The Plus of Shop Meetings
How many of you have monthly shop meetings with your mechanical staff?
There has to be more than just a few.
This is an incredible resource tool that many just don't know how to unlock.
ASBN
Automotive Service Business Network
Office Articles, Blogs
Let's take a subject and explore it further. 
Traditional business management training can get you started but it won't fully prepare you for the unique world of Automotive Service and Repair.
For that, you will need some 'insider' information that only experience teaches us.
The following articles deal with a wide range of unique subjects related to managing a business in this industry and offer the viewpoints and opinions of specialists from all levels of this industry...including yours.
Enjoy!
At the end of each article will be an area to post your comments and ratings. In addition, you can also direct link to the forums for further discussions on the topic. Your opinions, comments, and ideas are highly welcomed.
Have an article or an idea for an article? Click here to submit your suggestions.
Remember, there is no such thing as a small idea.
What's Going On With This Economy?
What's going on out there? Shops are closing down left, right, and center.
Well, there is no definitive reason other than that our customers don't have the extra income they had last year.
Inflation has hit us hard over the last couple of years and it's not over yet. Just take a look at gas prices, the cost of groceries, the cost of the parts you're putting on the vehicles or the rent you're paying. For many, weathering this economic storm may not be enough.
So, what can we do?
Telephone Technique
Every business has one and every customer has one but too often this tool of communication is misused or at least not used to its potential. If you have a piece of equipment in your shop that is supposed to making you money and is not, you would do whatever was necessary to turn the situation around, wouldn't you? Well, the telephone is an important piece of equipment that is so often overlooked.
Analyzing Productivity
Productivity of a shop boils down to the total time it takes to create the dollars in a given period. From the greeting of the customer to collecting the money, it takes a team effort working within an organized and fluid routine that can make a day productive and profitable.
Don't Buy Your Customers
Are you so insecure that you feel that you have to negotiate for the job?
I don't mean a little goodwill thrown in as a thank you for a large job; I mean negotiating away your profit just to get the job.
You're not alone.
Too many of you out there feel you have to barter to stay busy. You say if you don't do it, the customer will leave and go to a shop that will do it.
