Social media followers are proven to be more engaged with video than any other type of posting, meaning they “Like,” comment or share video posts more than any other type of posts. More engagement means more branding opportunities for your business. And, when handled correctly, websites that add fresh video regularly also see their rankings go up. These should be compelling reasons to add video to what you do online.
Over the years, I have seen hundreds, if not thousands, of shop owners do irreparable damage to their businesses. This damage occurs when they are mesmerized by the management trainers or consultants who tell them that they can solve all of their problems by raising their prices. Before you listen to the pied pipers who tell you that you can solve all of your problems by jacking up your prices, I wanted to share a different strategy with you.
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.
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.
The only ticket to growth is freedom. The only ticket to freedom for an entrepreneur is a team you trust to follow your business vision. Established businesses fall into certain ruts. Things are moving along and people on your team will leave, and others will be hired to take their place. This can become routine and done without a lot of thought as long as there are enough people to get the job done. Your job, or your manager’s job, is to simply manage the process.
The importance of shop websites – and the ever-growing trend toward mobile devices – leaves shop owners with a few options: keep a traditional website and hope for the best, offer both a regular and mobile-friendly website, or offer a single, responsive website designed to adapt in size and features depending upon the device a visitor is using.
You’ve worked hard to keep your business running. The last thing you need to worry about is an incident ending your business because you can’t afford to pick up the pieces. Reviewing your insurance plans about once a year is a good way to make sure you’re prepared to handle virtually any incident. To help you with a review, or as you shop for new coverage, we spoke with automotive insurance experts for advice on how you can make sure your business is covered.
In the best-case scenario, the new equipment pays for itself, increases trust and loyalty with your customers, improves efficiency, and leaves you with no regret. But, the opposite is always a possibility: the equipment never pays for itself, it goes unused, it breaks down and makes your team inefficient, and ultimately makes you wish you’d never have written the check.
What is environmentally conscious auto service? Let’s face it: repairing automobiles is a dirty business. As a technician working in car dealerships for 10 years, I saw first-hand how the industry dealt with waste and how repairing automobiles promoted a harsh approach to the use of chemicals.
