Bob Cooper

Not long ago, it was easy to beat your competitors. All that you needed was more equipment, a healthy advertising budget and the ability to fix cars right the first time. Well, those days are long gone. Today, cars are being built better and require service less frequently, customers have more choices than ever before, and they are able to do a tremendous amount of research online before they even pick up the phone.

Without question, it is getting harder and harder to find the really great technicians. We just need to bear in mind that they’re out there, and that they’re more than likely relatively happy where they are. So how do you reach these superstars? Well, you may want to consider what your competitors would never dream of doing, and offer a referral reward that gets the attention of everyone in our industry who resides in your community.

If you want to build a successful auto repair business, you will need to have a number of things in place, yet nothing is more important than having service advisors who can sell in a professional and ethical way.

Most shop owners have learned a lot from their mentors, including the importance of listening to their customers, fixing cars right the first time, and never putting money ahead of people. Unfortunately, in far too many cases their mentors pass on some information that actually shouldn’t be followed.

According to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, some CEOs are starting to understand the price they have to pay for quick profits, and many of them are now taking a different approach. Although all companies should consider their long-term growth and financial stability, there has been an ongoing challenge that today’s CEOs face – the relentless demand for immediate profits that is put on them by their stockholders.

One of the challenges that shop owners have faced for years is finding and hiring qualified technicians. Here are 5 of the most successful techniques that I used to find the superstars when I was still operating shops.

The ability to create a brand is no longer under the control of a product or service provider, nor the ad agencies. In today’s world, brands are now created by one entity more than any other, and that entity is social media.

As we all know, since the inception of our industry shop owners have complained about the ever-increasing shortage of qualified technicians. Yet, what I find most interesting is that they seem to overlook one key factor: personal responsibility.

McDonald’s is giving auto repair shops a business lesson that is unlike any other: if you take your focus off of the customer, you will pay a dear price, if not lose your entire business.

We all know that vehicles are being built better, they are lasting longer, and the competition for auto repair customers is heating up. Accordingly, shop owners are constantly looking for ways to add value to their services in order to separate themselves from their competitors.

The top shops in America realize that in order to build a successful business they will need to have team players that are self-starters, who can produce, and who will never compromise their ethics. Over the years, I’ve not only been fortunate enough to hire many of our industry superstars, but I have seen hiring mistakes made every day by shop owners all across America.

People love choices, so if you want to build a more profitable, successful auto repair business, you need to offer your customers options (like a repair with a longer warranty, for example) at every opportunity.