Topics covered by speakers included succession planning, employing the next generation and modern marketing techniques that work.
The cost of tools and equipment required to service late-model vehicles and advanced technology on newer vehicles nearly tied for the highest threats to general repair shops overall.
With competition for quality techs at an all-time high, Adam Redling advises how to make your shop more attractive to potential employees, starting with how to refine your job opening marketing efforts to entice the best candidates. Sponsored by ACDelco.
There was a time when you could take care of your customers and your people and the rest would take care of itself. It’s a lot more complicated than that today to run a successful business.
Turn on the radio in Canton, OH, and you’re bound to hear a commercial for Hills & Dales AutoCare. And the first thing you’ll notice is a young girl’s voice sharing what makes the shop unique. That voice belongs to shop owner Marty Long’s 14-year-old daughter, who has been recording the shop’s radio spots for the past six or seven years.
When your techs come to you to tell you they’re stumped, and you give them a recommendation, you’ll lose regardless of the outcome. If you solve the problem, you’ve sent a message to the tech that you’re more knowledgeable than they are, which is not going to build their confidence. But then it gets worse; you’ve also taught them to come to you when they’re up against a wall. This is a lose-lose situation, in that if your recommendation doesn’t solve the problem, the tech will come back to you looking for your next recommendation, because you’ve now assumed ownership of the problem.
An independent automotive service business can be so much more than bricks and mortar, equipment, employees and a source of revenue. It can also be a source of pride – a testament to a lifetime’s worth of hard work. I sometimes share case studies of the clients I have been able to assist in my role as an aftermarket business broker and provider of intermediary and advisory services. I do that when I think the story will provide a reader in similar circumstances with new insights or helpful information.
