it to someone else with direct or indirect contact. Let’s say there are three techs in a shop, one of them has staph germs on his hand and grabs a door knob. Then the other two techs use that same door knob. If either of those techs scrapes a hand afterward, before they can wash, they may have happen to them what happened to MR.
Preach hygine at your shop and demand that every cut gets treated right away. Take a look at your first aid box and make sure you have what you need to treat cuts effectively and immediately.
Monday, September 21, 2009
New old pictures
Found some new pictures of our building today in a book by James Benson - West Bridgewater. Ken Wood, my father in law, bought this building from the town, for $1, and set up shop in 1963.I f you've ever been here, you'll love the squeaky floors and chalkboards.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Follow up
we did fuck up the wheels on his 1996 Impala SS by using A-Z wheel cleaner. Said we used acid on them?
He's going to sue A-Z
He's going to sue A-Z
Friday, September 11, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Golf clubs and tires
Paid the taxes yesterday and used the sombre occasion as an excuse to buy a new set of Callaway irons.
El Mustachio, the CPA, says paying taxes is a good thing...means you're making money, but just because you made money, doesn't mean you have it sitting in the bank. We have a $65 000 of tires in stock and will sell $500 000 this year.
El Mustachio, the CPA, says paying taxes is a good thing...means you're making money, but just because you made money, doesn't mean you have it sitting in the bank. We have a $65 000 of tires in stock and will sell $500 000 this year.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
What happened in August?
Was it just me? Tires bombed big and units were off 15% last month. it seems around here, everyone who's calling knows what they want to pay for that tire. Selling brand names are a joke, and I truly think it is a stroke of luck rather, than good salesmanship, when I sell a set of tires for $100 more than my competition.
Costco had a $70 Michelin instant rebate, which means we have to sell the tires at cost. Firestone and Sullivan Tire were dueling with the buy 3, get one free offer and Town Fair was getting them in the door. Tough tire month for an independent who had a $60 (wait 8 weeks) Visa card promotion. Little tacky, but it was ok.
We are tire brokers, our job is to get the best deal we can for the customer, while making a profit. We simply sell service time. Does anybody buy something big nowadays, without Googling it first?
The good news is that mechanical service was the same in August(despite being down a tech?) So last August was a freak. And now the kids are back to school (Fiona starts 7th grade today and made the Junior Varsity soocer team...so proud)and winter is coming.
Looking ahead,let's see if we can sell sell some tires. On offer this month at Kenwood Tire, with 4 tires we have a Panasonic 10MP Digital Camera from Continental and a neat, Hands Free Bluetooth Mobile Device from Michelin and American Car Care Centers. It's a great time to buy tires for us and them.
Try the $20 oil-change with any service special.
Costco had a $70 Michelin instant rebate, which means we have to sell the tires at cost. Firestone and Sullivan Tire were dueling with the buy 3, get one free offer and Town Fair was getting them in the door. Tough tire month for an independent who had a $60 (wait 8 weeks) Visa card promotion. Little tacky, but it was ok.
We are tire brokers, our job is to get the best deal we can for the customer, while making a profit. We simply sell service time. Does anybody buy something big nowadays, without Googling it first?
The good news is that mechanical service was the same in August(despite being down a tech?) So last August was a freak. And now the kids are back to school (Fiona starts 7th grade today and made the Junior Varsity soocer team...so proud)and winter is coming.
Looking ahead,let's see if we can sell sell some tires. On offer this month at Kenwood Tire, with 4 tires we have a Panasonic 10MP Digital Camera from Continental and a neat, Hands Free Bluetooth Mobile Device from Michelin and American Car Care Centers. It's a great time to buy tires for us and them.
Try the $20 oil-change with any service special.
Monday, August 31, 2009
MRSA - Methicillin-Resistant Staphyococcus Aureus
Are you ready for this in your shops? I saw this recently in "Brake and Front End" magazine and paid no attention.
I have the kind of hands my friends make fun of. Cut them up all the time and I've had at least one black nail since 1992. Blood and busted knuckles are part of our world and it can happen anytime. Gloves do work, but have you ever tried to screw in a valve core with welding gloves? We do our part in keeping a clean workplace and not leaving things lying around the shop to trip over.
MR bumped his shin on the alignment rack circa. 6/22. I guess if you're half asleep like he is most of the time, it's very easy to do, but that's another issue. It was sore but he paid no attantion...he forgot about it. A week later I noticed he could hardly walk and he had an infection. Went to doctor, doctor treated and he left with a prescription. I hadn't filed a comp claim yet, so he had 5 paid days off and he came back to work the next week 7/7.
About 3 weeks later, he was having more problems, and this time was admitted to the hospital for 4 days. They/We don't want him coming back to an environment where this could happen again and he's been out on comp for a month.
MR is a 2 small pizza's with a gallon of Gatorade for lunch" kind of guy and we love him for it. MR is a likeable, solid tech with a butt crack the size of the Grand Canyon and I want him to get 100% better.
MRSA stands for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. This is a serious “super bug” that is everywhere. If your skin is broken, you can get it. This is the stuff that you hear about where someone gets a paper cut and three days later they are dead.
There's really nothing you can do. I spent $100 at CVS for this stuff after looking at our paltry first aid kit. Take heed and take a look at your first aid box...and make sure it's stocked with the latest in antibacterial and staph products and all cuts get treated immediately.
I have the kind of hands my friends make fun of. Cut them up all the time and I've had at least one black nail since 1992. Blood and busted knuckles are part of our world and it can happen anytime. Gloves do work, but have you ever tried to screw in a valve core with welding gloves? We do our part in keeping a clean workplace and not leaving things lying around the shop to trip over.MR bumped his shin on the alignment rack circa. 6/22. I guess if you're half asleep like he is most of the time, it's very easy to do, but that's another issue. It was sore but he paid no attantion...he forgot about it. A week later I noticed he could hardly walk and he had an infection. Went to doctor, doctor treated and he left with a prescription. I hadn't filed a comp claim yet, so he had 5 paid days off and he came back to work the next week 7/7.
About 3 weeks later, he was having more problems, and this time was admitted to the hospital for 4 days. They/We don't want him coming back to an environment where this could happen again and he's been out on comp for a month.
MR is a 2 small pizza's with a gallon of Gatorade for lunch" kind of guy and we love him for it. MR is a likeable, solid tech with a butt crack the size of the Grand Canyon and I want him to get 100% better.MRSA stands for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. This is a serious “super bug” that is everywhere. If your skin is broken, you can get it. This is the stuff that you hear about where someone gets a paper cut and three days later they are dead.
There's really nothing you can do. I spent $100 at CVS for this stuff after looking at our paltry first aid kit. Take heed and take a look at your first aid box...and make sure it's stocked with the latest in antibacterial and staph products and all cuts get treated immediately.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Case of the flesh
Nothing can last forever and the good run I was having has ended. August has been a rough month and now I have some time, I don't know what to do with it.
Probably should be planning, looking at my bank balance and not spending days putting out fires, doing the day to day stuff that drains you of any imagination you may have had this morning. Putting out fires and playing let's make a deal, it took a week to get this together and I'm in a slump.
Slumps are about confidence and DW had a 2000 S-10 Blazer with an EVAP code we couldnt fix the first time. We should have sold everthing to begin with, but he's a regular, and 75% of these just need a gas cap and vent solenoid. At my direction that's what we did and a week later and he came back agitated, because the light had returned. I was in no mood to explain that he could need the $600 air pump that I didn't think he'd need the week before.
Like all the times we've given him a ride home, changed a fuse or worse, chase an electrical problem in his coffee-drip and nicotine plated interior, were out the window! Just like that. And when I gave him his $224 back and recommended he go to the local GM dealer that's 20 miles away, he didn't want it...go figure?
Probably should be planning, looking at my bank balance and not spending days putting out fires, doing the day to day stuff that drains you of any imagination you may have had this morning. Putting out fires and playing let's make a deal, it took a week to get this together and I'm in a slump.
Slumps are about confidence and DW had a 2000 S-10 Blazer with an EVAP code we couldnt fix the first time. We should have sold everthing to begin with, but he's a regular, and 75% of these just need a gas cap and vent solenoid. At my direction that's what we did and a week later and he came back agitated, because the light had returned. I was in no mood to explain that he could need the $600 air pump that I didn't think he'd need the week before.
Like all the times we've given him a ride home, changed a fuse or worse, chase an electrical problem in his coffee-drip and nicotine plated interior, were out the window! Just like that. And when I gave him his $224 back and recommended he go to the local GM dealer that's 20 miles away, he didn't want it...go figure?
Friday, August 28, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
hating vacations..
With my 5 employees, you'd think I would do a better job at making sure the place is covered but it seems like every year is a drama.
Today it was me, SJ(C_Tech) and NG, our 20 yr old trainee. Granted it was slow-ish, but the comedy of errors that ensued..... MS was on legit vacation he's been taking for 10 years...same week in August. BB,the Manager who started last year slid his name on to the vacation calendar at the same time my mother was visiting from South Africa..and he was playing dumb at the same time..not cool. It became a big drama and I got screwed
MS is back tommorrow. Did I mention MR(B_tech)? He bumped his leg on something a month ago, didn't say anything and now he's got some flesh eatin' bacteria munching on his leg..he's out for a few weeks and it was real nice to see him today,while I was changing the belt on the Sprinter van and the phone was ringing...that's a big drama too, but got to be nice.
Today it was me, SJ(C_Tech) and NG, our 20 yr old trainee. Granted it was slow-ish, but the comedy of errors that ensued..... MS was on legit vacation he's been taking for 10 years...same week in August. BB,the Manager who started last year slid his name on to the vacation calendar at the same time my mother was visiting from South Africa..and he was playing dumb at the same time..not cool. It became a big drama and I got screwed
MS is back tommorrow. Did I mention MR(B_tech)? He bumped his leg on something a month ago, didn't say anything and now he's got some flesh eatin' bacteria munching on his leg..he's out for a few weeks and it was real nice to see him today,while I was changing the belt on the Sprinter van and the phone was ringing...that's a big drama too, but got to be nice.
Friday, August 14, 2009
The Alternator King...
"Given the structure of the proposed experiment, it may or may not be possible to actually perform the experiment and, in the case that it is possible for the experiment to be performed, there may be no intention of any kind to actually perform the experiment in question".
Too much time to think, but happy birthday Hans Christian Ørsted 1777-1851. Saw him on Google today and had no idea he discovered that electric currents induce magnetic fields,was the first to produce aluminum and the first to define the "Thought Process"
Too much time to think, but happy birthday Hans Christian Ørsted 1777-1851. Saw him on Google today and had no idea he discovered that electric currents induce magnetic fields,was the first to produce aluminum and the first to define the "Thought Process"
Saturday, August 1, 2009
At the end of the day
When everyone has gone home, I sit. July was a good month and we did $105 000 in sales vs.$94 000 in 2008. Car count was 436 vs. 419 and tires were level: 374 this year vs. 382. Worst margin was the Yokohama's @ 16.5%, but we only sold 20 thankfully as these were mostly Tire Rack deals. Sold 30 Michelin's at 17%, again HP Tire Rack deals, but I'll take the service.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Ling Long and Prosper
"Wanli and long life". I sold some world-class Primacy MXV4's today and made $8 a tire. Crazy? Or should I have let them walk because Costco had them for the same price. plus a $75 instant rebate. What do you do?
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
The Value of Good Tire Service
There's not a lot of good tire installers out there. My TIA training taught me to invest in the service of tires, no matter where your customers buy them and charge lots of money. Do you have the Bartec 400? Or flange plate adapters? Do you clean wheel hubs and flanges? Do you clean your cutomers wheels? Have steel wheel weights? This is the future of tire service and the first step is training.
In my world, Tire Rack has become the benchmark for tire prices and you can't blame the customer for looking on-line for prices before they called you. Wouldn't you? It's the way it is, all day we wheel and deal on tires so we can get the $20 installation and $85 alignment. They're in and out and you don't own their vehicle like you do on repairs, I could do it all day long.
So if you can install tires properly, with 100% customer satisfaction, you'll more than make up for the loss in tire margin by getting the business you'd lose to your competition by trying to hold phoney tire margins.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Nice Touch Cleaning Wheels
"That'll be $982 please, and it looks like out technician cleaned your wheels too". Nice touch. We've always used Eagle One A-Z. (We've tried them all and it's the best). This is the new aerosol can and it's even better on brake dust because it foams. Use with a soft brush on brake dust for better results. Costs $6 and does about 50 wheels. If I were a salesman of course, I'd charge for it!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Tires and Rebates
There's a new Michelin $60 mail-in rebate that starts today. It's a local promotion, put on by our local distributor and it should help level the playing field for a month. because the rebate on a 225/60R16 Michelin Hydroedge that costs me $119 from my distributor....and Costco sells for $132 may persuade them to buy it from me as long as they can wait 6-10 weeks for the prepaid Visa card to arrive. What takes 6-10 weeks anymore?
Saturday, June 27, 2009
The Freight Train
How can I honestly hold 30% margins? How can I compete?
You don't! Tire Rack substitutes the foreplay, and the customer tells you what they want to pay. Deal or no deal? They've taken out the courting and romance in buying tires by providing data and pricing to your door. I freely admit that I love the Tire Rack....(and so do you if you're looking for a 275/35R18 Conti Sport Contact 2 N1, in 2 days). But most tire people I meet, don't like them, or worse won't admit to it, because they have benchmarked the price of their tires. Do you buy from your competition?
You don't! Tire Rack substitutes the foreplay, and the customer tells you what they want to pay. Deal or no deal? They've taken out the courting and romance in buying tires by providing data and pricing to your door. I freely admit that I love the Tire Rack....(and so do you if you're looking for a 275/35R18 Conti Sport Contact 2 N1, in 2 days). But most tire people I meet, don't like them, or worse won't admit to it, because they have benchmarked the price of their tires. Do you buy from your competition?
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Valves Dim Sum
Limited edition. Only $129. Show and tell and increase your tire accessory sales with this billet display.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
The Finishing Touch
If I'm paying $350 for a tire, I want a label that doesn't take 5 minutes to remove and looks like a monkey put it on. What is it with tire companies and labels?
Friday, June 12, 2009
Ownerautosite.com
Check this out www.ownerautosite.com
Works great! And customers, although reluctant to give you e-mail info at first, love it...
Works great! And customers, although reluctant to give you e-mail info at first, love it...
Credit Card vs. Debit Card
Just opened the merchant statement. 1.9% in MC/VISA/DISC fees. 3.25% in AMEX. DEBIT CARD is 0.87%! Do you accept debit cards?
Monday, June 8, 2009
Missed You at the Trade Show
After missing the trade show in 2008 due to business things, I was determined to make a good impression at the trade show this year. But after throwing up 3 times on I95, and my ears turning green, I should have called in sick, but martyred on. In retrospect, I could have been exposing you all to swine flu, but the cause was much greater. I should have called in sick….
And I apologize to someone (hope it wasn’t one of you) who’s BMW had vomit on the hood and the parking garage staff at the Mohegan Sun for the mess I left next to my truck. In my defense though, f you had found me a room at 11am instead of making me wait until 2, I wouldn’t have been sleeping in my truck.
Missed lunch, dinner and you all, but the room was very nice. Thanks to all the volunteers who helped make this show a success and congratulations to Pat McGeoghegan and Dick Aronson on their induction to the NETSA Hall of Fame.
And I apologize to someone (hope it wasn’t one of you) who’s BMW had vomit on the hood and the parking garage staff at the Mohegan Sun for the mess I left next to my truck. In my defense though, f you had found me a room at 11am instead of making me wait until 2, I wouldn’t have been sleeping in my truck.
Missed lunch, dinner and you all, but the room was very nice. Thanks to all the volunteers who helped make this show a success and congratulations to Pat McGeoghegan and Dick Aronson on their induction to the NETSA Hall of Fame.
Referrals
"How likely is it that you would recommend me to a friend?" The most important question you could ask your customer today.
In today’s economy, referrals and word of mouth are the biggest source of new customers. The person that evangelizes your business is the key to its long term success and when your customers support your pricing, and then recommend you to a friend; it doesn’t get much better than that.
Making tires is not my business but creating the romance, and getting them to fall in love with their 2001 Yukon Xl, that's got bad cats, is. And it all starts with a referral. In today’s tire and auto service world, sales other than those that create customer satisfaction, and value, are short term at best.
In today’s economy, referrals and word of mouth are the biggest source of new customers. The person that evangelizes your business is the key to its long term success and when your customers support your pricing, and then recommend you to a friend; it doesn’t get much better than that.
Making tires is not my business but creating the romance, and getting them to fall in love with their 2001 Yukon Xl, that's got bad cats, is. And it all starts with a referral. In today’s tire and auto service world, sales other than those that create customer satisfaction, and value, are short term at best.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Competing against your suppliers?
It's 9am and of the 4 calls I've taken this morning pricing tires, 3 have asked if I can match the internet price they're looking at. Take a 225/60R17 Yokohama TRZ: Tire Rack has it for $114 delivered....TireMonkey has it for $109 delivered....and my price is $101, or $108 when I've added the sales tax! It's a double whammy when you're competing against your suppliers and charging an additional tax that they don't have to pay.....
Closing Call for GM
I hate to sound like a broken record, but car dealers have been throwing us tire dealers under the bus for years. You’re still here.
I just got screwed by the small GM dealer down the street who got out, before he got the "letter". My $1900 check had been "ready" and not signed for the last 3 months and after 30 years in a relationship; they vacated owing me $1900. Way back I knew he was going to screw me and he knew it to…so I took his customers. Slowly, and one by one, I took them….and gave them things he couldn’t, like a positive experience and value for money. I took the targets off women’s backs and added some living plants to the waiting room. I no longer hesitated to throw a manufacturer under the bus, when their product didn’t live up to expectations and then I thanked them for their business.
I just got screwed by the small GM dealer down the street who got out, before he got the "letter". My $1900 check had been "ready" and not signed for the last 3 months and after 30 years in a relationship; they vacated owing me $1900. Way back I knew he was going to screw me and he knew it to…so I took his customers. Slowly, and one by one, I took them….and gave them things he couldn’t, like a positive experience and value for money. I took the targets off women’s backs and added some living plants to the waiting room. I no longer hesitated to throw a manufacturer under the bus, when their product didn’t live up to expectations and then I thanked them for their business.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
Turning the Corner
Have an open mind on the counter. Your loyal customer today may be shopping you tommorow and it could be for a reason other than you! We're in a decent business, people need their cars fixed and we'll be fine as long as we give good value.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Small tips for big profits #1
Here's a tip to help you both smile. Wash their wheels. Don't go crazy, but a hose, a soft brush and some Eagle A-Z wheel cleaner is all it needs to hand back the keys with a smile. People look at wheels, not tire tread, and cleaning their wheels demonstates you care.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
I Hate Wheel Bearings!
Like the 1999 Jetta BIO-TDI we had in today with a growling noise in the left front. Great customers, 3 kids and 2 Great Danes and we just put tires on it and they're back for more. I've been driving cars with bad bearings for 10 years now and we should have sold both to begin with because that biodiesel makes a noise and it's hard to hear anything. So we got it wrong and the customer got 2 for 1. They were happy and we did finally figure out how to use the Hub Tamer!
Average Tire Prices
Our average tire price in 2008 was $107.05. This year it's $126.24. Our service price has remained the same. The value of a tire is in the hands of the dealer who sells and installs it, not the manufacturer or technology behind it. How do you provide value to your customers?
Warranties
A 2 year old Yokohama has cracking between the treads. We called the manufacturer on the customer's behalf and got an authorization number. We waited 5 months for a credit!. No allowance for service and a handling fee. How fast do you get your credits?
Monday, March 16, 2009
Monday
We finished up strong last week. Did 11.5K in GP...45 cars. 86 tires @ 25%. There is no money in tires anymore, pricing is done by the job and the level of service you need to provide to the customer. Have a good week!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Would you like a charity ballon with those tires?
As if we don't have enough to think about at the counter.
CO-OP's a Rip-Off
Co-op is a rip off. I've accrued $1500 in MAST co-op,which I need to spend by 3/31 and have nothing to spend it on. I tried to submit some legit radio advertising, but was rejected due to lack of paperwork...they said I needed an affadavit for each time the ad was run! The wearables are a joke and twice the price of anything I could order locally. It's a rip-off because they use it to justify your pricing and Channel Confusion doesn't like to pay out.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Belize was beautiful
If I had a quarter for every time either a customer, or salesperson, asked me how business is, I’d buy a Caye in Belize! - Business is fine. Thanks for asking. Belize was beautiful-
The tales of woe at the counter are heartbreaking. It takes a special kind of person on your counter to listen, and empathize, then say - Your car needs tires and it’s going to be $1079 including installation - We can do it right now - Would you like an alignment, road hazard, nitrogen, premium wheel weights and a charity balloon with that? – It’s a challenging job at the counter right now and the key is providing value to customers who are digging deep.
The tales of woe at the counter are heartbreaking. It takes a special kind of person on your counter to listen, and empathize, then say - Your car needs tires and it’s going to be $1079 including installation - We can do it right now - Would you like an alignment, road hazard, nitrogen, premium wheel weights and a charity balloon with that? – It’s a challenging job at the counter right now and the key is providing value to customers who are digging deep.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Working "in" the business
The notion of working on your business and not in your business is about 5 years old. ATI always wanted us to do this. I've beaten the shit out of the service manager, so I could be working "on" the business and lost a few good ones along the way. In the family tire store it’s the owners job to bring in customers and the service manager to make relationships and the techs do what they’re good at. Why do most owners avoid the counter? For the family model to work, the owners need to be on the counter, and generating referral business, not in an office working “on” the business.
What happened to the family business?
Most of us have a family. It’s what we go to work for and put our asses on the line for. It's why I crack open that Fosters oil can on a Friday afternoon and pat myself on the back. It’s a special feeling that cannot be bought, and customers know this when they walk in the door. It’s our competitive advantage.
Your brand name is your family, and if you live in a small community like I do, that’s what people are buying. Do good work and your customers will want you to succeed and make a reasonable profit. So instead of trying to compete on price or badmouthing your competition, which is all “they” have, sell your family (not literally!) and the fact that you are part of the community, not a giant behemoth with a multi-million dollar brand name that no one cares about.
Your brand name is your family, and if you live in a small community like I do, that’s what people are buying. Do good work and your customers will want you to succeed and make a reasonable profit. So instead of trying to compete on price or badmouthing your competition, which is all “they” have, sell your family (not literally!) and the fact that you are part of the community, not a giant behemoth with a multi-million dollar brand name that no one cares about.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
Now is the Time
As we head in to this new era of the tire business this year, more than most, it will take teamwork to thrive. From the C Tech lubing the door hinges on every oil change, to a strong business plan from the Owner. From top to bottom, our quality needs to be impeccable if we are to deliver customers. You are in charge of guiding your ship and it's a great time to talk to your employees, whether they're 25 year veterans or new recruits. Explain exactly what you expect from them or offer them a reference if they want to persue other opportunities. It's the meeting every boss needs with their employees right now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)