Geotargeting has opened up a whole new world of opportunities for marketers, and for good reason. The ability to reach your target customer based on where they are spending their time is a revolutionary advancement, increasing a business owner’s chance of delivering the right message at the right time.
A Harvard University study found that the amount of time spent on assembling a business plan is directly related to that business’s success. Owners who spend six months or less on the plan ended up with an 80% failure rate, but those who spent a year or more on the plan had an 80% success rate.
Just like anything else in this industry and in life – building a winning shop culture takes time and effort, in addition to strategy. Good thing no one in the auto repair industry is afraid of a little hard work!
Most software updates can improve the efficiency of hardware and the productivity of the user. This can provide the most valuable commodity your business needs – time. Better features, navigation and speed all add up at the end of the year. Better software, and even hardware, can give an employee a few extra days.
A team of great employees is a lot like a well-oiled army platoon. In order to succeed, everyone needs to know their role, needs to support one another, and needs to share a common objective. The team also needs to understand and respect the chain of command.
If you’re a procrastinator, there’s a really good chance you’ll bookmark this article to read later. That would defeat the purpose. Sort of like that book “How to Improve Your Memory” that I can’t seem to find. It’s been over two hundred years since Benjamin Franklin famously said, “never leave that ’till tomorrow which you can do today.” One would think that’s ample time for that success tip to catch on with the human race!
If you’re a procrastinator, there’s a really good chance you’ll bookmark this article to read later. That would defeat the purpose. If you, your business and/or your employees are postponing something that should be done today until tomorrow, you’re not maximizing your time and your results will suffer.
While all positive reviews are valuable, reviews that are stories written by your average customers about common repairs, services and everyday visits that resulted in great experiences will inspire the most trust, and have the most influence.
For years, I’ve stressed the importance of setting appropriate benchmarks, holding your team accountable for reaching them, and measuring daily to track your progress so you can train and adjust to hit your goals by month’s end. The old way of running a shop, where you send your financials to an accountant and find out on the 15th of the following month whether you made or lost money, is long extinct. You can’t fix the month’s numbers if you don’t see them until it’s too late!
The term “leadership” is tossed around often in every industry. Everyone is looking for a way to build the better mousetrap and find the miraculous revelation that will propel us to the next level of leadership stardom.
As independent shop owners, it’s important to understand why consolidation is happening and what impact it has on your business. While some shop owners might see the trends and view this as a perfect opportunity to cash out, if you’re in it for the long haul, you’ll need to figure out how to continue growing your business in light of the consolidation.
It’s out with the old, and in with the new, as we recently welcomed 2018. And, while we each have goals and strategies to suit our unique businesses and situations, there are barometers working behind the scenes that provide positive implications for us this year, says Mary DellaValle, editor of Shop Owner magazine.
