http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/getFeed.kickAction?quantity=25 New blogs from CarGirl on AutoPro Workshop Wed, 22 May 2013 14:39:39 GMT Wed, 22 May 2013 14:39:39 GMT mwillins@advanstar.com (AutoBizGuru) mwillins@advanstar.com (AutoBizGuru) KickApps Feed Builder 2013-05-22T14:39:39Z 113 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/searchEverything.kickAction?as=31710&sortType=recent&tags=null 0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Have-you-thanked-your-employees-today/blog/6532060/31710.html   CHICAGO — Work is work, but there’s no reason it can’t be fun. After all, how you treat your people reflects back on you in how they talk about your business and dedicate themselves to the job. Todd Patkin, author and speaker, shared his experiences from working with people at Autopart International at GAAS 2013. “Everyone’s going to do more for people they care about than people who really don’t treat them as well,” Patkin explains, turning the focus to employee loyalty. That means on each and every day, you need to make sure you’re making your employees feel wanted and appreciated. Part of that is because then they’ll feel that they need to be loyal and reciprocate your efforts. But you also want to do it because it’s the right thing to do.  Why is it important? If you look at each person and they only work 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., that’s 480 minutes they’ll be talking to someone about you. What are your employees saying? One of the biggest things you can do for your employees and their morale is to catch people doing things right. “The way you treat people, building them up, making them feel good, is so, so important,” Patkin says. It’s equally important how you handle them when someone makes a mistake, because the whole company is watching you. If people are afraid to make mistakes, your company will lack ingenuity. You want it to be OK for someone to make a mistake; obviously not many mistakes, there is a difference. But making mistakes is how people learn. It’s also important to include people in decisions. “If you include your management team, maybe one level down, studies have shown people will be happier if you involve them in a decision they feel they should have been involved in, even if they don’t agree with it,” he states And no matter if your best people are at that management level or in other roles within the shop or store, you need to re-recruit your “stars,” Patkin says. Work with these employees to get them more involved, show them that they’re appreciated and they will go even farther. Finally, authenticity also is important. “Where is the one place we can genuinely feel great? Work. That’s why so many Americans are workaholics,” Patkin says. “That’s why we as bosses it’s so important for us to make our people feel good.”      CHICAGO — Work is work, but there’s no reason it can’t be fun. After all, how you treat your people reflects back on you in how they talk about your business and dedicate themselves to the job. Todd Patkin, author and speaker, shared his experiences from working with people at Autopart International at GAAS 2013. “Everyone’s going to do more for people they care about than people who really don’t treat them as well,” Patkin explains, turning the focus to employee loyalty. That means on each and every day, you need to make sure you’re making your employees feel wanted and appreciated. Part of that is because then they’ll feel that they need to be loyal and reciprocate your efforts. But you also want to do it because it’s the right thing to do.  Why is it important? If you look at each person and they only work 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., that’s 480 minutes they’ll be talking to someone about you. What are your employees saying? One of the biggest things you can do for your employees and their morale is to catch people doing things right. “The way you treat people, building them up, making them feel good, is so, so important,” Patkin says. It’s equally important how you handle them when someone makes a mistake, because the whole company is watching you. If people are afraid to make mistakes, your company will lack ingenuity. You want it to be OK for someone to make a mistake; obviously not many mistakes, there is a difference. But making mistakes is how people learn. It’s also important to include people in decisions. “If you include your management team, maybe one level down, studies have shown people will be happier if you involve them in a decision they feel they should have been involved in, even if they don’t agree with it,” he states And no matter if your best people are at that management level or in other roles within the shop or store, you need to re-recruit your “stars,” Patkin says. Work with these employees to get them more involved, show them that they’re appreciated and they will go even farther. Finally, authenticity also is important. “Where is the one place we can genuinely feel great? Work. That’s why so many Americans are workaholics,” Patkin says. “That’s why we as bosses it’s so important for us to make our people feel good.”    Wed, 22 May 2013 14:39:39 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Have-you-thanked-your-employees-today/blog/6532060/31710.html CarGirl 2013-05-22T14:39:39Z Motor Age Blogs AutoPro Workshop   CHICAGO — Work is work, but there’s no reason it can’t be fun. After all, how you treat your people reflects back on you in how they talk about your business and dedicate themselves to the job. Todd Patkin, author and speaker, shared his experiences from working with people at Autopart International at GAAS 2013. “Everyone’s going to do more for people they care about than people who really don’t treat them as well,” Patkin explains, turning the focus to employee loyalty. That means on each and every day, you need to make sure you’re making your employees feel wanted and appreciated. Part of that is because then they’ll feel that they need to be loyal and reciprocate your efforts. But you also want to do it because it’s the right thing to do.  Why is it important? If you look at each person and they only work 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., that’s 480 minutes they’ll be talking to someone about you. What are your employees saying? One of the biggest things you can do for your employees and their morale is to catch people doing things right. “The way you treat people, building them up, making them feel good, is so, so important,” Patkin says. It’s equally important how you handle them when someone makes a mistake, because the whole company is watching you. If people are afraid to make mistakes, your company will lack ingenuity. You want it to be OK for someone to make a mistake; obviously not many mistakes, there is a difference. But making mistakes is how people learn. It’s also important to include people in decisions. “If you include your management team, maybe one level down, studies have shown people will be happier if you involve them in a decision they feel they should have been involved in, even if they don’t agree with it,” he states And no matter if your best people are at that management level or in other roles within the shop or store, you need to re-recruit your “stars,” Patkin says. Work with these employees to get them more involved, show them that they’re appreciated and they will go even farther. Finally, authenticity also is important. “Where is the one place we can genuinely feel great? Work. That’s why so many Americans are workaholics,” Patkin says. “That’s why we as bosses it’s so important for us to make our people feel good.”    aftermarket, automotive, blogs, customer appreciation, employees, gaas, gaas 2013, global symposium, morale, motor age, work balance nonadult false Have you thanked your employees today? text blog aftermarket,automotive,blogs,customer appreciation,employees,gaas,gaas 2013,global symposium,morale,motor age,work balance 65 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=2689446&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_1568458_31710_2689446_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 Motor Age / Blogs 0 6532060 2689446 Member 0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_The-People-Have-the-Power-in-Their-Hands/blog/6531944/31710.html Your customers hold all of the power, and they hold it in the palm of their hand (or hands if they’re on a tablet). “There has been unbelievable, unprecedented adoption of smartphone technology,” says Cynthia Cohen, founder and president of Strategic Mindshare. Speaking again at GAAS, Cohen impressed upon attendees the need to be social and mobile in today’s digital world. “If you think you’re going to tell consumers how to buy, where to buy, when to buy, where to look…you are crazy,” she states. “What has happened in the social, mobile digital field, is the people have all the power.” Smartphones and tablets are so important for today’s shops’ and parts stores’ success. The first thing people do now every morning is they check their phone; sixty-eight percent leave their cell phone by their bed. In fact, people check their smartphones an average of 150 times per day. And that’s just phones; you have to consider tablets and other technology, too. Smart brands — of all sizes — know that people change devices throughout the day. They start on their phone first thing in the morning, then move to a computer at work and are on a tablet at night. This is part of why people have all the power. They will shop when and where they want, and this includes scheduling appointments for service. You’ll get the business with a quality website that also is optimized for viewing on mobile devices (both smartphones and tablets, and there is a difference). The quality is key, because your customers are judging you by the quality of your site, load time and how many clicks to a sale, a new key performance indicator. Some numbers to back up how important mobile-optimized sites are: 54 percent of the U.S. population (per capita) have a smartphone. And that’s not even the greatest penetration. Hong Kong and Sweden both have 85 percent per capita, followed by Australia (72 percent) and South Korea (66 percent). Fifty percent of WalMart customers have smartphones, and both Hispanic and African American populations have greater penetration in the U.S. than white Americans. In addition to being mobile, you need to be on social media sites. We’ve talked a lot for years about Twitter and Facebook, but think you shouldn’t be on Pinterest? In the 2012 holiday season, Pinterest was the No. 1 place for sales, as people would see something they liked and would click right through, Cohen notes. “You cannot get away from this. You cannot stick your head in the sand… because this is where your end consumer is,” she says. And don’t be afraid of stepping into this realm. Yes, you will be hacked. “Stuff happens. Stuff happens more frequently and more explosively in the digital world. You’re not going to change it. People have the power. Hackers have a lot of power. Jeep survived. AP survived,” Cohen says. “However, the best people, the smart brands, know that they have to be diligent and have to have good governance programs, obviously they have to have good (security) programs. …But you have to deal with it timely.” Once you realize you’re ready to step into this, keep in mind that like your customers, this is a do-it-for-me area. Work with a company that can work on your website and help with your social media. There are companies out there that will embrace all of the data available on people talking about you. They can get data on those people, and eventually on the individual customer. That leads to the “tions,” as Cohen puts it: commerce curation , localization, personalization and gamification. Put the information out there on the Internet, up your organic search, don’t be afraid to fail and get more business.  Your customers hold all of the power, and they hold it in the palm of their hand (or hands if they’re on a tablet). “There has been unbelievable, unprecedented adoption of smartphone technology,” says Cynthia Cohen, founder and president of Strategic Mindshare. Speaking again at GAAS, Cohen impressed upon attendees the need to be social and mobile in today’s digital world. “If you think you’re going to tell consumers how to buy, where to buy, when to buy, where to look…you are crazy,” she states. “What has happened in the social, mobile digital field, is the people have all the power.” Smartphones and tablets are so important for today’s shops’ and parts stores’ success. The first thing people do now every morning is they check their phone; sixty-eight percent leave their cell phone by their bed. In fact, people check their smartphones an average of 150 times per day. And that’s just phones; you have to consider tablets and other technology, too. Smart brands — of all sizes — know that people change devices throughout the day. They start on their phone first thing in the morning, then move to a computer at work and are on a tablet at night. This is part of why people have all the power. They will shop when and where they want, and this includes scheduling appointments for service. You’ll get the business with a quality website that also is optimized for viewing on mobile devices (both smartphones and tablets, and there is a difference). The quality is key, because your customers are judging you by the quality of your site, load time and how many clicks to a sale, a new key performance indicator. Some numbers to back up how important mobile-optimized sites are: 54 percent of the U.S. population (per capita) have a smartphone. And that’s not even the greatest penetration. Hong Kong and Sweden both have 85 percent per capita, followed by Australia (72 percent) and South Korea (66 percent). Fifty percent of WalMart customers have smartphones, and both Hispanic and African American populations have greater penetration in the U.S. than white Americans. In addition to being mobile, you need to be on social media sites. We’ve talked a lot for years about Twitter and Facebook, but think you shouldn’t be on Pinterest? In the 2012 holiday season, Pinterest was the No. 1 place for sales, as people would see something they liked and would click right through, Cohen notes. “You cannot get away from this. You cannot stick your head in the sand… because this is where your end consumer is,” she says. And don’t be afraid of stepping into this realm. Yes, you will be hacked. “Stuff happens. Stuff happens more frequently and more explosively in the digital world. You’re not going to change it. People have the power. Hackers have a lot of power. Jeep survived. AP survived,” Cohen says. “However, the best people, the smart brands, know that they have to be diligent and have to have good governance programs, obviously they have to have good (security) programs. …But you have to deal with it timely.” Once you realize you’re ready to step into this, keep in mind that like your customers, this is a do-it-for-me area. Work with a company that can work on your website and help with your social media. There are companies out there that will embrace all of the data available on people talking about you. They can get data on those people, and eventually on the individual customer. That leads to the “tions,” as Cohen puts it: commerce curation , localization, personalization and gamification. Put the information out there on the Internet, up your organic search, don’t be afraid to fail and get more business.  Tue, 21 May 2013 21:08:43 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_The-People-Have-the-Power-in-Their-Hands/blog/6531944/31710.html CarGirl 2013-05-21T21:08:43Z Motor Age Blogs AutoPro Workshop Your customers hold all of the power, and they hold it in the palm of their hand (or hands if they’re on a tablet). “There has been unbelievable, unprecedented adoption of smartphone technology,” says Cynthia Cohen, founder and president of Strategic Mindshare. Speaking again at GAAS, Cohen impressed upon attendees the need to be social and mobile in today’s digital world. “If you think you’re going to tell consumers how to buy, where to buy, when to buy, where to look…you are crazy,” she states. “What has happened in the social, mobile digital field, is the people have all the power.” Smartphones and tablets are so important for today’s shops’ and parts stores’ success. The first thing people do now every morning is they check their phone; sixty-eight percent leave their cell phone by their bed. In fact, people check their smartphones an average of 150 times per day. And that’s just phones; you have to consider tablets and other technology, too. Smart brands — of all sizes — know that people change devices throughout the day. They start on their phone first thing in the morning, then move to a computer at work and are on a tablet at night. This is part of why people have all the power. They will shop when and where they want, and this includes scheduling appointments for service. You’ll get the business with a quality website that also is optimized for viewing on mobile devices (both smartphones and tablets, and there is a difference). The quality is key, because your customers are judging you by the quality of your site, load time and how many clicks to a sale, a new key performance indicator. Some numbers to back up how important mobile-optimized sites are: 54 percent of the U.S. population (per capita) have a smartphone. And that’s not even the greatest penetration. Hong Kong and Sweden both have 85 percent per capita, followed by Australia (72 percent) and South Korea (66 percent). Fifty percent of WalMart customers have smartphones, and both Hispanic and African American populations have greater penetration in the U.S. than white Americans. In addition to being mobile, you need to be on social media sites. We’ve talked a lot for years about Twitter and Facebook, but think you shouldn’t be on Pinterest? In the 2012 holiday season, Pinterest was the No. 1 place for sales, as people would see something they liked and would click right through, Cohen notes. “You cannot get away from this. You cannot stick your head in the sand… because this is where your end consumer is,” she says. And don’t be afraid of stepping into this realm. Yes, you will be hacked. “Stuff happens. Stuff happens more frequently and more explosively in the digital world. You’re not going to change it. People have the power. Hackers have a lot of power. Jeep survived. AP survived,” Cohen says. “However, the best people, the smart brands, know that they have to be diligent and have to have good governance programs, obviously they have to have good (security) programs. …But you have to deal with it timely.” Once you realize you’re ready to step into this, keep in mind that like your customers, this is a do-it-for-me area. Work with a company that can work on your website and help with your social media. There are companies out there that will embrace all of the data available on people talking about you. They can get data on those people, and eventually on the individual customer. That leads to the “tions,” as Cohen puts it: commerce curation , localization, personalization and gamification. Put the information out there on the Internet, up your organic search, don’t be afraid to fail and get more business.  aftermarket, automotive, blogs, facebook, gaas, gaas 2013, global symposium, motor age, social media, twitter nonadult false The People Have the Power in Their Hands text blog aftermarket,automotive,blogs,facebook,gaas,gaas 2013,global symposium,motor age,social media,twitter 84 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=2689446&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_1568458_31710_2689446_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 Motor Age / Blogs 0 6531944 2689446 Member 0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Nearing-the-golden-age-of-vehicles/blog/6531896/31710.html   CHICAGO — The age of vehicles on today’s roads has climbed to 11.6 years, but the golden age of the vehicle might be coming into focus with global industry growth and certain megatrends in the industry. Michael Martini, president of Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations Consumer OE Division, and John McElroy, president of Blue Sky Productions, bantered where things are going from an OE perspective at GAAS 2013. There are three megatrends to consider when looking at this new age: green, safety and intelligent vehicle. Green means more than miles per gallon and meeting the 54.5 mpg standard by 2025. It also means advanced internal combustion engines (ICE), turbo and blower, clean diesel, direct injection and other engine technology; hybrids with stop/start or mild hybrid features, full hybrids or PHEV; full electric vehicles; and up to 10-speed transmissions in the next few years. McElroy notes that it means OEMs focusing on reducing weight in terms of grams, while Martini adds that tires are a big factor. Additionally, Martini says in terms of safety, OEMs are trying to move from ore reactive approaches to proactive ones. How are things being addressed? Occupant safety systems (more airbags and seatbelt activation), intelligent braking systems, blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, pedestrian protection systems, emergency brake assist and collision impact mitigation. “This technology is literally right around the corner where it will be almost, almost impossible for cars to crash into each other,” McElroy notes. Finally, there are other technologies inside the vehicle to consider, including infotainment, navigation, smartphone integration and the connected vehicle. All of these mega trends might not come from where you expect, either. Martini shared information stating that by 2020, U.S. light vehicle sales will hold around 16.7 million units, while sales from Brazil, Russia, India and China hit 46.5 million, nearly doubling since 2008-09. Automakers are collaborating with each other “like we’ve never seen before,” says McElroy, leading to more joint programs, not joint ventures. GM and Ford going in on an 8 or 9-speed transmission is one example he shard. So while the OEMs focus on these three megatrend in the coming years, there are a few things to consider:• There will be more cars on the road• More vehicle/component complexity• Higher quality vehicles on the road• Consumers will hold onto vehicles longer• Aftermarket needs to embrace technology• Need to educate consumers.       CHICAGO — The age of vehicles on today’s roads has climbed to 11.6 years, but the golden age of the vehicle might be coming into focus with global industry growth and certain megatrends in the industry. Michael Martini, president of Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations Consumer OE Division, and John McElroy, president of Blue Sky Productions, bantered where things are going from an OE perspective at GAAS 2013. There are three megatrends to consider when looking at this new age: green, safety and intelligent vehicle. Green means more than miles per gallon and meeting the 54.5 mpg standard by 2025. It also means advanced internal combustion engines (ICE), turbo and blower, clean diesel, direct injection and other engine technology; hybrids with stop/start or mild hybrid features, full hybrids or PHEV; full electric vehicles; and up to 10-speed transmissions in the next few years. McElroy notes that it means OEMs focusing on reducing weight in terms of grams, while Martini adds that tires are a big factor. Additionally, Martini says in terms of safety, OEMs are trying to move from ore reactive approaches to proactive ones. How are things being addressed? Occupant safety systems (more airbags and seatbelt activation), intelligent braking systems, blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, pedestrian protection systems, emergency brake assist and collision impact mitigation. “This technology is literally right around the corner where it will be almost, almost impossible for cars to crash into each other,” McElroy notes. Finally, there are other technologies inside the vehicle to consider, including infotainment, navigation, smartphone integration and the connected vehicle. All of these mega trends might not come from where you expect, either. Martini shared information stating that by 2020, U.S. light vehicle sales will hold around 16.7 million units, while sales from Brazil, Russia, India and China hit 46.5 million, nearly doubling since 2008-09. Automakers are collaborating with each other “like we’ve never seen before,” says McElroy, leading to more joint programs, not joint ventures. GM and Ford going in on an 8 or 9-speed transmission is one example he shard. So while the OEMs focus on these three megatrend in the coming years, there are a few things to consider:• There will be more cars on the road• More vehicle/component complexity• Higher quality vehicles on the road• Consumers will hold onto vehicles longer• Aftermarket needs to embrace technology• Need to educate consumers.     Tue, 21 May 2013 16:11:49 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Nearing-the-golden-age-of-vehicles/blog/6531896/31710.html CarGirl 2013-05-21T16:11:49Z Motor Age Blogs AutoPro Workshop   CHICAGO — The age of vehicles on today’s roads has climbed to 11.6 years, but the golden age of the vehicle might be coming into focus with global industry growth and certain megatrends in the industry. Michael Martini, president of Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations Consumer OE Division, and John McElroy, president of Blue Sky Productions, bantered where things are going from an OE perspective at GAAS 2013. There are three megatrends to consider when looking at this new age: green, safety and intelligent vehicle. Green means more than miles per gallon and meeting the 54.5 mpg standard by 2025. It also means advanced internal combustion engines (ICE), turbo and blower, clean diesel, direct injection and other engine technology; hybrids with stop/start or mild hybrid features, full hybrids or PHEV; full electric vehicles; and up to 10-speed transmissions in the next few years. McElroy notes that it means OEMs focusing on reducing weight in terms of grams, while Martini adds that tires are a big factor. Additionally, Martini says in terms of safety, OEMs are trying to move from ore reactive approaches to proactive ones. How are things being addressed? Occupant safety systems (more airbags and seatbelt activation), intelligent braking systems, blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, pedestrian protection systems, emergency brake assist and collision impact mitigation. “This technology is literally right around the corner where it will be almost, almost impossible for cars to crash into each other,” McElroy notes. Finally, there are other technologies inside the vehicle to consider, including infotainment, navigation, smartphone integration and the connected vehicle. All of these mega trends might not come from where you expect, either. Martini shared information stating that by 2020, U.S. light vehicle sales will hold around 16.7 million units, while sales from Brazil, Russia, India and China hit 46.5 million, nearly doubling since 2008-09. Automakers are collaborating with each other “like we’ve never seen before,” says McElroy, leading to more joint programs, not joint ventures. GM and Ford going in on an 8 or 9-speed transmission is one example he shard. So while the OEMs focus on these three megatrend in the coming years, there are a few things to consider:• There will be more cars on the road• More vehicle/component complexity• Higher quality vehicles on the road• Consumers will hold onto vehicles longer• Aftermarket needs to embrace technology• Need to educate consumers.     blogs, gaas, gaas 2013, global symposium, green, hybrids, motor age, oem, safety, vehicle sales nonadult false Nearing the golden age of vehicles text blog blogs,gaas,gaas 2013,global symposium,green,hybrids,motor age,oem,safety,vehicle sales 116 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=2689446&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_1568458_31710_2689446_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 Motor Age / Blogs 0 6531896 2689446 Member 0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_FNR55NR5-secondary-valve-body-variations/blog/6497553/31710.html [image]Complaint: When it becomes necessary to replace the secondary valve body in an FNR5/5NR5 transmission (figure 1), the replacement valve body appears differently than the original causing the tech to be hesitant with using it. Cause:There are presently three different secondary valve bodies in circulation for the FNR5/5NR5 transmission which can be quickly identified by the casting configuration around the accumulator piston area as seen in figure 2. Design A has a webbed type casting without any identification codes.  Design B has a smooth casting with an identification code of FS50, while Design C is ribbed with a casting ID of 3V1Y. Not knowing the reason for these differences causes the apprehension in swapping them out. [image]Changes:There are presently three different secondary valve bodies in circulation for the FNR5/5NR5 transmission which can be quickly identified by the casting configuration around the accumulator piston area as seen in figure 2. Design A has a webbed type casting without any identification codes.  Design B has a smooth casting with an identification code of FS50, while Design C is ribbed with a casting ID of 3V1Y.  Not knowing the reason for these differences causes the apprehension in swapping them out. Correction:As complete matched assemblies these secondary valve bodies can be interchanged without incident. Interchangeability:Individual parts (outer body, inner body and spacer plate) for A and B design assemblies can be interchanged within themselves. The slight changes made to the accumulator side of design body B allows for the same style spacer plate to be used in both assemblies. The valve body side of design A and B are the same even though the solenoid connector may be black with A and green with B (the solenoid is still the same).  None of the individual parts with design body assembly C can be interchanged with design bodies A and B. There are enough significant changes made between the two valve body halves and the spacer plate to make these parts non-interchangeable individually with  parts used in A and B designed assemblies (See figures 7, 8 and 9). [image]  [image][image] [image]Complaint: When it becomes necessary to replace the secondary valve body in an FNR5/5NR5 transmission (figure 1), the replacement valve body appears differently than the original causing the tech to be hesitant with using it. Cause:There are presently three different secondary valve bodies in circulation for the FNR5/5NR5 transmission which can be quickly identified by the casting configuration around the accumulator piston area as seen in figure 2. Design A has a webbed type casting without any identification codes.  Design B has a smooth casting with an identification code of FS50, while Design C is ribbed with a casting ID of 3V1Y. Not knowing the reason for these differences causes the apprehension in swapping them out. [image]Changes:There are presently three different secondary valve bodies in circulation for the FNR5/5NR5 transmission which can be quickly identified by the casting configuration around the accumulator piston area as seen in figure 2. Design A has a webbed type casting without any identification codes.  Design B has a smooth casting with an identification code of FS50, while Design C is ribbed with a casting ID of 3V1Y.  Not knowing the reason for these differences causes the apprehension in swapping them out. Correction:As complete matched assemblies these secondary valve bodies can be interchanged without incident. Interchangeability:Individual parts (outer body, inner body and spacer plate) for A and B design assemblies can be interchanged within themselves. The slight changes made to the accumulator side of design body B allows for the same style spacer plate to be used in both assemblies. The valve body side of design A and B are the same even though the solenoid connector may be black with A and green with B (the solenoid is still the same).  None of the individual parts with design body assembly C can be interchanged with design bodies A and B. There are enough significant changes made between the two valve body halves and the spacer plate to make these parts non-interchangeable individually with  parts used in A and B designed assemblies (See figures 7, 8 and 9). [image]  [image][image] Wed, 09 Jan 2013 13:52:25 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_FNR55NR5-secondary-valve-body-variations/blog/6497553/31710.html CarGirl 2013-01-09T13:52:25Z Motor Age Blogs AutoPro Workshop [image]Complaint: When it becomes necessary to replace the secondary valve body in an FNR5/5NR5 transmission (figure 1), the replacement valve body appears differently than the original causing the tech to be hesitant with using it. Cause:There are presently three different secondary valve bodies in circulation for the FNR5/5NR5 transmission which can be quickly identified by the casting configuration around the accumulator piston area as seen in figure 2. Design A has a webbed type casting without any identification codes.  Design B has a smooth casting with an identification code of FS50, while Design C is ribbed with a casting ID of 3V1Y. Not knowing the reason for these differences causes the apprehension in swapping them out. [image]Changes:There are presently three different secondary valve bodies in circulation for the FNR5/5NR5 transmission which can be quickly identified by the casting configuration around the accumulator piston area as seen in figure 2. Design A has a webbed type casting without any identification codes.  Design B has a smooth casting with an identification code of FS50, while Design C is ribbed with a casting ID of 3V1Y.  Not knowing the reason for these differences causes the apprehension in swapping them out. Correction:As complete matched assemblies these secondary valve bodies can be interchanged without incident. Interchangeability:Individual parts (outer body, inner body and spacer plate) for A and B design assemblies can be interchanged within themselves. The slight changes made to the accumulator side of design body B allows for the same style spacer plate to be used in both assemblies. The valve body side of design A and B are the same even though the solenoid connector may be black with A and green with B (the solenoid is still the same).  None of the individual parts with design body assembly C can be interchanged with design bodies A and B. There are enough significant changes made between the two valve body halves and the spacer plate to make these parts non-interchangeable individually with  parts used in A and B designed assemblies (See figures 7, 8 and 9). [image]  [image][image] atsg, blogs, fnr5, ford, motor age, powertrain pro, transmissions nonadult false FNR5/5NR5 secondary valve body variations text blog atsg,blogs,fnr5,ford,motor age,powertrain pro,transmissions 372 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=2689446&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_1568458_31710_2689446_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 Motor Age / Blogs 0 6497553 2689446 Member 0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Transtar-shares-training-video-on-Recon-True-Blue-Certified-Torque-Converters/blog/6488052/31710.html   Transtar Industries, Inc., a provider of driveline solutions, has released a new video that features Recon True Blue Certified Torque Converters. Backed by the industry-leading three-year, 36,000-mile warranty, Recon by Transtar True Blue Certified torque converters are the best in the business. Transtar’s new video highlights the state-of-the-art torque converter remanufacturing process that takes place at its two Recon remanufacturing facilities in McKees Rocks, Pa., and Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. Viewers can observe first-hand the advanced process which certifies that each torque converter is the highest quality available – providing customers with peace of mind. “Many of our customers have asked us exactly what ‘True Blue Certified’ means,” says Mike Cargill,Product Manager at Transtar. “Our new video defines True Blue Certified to a tee. Each True Blue Certified torque converter must pass our demanding multi-step series of tests and is built to outperform any other converter on the market.” “By utilizing the industry’s most advanced rebuilding methods, we are able to offer the highest quality converter available,” says Jim Berry, Vice President of Marketing at Transtar. “This gives our customers confidence that when they install a True Blue Certified converter, they are installing the best.” Click below to watch the video.   Transtar Industries, Inc., a provider of driveline solutions, has released a new video that features Recon True Blue Certified Torque Converters. Backed by the industry-leading three-year, 36,000-mile warranty, Recon by Transtar True Blue Certified torque converters are the best in the business. Transtar’s new video highlights the state-of-the-art torque converter remanufacturing process that takes place at its two Recon remanufacturing facilities in McKees Rocks, Pa., and Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. Viewers can observe first-hand the advanced process which certifies that each torque converter is the highest quality available – providing customers with peace of mind. “Many of our customers have asked us exactly what ‘True Blue Certified’ means,” says Mike Cargill,Product Manager at Transtar. “Our new video defines True Blue Certified to a tee. Each True Blue Certified torque converter must pass our demanding multi-step series of tests and is built to outperform any other converter on the market.” “By utilizing the industry’s most advanced rebuilding methods, we are able to offer the highest quality converter available,” says Jim Berry, Vice President of Marketing at Transtar. “This gives our customers confidence that when they install a True Blue Certified converter, they are installing the best.” Click below to watch the video. Sat, 15 Dec 2012 04:46:14 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Transtar-shares-training-video-on-Recon-True-Blue-Certified-Torque-Converters/blog/6488052/31710.html CarGirl 2012-12-15T04:46:14Z Motor Age Blogs AutoPro Workshop   Transtar Industries, Inc., a provider of driveline solutions, has released a new video that features Recon True Blue Certified Torque Converters. Backed by the industry-leading three-year, 36,000-mile warranty, Recon by Transtar True Blue Certified torque converters are the best in the business. Transtar’s new video highlights the state-of-the-art torque converter remanufacturing process that takes place at its two Recon remanufacturing facilities in McKees Rocks, Pa., and Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. Viewers can observe first-hand the advanced process which certifies that each torque converter is the highest quality available – providing customers with peace of mind. “Many of our customers have asked us exactly what ‘True Blue Certified’ means,” says Mike Cargill,Product Manager at Transtar. “Our new video defines True Blue Certified to a tee. Each True Blue Certified torque converter must pass our demanding multi-step series of tests and is built to outperform any other converter on the market.” “By utilizing the industry’s most advanced rebuilding methods, we are able to offer the highest quality converter available,” says Jim Berry, Vice President of Marketing at Transtar. “This gives our customers confidence that when they install a True Blue Certified converter, they are installing the best.” Click below to watch the video. aftermarket, automotive, blogs, motor age, powertrain pro, transmissions, transtar nonadult false Transtar shares training video on Recon™ True Blue Certified Torque Converters text blog aftermarket,automotive,blogs,motor age,powertrain pro,transmissions,transtar 460 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=2689446&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_1568458_31710_2689446_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 Motor Age / Blogs 0 6488052 2689446 Member 0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Virginia-Auto-Service-A-phoenix-from-the-ashes/blog/6484527/31710.html A lot of positives can come from a negative situation if you have the desire to make it happen.  By Robert BravenderContributor [image]Outside of the daily vagaries of life, you rarely have to face rebuilding after a devastating loss, and hopefully never will. But if you ever should, came back better than before. In 2004 an arsonist torched the majority of Matt Allen’s Virginia Auto Service. By 2010 his Phoenix shop was one of Motor Age’s Top 10, honored again in 2012, along with numerous other awards garnered in the years since (2010 Best Auto Repair Shop in Phoenix, 2011 Impact Business of the Year in Response to Adversity, semifinalist in Arizona State University’s Spirit of Enterprise Award). As of last year he began hosting an automotive talk show on a local radio station. Allen credits the fire, or rather the ensuing struggle to recover, with redefining his priorities. “It took a year to rebuild,” Allen reports, “and that was the catalyst to me really paying attention to how a business runs, how things operate, not just winging it and doing it because it felt like the right thing to do.” Contending with continuing expenses but no income, Allen had loyal employees with families relying on him. “It was really a wake-up call for me, to think ’how could I get on top of this?’”  SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE Finding Inspiration Named for it’s street address, Virginia Auto Service has a long history on this corner near downtown Phoenix. Started back in the 1940s by a returning World War II veteran, it had been rebuilt once, then occupied on and off from 1982, when the founder retired, till 1994, when a young, enthusiastic Allen came across the boarded-up store. “I had never been this far south (in the city)…I wanted to be in business, and I found this place.” [image]It was instant karma for Allen, who had divided his youth between Phoenix and Virginia’s D.C. area. A former employer back in Virginia who would take old rundown gas stations and revitalize them also inspired him. “He’d go in there, clean it up, paint the curbs, plant the flowers, turn it around--boom, it’s busy the next day,” recalls Allen. To him this shuttered business looked like the perfect challenge. “I saw the diamond in the rough, so to speak; I knew that I could do this.” He had the store cleaned up and running within a month, retaining the shop’s name even though it now held little legacy within the community. “At that time I was 24 years old,” Allen explains. “I was a mechanic; I wasn’t thinking about marketing. To me marketing was putting my name on a coupon for a $15 oil change. My focus was taking this horribly presented building, which hadn’t been painted since it was built in the ’70s, and turn it around and make it attractive to the people driving by, to the business community.” The subsequent shedding of “blood, sweat and tears” paid off. Starting as a one-man shop, by 2004 Allen was well established and ensconced with a skilled staff. Virginia Auto Service worked on all makes and models of cars and light trucks, doing their best to “do the right thing” by the customers. But late one June night came the call out of a nightmare scenario: his business was on fire, and by the next morning Allen was faced with not only re-restoring his business, but rebuilding a good portion of it. Fortunately three bays remained intact, but he had to struggle for two weeks to get power restored, temporary offices set up, and insurance claims settled. Gaining Strength For the next year they “limped along” as the shop was reconstructed. “It was a tremendously difficult time and we almost went out of business,” says Allen. “It was then that I realized that if I was going to succeed I needed to start taking my business more seriously than I had in the past.” [image]len enrolled in mentoring programs with successful business owners, like those offered through the Automotive Management Institute. “I also joined Bottom Line Impact Group, or RLO training if you will. I just joined those groups and got around my peers in the industry nationwide.” Rededicating himself to the job, Allen started off by learning how to read his own balance sheet, then began looking into marketing and business planning “for the first time in 10 years.” Riding high on this learning curve, he decided to invest in marketing and related technology, “alloca(ting) roughly 6 to 10 percent of annual sales revenue to marketing expenditures,” he reports. Now annual marketing plans are prepared, tracked and adjusted. To that end Allen began employing the services of a marketing director, a move unusual for an independent shop his size--but considering Phoenix is the sixth largest city in the U.S. and one of its fastest growing, perhaps not. [image] “I think I started using an outside marketing resource in 2007,” says Allen of Wendy Kenney, “someone who is expert in the field. She does surveys with customers, and we bounce marketing ideas off her, strategies to get attention for the shop. She’s good at getting us exposure, everything that builds buzz for the business. And with the advent of Facebook and Twitter, she manages that too, because otherwise it just wouldn’t get done.” When the U.S. housing market collapsed in 2008, Phoenix was particularly hard hit, but Allen and his staff had the business so well organized and managed it’s actually charted growth throughout the economic turmoil. “In hindsight, I’m glad the fire happened,” Allen reasons. “If not, I wouldn’t have been in the strong position I was in 2007-08 when things started going haywire.” In the final analysis, does Allen think Virginia Auto Service could have been a Top Shop before the fire? “Probably not,” he says after some thought. “We had all the materials to be a Top Shop, they just weren‘t all connected.” [image] A lot of positives can come from a negative situation if you have the desire to make it happen.  By Robert BravenderContributor [image]Outside of the daily vagaries of life, you rarely have to face rebuilding after a devastating loss, and hopefully never will. But if you ever should, came back better than before. In 2004 an arsonist torched the majority of Matt Allen’s Virginia Auto Service. By 2010 his Phoenix shop was one of Motor Age’s Top 10, honored again in 2012, along with numerous other awards garnered in the years since (2010 Best Auto Repair Shop in Phoenix, 2011 Impact Business of the Year in Response to Adversity, semifinalist in Arizona State University’s Spirit of Enterprise Award). As of last year he began hosting an automotive talk show on a local radio station. Allen credits the fire, or rather the ensuing struggle to recover, with redefining his priorities. “It took a year to rebuild,” Allen reports, “and that was the catalyst to me really paying attention to how a business runs, how things operate, not just winging it and doing it because it felt like the right thing to do.” Contending with continuing expenses but no income, Allen had loyal employees with families relying on him. “It was really a wake-up call for me, to think ’how could I get on top of this?’”  SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE Finding Inspiration Named for it’s street address, Virginia Auto Service has a long history on this corner near downtown Phoenix. Started back in the 1940s by a returning World War II veteran, it had been rebuilt once, then occupied on and off from 1982, when the founder retired, till 1994, when a young, enthusiastic Allen came across the boarded-up store. “I had never been this far south (in the city)…I wanted to be in business, and I found this place.” [image]It was instant karma for Allen, who had divided his youth between Phoenix and Virginia’s D.C. area. A former employer back in Virginia who would take old rundown gas stations and revitalize them also inspired him. “He’d go in there, clean it up, paint the curbs, plant the flowers, turn it around--boom, it’s busy the next day,” recalls Allen. To him this shuttered business looked like the perfect challenge. “I saw the diamond in the rough, so to speak; I knew that I could do this.” He had the store cleaned up and running within a month, retaining the shop’s name even though it now held little legacy within the community. “At that time I was 24 years old,” Allen explains. “I was a mechanic; I wasn’t thinking about marketing. To me marketing was putting my name on a coupon for a $15 oil change. My focus was taking this horribly presented building, which hadn’t been painted since it was built in the ’70s, and turn it around and make it attractive to the people driving by, to the business community.” The subsequent shedding of “blood, sweat and tears” paid off. Starting as a one-man shop, by 2004 Allen was well established and ensconced with a skilled staff. Virginia Auto Service worked on all makes and models of cars and light trucks, doing their best to “do the right thing” by the customers. But late one June night came the call out of a nightmare scenario: his business was on fire, and by the next morning Allen was faced with not only re-restoring his business, but rebuilding a good portion of it. Fortunately three bays remained intact, but he had to struggle for two weeks to get power restored, temporary offices set up, and insurance claims settled. Gaining Strength For the next year they “limped along” as the shop was reconstructed. “It was a tremendously difficult time and we almost went out of business,” says Allen. “It was then that I realized that if I was going to succeed I needed to start taking my business more seriously than I had in the past.” [image]len enrolled in mentoring programs with successful business owners, like those offered through the Automotive Management Institute. “I also joined Bottom Line Impact Group, or RLO training if you will. I just joined those groups and got around my peers in the industry nationwide.” Rededicating himself to the job, Allen started off by learning how to read his own balance sheet, then began looking into marketing and business planning “for the first time in 10 years.” Riding high on this learning curve, he decided to invest in marketing and related technology, “alloca(ting) roughly 6 to 10 percent of annual sales revenue to marketing expenditures,” he reports. Now annual marketing plans are prepared, tracked and adjusted. To that end Allen began employing the services of a marketing director, a move unusual for an independent shop his size--but considering Phoenix is the sixth largest city in the U.S. and one of its fastest growing, perhaps not. [image] “I think I started using an outside marketing resource in 2007,” says Allen of Wendy Kenney, “someone who is expert in the field. She does surveys with customers, and we bounce marketing ideas off her, strategies to get attention for the shop. She’s good at getting us exposure, everything that builds buzz for the business. And with the advent of Facebook and Twitter, she manages that too, because otherwise it just wouldn’t get done.” When the U.S. housing market collapsed in 2008, Phoenix was particularly hard hit, but Allen and his staff had the business so well organized and managed it’s actually charted growth throughout the economic turmoil. “In hindsight, I’m glad the fire happened,” Allen reasons. “If not, I wouldn’t have been in the strong position I was in 2007-08 when things started going haywire.” In the final analysis, does Allen think Virginia Auto Service could have been a Top Shop before the fire? “Probably not,” he says after some thought. “We had all the materials to be a Top Shop, they just weren‘t all connected.” [image] Fri, 07 Dec 2012 04:01:05 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Virginia-Auto-Service-A-phoenix-from-the-ashes/blog/6484527/31710.html CarGirl 2012-12-07T04:01:05Z Motor Age Blogs AutoPro Workshop A lot of positives can come from a negative situation if you have the desire to make it happen.  By Robert BravenderContributor [image]Outside of the daily vagaries of life, you rarely have to face rebuilding after a devastating loss, and hopefully never will. But if you ever should, came back better than before. In 2004 an arsonist torched the majority of Matt Allen’s Virginia Auto Service. By 2010 his Phoenix shop was one of Motor Age’s Top 10, honored again in 2012, along with numerous other awards garnered in the years since (2010 Best Auto Repair Shop in Phoenix, 2011 Impact Business of the Year in Response to Adversity, semifinalist in Arizona State University’s Spirit of Enterprise Award). As of last year he began hosting an automotive talk show on a local radio station. Allen credits the fire, or rather the ensuing struggle to recover, with redefining his priorities. “It took a year to rebuild,” Allen reports, “and that was the catalyst to me really paying attention to how a business runs, how things operate, not just winging it and doing it because it felt like the right thing to do.” Contending with continuing expenses but no income, Allen had loyal employees with families relying on him. “It was really a wake-up call for me, to think ’how could I get on top of this?’”  SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE Finding Inspiration Named for it’s street address, Virginia Auto Service has a long history on this corner near downtown Phoenix. Started back in the 1940s by a returning World War II veteran, it had been rebuilt once, then occupied on and off from 1982, when the founder retired, till 1994, when a young, enthusiastic Allen came across the boarded-up store. “I had never been this far south (in the city)…I wanted to be in business, and I found this place.” [image]It was instant karma for Allen, who had divided his youth between Phoenix and Virginia’s D.C. area. A former employer back in Virginia who would take old rundown gas stations and revitalize them also inspired him. “He’d go in there, clean it up, paint the curbs, plant the flowers, turn it around--boom, it’s busy the next day,” recalls Allen. To him this shuttered business looked like the perfect challenge. “I saw the diamond in the rough, so to speak; I knew that I could do this.” He had the store cleaned up and running within a month, retaining the shop’s name even though it now held little legacy within the community. “At that time I was 24 years old,” Allen explains. “I was a mechanic; I wasn’t thinking about marketing. To me marketing was putting my name on a coupon for a $15 oil change. My focus was taking this horribly presented building, which hadn’t been painted since it was built in the ’70s, and turn it around and make it attractive to the people driving by, to the business community.” The subsequent shedding of “blood, sweat and tears” paid off. Starting as a one-man shop, by 2004 Allen was well established and ensconced with a skilled staff. Virginia Auto Service worked on all makes and models of cars and light trucks, doing their best to “do the right thing” by the customers. But late one June night came the call out of a nightmare scenario: his business was on fire, and by the next morning Allen was faced with not only re-restoring his business, but rebuilding a good portion of it. Fortunately three bays remained intact, but he had to struggle for two weeks to get power restored, temporary offices set up, and insurance claims settled. Gaining Strength For the next year they “limped along” as the shop was reconstructed. “It was a tremendously difficult time and we almost went out of business,” says Allen. “It was then that I realized that if I was going to succeed I needed to start taking my business more seriously than I had in the past.” [image]len enrolled in mentoring programs with successful business owners, like those offered through the Automotive Management Institute. “I also joined Bottom Line Impact Group, or RLO training if you will. I just joined those groups and got around my peers in the industry nationwide.” Rededicating himself to the job, Allen started off by learning how to read his own balance sheet, then began looking into marketing and business planning “for the first time in 10 years.” Riding high on this learning curve, he decided to invest in marketing and related technology, “alloca(ting) roughly 6 to 10 percent of annual sales revenue to marketing expenditures,” he reports. Now annual marketing plans are prepared, tracked and adjusted. To that end Allen began employing the services of a marketing director, a move unusual for an independent shop his size--but considering Phoenix is the sixth largest city in the U.S. and one of its fastest growing, perhaps not. [image] “I think I started using an outside marketing resource in 2007,” says Allen of Wendy Kenney, “someone who is expert in the field. She does surveys with customers, and we bounce marketing ideas off her, strategies to get attention for the shop. She’s good at getting us exposure, everything that builds buzz for the business. And with the advent of Facebook and Twitter, she manages that too, because otherwise it just wouldn’t get done.” When the U.S. housing market collapsed in 2008, Phoenix was particularly hard hit, but Allen and his staff had the business so well organized and managed it’s actually charted growth throughout the economic turmoil. “In hindsight, I’m glad the fire happened,” Allen reasons. “If not, I wouldn’t have been in the strong position I was in 2007-08 when things started going haywire.” In the final analysis, does Allen think Virginia Auto Service could have been a Top Shop before the fire? “Probably not,” he says after some thought. “We had all the materials to be a Top Shop, they just weren‘t all connected.” [image] aftermarket, automotive, blogs, motor age, repair shops, top shops, virginia auto service nonadult false Virginia Auto Service: A phoenix from the ashes text blog aftermarket,automotive,blogs,motor age,repair shops,top shops,virginia auto service 929 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=2689446&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_1568458_31710_2689446_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 Motor Age / Blogs 0 6484527 2689446 Member 0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Rick39s-Automotive-Building-blocks/blog/6484525/31710.html Rick’s Automotive has built its location piece by piece for 30 years, and rang in the new year in style.  By Tschanen BrandyberryManaging Editor Ringing in the New Year this year was a little bit more fun at Rick’s Automotive in Springfield, Mo. [image]The shop celebrated the grand opening of a 12,000-square foot expansion on Dec. 30, 2011, kicking off a new era in the shop that opened its doors for the first time in 1980. The expansion added a quick lube and tire center at the location, bringing its total coverage to 28,000 square feet and 28 bays. That’s a far cry from the rented 2,500-square foot building Rick Hughlett started in with one other employee and his wife, Karen, keeping the books. Hughlett notes that the shop saw growth in fairly good time, moving out of the rented space into a location next door in 1988. That 8,000-square foot/10-bay facility housed eight employees comprised of five technicians, two service advisors, a porter and Hughlett. With the recent expansion complete, the building blocks have fallen into place, and the shop earned its place thanks to the work of Rick’s Automotive’s 22 technicians and 15 other shop employees. But they couldn’t have gotten the success they’ve achieved in the shop without Hughlett’s long-time focus on the building blocks of training. SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE Making Training a Priority “Training, I think, speaks for itself. We’re in a high technical business, and it changes every year. That’s how you keep employees for 25 years,” Hughlett says, making note of the three technicians he has employed for more than 20 years and his general manager, Tim Cummings, who has been with him for 25. Rick’s Automotive employs a full-time training coordinator, which according to Hughlett, designs and implements training plans for employes. The shop features a dedicated training room with 72-inch flat screen TV and wireless communication devices for in-house training. Every other Tuesday, the staff meets to cover upcoming training and other in-shop issues, policies, equipment updates or participate in online training. [image]“If I’m going to put out a good product, I need trained people,” Hughlett adds. He goes beyond the in-house training to taking 21 employees – 18 technicians plus service advisors – to VISION Hi-Tech Expo each spring, and has done so since its inception. While they’ve also attended CARS and SEMA, the Missouri-based VISION is an easy event for the Rick’s Automotive group to get to, Hughlett states. Also, four of the technicians do attend the Thursday and Friday training classes before the rest of the staff attending the event arrives. Cummings, current ASA Mo/Kan president, also is at the event, helping run the four days. For the following week, the shop has daily lunch meetings in the training room, and employees take turns sharing lessons they learned in their sessions. “If I’m going to spend $13,000 on a weekend, I’m going to get my money’s worth,” Hughlett says. Getting the employees to give up a weekend with their families for the additional training never is an issue, he adds. In fact, it’s brought up from the beginning in the interview process. “They understand that to move the business ahead, it’s important for them to be there,” Hughlett says. “They know if they scout the equipment show and find new tools, I’m probably going to buy them.” Blocking off Repair Segments That technology the employees find might vary by technician, as each area of the complex focuses on a different part of automotive repair. For example, there is a designated fleet service area as well as A-line repair work and quick service. Hughlett staffs his bays with the equipment needed for those specific repairs, as well as factory scan tools. “We have a policy to use only factory specific scan tools, which allows us the ability to program virtually every make of vehicle we repair,” he notes. “It is also much quicker and gives more accurate information. We have one person in charge of keeping the subscriptions updated and checking the equipment out to the other techs so he can make sure everything is back in place.” [image]The shop services 110 fleets for area businesses, including ambulances for hospitals in 22 counties surrounding the shop. This opened the door for additional customers, an opportunity on which Hughlett has capitalized. Online Service The shop is seeing about 30 percent of its customers using an online appointment scheduler on the shop’s website, www.ricksautomotive.com. A large number of these appointments, in addition to the shop’s overall clientbase, are from its fleet accounts. Making it easier for the customers to schedule is a bonus to the help these features provide the shop.  “The more we can do on computer and texting, it helps speed things up,” Hughlett notes, adding they also utilize Demandforce to help with customer retention. “At the size we’re at, anything I can set up automatically really helps, and they’ve been phenomenal. It does a really good job for us.” In addition to bringing in outside experts for customer retention and website assistance, he works with ADSmith Marketing and Advertising to help with his marketing. “I’ve worked with them for about 15 years. I’ve always done some marketing, you have to do what you can afford in the beginning,” Hughlett explains. “I started as just myself and a helper. We started radio first. We just did two spots a day, one in morning drive and one in afternoon drive. People thought we were on the radio all the time because they heard us every day.” ADSmith helps target where to place advertising based on Arbitron Radio and Nielsen TV ratings. The company compares demographics and ratings with customers the shop wants to reach to make Hughlett’s marketing budget reach. For example, they curbed back on some TV advertising this year so that political ads would not bump Rick’s Automotive’s ads, while last year, more ads ran during Olympic coverage. The agency also has worked with him on creating commercials featuring him delivering the shop’s message. That’s all in addition to focusing on current customers, Hughlett points out. “We do heavy marketing to our customers. As everybody knows, that’s the easiest one; you’ve already sold them on your product. You’ve already sold them on what you do.”  A Sense of Community And while Hughlett’s employees work on the community’s vehicles, he and the employees also work on the community. “I’ve always believed in leading by example. They see what I do in the community. A lot of it is money over time, because you can’t be everywhere at once. But we do sponsor a lot of big events,” Hughlett says. “And a lot of that is in the interview process too. When I interview people, I see if they’re a giving-type person or a taking-type person.” [image]Hughlett sits on many boards in the community, and the shop participates in Habitat for Humanity, breast cancer foundation events, Bike MS 150, the United Way and several other charitable causes, including donating vehicles to Women In Need. The upcoming community service events are discussed during the staff meetings every other Tuesday, and many employees get their families involved as well. “They make fun out of it, they don’t view it as work,” Hughlett says. “Every body here is community oriented, because they understand that’s where their bread’s buttered. They understand that’s who’s doing business with us. And when you’re doing good, and my guys make good money, you owe it back.”  Giving Back in the Industry Hughlett has been a part of the Automotive Service Association for decades, as well as AAA, ASE as a Blue Seal of Excellence facility, the BBB and several R.L. O’Connor 20 Groups. He has served in several leadership capacities, and Cummings, the shop’s GM, now is as well. Hughlett and others in his area also helped form and advisory committee of automotive service providers for the automotive program at what now is Ozarks Technical Community College (OTC). The committee began at a previous vocational school that OTC later acquired. The committee has grown and formalized, making sure it guides the department on what these young technicians should be learning in the classes to prepare them for work in a shop. And when it comes to bettering his business relationships, Hughlett has honed those with his suppliers, some of which he’s been with for 30 years. The complete statement reviews quarterly to ensure negotiated discounts are being met. Rick’s Automotive is a unique customer, in that the shop employs five porters that make parts runs rather than having the supplier deliver them. “Basically it’s for our own good. With 21 technicians, I can’t afford to wait. I’ve got five advisors and 21 techs, we can’t afford to wait for somebody to bring a part to us,” Hughlett says. “If we need something, we go get it. Sometimes I’ll run 60 miles if it’s a part that we need that day just to keep the machine rolling.” It helps him in negotiations, too, because it doesn’t cost the supplier anything to service his account. Plans and employees like that are carefully selected roles and blocks upon which the business is designed. Each step is a move designed to carefully move the shop forward, toward more expansion opportunities and better service. [image] Rick’s Automotive has built its location piece by piece for 30 years, and rang in the new year in style.  By Tschanen BrandyberryManaging Editor Ringing in the New Year this year was a little bit more fun at Rick’s Automotive in Springfield, Mo. [image]The shop celebrated the grand opening of a 12,000-square foot expansion on Dec. 30, 2011, kicking off a new era in the shop that opened its doors for the first time in 1980. The expansion added a quick lube and tire center at the location, bringing its total coverage to 28,000 square feet and 28 bays. That’s a far cry from the rented 2,500-square foot building Rick Hughlett started in with one other employee and his wife, Karen, keeping the books. Hughlett notes that the shop saw growth in fairly good time, moving out of the rented space into a location next door in 1988. That 8,000-square foot/10-bay facility housed eight employees comprised of five technicians, two service advisors, a porter and Hughlett. With the recent expansion complete, the building blocks have fallen into place, and the shop earned its place thanks to the work of Rick’s Automotive’s 22 technicians and 15 other shop employees. But they couldn’t have gotten the success they’ve achieved in the shop without Hughlett’s long-time focus on the building blocks of training. SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE Making Training a Priority “Training, I think, speaks for itself. We’re in a high technical business, and it changes every year. That’s how you keep employees for 25 years,” Hughlett says, making note of the three technicians he has employed for more than 20 years and his general manager, Tim Cummings, who has been with him for 25. Rick’s Automotive employs a full-time training coordinator, which according to Hughlett, designs and implements training plans for employes. The shop features a dedicated training room with 72-inch flat screen TV and wireless communication devices for in-house training. Every other Tuesday, the staff meets to cover upcoming training and other in-shop issues, policies, equipment updates or participate in online training. [image]“If I’m going to put out a good product, I need trained people,” Hughlett adds. He goes beyond the in-house training to taking 21 employees – 18 technicians plus service advisors – to VISION Hi-Tech Expo each spring, and has done so since its inception. While they’ve also attended CARS and SEMA, the Missouri-based VISION is an easy event for the Rick’s Automotive group to get to, Hughlett states. Also, four of the technicians do attend the Thursday and Friday training classes before the rest of the staff attending the event arrives. Cummings, current ASA Mo/Kan president, also is at the event, helping run the four days. For the following week, the shop has daily lunch meetings in the training room, and employees take turns sharing lessons they learned in their sessions. “If I’m going to spend $13,000 on a weekend, I’m going to get my money’s worth,” Hughlett says. Getting the employees to give up a weekend with their families for the additional training never is an issue, he adds. In fact, it’s brought up from the beginning in the interview process. “They understand that to move the business ahead, it’s important for them to be there,” Hughlett says. “They know if they scout the equipment show and find new tools, I’m probably going to buy them.” Blocking off Repair Segments That technology the employees find might vary by technician, as each area of the complex focuses on a different part of automotive repair. For example, there is a designated fleet service area as well as A-line repair work and quick service. Hughlett staffs his bays with the equipment needed for those specific repairs, as well as factory scan tools. “We have a policy to use only factory specific scan tools, which allows us the ability to program virtually every make of vehicle we repair,” he notes. “It is also much quicker and gives more accurate information. We have one person in charge of keeping the subscriptions updated and checking the equipment out to the other techs so he can make sure everything is back in place.” [image]The shop services 110 fleets for area businesses, including ambulances for hospitals in 22 counties surrounding the shop. This opened the door for additional customers, an opportunity on which Hughlett has capitalized. Online Service The shop is seeing about 30 percent of its customers using an online appointment scheduler on the shop’s website, www.ricksautomotive.com. A large number of these appointments, in addition to the shop’s overall clientbase, are from its fleet accounts. Making it easier for the customers to schedule is a bonus to the help these features provide the shop.  “The more we can do on computer and texting, it helps speed things up,” Hughlett notes, adding they also utilize Demandforce to help with customer retention. “At the size we’re at, anything I can set up automatically really helps, and they’ve been phenomenal. It does a really good job for us.” In addition to bringing in outside experts for customer retention and website assistance, he works with ADSmith Marketing and Advertising to help with his marketing. “I’ve worked with them for about 15 years. I’ve always done some marketing, you have to do what you can afford in the beginning,” Hughlett explains. “I started as just myself and a helper. We started radio first. We just did two spots a day, one in morning drive and one in afternoon drive. People thought we were on the radio all the time because they heard us every day.” ADSmith helps target where to place advertising based on Arbitron Radio and Nielsen TV ratings. The company compares demographics and ratings with customers the shop wants to reach to make Hughlett’s marketing budget reach. For example, they curbed back on some TV advertising this year so that political ads would not bump Rick’s Automotive’s ads, while last year, more ads ran during Olympic coverage. The agency also has worked with him on creating commercials featuring him delivering the shop’s message. That’s all in addition to focusing on current customers, Hughlett points out. “We do heavy marketing to our customers. As everybody knows, that’s the easiest one; you’ve already sold them on your product. You’ve already sold them on what you do.”  A Sense of Community And while Hughlett’s employees work on the community’s vehicles, he and the employees also work on the community. “I’ve always believed in leading by example. They see what I do in the community. A lot of it is money over time, because you can’t be everywhere at once. But we do sponsor a lot of big events,” Hughlett says. “And a lot of that is in the interview process too. When I interview people, I see if they’re a giving-type person or a taking-type person.” [image]Hughlett sits on many boards in the community, and the shop participates in Habitat for Humanity, breast cancer foundation events, Bike MS 150, the United Way and several other charitable causes, including donating vehicles to Women In Need. The upcoming community service events are discussed during the staff meetings every other Tuesday, and many employees get their families involved as well. “They make fun out of it, they don’t view it as work,” Hughlett says. “Every body here is community oriented, because they understand that’s where their bread’s buttered. They understand that’s who’s doing business with us. And when you’re doing good, and my guys make good money, you owe it back.”  Giving Back in the Industry Hughlett has been a part of the Automotive Service Association for decades, as well as AAA, ASE as a Blue Seal of Excellence facility, the BBB and several R.L. O’Connor 20 Groups. He has served in several leadership capacities, and Cummings, the shop’s GM, now is as well. Hughlett and others in his area also helped form and advisory committee of automotive service providers for the automotive program at what now is Ozarks Technical Community College (OTC). The committee began at a previous vocational school that OTC later acquired. The committee has grown and formalized, making sure it guides the department on what these young technicians should be learning in the classes to prepare them for work in a shop. And when it comes to bettering his business relationships, Hughlett has honed those with his suppliers, some of which he’s been with for 30 years. The complete statement reviews quarterly to ensure negotiated discounts are being met. Rick’s Automotive is a unique customer, in that the shop employs five porters that make parts runs rather than having the supplier deliver them. “Basically it’s for our own good. With 21 technicians, I can’t afford to wait. I’ve got five advisors and 21 techs, we can’t afford to wait for somebody to bring a part to us,” Hughlett says. “If we need something, we go get it. Sometimes I’ll run 60 miles if it’s a part that we need that day just to keep the machine rolling.” It helps him in negotiations, too, because it doesn’t cost the supplier anything to service his account. Plans and employees like that are carefully selected roles and blocks upon which the business is designed. Each step is a move designed to carefully move the shop forward, toward more expansion opportunities and better service. [image] Fri, 07 Dec 2012 03:57:27 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Rick39s-Automotive-Building-blocks/blog/6484525/31710.html CarGirl 2012-12-07T03:57:27Z Motor Age Blogs AutoPro Workshop Rick’s Automotive has built its location piece by piece for 30 years, and rang in the new year in style.  By Tschanen BrandyberryManaging Editor Ringing in the New Year this year was a little bit more fun at Rick’s Automotive in Springfield, Mo. [image]The shop celebrated the grand opening of a 12,000-square foot expansion on Dec. 30, 2011, kicking off a new era in the shop that opened its doors for the first time in 1980. The expansion added a quick lube and tire center at the location, bringing its total coverage to 28,000 square feet and 28 bays. That’s a far cry from the rented 2,500-square foot building Rick Hughlett started in with one other employee and his wife, Karen, keeping the books. Hughlett notes that the shop saw growth in fairly good time, moving out of the rented space into a location next door in 1988. That 8,000-square foot/10-bay facility housed eight employees comprised of five technicians, two service advisors, a porter and Hughlett. With the recent expansion complete, the building blocks have fallen into place, and the shop earned its place thanks to the work of Rick’s Automotive’s 22 technicians and 15 other shop employees. But they couldn’t have gotten the success they’ve achieved in the shop without Hughlett’s long-time focus on the building blocks of training. SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE Making Training a Priority “Training, I think, speaks for itself. We’re in a high technical business, and it changes every year. That’s how you keep employees for 25 years,” Hughlett says, making note of the three technicians he has employed for more than 20 years and his general manager, Tim Cummings, who has been with him for 25. Rick’s Automotive employs a full-time training coordinator, which according to Hughlett, designs and implements training plans for employes. The shop features a dedicated training room with 72-inch flat screen TV and wireless communication devices for in-house training. Every other Tuesday, the staff meets to cover upcoming training and other in-shop issues, policies, equipment updates or participate in online training. [image]“If I’m going to put out a good product, I need trained people,” Hughlett adds. He goes beyond the in-house training to taking 21 employees – 18 technicians plus service advisors – to VISION Hi-Tech Expo each spring, and has done so since its inception. While they’ve also attended CARS and SEMA, the Missouri-based VISION is an easy event for the Rick’s Automotive group to get to, Hughlett states. Also, four of the technicians do attend the Thursday and Friday training classes before the rest of the staff attending the event arrives. Cummings, current ASA Mo/Kan president, also is at the event, helping run the four days. For the following week, the shop has daily lunch meetings in the training room, and employees take turns sharing lessons they learned in their sessions. “If I’m going to spend $13,000 on a weekend, I’m going to get my money’s worth,” Hughlett says. Getting the employees to give up a weekend with their families for the additional training never is an issue, he adds. In fact, it’s brought up from the beginning in the interview process. “They understand that to move the business ahead, it’s important for them to be there,” Hughlett says. “They know if they scout the equipment show and find new tools, I’m probably going to buy them.” Blocking off Repair Segments That technology the employees find might vary by technician, as each area of the complex focuses on a different part of automotive repair. For example, there is a designated fleet service area as well as A-line repair work and quick service. Hughlett staffs his bays with the equipment needed for those specific repairs, as well as factory scan tools. “We have a policy to use only factory specific scan tools, which allows us the ability to program virtually every make of vehicle we repair,” he notes. “It is also much quicker and gives more accurate information. We have one person in charge of keeping the subscriptions updated and checking the equipment out to the other techs so he can make sure everything is back in place.” [image]The shop services 110 fleets for area businesses, including ambulances for hospitals in 22 counties surrounding the shop. This opened the door for additional customers, an opportunity on which Hughlett has capitalized. Online Service The shop is seeing about 30 percent of its customers using an online appointment scheduler on the shop’s website, www.ricksautomotive.com. A large number of these appointments, in addition to the shop’s overall clientbase, are from its fleet accounts. Making it easier for the customers to schedule is a bonus to the help these features provide the shop.  “The more we can do on computer and texting, it helps speed things up,” Hughlett notes, adding they also utilize Demandforce to help with customer retention. “At the size we’re at, anything I can set up automatically really helps, and they’ve been phenomenal. It does a really good job for us.” In addition to bringing in outside experts for customer retention and website assistance, he works with ADSmith Marketing and Advertising to help with his marketing. “I’ve worked with them for about 15 years. I’ve always done some marketing, you have to do what you can afford in the beginning,” Hughlett explains. “I started as just myself and a helper. We started radio first. We just did two spots a day, one in morning drive and one in afternoon drive. People thought we were on the radio all the time because they heard us every day.” ADSmith helps target where to place advertising based on Arbitron Radio and Nielsen TV ratings. The company compares demographics and ratings with customers the shop wants to reach to make Hughlett’s marketing budget reach. For example, they curbed back on some TV advertising this year so that political ads would not bump Rick’s Automotive’s ads, while last year, more ads ran during Olympic coverage. The agency also has worked with him on creating commercials featuring him delivering the shop’s message. That’s all in addition to focusing on current customers, Hughlett points out. “We do heavy marketing to our customers. As everybody knows, that’s the easiest one; you’ve already sold them on your product. You’ve already sold them on what you do.”  A Sense of Community And while Hughlett’s employees work on the community’s vehicles, he and the employees also work on the community. “I’ve always believed in leading by example. They see what I do in the community. A lot of it is money over time, because you can’t be everywhere at once. But we do sponsor a lot of big events,” Hughlett says. “And a lot of that is in the interview process too. When I interview people, I see if they’re a giving-type person or a taking-type person.” [image]Hughlett sits on many boards in the community, and the shop participates in Habitat for Humanity, breast cancer foundation events, Bike MS 150, the United Way and several other charitable causes, including donating vehicles to Women In Need. The upcoming community service events are discussed during the staff meetings every other Tuesday, and many employees get their families involved as well. “They make fun out of it, they don’t view it as work,” Hughlett says. “Every body here is community oriented, because they understand that’s where their bread’s buttered. They understand that’s who’s doing business with us. And when you’re doing good, and my guys make good money, you owe it back.”  Giving Back in the Industry Hughlett has been a part of the Automotive Service Association for decades, as well as AAA, ASE as a Blue Seal of Excellence facility, the BBB and several R.L. O’Connor 20 Groups. He has served in several leadership capacities, and Cummings, the shop’s GM, now is as well. Hughlett and others in his area also helped form and advisory committee of automotive service providers for the automotive program at what now is Ozarks Technical Community College (OTC). The committee began at a previous vocational school that OTC later acquired. The committee has grown and formalized, making sure it guides the department on what these young technicians should be learning in the classes to prepare them for work in a shop. And when it comes to bettering his business relationships, Hughlett has honed those with his suppliers, some of which he’s been with for 30 years. The complete statement reviews quarterly to ensure negotiated discounts are being met. Rick’s Automotive is a unique customer, in that the shop employs five porters that make parts runs rather than having the supplier deliver them. “Basically it’s for our own good. With 21 technicians, I can’t afford to wait. I’ve got five advisors and 21 techs, we can’t afford to wait for somebody to bring a part to us,” Hughlett says. “If we need something, we go get it. Sometimes I’ll run 60 miles if it’s a part that we need that day just to keep the machine rolling.” It helps him in negotiations, too, because it doesn’t cost the supplier anything to service his account. Plans and employees like that are carefully selected roles and blocks upon which the business is designed. Each step is a move designed to carefully move the shop forward, toward more expansion opportunities and better service. [image] aftermarket, automotive, blogs, motor age, repair shops, ricks automotive, top shops nonadult false Rick's Automotive: Building blocks text blog aftermarket,automotive,blogs,motor age,repair shops,ricks automotive,top shops 717 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=2689446&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_1568458_31710_2689446_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 Motor Age / Blogs 0 6484525 2689446 Member 0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Rad-Air-Complete-Car-Care-Something-in-the-air/blog/6484097/31710.html A past winning shop continues to expand over one Ohio market.  By Robert BravenderContributor [image]While the “rad” in Rad Air Complete Car Care might seem to denote something radical, it’s actually pronounced “raid,” as in radiator, depending on where you’re from. Founded in 1975 as Radiator & Air Conditioning Repair, Andy Fiffick bought the Cleveland, Ohio-based outfit in 1986. Shortly thereafter, he added the last three words to reflect the shop’s expansion into other areas of auto repair. Then he expanded again, into a chain of stores across the city. But you probably already knew this: Rad Air was the Top Shop in 2011 and came in third the year before. Taking a break from the opening of his 12th store, Fiffick shared some of his observations on what it takes to expand a chain. Noting that the Cleveland market is “inundated” with quick lube-style stores, as well as growing competition from dealership networks, his short answer was: look where there might be a potential market that’s under-serviced and get a place near it. “Once I got to the point where we knew we wanted to expand,” Fiffick continues, “I hooked up with a real estate broker and gave him my parameters and demographics, and he consistently brings things to the table.”   SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE Managing Growth Fiffick notes that they have been able to grow two stores per year for the last three years, although that probably took six to seven years of work. “What we have to do is identify a segment of the Cleveland market that (competitors) are not in or have saturated,” he says, “and look for trends where the population growth is going to be. Then we look for pieces of property that could fit that profile. It's very difficult to narrow that all down and actually put a deal together.” [image]What worked well recently was hooking up with local Kmarts. With garage space left vacant since the Penske Auto Centers pulled out in 2002, some of these stores are still without repair shops. “We caught on to that seven years ago,” Fiffick says. “Now we are inside three different Kmarts.” Fiffick sees room for a few more stores in the Cleveland market. “I don't like to put my stores more than about five miles apart from each other,” he explains. “I think our target is try to open one store per year for the next five years and get us near the 20 store mark. Once I get there we will have to reevaluate and maybe look at going a little bit farther out into the outlying suburbs.” Broadcast range is the real limiting aspect to this scenario. “I’m a small time guy,” Fiffick shrugs. “I need to concentrate my advertising dollars to the best of my ability, therefore I need to stay in the same TV and radio markets. When you start getting farther out you’re entering a whole new ballgame and then I can’t disperse the cost. I’m spending about $600,000 a year on advertising between all the stores, which equates to $50,000 a year or just a hair under $5,000 per month, per store. It’s a big number, but it has kept us at the forefront.” Setting Themselves Apart So how does he differentiate Rad Air from the rest?  “Our branding, our image, is that we're the good ol’ garage on the corner,” says Fiffick. Forgoing quotas and commissions, they‘ve built their business with trust and integrity. “We’ll never sell you anything you don't need, and we will treat you fairly and honestly all the time. We are not into customers popping in for a $14 .99 oil change and then never seeing them again; we want to be a partner with you and your vehicle. I think that is what is keeping us growing. Once you become a client of Rad Air, you don't want to go anywhere else. It's just like going to your favorite restaurant." [image]Fiffick also believes getting in-depth up-front is crucial. “If I know the car only does this when it’s cold, only does that between first and second gear, only does those on partial throttle, that narrows down what I have to look for,” he explains. “That in turn saves me time and my client money--I may have saved my technician an hour of diagnostic time just doing a great entry interview.” Collated with driving habits like daily mileage, travel routes, highway versus in-town, Rad Air can create a maintenance package to better cater to future repairs.  Still, old-fashioned marketing doesn’t hurt, like trivia contests, giveaways, civic activities, and hosting educational events like Wine, Women & Wheels parties. “We just try to do something different about every six to eight weeks, mix it up,” Fiffick reports. Last summer, a Weber Grill giveaway proved particularly successful. “We displayed it at all the shops, moving it around from shop to shop every couple weeks; people talked about it…we have grown our website hits and Facebook ‘Likes’ since we started doing these giveaways.” So how significant is such social media? “It’s playing a role, no doubt about it,” considers Fiffick. “But right now direct mail is our number one hit. It does more for driving in business than anything else. Social media--and this is my opinion only--is tied into a younger demographic,” people who might not be ready to spend money on their vehicles. But positioning Rad Air so that when this market is ready, “we’re standing there on the sidelines.” [image] And finally, how does he do it? How does Fiffick, CEO and chairman for the Mobile Air Conditioning Society Worldwide (MACS), co-vice chairman for the Cleveland Better Business Bureau, manage 12 stores in a city of 400,000 souls? “I'm in the stores almost every day,” he maintains. “I try to hit two stores every day four days a week and then one day a week is office work. However when I am opening a new store my other stores don't see me a whole lot for about a month.” But then there is Tom Warmuth, VP of operations, who’s in the stores every single day. Now he has must log some outrageous miles on their database.   [image] A past winning shop continues to expand over one Ohio market.  By Robert BravenderContributor [image]While the “rad” in Rad Air Complete Car Care might seem to denote something radical, it’s actually pronounced “raid,” as in radiator, depending on where you’re from. Founded in 1975 as Radiator & Air Conditioning Repair, Andy Fiffick bought the Cleveland, Ohio-based outfit in 1986. Shortly thereafter, he added the last three words to reflect the shop’s expansion into other areas of auto repair. Then he expanded again, into a chain of stores across the city. But you probably already knew this: Rad Air was the Top Shop in 2011 and came in third the year before. Taking a break from the opening of his 12th store, Fiffick shared some of his observations on what it takes to expand a chain. Noting that the Cleveland market is “inundated” with quick lube-style stores, as well as growing competition from dealership networks, his short answer was: look where there might be a potential market that’s under-serviced and get a place near it. “Once I got to the point where we knew we wanted to expand,” Fiffick continues, “I hooked up with a real estate broker and gave him my parameters and demographics, and he consistently brings things to the table.”   SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE Managing Growth Fiffick notes that they have been able to grow two stores per year for the last three years, although that probably took six to seven years of work. “What we have to do is identify a segment of the Cleveland market that (competitors) are not in or have saturated,” he says, “and look for trends where the population growth is going to be. Then we look for pieces of property that could fit that profile. It's very difficult to narrow that all down and actually put a deal together.” [image]What worked well recently was hooking up with local Kmarts. With garage space left vacant since the Penske Auto Centers pulled out in 2002, some of these stores are still without repair shops. “We caught on to that seven years ago,” Fiffick says. “Now we are inside three different Kmarts.” Fiffick sees room for a few more stores in the Cleveland market. “I don't like to put my stores more than about five miles apart from each other,” he explains. “I think our target is try to open one store per year for the next five years and get us near the 20 store mark. Once I get there we will have to reevaluate and maybe look at going a little bit farther out into the outlying suburbs.” Broadcast range is the real limiting aspect to this scenario. “I’m a small time guy,” Fiffick shrugs. “I need to concentrate my advertising dollars to the best of my ability, therefore I need to stay in the same TV and radio markets. When you start getting farther out you’re entering a whole new ballgame and then I can’t disperse the cost. I’m spending about $600,000 a year on advertising between all the stores, which equates to $50,000 a year or just a hair under $5,000 per month, per store. It’s a big number, but it has kept us at the forefront.” Setting Themselves Apart So how does he differentiate Rad Air from the rest?  “Our branding, our image, is that we're the good ol’ garage on the corner,” says Fiffick. Forgoing quotas and commissions, they‘ve built their business with trust and integrity. “We’ll never sell you anything you don't need, and we will treat you fairly and honestly all the time. We are not into customers popping in for a $14 .99 oil change and then never seeing them again; we want to be a partner with you and your vehicle. I think that is what is keeping us growing. Once you become a client of Rad Air, you don't want to go anywhere else. It's just like going to your favorite restaurant." [image]Fiffick also believes getting in-depth up-front is crucial. “If I know the car only does this when it’s cold, only does that between first and second gear, only does those on partial throttle, that narrows down what I have to look for,” he explains. “That in turn saves me time and my client money--I may have saved my technician an hour of diagnostic time just doing a great entry interview.” Collated with driving habits like daily mileage, travel routes, highway versus in-town, Rad Air can create a maintenance package to better cater to future repairs.  Still, old-fashioned marketing doesn’t hurt, like trivia contests, giveaways, civic activities, and hosting educational events like Wine, Women & Wheels parties. “We just try to do something different about every six to eight weeks, mix it up,” Fiffick reports. Last summer, a Weber Grill giveaway proved particularly successful. “We displayed it at all the shops, moving it around from shop to shop every couple weeks; people talked about it…we have grown our website hits and Facebook ‘Likes’ since we started doing these giveaways.” So how significant is such social media? “It’s playing a role, no doubt about it,” considers Fiffick. “But right now direct mail is our number one hit. It does more for driving in business than anything else. Social media--and this is my opinion only--is tied into a younger demographic,” people who might not be ready to spend money on their vehicles. But positioning Rad Air so that when this market is ready, “we’re standing there on the sidelines.” [image] And finally, how does he do it? How does Fiffick, CEO and chairman for the Mobile Air Conditioning Society Worldwide (MACS), co-vice chairman for the Cleveland Better Business Bureau, manage 12 stores in a city of 400,000 souls? “I'm in the stores almost every day,” he maintains. “I try to hit two stores every day four days a week and then one day a week is office work. However when I am opening a new store my other stores don't see me a whole lot for about a month.” But then there is Tom Warmuth, VP of operations, who’s in the stores every single day. Now he has must log some outrageous miles on their database.   [image] Thu, 06 Dec 2012 00:03:23 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Rad-Air-Complete-Car-Care-Something-in-the-air/blog/6484097/31710.html CarGirl 2012-12-06T00:03:23Z Motor Age Blogs AutoPro Workshop A past winning shop continues to expand over one Ohio market.  By Robert BravenderContributor [image]While the “rad” in Rad Air Complete Car Care might seem to denote something radical, it’s actually pronounced “raid,” as in radiator, depending on where you’re from. Founded in 1975 as Radiator & Air Conditioning Repair, Andy Fiffick bought the Cleveland, Ohio-based outfit in 1986. Shortly thereafter, he added the last three words to reflect the shop’s expansion into other areas of auto repair. Then he expanded again, into a chain of stores across the city. But you probably already knew this: Rad Air was the Top Shop in 2011 and came in third the year before. Taking a break from the opening of his 12th store, Fiffick shared some of his observations on what it takes to expand a chain. Noting that the Cleveland market is “inundated” with quick lube-style stores, as well as growing competition from dealership networks, his short answer was: look where there might be a potential market that’s under-serviced and get a place near it. “Once I got to the point where we knew we wanted to expand,” Fiffick continues, “I hooked up with a real estate broker and gave him my parameters and demographics, and he consistently brings things to the table.”   SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE Managing Growth Fiffick notes that they have been able to grow two stores per year for the last three years, although that probably took six to seven years of work. “What we have to do is identify a segment of the Cleveland market that (competitors) are not in or have saturated,” he says, “and look for trends where the population growth is going to be. Then we look for pieces of property that could fit that profile. It's very difficult to narrow that all down and actually put a deal together.” [image]What worked well recently was hooking up with local Kmarts. With garage space left vacant since the Penske Auto Centers pulled out in 2002, some of these stores are still without repair shops. “We caught on to that seven years ago,” Fiffick says. “Now we are inside three different Kmarts.” Fiffick sees room for a few more stores in the Cleveland market. “I don't like to put my stores more than about five miles apart from each other,” he explains. “I think our target is try to open one store per year for the next five years and get us near the 20 store mark. Once I get there we will have to reevaluate and maybe look at going a little bit farther out into the outlying suburbs.” Broadcast range is the real limiting aspect to this scenario. “I’m a small time guy,” Fiffick shrugs. “I need to concentrate my advertising dollars to the best of my ability, therefore I need to stay in the same TV and radio markets. When you start getting farther out you’re entering a whole new ballgame and then I can’t disperse the cost. I’m spending about $600,000 a year on advertising between all the stores, which equates to $50,000 a year or just a hair under $5,000 per month, per store. It’s a big number, but it has kept us at the forefront.” Setting Themselves Apart So how does he differentiate Rad Air from the rest?  “Our branding, our image, is that we're the good ol’ garage on the corner,” says Fiffick. Forgoing quotas and commissions, they‘ve built their business with trust and integrity. “We’ll never sell you anything you don't need, and we will treat you fairly and honestly all the time. We are not into customers popping in for a $14 .99 oil change and then never seeing them again; we want to be a partner with you and your vehicle. I think that is what is keeping us growing. Once you become a client of Rad Air, you don't want to go anywhere else. It's just like going to your favorite restaurant." [image]Fiffick also believes getting in-depth up-front is crucial. “If I know the car only does this when it’s cold, only does that between first and second gear, only does those on partial throttle, that narrows down what I have to look for,” he explains. “That in turn saves me time and my client money--I may have saved my technician an hour of diagnostic time just doing a great entry interview.” Collated with driving habits like daily mileage, travel routes, highway versus in-town, Rad Air can create a maintenance package to better cater to future repairs.  Still, old-fashioned marketing doesn’t hurt, like trivia contests, giveaways, civic activities, and hosting educational events like Wine, Women & Wheels parties. “We just try to do something different about every six to eight weeks, mix it up,” Fiffick reports. Last summer, a Weber Grill giveaway proved particularly successful. “We displayed it at all the shops, moving it around from shop to shop every couple weeks; people talked about it…we have grown our website hits and Facebook ‘Likes’ since we started doing these giveaways.” So how significant is such social media? “It’s playing a role, no doubt about it,” considers Fiffick. “But right now direct mail is our number one hit. It does more for driving in business than anything else. Social media--and this is my opinion only--is tied into a younger demographic,” people who might not be ready to spend money on their vehicles. But positioning Rad Air so that when this market is ready, “we’re standing there on the sidelines.” [image] And finally, how does he do it? How does Fiffick, CEO and chairman for the Mobile Air Conditioning Society Worldwide (MACS), co-vice chairman for the Cleveland Better Business Bureau, manage 12 stores in a city of 400,000 souls? “I'm in the stores almost every day,” he maintains. “I try to hit two stores every day four days a week and then one day a week is office work. However when I am opening a new store my other stores don't see me a whole lot for about a month.” But then there is Tom Warmuth, VP of operations, who’s in the stores every single day. Now he has must log some outrageous miles on their database.   [image] aftermarket, automotive, blogs, motor age, radair, repair shops, top shops nonadult false Rad Air Complete Car Care: Something in the air text blog aftermarket,automotive,blogs,motor age,radair,repair shops,top shops 399 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=2689446&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_1568458_31710_2689446_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 Motor Age / Blogs 0 6484097 2689446 Member 0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Pellman39s-Automotive-Service-This-old-shop/blog/6484095/31710.html A former farmhouse gives way to an environmentally friendly repair facility. By Robert BravenderContributor  [image]Imagine you’re in an industrial park in Boulder, Colo. You wind your way through a bunch of prefab aluminum buildings till you arrive at 2560 49th St., which looks like a home — a welcoming, warm, friendly house. Probably because it once was. “It’s an old building that was pieced together,” explains Brad Pellman, the current co-owner and resident, so to speak. “It actually used to be a very old farm house, right in the middle of this industrial section of town.” Now home to Pellman’s Automotive Service, this entrance to the shop’s offices and customer waiting area creates a comfortable ambiance, subtly, almost subliminally, underscoring Pellman’s ideas on superior job quality and excellent customer service.   SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE Starting his career in the 1980s by working at dealerships, Pellman saw a stark contrast in how customers were catered to after he moved to an independent shop. “Even though the shop was very good, the customer experience walking in the door was awful,” he reports. “When I left there I knew I wanted something different, I wanted it to be totally clean, to be bright; I wanted to have room for the customer to sit down and be comfortable.” But the house didn’t come his way at first. Opening his facility in 1995, Pellman leased in the back part of the same complex, shared with four other businesses. “We moved in based on price; the landlord was very flexible since I was a start-up. We basically had one little bay and an office that wasn’t even acceptable for bringing in a customer.” [image]So with a bunch of friends they gutted the structure, put in windows (there were none) and doors to create better office space. As the other businesses came and went, Pellman grew his shop, similarly improving the space as he did, until it looked like he would have to move out to find a bigger place. Then seven years ago his landlord offered to sell him the entire building. With the ink dry on the contract, Pellman expanded the building and improved the whole property, which included the house. “Everything we did along the way was to upgrade and make it look nicer because there wasn’t any reason for it not to look nice,” he states Setting the Scene Roomy, with comfortable couches and tasteful artwork and wi-fi access, you really get a homey feeling inside the customer service area as well as out. “I didn’t want to load up my walls with banners and advertisements for car parts,” Pellman points out. “Every inch of the walls aren’t crammed with something trying to get your attention. When people walk in, they notice this is a different atmosphere, a different facility than any place they‘ve been at before.” Meanwhile Lisa, Pellman’s wife and co-owner, put her own background to use. “We’re truly a partnership,” says Pellman. “It works out very well because I’m really good at running the customer service and the technical side of the business, but I don’t have this background in accounting. She does; she has a marketing degree. She’s very detail oriented when it comes to numbers and watching the bottom line. It’s a real big combination for us and we work together really well.” Lisa Pellman’s latest contribution to the shop was overseeing its conversion to solar power. “It’s actually supplying all the power for our business now and basically we’re putting money back into the grid,” explains her husband. “In Colorado, where we have 300 days of sunshine with few clouds, this state is one of the main areas (in the country) for solar.” [image]First the solar power contractor came in and monitored all the shop’s systems. “They went the extra mile to make sure that we were able to do the things we needed to do, to create enough power to function, but also by controlling our peak demand,” Pellman explains. Once the solar panels were up and running, their electric bills have been reduced to about $16 a month. To augment this, they’ve gone with more energy efficient lighting, which not only saves money in the long run but, according to Pellman, provides better light. “There’s a lot of government rebates that have happened because their trying to get people to conserve energy. We were able to take advantage of that lighting program and basically retrofitted over 200 to 300 fixtures in our building. Our total cost including labor was around $2,500. It was just a no-brainer because we had lights which were failing anyway, and I own the building.” Another change they made wasn’t energy efficient, but was an experiment in cost effectiveness. To maintain the comfortable feel of the lobby area, the Pellman’s used wall-to-wall carpeting as opposed to more industrial-looking runners, but high traffic areas became dirty and worn. [image] “We chose to replace it with 14x14 inch carpet tiles,” says Brad. “Now if we have an area that gets damaged or stained we pull that section up and replace it with another piece of tile. We had bought a few extras boxes, but even if you ran out you could pull up the bad tile and clean it the best that you could and exchange it with one in a corner somewhere. It’s more expensive to use initially, but you have to look at what the advantages are.” Because the solar energy conversion has worked out so well, the various companies involved like the solar panel company and the power inverter manufacturer are doing case studies on the business. “The solar thing has been very interesting,” laughs Pellman. “Honestly I was not sure about it; my wife was like, ‘we’re doing it.’ It’s worked out great, and the more I understand it, the more I get it.” A proper mixture of old and new, classic ambiance and cutting-edge technology. [image] A former farmhouse gives way to an environmentally friendly repair facility. By Robert BravenderContributor  [image]Imagine you’re in an industrial park in Boulder, Colo. You wind your way through a bunch of prefab aluminum buildings till you arrive at 2560 49th St., which looks like a home — a welcoming, warm, friendly house. Probably because it once was. “It’s an old building that was pieced together,” explains Brad Pellman, the current co-owner and resident, so to speak. “It actually used to be a very old farm house, right in the middle of this industrial section of town.” Now home to Pellman’s Automotive Service, this entrance to the shop’s offices and customer waiting area creates a comfortable ambiance, subtly, almost subliminally, underscoring Pellman’s ideas on superior job quality and excellent customer service.   SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE Starting his career in the 1980s by working at dealerships, Pellman saw a stark contrast in how customers were catered to after he moved to an independent shop. “Even though the shop was very good, the customer experience walking in the door was awful,” he reports. “When I left there I knew I wanted something different, I wanted it to be totally clean, to be bright; I wanted to have room for the customer to sit down and be comfortable.” But the house didn’t come his way at first. Opening his facility in 1995, Pellman leased in the back part of the same complex, shared with four other businesses. “We moved in based on price; the landlord was very flexible since I was a start-up. We basically had one little bay and an office that wasn’t even acceptable for bringing in a customer.” [image]So with a bunch of friends they gutted the structure, put in windows (there were none) and doors to create better office space. As the other businesses came and went, Pellman grew his shop, similarly improving the space as he did, until it looked like he would have to move out to find a bigger place. Then seven years ago his landlord offered to sell him the entire building. With the ink dry on the contract, Pellman expanded the building and improved the whole property, which included the house. “Everything we did along the way was to upgrade and make it look nicer because there wasn’t any reason for it not to look nice,” he states Setting the Scene Roomy, with comfortable couches and tasteful artwork and wi-fi access, you really get a homey feeling inside the customer service area as well as out. “I didn’t want to load up my walls with banners and advertisements for car parts,” Pellman points out. “Every inch of the walls aren’t crammed with something trying to get your attention. When people walk in, they notice this is a different atmosphere, a different facility than any place they‘ve been at before.” Meanwhile Lisa, Pellman’s wife and co-owner, put her own background to use. “We’re truly a partnership,” says Pellman. “It works out very well because I’m really good at running the customer service and the technical side of the business, but I don’t have this background in accounting. She does; she has a marketing degree. She’s very detail oriented when it comes to numbers and watching the bottom line. It’s a real big combination for us and we work together really well.” Lisa Pellman’s latest contribution to the shop was overseeing its conversion to solar power. “It’s actually supplying all the power for our business now and basically we’re putting money back into the grid,” explains her husband. “In Colorado, where we have 300 days of sunshine with few clouds, this state is one of the main areas (in the country) for solar.” [image]First the solar power contractor came in and monitored all the shop’s systems. “They went the extra mile to make sure that we were able to do the things we needed to do, to create enough power to function, but also by controlling our peak demand,” Pellman explains. Once the solar panels were up and running, their electric bills have been reduced to about $16 a month. To augment this, they’ve gone with more energy efficient lighting, which not only saves money in the long run but, according to Pellman, provides better light. “There’s a lot of government rebates that have happened because their trying to get people to conserve energy. We were able to take advantage of that lighting program and basically retrofitted over 200 to 300 fixtures in our building. Our total cost including labor was around $2,500. It was just a no-brainer because we had lights which were failing anyway, and I own the building.” Another change they made wasn’t energy efficient, but was an experiment in cost effectiveness. To maintain the comfortable feel of the lobby area, the Pellman’s used wall-to-wall carpeting as opposed to more industrial-looking runners, but high traffic areas became dirty and worn. [image] “We chose to replace it with 14x14 inch carpet tiles,” says Brad. “Now if we have an area that gets damaged or stained we pull that section up and replace it with another piece of tile. We had bought a few extras boxes, but even if you ran out you could pull up the bad tile and clean it the best that you could and exchange it with one in a corner somewhere. It’s more expensive to use initially, but you have to look at what the advantages are.” Because the solar energy conversion has worked out so well, the various companies involved like the solar panel company and the power inverter manufacturer are doing case studies on the business. “The solar thing has been very interesting,” laughs Pellman. “Honestly I was not sure about it; my wife was like, ‘we’re doing it.’ It’s worked out great, and the more I understand it, the more I get it.” A proper mixture of old and new, classic ambiance and cutting-edge technology. [image] Wed, 05 Dec 2012 18:59:01 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Pellman39s-Automotive-Service-This-old-shop/blog/6484095/31710.html CarGirl 2012-12-05T18:59:01Z Motor Age Blogs AutoPro Workshop A former farmhouse gives way to an environmentally friendly repair facility. By Robert BravenderContributor  [image]Imagine you’re in an industrial park in Boulder, Colo. You wind your way through a bunch of prefab aluminum buildings till you arrive at 2560 49th St., which looks like a home — a welcoming, warm, friendly house. Probably because it once was. “It’s an old building that was pieced together,” explains Brad Pellman, the current co-owner and resident, so to speak. “It actually used to be a very old farm house, right in the middle of this industrial section of town.” Now home to Pellman’s Automotive Service, this entrance to the shop’s offices and customer waiting area creates a comfortable ambiance, subtly, almost subliminally, underscoring Pellman’s ideas on superior job quality and excellent customer service.   SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE Starting his career in the 1980s by working at dealerships, Pellman saw a stark contrast in how customers were catered to after he moved to an independent shop. “Even though the shop was very good, the customer experience walking in the door was awful,” he reports. “When I left there I knew I wanted something different, I wanted it to be totally clean, to be bright; I wanted to have room for the customer to sit down and be comfortable.” But the house didn’t come his way at first. Opening his facility in 1995, Pellman leased in the back part of the same complex, shared with four other businesses. “We moved in based on price; the landlord was very flexible since I was a start-up. We basically had one little bay and an office that wasn’t even acceptable for bringing in a customer.” [image]So with a bunch of friends they gutted the structure, put in windows (there were none) and doors to create better office space. As the other businesses came and went, Pellman grew his shop, similarly improving the space as he did, until it looked like he would have to move out to find a bigger place. Then seven years ago his landlord offered to sell him the entire building. With the ink dry on the contract, Pellman expanded the building and improved the whole property, which included the house. “Everything we did along the way was to upgrade and make it look nicer because there wasn’t any reason for it not to look nice,” he states Setting the Scene Roomy, with comfortable couches and tasteful artwork and wi-fi access, you really get a homey feeling inside the customer service area as well as out. “I didn’t want to load up my walls with banners and advertisements for car parts,” Pellman points out. “Every inch of the walls aren’t crammed with something trying to get your attention. When people walk in, they notice this is a different atmosphere, a different facility than any place they‘ve been at before.” Meanwhile Lisa, Pellman’s wife and co-owner, put her own background to use. “We’re truly a partnership,” says Pellman. “It works out very well because I’m really good at running the customer service and the technical side of the business, but I don’t have this background in accounting. She does; she has a marketing degree. She’s very detail oriented when it comes to numbers and watching the bottom line. It’s a real big combination for us and we work together really well.” Lisa Pellman’s latest contribution to the shop was overseeing its conversion to solar power. “It’s actually supplying all the power for our business now and basically we’re putting money back into the grid,” explains her husband. “In Colorado, where we have 300 days of sunshine with few clouds, this state is one of the main areas (in the country) for solar.” [image]First the solar power contractor came in and monitored all the shop’s systems. “They went the extra mile to make sure that we were able to do the things we needed to do, to create enough power to function, but also by controlling our peak demand,” Pellman explains. Once the solar panels were up and running, their electric bills have been reduced to about $16 a month. To augment this, they’ve gone with more energy efficient lighting, which not only saves money in the long run but, according to Pellman, provides better light. “There’s a lot of government rebates that have happened because their trying to get people to conserve energy. We were able to take advantage of that lighting program and basically retrofitted over 200 to 300 fixtures in our building. Our total cost including labor was around $2,500. It was just a no-brainer because we had lights which were failing anyway, and I own the building.” Another change they made wasn’t energy efficient, but was an experiment in cost effectiveness. To maintain the comfortable feel of the lobby area, the Pellman’s used wall-to-wall carpeting as opposed to more industrial-looking runners, but high traffic areas became dirty and worn. [image] “We chose to replace it with 14x14 inch carpet tiles,” says Brad. “Now if we have an area that gets damaged or stained we pull that section up and replace it with another piece of tile. We had bought a few extras boxes, but even if you ran out you could pull up the bad tile and clean it the best that you could and exchange it with one in a corner somewhere. It’s more expensive to use initially, but you have to look at what the advantages are.” Because the solar energy conversion has worked out so well, the various companies involved like the solar panel company and the power inverter manufacturer are doing case studies on the business. “The solar thing has been very interesting,” laughs Pellman. “Honestly I was not sure about it; my wife was like, ‘we’re doing it.’ It’s worked out great, and the more I understand it, the more I get it.” A proper mixture of old and new, classic ambiance and cutting-edge technology. [image] aftermarket, automotive, blogs, motor age, pellmans automotive, repair shops, top shops nonadult false Pellman's Automotive Service: This old shop text blog aftermarket,automotive,blogs,motor age,pellmans automotive,repair shops,top shops 921 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=2689446&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_1568458_31710_2689446_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 Motor Age / Blogs 0 6484095 2689446 Member 0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Haglin-Automotive-An-educational-tune/blog/6483549/31710.html While an automotive career wasn’t top of mind, it’s proven to be a great move for one Colorado family. By Tschanen BrandyberryManaging Editor Those sweet melodies floating out of Haglin Automotive are the sounds of technicians’ tools now, but once upon a time, the owner thought he’d head down a much different path. [image]Saxophone performance. But what you dream of going into as a child doesn’t always come to fruition, as Dana and Judi Haglin found out. For 31 years, they have owned and operated Haglin Automotive in Boulder, Colo., a company, born out of a need for a job. The Haglins met in 1980 at Colorado University, where Dana was studying saxophone performance, opting for the arts rather than the teaching side, and Judi was studying elementary education. With a down economy at that time, finding a job was difficult. They wanted to stay in Boulder to be near their parents, but no one was hiring teachers. Dana Haglin tried to get a job working at a local gas station, but was one of 50 applicants. It was time for some gutsy calls. The couple graduated from CU in May 1981, married in June and opened a two-bay shop in July. “He said, ‘I don’t want to pump gas, that’s not where I want to be.’ So he started Haglin’s Garage,” Judi Haglin recalls. SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE The move wasn’t all that far off base, though, as Dana Haglin grew up fixing and reselling vehicles with his brother and father. Judi Haglin says her brother operated a machine shop and built race cars, so she too was around cars her whole life. The shop’s first job was working on a horse trailer, but the shop didn’t bring much to the table. When Judi Haglin decided to quit the her stressful position managing a local McDonald’s, it wasn’t a smooth transition, as they were living on her paycheck. “I said, I’m done, I’m quitting. I came home and told Dana, ‘Honey, I quit. I’m going to come work for you,’” she says. “I’m going to come work for you and we’re going to make money.” And they did just that. On her first day, Judi Haglin proudly remembers that she took care of stacks of cores and returns collecting on the shop’s step, earning them $75 that day. Little by little, the shop grew into a 12-bay, AAA and ASE Blue Seal shop. “We’re 24/7. We’re great partners in pretty much everything we do,” Judi Haglin says. “We’re just really good friends, from the very beginning. We’ve just figured it out and how to make it work.” And while neither entered their original choices, they have incorporated education and training across all aspects of their business and beyond. Talking TrainingThree of the shop’s five technicians are ASE Master Techs, and all of the employees take part in CARQUEST Technical Training six times a year. Their service writers attend Automotive Training Institute’s (ATI’s) service writer classes. [image]No matter if you have a formal education or not, Judi Haglin believes “you have to constantly, constantly be educating yourself on how to be better, how to improve as a technician, how to improve as a service writer, how to improve as an owner or you don’t stay up and relevant in the automotive world.” The shop hosts weekly lunch meetings to train and update staff on policies, procedures, sales, training and more. These Friday meetings are separate from the shop’s Lunch with the Pros. Judi Haglin explains that these are training sessions in which outside trainers, many from CARQUEST, come to the shop to teach the technicians updates on various vehicle systems and new equipment. The hour-long lunch training sessions are very specific, for example, focusing on an annual air-conditioning update.  Keeping all up on all of this training keeps the owners focused, as well. Judi Haglin says she and her husband throughout their time growing their business have asked themselves, “Do we want to be doing this in five years?” The answer always has been yes, as they recognized how quickly vehicles were changing, but kept in mind that they still needed the basics like brakes and oil changes. ‘You have to evolve with the business or you go out of business,” she notes. “If you don’t educate yourself , you know how to rebuild carburetors. …You have to train, and you have evolve.” And for her, education is in her blood. An Industry EducatorHaglin Automotive has been a TechNet shop for more than 15 years, and Judi Haglin has been the coordinator and facilitator for the local council and helped set up several other CARQUEST and other supplier councils around Colorado.  “It’s important to me, individually; it’s important to our business; and it’s important to our industry. This is where you take the philosophy of giving back of your knowledge and experience that can help the industry get better,” she states. She explains that the local TechNet council started, and she just ran with it. It is a group of eight shops that meet and consider one another peers, not competitors. She once ran the numbers and estimated that there are about 250,000 vehicles in Boulder County, more than enough business for all eight shops. “We’d get together and we’re a support group for each other. As an owner, you get into the day-to-day grind and it just gets you going and you, cant see forest for the trees,” Judi Haglin says. “So when you’re with other owners and it’s after business hours, you’re sitting owner to owner, and you go around the room and you talk about a subject, everybody has same issues, everybody has the same problems, everybody can have the same successes. It gets you to think at that higher level. It helps the shops there that you can pull yourself up and say, ‘Yeah we need to do this.’ It helps you elevate and make your shop better.” Judi Haglin took her experience outside her TechNet group, serving in 20 Groups with ATI and as the co-leader for The Leading Ladies, the first women’s 20 Group. After helping set up other Colorado TechNet groups, she lent her hand to the local Boulder NAPA council. “When you’re starting to work with all of the different groups, then you’re starting to affect the industry, we’re starting to affect more people that are shop owners,” she says. “We struggle as an industry that we’re a dirty industry, that we are an industry that can take advantage and are dealing with the image of the dirty mechanic, greased-up guy ripping you off. We deal with that every day. So the more people and shops we can change and elevate and understand customer service and just be not a shade tree mechanic, the better off we are.”  [image]Supplier LoyaltyAll of this group work also helped Haglin Automotive build loyalty with CARQUEST. The shop has worked with the same CARQUEST store for 31 years. “It goes back truly to our philosophy with our vendors and our customers, which is creating those relationships and being loyal to those people,” Judi Haglin says. “Especially with your vendors, it’s not always about price, but being there for the other person.” The relationship started early on, when the store was an independent location. Dana Haglin and the previous owner hit it off, and the repair shop has stayed trued to the supplier throughout three decades and a change in ownership. “Because of how long we’ve been with them from their side as well that loyalty factor that you’ve been with us forever, we’re going to take care of you, you tell us when there’s issues,” Judi Haglin explains. For example, the relationship with the supplier now means if either the shop or store is short-staffed, the other can pick up and help make sure the parts get to the shop even if it’s one of the owners helping the others out. “It doesn’t matter who your parts vendor is, get that relationship,” she says. “Find ones that work for you and become true partners with them, don’t just use them.”  The Other RelationshipsThe Haglins have taken their love of education and building relationship to other areas of their business. The shop uses Xcite Media for its website, social media, Google ad programs and mobile technologies. Judi Haglin explains that because of their work with ATI, she feels they were ahead of the curve and knew what they needed to get out of their online presence. She found Xcite Media and did away with the shop’s old cookie-cutter approach to a new, targeted and streamlined web plan. The media company gets everything in order on the backend of the shop’s website and social media listings, making sure searches can be targeted and the right messages are presented. They taught Judi Haglin how to update parts of the website so, for example, her blog updates are pushed out to her Facebook followers. [image]The company helped the shop by listening to phone calls and adding in key search phrases to their web presence, as well as targeted phrases like “motorcycle oil change,” which the shop does not do, to make sure the shop does not appear inappropriately. From this partnership and education, Judi Haglin says they’ve been able to get, on average, seven more customers a week from Internet searches. “Having a professional, like our customers coming to us to be the professionals for auto repair, I’ve really taken the mentality that you need to find a professional that you can partner with, that works for you, that does online, and it’s the whole thing, find someone who can do that. It’s been very successful for us, and very educational for me,” Judi Haglin says. The shop also is on the front line of the Internet, as its Google Places virtual tour allows potential customers to see everything in the shop before they arrive, similar to how you might take a virtual tour of a home on a real estate website. Haglin Automotive builds relationships with the community, as well, participating in a variety of community service projects. One is working with a customer who is a judge that runs an alternative high school for at-risk youth called Justice High School. The shop donates two cars per year for students who earn the highest grade point averages. Pets also are on the shops’ charitable focus, as Dana Haglin flies pets and their owners to different parts of Colorado or the U.S. for Pilots and Paws. They also teamed up with their local TechNet council, humane society and Boulder County animal control to host the promotion “It’s Too Dog Gone Hot.” The promotions provided owners pet thermometers for their vehicles to show the interior temperature. Again, it was just another way the shop built positives out of their relationships and a desire to continue to educate their employees, customers and others in Boulder, Colorado and beyond. [image] While an automotive career wasn’t top of mind, it’s proven to be a great move for one Colorado family. By Tschanen BrandyberryManaging Editor Those sweet melodies floating out of Haglin Automotive are the sounds of technicians’ tools now, but once upon a time, the owner thought he’d head down a much different path. [image]Saxophone performance. But what you dream of going into as a child doesn’t always come to fruition, as Dana and Judi Haglin found out. For 31 years, they have owned and operated Haglin Automotive in Boulder, Colo., a company, born out of a need for a job. The Haglins met in 1980 at Colorado University, where Dana was studying saxophone performance, opting for the arts rather than the teaching side, and Judi was studying elementary education. With a down economy at that time, finding a job was difficult. They wanted to stay in Boulder to be near their parents, but no one was hiring teachers. Dana Haglin tried to get a job working at a local gas station, but was one of 50 applicants. It was time for some gutsy calls. The couple graduated from CU in May 1981, married in June and opened a two-bay shop in July. “He said, ‘I don’t want to pump gas, that’s not where I want to be.’ So he started Haglin’s Garage,” Judi Haglin recalls. SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE The move wasn’t all that far off base, though, as Dana Haglin grew up fixing and reselling vehicles with his brother and father. Judi Haglin says her brother operated a machine shop and built race cars, so she too was around cars her whole life. The shop’s first job was working on a horse trailer, but the shop didn’t bring much to the table. When Judi Haglin decided to quit the her stressful position managing a local McDonald’s, it wasn’t a smooth transition, as they were living on her paycheck. “I said, I’m done, I’m quitting. I came home and told Dana, ‘Honey, I quit. I’m going to come work for you,’” she says. “I’m going to come work for you and we’re going to make money.” And they did just that. On her first day, Judi Haglin proudly remembers that she took care of stacks of cores and returns collecting on the shop’s step, earning them $75 that day. Little by little, the shop grew into a 12-bay, AAA and ASE Blue Seal shop. “We’re 24/7. We’re great partners in pretty much everything we do,” Judi Haglin says. “We’re just really good friends, from the very beginning. We’ve just figured it out and how to make it work.” And while neither entered their original choices, they have incorporated education and training across all aspects of their business and beyond. Talking TrainingThree of the shop’s five technicians are ASE Master Techs, and all of the employees take part in CARQUEST Technical Training six times a year. Their service writers attend Automotive Training Institute’s (ATI’s) service writer classes. [image]No matter if you have a formal education or not, Judi Haglin believes “you have to constantly, constantly be educating yourself on how to be better, how to improve as a technician, how to improve as a service writer, how to improve as an owner or you don’t stay up and relevant in the automotive world.” The shop hosts weekly lunch meetings to train and update staff on policies, procedures, sales, training and more. These Friday meetings are separate from the shop’s Lunch with the Pros. Judi Haglin explains that these are training sessions in which outside trainers, many from CARQUEST, come to the shop to teach the technicians updates on various vehicle systems and new equipment. The hour-long lunch training sessions are very specific, for example, focusing on an annual air-conditioning update.  Keeping all up on all of this training keeps the owners focused, as well. Judi Haglin says she and her husband throughout their time growing their business have asked themselves, “Do we want to be doing this in five years?” The answer always has been yes, as they recognized how quickly vehicles were changing, but kept in mind that they still needed the basics like brakes and oil changes. ‘You have to evolve with the business or you go out of business,” she notes. “If you don’t educate yourself , you know how to rebuild carburetors. …You have to train, and you have evolve.” And for her, education is in her blood. An Industry EducatorHaglin Automotive has been a TechNet shop for more than 15 years, and Judi Haglin has been the coordinator and facilitator for the local council and helped set up several other CARQUEST and other supplier councils around Colorado.  “It’s important to me, individually; it’s important to our business; and it’s important to our industry. This is where you take the philosophy of giving back of your knowledge and experience that can help the industry get better,” she states. She explains that the local TechNet council started, and she just ran with it. It is a group of eight shops that meet and consider one another peers, not competitors. She once ran the numbers and estimated that there are about 250,000 vehicles in Boulder County, more than enough business for all eight shops. “We’d get together and we’re a support group for each other. As an owner, you get into the day-to-day grind and it just gets you going and you, cant see forest for the trees,” Judi Haglin says. “So when you’re with other owners and it’s after business hours, you’re sitting owner to owner, and you go around the room and you talk about a subject, everybody has same issues, everybody has the same problems, everybody can have the same successes. It gets you to think at that higher level. It helps the shops there that you can pull yourself up and say, ‘Yeah we need to do this.’ It helps you elevate and make your shop better.” Judi Haglin took her experience outside her TechNet group, serving in 20 Groups with ATI and as the co-leader for The Leading Ladies, the first women’s 20 Group. After helping set up other Colorado TechNet groups, she lent her hand to the local Boulder NAPA council. “When you’re starting to work with all of the different groups, then you’re starting to affect the industry, we’re starting to affect more people that are shop owners,” she says. “We struggle as an industry that we’re a dirty industry, that we are an industry that can take advantage and are dealing with the image of the dirty mechanic, greased-up guy ripping you off. We deal with that every day. So the more people and shops we can change and elevate and understand customer service and just be not a shade tree mechanic, the better off we are.”  [image]Supplier LoyaltyAll of this group work also helped Haglin Automotive build loyalty with CARQUEST. The shop has worked with the same CARQUEST store for 31 years. “It goes back truly to our philosophy with our vendors and our customers, which is creating those relationships and being loyal to those people,” Judi Haglin says. “Especially with your vendors, it’s not always about price, but being there for the other person.” The relationship started early on, when the store was an independent location. Dana Haglin and the previous owner hit it off, and the repair shop has stayed trued to the supplier throughout three decades and a change in ownership. “Because of how long we’ve been with them from their side as well that loyalty factor that you’ve been with us forever, we’re going to take care of you, you tell us when there’s issues,” Judi Haglin explains. For example, the relationship with the supplier now means if either the shop or store is short-staffed, the other can pick up and help make sure the parts get to the shop even if it’s one of the owners helping the others out. “It doesn’t matter who your parts vendor is, get that relationship,” she says. “Find ones that work for you and become true partners with them, don’t just use them.”  The Other RelationshipsThe Haglins have taken their love of education and building relationship to other areas of their business. The shop uses Xcite Media for its website, social media, Google ad programs and mobile technologies. Judi Haglin explains that because of their work with ATI, she feels they were ahead of the curve and knew what they needed to get out of their online presence. She found Xcite Media and did away with the shop’s old cookie-cutter approach to a new, targeted and streamlined web plan. The media company gets everything in order on the backend of the shop’s website and social media listings, making sure searches can be targeted and the right messages are presented. They taught Judi Haglin how to update parts of the website so, for example, her blog updates are pushed out to her Facebook followers. [image]The company helped the shop by listening to phone calls and adding in key search phrases to their web presence, as well as targeted phrases like “motorcycle oil change,” which the shop does not do, to make sure the shop does not appear inappropriately. From this partnership and education, Judi Haglin says they’ve been able to get, on average, seven more customers a week from Internet searches. “Having a professional, like our customers coming to us to be the professionals for auto repair, I’ve really taken the mentality that you need to find a professional that you can partner with, that works for you, that does online, and it’s the whole thing, find someone who can do that. It’s been very successful for us, and very educational for me,” Judi Haglin says. The shop also is on the front line of the Internet, as its Google Places virtual tour allows potential customers to see everything in the shop before they arrive, similar to how you might take a virtual tour of a home on a real estate website. Haglin Automotive builds relationships with the community, as well, participating in a variety of community service projects. One is working with a customer who is a judge that runs an alternative high school for at-risk youth called Justice High School. The shop donates two cars per year for students who earn the highest grade point averages. Pets also are on the shops’ charitable focus, as Dana Haglin flies pets and their owners to different parts of Colorado or the U.S. for Pilots and Paws. They also teamed up with their local TechNet council, humane society and Boulder County animal control to host the promotion “It’s Too Dog Gone Hot.” The promotions provided owners pet thermometers for their vehicles to show the interior temperature. Again, it was just another way the shop built positives out of their relationships and a desire to continue to educate their employees, customers and others in Boulder, Colorado and beyond. [image] Tue, 04 Dec 2012 17:04:24 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Haglin-Automotive-An-educational-tune/blog/6483549/31710.html CarGirl 2012-12-04T17:04:24Z Motor Age AutoPro Workshop While an automotive career wasn’t top of mind, it’s proven to be a great move for one Colorado family. By Tschanen BrandyberryManaging Editor Those sweet melodies floating out of Haglin Automotive are the sounds of technicians’ tools now, but once upon a time, the owner thought he’d head down a much different path. [image]Saxophone performance. But what you dream of going into as a child doesn’t always come to fruition, as Dana and Judi Haglin found out. For 31 years, they have owned and operated Haglin Automotive in Boulder, Colo., a company, born out of a need for a job. The Haglins met in 1980 at Colorado University, where Dana was studying saxophone performance, opting for the arts rather than the teaching side, and Judi was studying elementary education. With a down economy at that time, finding a job was difficult. They wanted to stay in Boulder to be near their parents, but no one was hiring teachers. Dana Haglin tried to get a job working at a local gas station, but was one of 50 applicants. It was time for some gutsy calls. The couple graduated from CU in May 1981, married in June and opened a two-bay shop in July. “He said, ‘I don’t want to pump gas, that’s not where I want to be.’ So he started Haglin’s Garage,” Judi Haglin recalls. SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE The move wasn’t all that far off base, though, as Dana Haglin grew up fixing and reselling vehicles with his brother and father. Judi Haglin says her brother operated a machine shop and built race cars, so she too was around cars her whole life. The shop’s first job was working on a horse trailer, but the shop didn’t bring much to the table. When Judi Haglin decided to quit the her stressful position managing a local McDonald’s, it wasn’t a smooth transition, as they were living on her paycheck. “I said, I’m done, I’m quitting. I came home and told Dana, ‘Honey, I quit. I’m going to come work for you,’” she says. “I’m going to come work for you and we’re going to make money.” And they did just that. On her first day, Judi Haglin proudly remembers that she took care of stacks of cores and returns collecting on the shop’s step, earning them $75 that day. Little by little, the shop grew into a 12-bay, AAA and ASE Blue Seal shop. “We’re 24/7. We’re great partners in pretty much everything we do,” Judi Haglin says. “We’re just really good friends, from the very beginning. We’ve just figured it out and how to make it work.” And while neither entered their original choices, they have incorporated education and training across all aspects of their business and beyond. Talking TrainingThree of the shop’s five technicians are ASE Master Techs, and all of the employees take part in CARQUEST Technical Training six times a year. Their service writers attend Automotive Training Institute’s (ATI’s) service writer classes. [image]No matter if you have a formal education or not, Judi Haglin believes “you have to constantly, constantly be educating yourself on how to be better, how to improve as a technician, how to improve as a service writer, how to improve as an owner or you don’t stay up and relevant in the automotive world.” The shop hosts weekly lunch meetings to train and update staff on policies, procedures, sales, training and more. These Friday meetings are separate from the shop’s Lunch with the Pros. Judi Haglin explains that these are training sessions in which outside trainers, many from CARQUEST, come to the shop to teach the technicians updates on various vehicle systems and new equipment. The hour-long lunch training sessions are very specific, for example, focusing on an annual air-conditioning update.  Keeping all up on all of this training keeps the owners focused, as well. Judi Haglin says she and her husband throughout their time growing their business have asked themselves, “Do we want to be doing this in five years?” The answer always has been yes, as they recognized how quickly vehicles were changing, but kept in mind that they still needed the basics like brakes and oil changes. ‘You have to evolve with the business or you go out of business,” she notes. “If you don’t educate yourself , you know how to rebuild carburetors. …You have to train, and you have evolve.” And for her, education is in her blood. An Industry EducatorHaglin Automotive has been a TechNet shop for more than 15 years, and Judi Haglin has been the coordinator and facilitator for the local council and helped set up several other CARQUEST and other supplier councils around Colorado.  “It’s important to me, individually; it’s important to our business; and it’s important to our industry. This is where you take the philosophy of giving back of your knowledge and experience that can help the industry get better,” she states. She explains that the local TechNet council started, and she just ran with it. It is a group of eight shops that meet and consider one another peers, not competitors. She once ran the numbers and estimated that there are about 250,000 vehicles in Boulder County, more than enough business for all eight shops. “We’d get together and we’re a support group for each other. As an owner, you get into the day-to-day grind and it just gets you going and you, cant see forest for the trees,” Judi Haglin says. “So when you’re with other owners and it’s after business hours, you’re sitting owner to owner, and you go around the room and you talk about a subject, everybody has same issues, everybody has the same problems, everybody can have the same successes. It gets you to think at that higher level. It helps the shops there that you can pull yourself up and say, ‘Yeah we need to do this.’ It helps you elevate and make your shop better.” Judi Haglin took her experience outside her TechNet group, serving in 20 Groups with ATI and as the co-leader for The Leading Ladies, the first women’s 20 Group. After helping set up other Colorado TechNet groups, she lent her hand to the local Boulder NAPA council. “When you’re starting to work with all of the different groups, then you’re starting to affect the industry, we’re starting to affect more people that are shop owners,” she says. “We struggle as an industry that we’re a dirty industry, that we are an industry that can take advantage and are dealing with the image of the dirty mechanic, greased-up guy ripping you off. We deal with that every day. So the more people and shops we can change and elevate and understand customer service and just be not a shade tree mechanic, the better off we are.”  [image]Supplier LoyaltyAll of this group work also helped Haglin Automotive build loyalty with CARQUEST. The shop has worked with the same CARQUEST store for 31 years. “It goes back truly to our philosophy with our vendors and our customers, which is creating those relationships and being loyal to those people,” Judi Haglin says. “Especially with your vendors, it’s not always about price, but being there for the other person.” The relationship started early on, when the store was an independent location. Dana Haglin and the previous owner hit it off, and the repair shop has stayed trued to the supplier throughout three decades and a change in ownership. “Because of how long we’ve been with them from their side as well that loyalty factor that you’ve been with us forever, we’re going to take care of you, you tell us when there’s issues,” Judi Haglin explains. For example, the relationship with the supplier now means if either the shop or store is short-staffed, the other can pick up and help make sure the parts get to the shop even if it’s one of the owners helping the others out. “It doesn’t matter who your parts vendor is, get that relationship,” she says. “Find ones that work for you and become true partners with them, don’t just use them.”  The Other RelationshipsThe Haglins have taken their love of education and building relationship to other areas of their business. The shop uses Xcite Media for its website, social media, Google ad programs and mobile technologies. Judi Haglin explains that because of their work with ATI, she feels they were ahead of the curve and knew what they needed to get out of their online presence. She found Xcite Media and did away with the shop’s old cookie-cutter approach to a new, targeted and streamlined web plan. The media company gets everything in order on the backend of the shop’s website and social media listings, making sure searches can be targeted and the right messages are presented. They taught Judi Haglin how to update parts of the website so, for example, her blog updates are pushed out to her Facebook followers. [image]The company helped the shop by listening to phone calls and adding in key search phrases to their web presence, as well as targeted phrases like “motorcycle oil change,” which the shop does not do, to make sure the shop does not appear inappropriately. From this partnership and education, Judi Haglin says they’ve been able to get, on average, seven more customers a week from Internet searches. “Having a professional, like our customers coming to us to be the professionals for auto repair, I’ve really taken the mentality that you need to find a professional that you can partner with, that works for you, that does online, and it’s the whole thing, find someone who can do that. It’s been very successful for us, and very educational for me,” Judi Haglin says. The shop also is on the front line of the Internet, as its Google Places virtual tour allows potential customers to see everything in the shop before they arrive, similar to how you might take a virtual tour of a home on a real estate website. Haglin Automotive builds relationships with the community, as well, participating in a variety of community service projects. One is working with a customer who is a judge that runs an alternative high school for at-risk youth called Justice High School. The shop donates two cars per year for students who earn the highest grade point averages. Pets also are on the shops’ charitable focus, as Dana Haglin flies pets and their owners to different parts of Colorado or the U.S. for Pilots and Paws. They also teamed up with their local TechNet council, humane society and Boulder County animal control to host the promotion “It’s Too Dog Gone Hot.” The promotions provided owners pet thermometers for their vehicles to show the interior temperature. Again, it was just another way the shop built positives out of their relationships and a desire to continue to educate their employees, customers and others in Boulder, Colorado and beyond. [image] aftermarket, automotive, haglin automotive, motor age, repair shops, top shops nonadult false Haglin Automotive: An educational tune text blog aftermarket,automotive,haglin automotive,motor age,repair shops,top shops 663 1 5.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=2689446&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_1568458_31710_2689446_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 Motor Age 0 6483549 2689446 Member 0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Franklin-Automotive-Four-ideals-equal-a-positive-net/blog/6481467/31710.html   This Alabama shop adds up four pillars of service to provide a solid equation for its customers.   By Tschanen BrandyberryManaging Editor  [image]Frank Polhill has built his Alabama shop on four cornerstones of customer retention and growth: quality, convenience, service and price. While these four pillars also are the key basics of marketing, they provide employees of Franklin Automotive in Birmingham, Ala., with the basis and tools necessary to serve the shop’s current customer base. “Every consumer wants, quality, convenience, service and price. If you as a retailer can bring those to the market, you’ll be successful,” says Polhill, who opened the shop in 1992 in a rented warehouse and serviced only Volvos. “Any retail business, service business, if they can overcome those four areas, that’s how you become successful.” Polhill learned about the four areas while earning his business degree, which he received from the University of South Alabama in 1988. He says this, in addition to his formal technical training at Wyoming Technical Institute, has served him well as a shop owner. “In business school you go through every aspect of accounting. You learn how to read a balance sheet, a profit and loss sheet, you understand all of that. You understand banking terminology. You understand how marketing works. It’s really all aspects of the business that helps you,” he states. “You also learn how to employ people and motivate people and run an efficient relationship between you and the employees.” SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE He would recommend a management or business degree to anyone interested in opening his or her own shop, or at minimum earn a two-year applied science degree. “I think that’s one of the biggest problems in the industry: you have a great mechanic that’s worked for somebody else and he thinks he can go open a shop for himself and be successful.” Polhill notes. “Well, he’s very successful at fixing cars, but that’s only half the equation. The other half is running an efficient shop and being profitable. That’s where most independent garages lack.” Mastering the Business Polhill’s education assisted him in his quick rise to shop ownership. He worked at a Volvo dealership for a few years after graduating from WyoTech, then opened his own shop with one employee in 1992. They quickly outgrew the space, and built their current facility in 1995. They’ve grown physically at their location, as well as in terms of customers. [image]The four pillars are used in customer retention, as well as a significant push to thank the customer. Every new customer receives a gift bag including a drink “koozie,” Franklin Automotive coffee mug, pens and mints. They also receive a thank-you card with a $25 gift card to be used on their next visit. This is followed up with a phone call and finally a tin of Carolina Cookie Company cookies sent to their home. “When a customer is new to us, that means they came from somewhere else. It’s our goal to wow that customer, give them a wow experience, give them something they never had at another shop,” states Polhill. “We only have that one opportunity to wow that customer. So it’s definitely 100 percent worth the investment. “We get huge returns on our investment,” he continues. “Our customers go a little bit crazy; they just can’t believe it. They’re overwhelmed. That’s our goal.” Polhill budgets this expense under advertising, and adds that it pushes the shop’s retention rate “off the charts.” Other marketing and advertising plans include a strong web and digital presence, including social media and email newsletters, and direct mail. Polhill works with the company eBiz to maintain the shop’s website, www.franklinautomotive.com.   He explains that after working with other companies in the past and having them not only reinvent the wheel for his website but also charge high rates for every minor change, he settled on eBiz and has been pleased with the results. They include, for example, his search engine optimization (SEO) work in their offering for the shop. He says the tools they use make it easy for him to go in and change something on the fly. “I can change anything instantly. If I can’t change it myself, I can call them and they can change it for me and they don’t change, where I’ve had other companies in the past that any kind of little, minor change, they just gouge you,” Polhill notes. Most importantly, he’s been able to trust the company so he can focus on his business rather than focusing on a deeper education of websites and SEO.  More Time for Training Less time spent on the website also means there is more time for training, and like other successful shop owners, this is an area on which Polhill places a strong emphasis. Technicians have a weekly shop meeting every Tuesday morning at 6:45 with the service manager to discuss technical issues, shop safety and other items. Polhill sends his technicians to training across the country, including to South Carolina and Colorado. He and three technicians also have attended VISION for more training. “The staff, they can bring anything to us that they see that’s out there that they may be interested in. We will send them to any kind of training, all paid for,” he says. “But also we expose them in our meetings to training that they’re not aware of. As the owner and my manager, we open the mail, we read the journals, etc. We know what’s going on in the industry a lot of times more than the technician who’s back in the shop everyday turning wrenches. So we expose them on a weekly basis to what’s out there, what’s coming up.” [image]Franklin Automotive covers all of the traning financially, including pay for tim off work, travel, lodging, food and miscellaneous expenses. It’s one way Polhill can work to further explain to some technicians why training is so imperative. “I think all shops have a mix, unfortunately (of people who are into training and need more motivation for it),” Polhill explains. “We have guys that are just eat and breathe training, and then you always have the guys that don’t want to expand their career with training. You really have to sell them, some of them, not all of them, a few of them you have to sell them on how important training is to their future.” Service Advisors Aren’t Left Out And not to think that the focus is placed solely on the technicians, Polhill adds that he has his own approach for his service advisors. None of his service advisors has ever been paid a commission. “I feel like they have to put the customer first. If they’re thinking of money first, then it gets out of whack and the customer knows that and feels that eventually that they’re being sold something instead of advised on something,” Polhill notes. “And if the service advisor really has them as their best interest, then that customer will come back and tell other people. So my service advisors never ever have to worry about their paycheck.” e saw this first-hand at a dealership he worked at before owning his own shop, where greed crept into service advisors’ recommendations. “I never wanted my service advisors to feel money was an influence on telling customers the truth.,” he adds. The service advisors have the freedom to work with prices for the customers. For example, they have the freedom to change pricing on the spot if they need to, within reason. If a customer comes into the shop with an extremely old car and needs a new radiator, the advisor can work to find a more affordable option that is in line with the vehicle to get the customer back on the road at an economical price. Solid relationships with the shop’s suppliers and rest of the industry help make this possible, too. Franklin Automotive is a AAA approved auto repair shop, and the shop and its employees are active in the Automotive Service Association (ASA), 20 Groups, Bosch and the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Polhill says it’s important for everyone in the shop to support the industry and the organizations involved in it. “If we don’t, it doesn’t better the industry as a whole,” he says. “It’s a win-win for us and all of the good companies out there that are supporting us. It’s good for us to make advances and learn about the current situations and technology and what the future holds around the corner.”  Supporting the Community In addition to supporting the industry, like other shops Franklin Automotive and its employees take an active role in the community. From supporting local students to [image]fixing up vehicles for families in need, the shop steps up throughout the year. One unique opportunity the shop seized recently was assisting the Tanner Hunter family with obtaining a wheelchair-accessible van. Hunter was a senior at an area high school who was left paralyzed after an accident in a high school wrestling match. While Polhill didn’t know the family, someone brought the situation to his attention and the shop worked for the cause Prayers for Tanner Hunter. The first goal was to fix up a Honda Odyssey the shop had to be wheelchair accessible. The cost, however, was prohibitive. Things changed when the family found a separate van that fit its needs. Polhill sold the Odyssey for $15,000, the exact amount the family needed for its purchase, and made the donation. “He’s a true inspiration,” Polhill says. “He makes the best out of life, even though he’s bee given a lot of hardship with this tragic accident.” And service like that is one quality pillar upon which the best shops build.     This Alabama shop adds up four pillars of service to provide a solid equation for its customers.   By Tschanen BrandyberryManaging Editor  [image]Frank Polhill has built his Alabama shop on four cornerstones of customer retention and growth: quality, convenience, service and price. While these four pillars also are the key basics of marketing, they provide employees of Franklin Automotive in Birmingham, Ala., with the basis and tools necessary to serve the shop’s current customer base. “Every consumer wants, quality, convenience, service and price. If you as a retailer can bring those to the market, you’ll be successful,” says Polhill, who opened the shop in 1992 in a rented warehouse and serviced only Volvos. “Any retail business, service business, if they can overcome those four areas, that’s how you become successful.” Polhill learned about the four areas while earning his business degree, which he received from the University of South Alabama in 1988. He says this, in addition to his formal technical training at Wyoming Technical Institute, has served him well as a shop owner. “In business school you go through every aspect of accounting. You learn how to read a balance sheet, a profit and loss sheet, you understand all of that. You understand banking terminology. You understand how marketing works. It’s really all aspects of the business that helps you,” he states. “You also learn how to employ people and motivate people and run an efficient relationship between you and the employees.” SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE He would recommend a management or business degree to anyone interested in opening his or her own shop, or at minimum earn a two-year applied science degree. “I think that’s one of the biggest problems in the industry: you have a great mechanic that’s worked for somebody else and he thinks he can go open a shop for himself and be successful.” Polhill notes. “Well, he’s very successful at fixing cars, but that’s only half the equation. The other half is running an efficient shop and being profitable. That’s where most independent garages lack.” Mastering the Business Polhill’s education assisted him in his quick rise to shop ownership. He worked at a Volvo dealership for a few years after graduating from WyoTech, then opened his own shop with one employee in 1992. They quickly outgrew the space, and built their current facility in 1995. They’ve grown physically at their location, as well as in terms of customers. [image]The four pillars are used in customer retention, as well as a significant push to thank the customer. Every new customer receives a gift bag including a drink “koozie,” Franklin Automotive coffee mug, pens and mints. They also receive a thank-you card with a $25 gift card to be used on their next visit. This is followed up with a phone call and finally a tin of Carolina Cookie Company cookies sent to their home. “When a customer is new to us, that means they came from somewhere else. It’s our goal to wow that customer, give them a wow experience, give them something they never had at another shop,” states Polhill. “We only have that one opportunity to wow that customer. So it’s definitely 100 percent worth the investment. “We get huge returns on our investment,” he continues. “Our customers go a little bit crazy; they just can’t believe it. They’re overwhelmed. That’s our goal.” Polhill budgets this expense under advertising, and adds that it pushes the shop’s retention rate “off the charts.” Other marketing and advertising plans include a strong web and digital presence, including social media and email newsletters, and direct mail. Polhill works with the company eBiz to maintain the shop’s website, www.franklinautomotive.com.   He explains that after working with other companies in the past and having them not only reinvent the wheel for his website but also charge high rates for every minor change, he settled on eBiz and has been pleased with the results. They include, for example, his search engine optimization (SEO) work in their offering for the shop. He says the tools they use make it easy for him to go in and change something on the fly. “I can change anything instantly. If I can’t change it myself, I can call them and they can change it for me and they don’t change, where I’ve had other companies in the past that any kind of little, minor change, they just gouge you,” Polhill notes. Most importantly, he’s been able to trust the company so he can focus on his business rather than focusing on a deeper education of websites and SEO.  More Time for Training Less time spent on the website also means there is more time for training, and like other successful shop owners, this is an area on which Polhill places a strong emphasis. Technicians have a weekly shop meeting every Tuesday morning at 6:45 with the service manager to discuss technical issues, shop safety and other items. Polhill sends his technicians to training across the country, including to South Carolina and Colorado. He and three technicians also have attended VISION for more training. “The staff, they can bring anything to us that they see that’s out there that they may be interested in. We will send them to any kind of training, all paid for,” he says. “But also we expose them in our meetings to training that they’re not aware of. As the owner and my manager, we open the mail, we read the journals, etc. We know what’s going on in the industry a lot of times more than the technician who’s back in the shop everyday turning wrenches. So we expose them on a weekly basis to what’s out there, what’s coming up.” [image]Franklin Automotive covers all of the traning financially, including pay for tim off work, travel, lodging, food and miscellaneous expenses. It’s one way Polhill can work to further explain to some technicians why training is so imperative. “I think all shops have a mix, unfortunately (of people who are into training and need more motivation for it),” Polhill explains. “We have guys that are just eat and breathe training, and then you always have the guys that don’t want to expand their career with training. You really have to sell them, some of them, not all of them, a few of them you have to sell them on how important training is to their future.” Service Advisors Aren’t Left Out And not to think that the focus is placed solely on the technicians, Polhill adds that he has his own approach for his service advisors. None of his service advisors has ever been paid a commission. “I feel like they have to put the customer first. If they’re thinking of money first, then it gets out of whack and the customer knows that and feels that eventually that they’re being sold something instead of advised on something,” Polhill notes. “And if the service advisor really has them as their best interest, then that customer will come back and tell other people. So my service advisors never ever have to worry about their paycheck.” e saw this first-hand at a dealership he worked at before owning his own shop, where greed crept into service advisors’ recommendations. “I never wanted my service advisors to feel money was an influence on telling customers the truth.,” he adds. The service advisors have the freedom to work with prices for the customers. For example, they have the freedom to change pricing on the spot if they need to, within reason. If a customer comes into the shop with an extremely old car and needs a new radiator, the advisor can work to find a more affordable option that is in line with the vehicle to get the customer back on the road at an economical price. Solid relationships with the shop’s suppliers and rest of the industry help make this possible, too. Franklin Automotive is a AAA approved auto repair shop, and the shop and its employees are active in the Automotive Service Association (ASA), 20 Groups, Bosch and the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Polhill says it’s important for everyone in the shop to support the industry and the organizations involved in it. “If we don’t, it doesn’t better the industry as a whole,” he says. “It’s a win-win for us and all of the good companies out there that are supporting us. It’s good for us to make advances and learn about the current situations and technology and what the future holds around the corner.”  Supporting the Community In addition to supporting the industry, like other shops Franklin Automotive and its employees take an active role in the community. From supporting local students to [image]fixing up vehicles for families in need, the shop steps up throughout the year. One unique opportunity the shop seized recently was assisting the Tanner Hunter family with obtaining a wheelchair-accessible van. Hunter was a senior at an area high school who was left paralyzed after an accident in a high school wrestling match. While Polhill didn’t know the family, someone brought the situation to his attention and the shop worked for the cause Prayers for Tanner Hunter. The first goal was to fix up a Honda Odyssey the shop had to be wheelchair accessible. The cost, however, was prohibitive. Things changed when the family found a separate van that fit its needs. Polhill sold the Odyssey for $15,000, the exact amount the family needed for its purchase, and made the donation. “He’s a true inspiration,” Polhill says. “He makes the best out of life, even though he’s bee given a lot of hardship with this tragic accident.” And service like that is one quality pillar upon which the best shops build.   Sat, 01 Dec 2012 17:43:12 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Franklin-Automotive-Four-ideals-equal-a-positive-net/blog/6481467/31710.html CarGirl 2012-12-01T17:43:12Z Motor Age Blogs AutoPro Workshop   This Alabama shop adds up four pillars of service to provide a solid equation for its customers.   By Tschanen BrandyberryManaging Editor  [image]Frank Polhill has built his Alabama shop on four cornerstones of customer retention and growth: quality, convenience, service and price. While these four pillars also are the key basics of marketing, they provide employees of Franklin Automotive in Birmingham, Ala., with the basis and tools necessary to serve the shop’s current customer base. “Every consumer wants, quality, convenience, service and price. If you as a retailer can bring those to the market, you’ll be successful,” says Polhill, who opened the shop in 1992 in a rented warehouse and serviced only Volvos. “Any retail business, service business, if they can overcome those four areas, that’s how you become successful.” Polhill learned about the four areas while earning his business degree, which he received from the University of South Alabama in 1988. He says this, in addition to his formal technical training at Wyoming Technical Institute, has served him well as a shop owner. “In business school you go through every aspect of accounting. You learn how to read a balance sheet, a profit and loss sheet, you understand all of that. You understand banking terminology. You understand how marketing works. It’s really all aspects of the business that helps you,” he states. “You also learn how to employ people and motivate people and run an efficient relationship between you and the employees.” SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE He would recommend a management or business degree to anyone interested in opening his or her own shop, or at minimum earn a two-year applied science degree. “I think that’s one of the biggest problems in the industry: you have a great mechanic that’s worked for somebody else and he thinks he can go open a shop for himself and be successful.” Polhill notes. “Well, he’s very successful at fixing cars, but that’s only half the equation. The other half is running an efficient shop and being profitable. That’s where most independent garages lack.” Mastering the Business Polhill’s education assisted him in his quick rise to shop ownership. He worked at a Volvo dealership for a few years after graduating from WyoTech, then opened his own shop with one employee in 1992. They quickly outgrew the space, and built their current facility in 1995. They’ve grown physically at their location, as well as in terms of customers. [image]The four pillars are used in customer retention, as well as a significant push to thank the customer. Every new customer receives a gift bag including a drink “koozie,” Franklin Automotive coffee mug, pens and mints. They also receive a thank-you card with a $25 gift card to be used on their next visit. This is followed up with a phone call and finally a tin of Carolina Cookie Company cookies sent to their home. “When a customer is new to us, that means they came from somewhere else. It’s our goal to wow that customer, give them a wow experience, give them something they never had at another shop,” states Polhill. “We only have that one opportunity to wow that customer. So it’s definitely 100 percent worth the investment. “We get huge returns on our investment,” he continues. “Our customers go a little bit crazy; they just can’t believe it. They’re overwhelmed. That’s our goal.” Polhill budgets this expense under advertising, and adds that it pushes the shop’s retention rate “off the charts.” Other marketing and advertising plans include a strong web and digital presence, including social media and email newsletters, and direct mail. Polhill works with the company eBiz to maintain the shop’s website, www.franklinautomotive.com.   He explains that after working with other companies in the past and having them not only reinvent the wheel for his website but also charge high rates for every minor change, he settled on eBiz and has been pleased with the results. They include, for example, his search engine optimization (SEO) work in their offering for the shop. He says the tools they use make it easy for him to go in and change something on the fly. “I can change anything instantly. If I can’t change it myself, I can call them and they can change it for me and they don’t change, where I’ve had other companies in the past that any kind of little, minor change, they just gouge you,” Polhill notes. Most importantly, he’s been able to trust the company so he can focus on his business rather than focusing on a deeper education of websites and SEO.  More Time for Training Less time spent on the website also means there is more time for training, and like other successful shop owners, this is an area on which Polhill places a strong emphasis. Technicians have a weekly shop meeting every Tuesday morning at 6:45 with the service manager to discuss technical issues, shop safety and other items. Polhill sends his technicians to training across the country, including to South Carolina and Colorado. He and three technicians also have attended VISION for more training. “The staff, they can bring anything to us that they see that’s out there that they may be interested in. We will send them to any kind of training, all paid for,” he says. “But also we expose them in our meetings to training that they’re not aware of. As the owner and my manager, we open the mail, we read the journals, etc. We know what’s going on in the industry a lot of times more than the technician who’s back in the shop everyday turning wrenches. So we expose them on a weekly basis to what’s out there, what’s coming up.” [image]Franklin Automotive covers all of the traning financially, including pay for tim off work, travel, lodging, food and miscellaneous expenses. It’s one way Polhill can work to further explain to some technicians why training is so imperative. “I think all shops have a mix, unfortunately (of people who are into training and need more motivation for it),” Polhill explains. “We have guys that are just eat and breathe training, and then you always have the guys that don’t want to expand their career with training. You really have to sell them, some of them, not all of them, a few of them you have to sell them on how important training is to their future.” Service Advisors Aren’t Left Out And not to think that the focus is placed solely on the technicians, Polhill adds that he has his own approach for his service advisors. None of his service advisors has ever been paid a commission. “I feel like they have to put the customer first. If they’re thinking of money first, then it gets out of whack and the customer knows that and feels that eventually that they’re being sold something instead of advised on something,” Polhill notes. “And if the service advisor really has them as their best interest, then that customer will come back and tell other people. So my service advisors never ever have to worry about their paycheck.” e saw this first-hand at a dealership he worked at before owning his own shop, where greed crept into service advisors’ recommendations. “I never wanted my service advisors to feel money was an influence on telling customers the truth.,” he adds. The service advisors have the freedom to work with prices for the customers. For example, they have the freedom to change pricing on the spot if they need to, within reason. If a customer comes into the shop with an extremely old car and needs a new radiator, the advisor can work to find a more affordable option that is in line with the vehicle to get the customer back on the road at an economical price. Solid relationships with the shop’s suppliers and rest of the industry help make this possible, too. Franklin Automotive is a AAA approved auto repair shop, and the shop and its employees are active in the Automotive Service Association (ASA), 20 Groups, Bosch and the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Polhill says it’s important for everyone in the shop to support the industry and the organizations involved in it. “If we don’t, it doesn’t better the industry as a whole,” he says. “It’s a win-win for us and all of the good companies out there that are supporting us. It’s good for us to make advances and learn about the current situations and technology and what the future holds around the corner.”  Supporting the Community In addition to supporting the industry, like other shops Franklin Automotive and its employees take an active role in the community. From supporting local students to [image]fixing up vehicles for families in need, the shop steps up throughout the year. One unique opportunity the shop seized recently was assisting the Tanner Hunter family with obtaining a wheelchair-accessible van. Hunter was a senior at an area high school who was left paralyzed after an accident in a high school wrestling match. While Polhill didn’t know the family, someone brought the situation to his attention and the shop worked for the cause Prayers for Tanner Hunter. The first goal was to fix up a Honda Odyssey the shop had to be wheelchair accessible. The cost, however, was prohibitive. Things changed when the family found a separate van that fit its needs. Polhill sold the Odyssey for $15,000, the exact amount the family needed for its purchase, and made the donation. “He’s a true inspiration,” Polhill says. “He makes the best out of life, even though he’s bee given a lot of hardship with this tragic accident.” And service like that is one quality pillar upon which the best shops build.   aftermarket, automotive, blogs, franklin automotive, motor age, repair shops, top shops nonadult false Franklin Automotive: Four ideals equal a positive net text blog aftermarket,automotive,blogs,franklin automotive,motor age,repair shops,top shops 457 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=2689446&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_1568458_31710_2689446_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 Motor Age / Blogs 0 6481467 2689446 Member 0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Certified-Automotive-Specialists-Making-the-leap/blog/6481463/31710.html  How much should you risk to get your business to where you want it? Gene Morrill took several leaps and has his shop on solid, successful ground. By Tschanen BrandyberryManaging Editor   Sometimes it takes a leap of faith to get where you want to be. [image]For many owners, the first leap is just hanging an “Open” sign. Eventually, that leap could be trusting more in your employees to handle additional – and eventually the majority of – day-to-day business in the shop. Or it could be making the financial investment in more tools and equipment to better service the vehicles in your area to build your customer base.  Maybe it’s looking in the mirror and deciding you’re going to change things in your life to personally better relationships and hoping it will pay off. The leap might be navigating a catch 22 in which you’re risking comfort for the new, unknowns of the Internet.  Gene Morrill has taken all of the leaps and then some during the last three decades. Morrill and his wife, Robin, in 1985 purchased Certified Automotive Specialists in Glendora, Calif., the shop at which Gene had worked since 1978 when he started as a lube tech. Gradually moving from a lube tech to owner is a leap in several aspects of the word. And over the course of their ownership, the Morrills have grown the business from a 1,000-square foot building to a 7,800-square foot facility with a total of 16 bays. These leaps of faith aren’t without struggles, lessons and a lot of education along the way. SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE “You reach that hump you can get over where you’re small and you’re up against the wall and you have to really take a leap of faith to get to the next level to where you can manage and have the money to buy and do all these cool things,” he says. “And if you’re smaller, there’s nothing wrong with being smaller, I wish I was small sometimes. If you’re smaller I think its’ better in a way that you can focus on certain car lines, certain tools, be more proficient at certain things. We’re working on a VW one day and a Chevy the next day, and it’s challenging.” So what do you do when you decide to take that leap and all that comes with it in being a bigger shop? Continue to better the business and everyone around you, as well as yourself.  Growing by LeapsMorrill uses a driving force of just being the best to make precisely grow his business to meet the needs of customers in his area. He tries to improve himself and his company, doing something for that every day. He gets in early every day, and his desire to be professional and ethical helps him grow the company and provides him the guidelines in which to do so. He says it’s like keeping your eye on the ball.    [image]“The ball being your budget, your critical numbers. You have to know where you’re at every day to be able to grow,” Morrill states. “I see so many folks that I talk to that (you ask), ‘Where are you at?’ and the answer is, ‘I don’t know.’ It’s really important to know where you’re at.” This wasn’t something Morrill adopted from the beginning. He worked hard for several years, finally earning his associate’s degree from Citrus College and his Accredited Automotive Manager (AMM) designation from the Automotive Management Institute (AMI). He also is an ASE Master Technician and holds a California smog check technician license.  He said he thought for years that he could do it all himself and that he was the one who know what was best and the right way to go. But like other successful owners across the country have found out, that’s not the case. So Morrill, like many others, sought out coaching and mentoring. Eventually, the business side came to him more after joining an Elite Pro Service 20 Group. What changed his ways was when his group started setting goals for their businesses. Morill admits that he thought that was dumb at first, and set his goals just to appease his 20 Group peers. But within only five years, he had met nearly all of his goals.   “It’s really been an incredible transformation for me. I mean, I was this way and your mentors and group push you to be this way, and son of a gun, it works,” he notes.  “Not everybody in the group is the same as you, but out of all of the guys, there’s probably six I can call for different things. Just have somebody to talk to”  In his business, he set out to have the best customers that trust the shop and whom those in the shop trust, hire the best staff and pay them a living wage, have best equipment and work to better industry and community. The latter is becoming more important to him as he gets older. “The other thing I learned from the group is to have some kind of model. You have to be able to see where you’re going,” Morrill says. “You have to have some kind of policy, procedure, guidelines, a plan to get to the next step. You can’t just drive to Chicago and not know how to get there.” And yes, those plans do include the leaps of faith.  Technological Leaps“I stink at using (technology) but I love it.,” Morrill admits. His love affair is evident in the shop, as technology fills the bays, counters and waiting area. [image]The entire shop is Wi-Fi enabled, and Certified Automotive Specialists has 15 stations within the bays providing R.O. Writer software for the technicians as they work on vehicles. Employees also have portable scanners tied into the R.O. Writer program to go to the vehicle and scan the VIN to pull up vehicle history information. They use tablets and smartphones to enter more information at the vehicle before service begins. Certified Automotive Specialists uses an electronic inspection sheet on new electronic tablets now, also all tied into the shop software to make recording customer and vehicle service information smoother. “It’s something that’s the way of the future,” Morrill notes. The shop also utilizes multiple carts featuring laptops and all of the factory scan tools. “I think that is imperative. I know most people think so as well. If we work on a Chevy, we have the Chevy tool. If we work on a Ford, we have the Ford tool,” Morrill says. “We have laptops and different carts that work for different cars. My guys love that, they’re mobile, they can plug it in, unplug it, put it in the car and drive with the laptop. It’s just awesome. That’s probably the biggest thing I think most shops will have to move to.” Deciding what tools to invest in and eventually what makes to service will affect all aspects of the shop, from training to marketing. Morrill is prepared for any potential changes, especially when it comes to marketing, because of his relationship with Zenergy Works. This company handles website development, search engine optimization (SEO), local geo-specific landing pages, local car manufacturer pages, Google Adwords, Facebook, Twitter and pay-per-click advertising for the shop. Zenergy also is in the process of optimizing the website for mobile searches.  About eight years ago as the Internet continued its quick rise in usage, Morrill tried to do all of the Internet marketing and adversiting himself. But like he learned from the rest of his 20 Group in other areas, he quickly found it was best to bring in outsiders to help. After a few companies burned him, he thought he was set. Morrill recalls a 20 Group meeting back then during which members took turns conducting search reviews of members’ websites. While most of the group could find their sites on results pages one, two or even three, Morrill’s was down quite a ways. On page 28  “I didn’t have a clue it was that bad, because I didn’t know,” he admits. Group members recommended Zenergy, and with another leap of faith following some poor run-ins with others in this arena, they slowly built a relationship. And as the both companies have grown, they’ve remained loyal to each other.  [image]Because of the relationship, Zenergy will try things like new display advertising, landing pages and more. Morrill says while he doesn’t understand it all, he trusts Zenergy.  People have commented on the new site, and notes that his advertising takes on a goofy look on purpose, as they have found it works in his community. For example, for fall, the company put his head on a scarecrow telling people, “Don’t be afraid of these deals.” “Every month the people in the community just crack up. My wife goes, ‘You have kids going to school in the community, stop it.’ But everybody looks forward to what’s he going to be next?” Morrill jokes. “We’re trying for a different theme rather than just serious all the time.” Knowing what works in his community and with his customers comes from tracking all of this marketing, whether it’s the Internet or other approaches like mailings, newspaper advertising or a column Morrill writes for a small weekly paper. Zenergy also manages the shop’s website keywords and has done a good job of targeting searching within the shop’s seven-mile service radius. They also have studied the local area. “It’s a ton of work if you’re going to do it correctly to find what you’re looking for. Once you do it, you realize, wow, I didn’t realize most of my folks are 30-40 and only make this much, so many I charge too much,” Morrill says. He has done his own legwork, too. In 2009, for example, he budgeted $120,000 for advertising and tried everything he could think of for three to six months. “Anything that had ads in it, we tried for three to six months. My belief is, if I spend $400 a month, I want a $3,200 in gross sales from everyone who comes in. So I tracked it, and if I didn’t get it, I canceled it. I had data to know that, Valpak for didn’t work for whatever reason, but money mailer did, so I tried it for a little longer.” He continues to adjust his approaches, tracking responses and making sure the shop capitalizes on what works. He quickly adds that in addition to tracking, a successful owner must charge enough and have money in the bank to do the advertising. “Make sure you charge enough money and hire the right people so you can make enough money so you can advertise. Then do all of that knowing that nobody may walk in the door that day,” he says.  Yet again, taking a leap of faith. A Personal LeapAll of these technological investments and lessons learned from mentoring and the 20 Group eventually came to a head for Morrill. He was forced to take a look beyond his business and realize that if he was to move it forward, he had to change some things personally. The results have been noticed in his shop, and he has implemented his changes shop-wide, positively affecting other employees. Morrill says it started with the group’s coach, Jim Murphy. “I used to believe that I was the owner and you did what you said. It was easy for me, I just went in and said here’s how you’re going to do it,” Morrill confesses. “I realized after sitting down and talking with this group that fear is not a good motivator. People will do it because they want their job.” [image]After encouragement – and prodding – from the 20 Group, Morrill focused on a personal change. He started leadership training and hired a leadership coach, who for three months sat in Morrill’s shop for a week each month, went out to dinner with him and just talked. “And it was like wow, turning on lights for me,” Morrill says. “It was like going into a dark room and having it light up. There is a better way. It really helped me.” The positivity spread throughout the shop over the last year-plus. Starting on Jan. 1, 2012, Morrill instituted a no-negativity policy. While it might be easy to implement this when it comes to dealing with customers, talking behind the scenes and with one another is quite a different story. It wasn’t an easy task to deploy the new focus, and Morrill said he even had to send a couple of key employees home for the day because of a negative attitude behind the scenes. With no negativity anywhere within the building, attitudes have changed and everyone is more productive. Meetings run smoother, there are few problems in the bays or with suppliers and from top to bottom, the culture is cleaner, happier and better for all. “It’s probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do,” Morrill says. “I know a lot of owners just like me. When I go into these shops and meet the owner, talk to his staff and see how he does things, and I go wow that was me.” That was one leap he clearly is glad to have braved. A Leap for the IndustryEarly on in his automotive career, Morrill got involved with several associations in the aftermarket, and is getting others in his shop involved now as well. “I think it’s our obligation as owners to at least do something to try and make our industry better. You don’t have to do a lot. You need to belong to a professional organization minimum,” he says. “Even if you don’t do anything, just belong so they have the money and the resources to fight the legislation. That’s really important to get the word out.” Morrill and the shop are active in AAA, Automotive Service Council of Califonia (ASCCA), Automotive Service Association (ASA), AMI, ACDelco TechNet groups, their program group Bumper to Bumper and more. He is a past president of ASCCA Chapter 5 and a current board member, and also works closely with the California Bureau of Automotive Repair.  He wants to stay active to better the industry and make sure hot-button issues, such as shop and technician licensing (both of which he is for), are handled in the proper ways.  “Being professional is really important to me. We’re getting that respect more that cars are getting more complicated. In the old days, we really weren’t looked at in a professional manner,” he states.  It shows in one of Morrill’s passions — educating legislators on issues that affect the industry. He meets once a month with other shop owners and employees in his area to talk, learn and share other opportunities to help one another and educated themselves on legislation.  [image]In addition to his involvement with organizations, he’s passing his knowledge onto the next generation of technicians and shop employees outside of this business. He teaches automotive classes at Citrus College, where he received his degree, and serves on its advisory board. The shop provides a scholarship for a Citrus College automotive student, and also participates in career days to boost interest in the industry. “I believe in training up, bringing in young people from a community college or trade school and training them up in your shop,” Morrill says. “It builds loyalty and trust that you’re taking them in.”  It also shows them as an owner, you’re taking a leap of faith on them, which many return later as they grow and give back to the industry. Leaps in and for the ShopAs Morrill and his staff take leaps of faith on these future technicians and service advisors, others in the shop are not forgotten. Morrill invests a lot in and focuses heavily on training. All employees are required to complete a minimum of eight hours of training per quarter, and it can range from automotive systems to leadership or even typing classes to help them more quickly enter vehicle information.  Technicians record their training courses and submit the information to Robin Morrill quarterly. They earn an extra $1 per hour every quarter for meeting the training requirements; if they don’t make the quota one quarter, they lose the dollar for that quarter. He also rewards technicians and service advisors with an extra 25 cents per hour on their pay for each ASE certification, and $2 an hour for earning and maintaining their Master certification. To help employees meet the training goals, the shop hosts supplier-led lunch and learns, in which suppliers come to the shop and teach lessons. He pays for all of the training, and is pretty liberal with what employees can take advantage of. Other changes in the shop’s approach to business include completing an analysis of suppliers a few years ago. Early on in his career, the shop used 15 suppliers. He realized some were supplying cheaply made parts, which caused comebacks that lead to disgruntled customers and staff. The shop completed a supplier analysis and narrowed its partnerships to four. The largest supplier is a family-owned operation. But like other business relationships (like that with his marketing partner Zenergy Works), Morrill says he has an association with the owner that allows him to call the owner directly on his cellphone at any point there might be a problem or something the shop could do to help.  Making a Leap in the Community Throughout the years, Morrill has established relationships in addition to business partners with members of the community. He’s been a Rotary Club member for nearly a decade, serving as president from 2008-09. He also serves as a speaker to other community organizations to show his industry in a positive light. Rotary allows Morrill to give back in several ways, and also involve those in his shop. His employees take charge of food drives and toy drives for a local children’s home as their favorite projects to work on for the community. [image]The staff also volunteers to fix vehicles for older community members who need their vehicles but cannot always afford the maintenance or repairs. One elderly shop customer volunteers 40 hours a week at the local hospital. He is too proud to take free work on this vehicle, so the shop service advisors create a bill for him for a small amount of money. “Even if we have to eat the whole bill, we’ll fix that car,” Morrill says. Leaps are Good for BusinessGetting the shop employees involved in service like that in addition to other managerial aspects is one of the biggest leaps of faith Morrill has had to take. “It’s a catch 22. What I learned is 10 years ago, I told you that I knew everything. I wasn’t trained, I had no formal education, I didn’t know anything about business, but I was the smartest guy I knew, so I was going to do everything myself. Once I learned that I wasn’t the smartest guy and became more business educated, more accounting type, money educated, more leadership oriented,” he says “The problem with smaller shops is they don’t want to spend the money to get bigger. I call it manage by checkbook. They get to the end of the month, and if they have money left, ‘whoo hoo!’…They have no idea what their actual numbers were. The hard part for me was learning how to budget manage so you can spend money on advertising.” The shop now is in a solid position where it could operate as-is while Morrill walked away for a week, two or even a month. Getting to that point was through a long-process in which he had to learn and adjust his processes. He treats himself as a marketing person, not as a shop employee. “The reason I can do that is I charge enough money to cover what I need to cover the expenses,” he says. “Ihave people plugged in to do the job that I normally would do as a service advisor or a technician. I’m able to walk away from the business.” By doing so, he serves as an “idea guy,” and can get the ball rolling, helping start advertising programs to bring in customers and implement better ways to serve the customers to create more revenue for advertising. Basically, working on his business now.  And it also means he is able to be open just 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. It helps him hire great employees. That’s their biggest employee benefit, he notes, and helps keep them motivated and loyal to his business. This isn’t anything new, as many shops have these same views and even hours.  Morrill says he jokingly refers to these lessons he learns while interacting with others in the industry and in his 20 Group as R&D – Rip Off and Duplicate.  “You don’t steal things from people, but you take it and then modify it so it fits your business,” he explains. “First question I ask everybody is do you have a model, do you have a plan, and most people say no. That’s very important to have a starting place? Then where do you want to be.” It’s a hard lesson Morrill himself has learned throughout the years and has focused on to better his business. Taking all of the leaps of faith to get where he is today had paid off, and he now works to instill that in others both in his shop, in his group and around the industry. “I’m a big believer also that if you live for today, then at the end of the day, it’ll be tomorrow. So you have to look to the future,” Morrill says. “In business, I look to where I want to be, not where I’m going.” And it might take a few more leaps of faith to get there.  [image]  How much should you risk to get your business to where you want it? Gene Morrill took several leaps and has his shop on solid, successful ground. By Tschanen BrandyberryManaging Editor   Sometimes it takes a leap of faith to get where you want to be. [image]For many owners, the first leap is just hanging an “Open” sign. Eventually, that leap could be trusting more in your employees to handle additional – and eventually the majority of – day-to-day business in the shop. Or it could be making the financial investment in more tools and equipment to better service the vehicles in your area to build your customer base.  Maybe it’s looking in the mirror and deciding you’re going to change things in your life to personally better relationships and hoping it will pay off. The leap might be navigating a catch 22 in which you’re risking comfort for the new, unknowns of the Internet.  Gene Morrill has taken all of the leaps and then some during the last three decades. Morrill and his wife, Robin, in 1985 purchased Certified Automotive Specialists in Glendora, Calif., the shop at which Gene had worked since 1978 when he started as a lube tech. Gradually moving from a lube tech to owner is a leap in several aspects of the word. And over the course of their ownership, the Morrills have grown the business from a 1,000-square foot building to a 7,800-square foot facility with a total of 16 bays. These leaps of faith aren’t without struggles, lessons and a lot of education along the way. SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE “You reach that hump you can get over where you’re small and you’re up against the wall and you have to really take a leap of faith to get to the next level to where you can manage and have the money to buy and do all these cool things,” he says. “And if you’re smaller, there’s nothing wrong with being smaller, I wish I was small sometimes. If you’re smaller I think its’ better in a way that you can focus on certain car lines, certain tools, be more proficient at certain things. We’re working on a VW one day and a Chevy the next day, and it’s challenging.” So what do you do when you decide to take that leap and all that comes with it in being a bigger shop? Continue to better the business and everyone around you, as well as yourself.  Growing by LeapsMorrill uses a driving force of just being the best to make precisely grow his business to meet the needs of customers in his area. He tries to improve himself and his company, doing something for that every day. He gets in early every day, and his desire to be professional and ethical helps him grow the company and provides him the guidelines in which to do so. He says it’s like keeping your eye on the ball.    [image]“The ball being your budget, your critical numbers. You have to know where you’re at every day to be able to grow,” Morrill states. “I see so many folks that I talk to that (you ask), ‘Where are you at?’ and the answer is, ‘I don’t know.’ It’s really important to know where you’re at.” This wasn’t something Morrill adopted from the beginning. He worked hard for several years, finally earning his associate’s degree from Citrus College and his Accredited Automotive Manager (AMM) designation from the Automotive Management Institute (AMI). He also is an ASE Master Technician and holds a California smog check technician license.  He said he thought for years that he could do it all himself and that he was the one who know what was best and the right way to go. But like other successful owners across the country have found out, that’s not the case. So Morrill, like many others, sought out coaching and mentoring. Eventually, the business side came to him more after joining an Elite Pro Service 20 Group. What changed his ways was when his group started setting goals for their businesses. Morill admits that he thought that was dumb at first, and set his goals just to appease his 20 Group peers. But within only five years, he had met nearly all of his goals.   “It’s really been an incredible transformation for me. I mean, I was this way and your mentors and group push you to be this way, and son of a gun, it works,” he notes.  “Not everybody in the group is the same as you, but out of all of the guys, there’s probably six I can call for different things. Just have somebody to talk to”  In his business, he set out to have the best customers that trust the shop and whom those in the shop trust, hire the best staff and pay them a living wage, have best equipment and work to better industry and community. The latter is becoming more important to him as he gets older. “The other thing I learned from the group is to have some kind of model. You have to be able to see where you’re going,” Morrill says. “You have to have some kind of policy, procedure, guidelines, a plan to get to the next step. You can’t just drive to Chicago and not know how to get there.” And yes, those plans do include the leaps of faith.  Technological Leaps“I stink at using (technology) but I love it.,” Morrill admits. His love affair is evident in the shop, as technology fills the bays, counters and waiting area. [image]The entire shop is Wi-Fi enabled, and Certified Automotive Specialists has 15 stations within the bays providing R.O. Writer software for the technicians as they work on vehicles. Employees also have portable scanners tied into the R.O. Writer program to go to the vehicle and scan the VIN to pull up vehicle history information. They use tablets and smartphones to enter more information at the vehicle before service begins. Certified Automotive Specialists uses an electronic inspection sheet on new electronic tablets now, also all tied into the shop software to make recording customer and vehicle service information smoother. “It’s something that’s the way of the future,” Morrill notes. The shop also utilizes multiple carts featuring laptops and all of the factory scan tools. “I think that is imperative. I know most people think so as well. If we work on a Chevy, we have the Chevy tool. If we work on a Ford, we have the Ford tool,” Morrill says. “We have laptops and different carts that work for different cars. My guys love that, they’re mobile, they can plug it in, unplug it, put it in the car and drive with the laptop. It’s just awesome. That’s probably the biggest thing I think most shops will have to move to.” Deciding what tools to invest in and eventually what makes to service will affect all aspects of the shop, from training to marketing. Morrill is prepared for any potential changes, especially when it comes to marketing, because of his relationship with Zenergy Works. This company handles website development, search engine optimization (SEO), local geo-specific landing pages, local car manufacturer pages, Google Adwords, Facebook, Twitter and pay-per-click advertising for the shop. Zenergy also is in the process of optimizing the website for mobile searches.  About eight years ago as the Internet continued its quick rise in usage, Morrill tried to do all of the Internet marketing and adversiting himself. But like he learned from the rest of his 20 Group in other areas, he quickly found it was best to bring in outsiders to help. After a few companies burned him, he thought he was set. Morrill recalls a 20 Group meeting back then during which members took turns conducting search reviews of members’ websites. While most of the group could find their sites on results pages one, two or even three, Morrill’s was down quite a ways. On page 28  “I didn’t have a clue it was that bad, because I didn’t know,” he admits. Group members recommended Zenergy, and with another leap of faith following some poor run-ins with others in this arena, they slowly built a relationship. And as the both companies have grown, they’ve remained loyal to each other.  [image]Because of the relationship, Zenergy will try things like new display advertising, landing pages and more. Morrill says while he doesn’t understand it all, he trusts Zenergy.  People have commented on the new site, and notes that his advertising takes on a goofy look on purpose, as they have found it works in his community. For example, for fall, the company put his head on a scarecrow telling people, “Don’t be afraid of these deals.” “Every month the people in the community just crack up. My wife goes, ‘You have kids going to school in the community, stop it.’ But everybody looks forward to what’s he going to be next?” Morrill jokes. “We’re trying for a different theme rather than just serious all the time.” Knowing what works in his community and with his customers comes from tracking all of this marketing, whether it’s the Internet or other approaches like mailings, newspaper advertising or a column Morrill writes for a small weekly paper. Zenergy also manages the shop’s website keywords and has done a good job of targeting searching within the shop’s seven-mile service radius. They also have studied the local area. “It’s a ton of work if you’re going to do it correctly to find what you’re looking for. Once you do it, you realize, wow, I didn’t realize most of my folks are 30-40 and only make this much, so many I charge too much,” Morrill says. He has done his own legwork, too. In 2009, for example, he budgeted $120,000 for advertising and tried everything he could think of for three to six months. “Anything that had ads in it, we tried for three to six months. My belief is, if I spend $400 a month, I want a $3,200 in gross sales from everyone who comes in. So I tracked it, and if I didn’t get it, I canceled it. I had data to know that, Valpak for didn’t work for whatever reason, but money mailer did, so I tried it for a little longer.” He continues to adjust his approaches, tracking responses and making sure the shop capitalizes on what works. He quickly adds that in addition to tracking, a successful owner must charge enough and have money in the bank to do the advertising. “Make sure you charge enough money and hire the right people so you can make enough money so you can advertise. Then do all of that knowing that nobody may walk in the door that day,” he says.  Yet again, taking a leap of faith. A Personal LeapAll of these technological investments and lessons learned from mentoring and the 20 Group eventually came to a head for Morrill. He was forced to take a look beyond his business and realize that if he was to move it forward, he had to change some things personally. The results have been noticed in his shop, and he has implemented his changes shop-wide, positively affecting other employees. Morrill says it started with the group’s coach, Jim Murphy. “I used to believe that I was the owner and you did what you said. It was easy for me, I just went in and said here’s how you’re going to do it,” Morrill confesses. “I realized after sitting down and talking with this group that fear is not a good motivator. People will do it because they want their job.” [image]After encouragement – and prodding – from the 20 Group, Morrill focused on a personal change. He started leadership training and hired a leadership coach, who for three months sat in Morrill’s shop for a week each month, went out to dinner with him and just talked. “And it was like wow, turning on lights for me,” Morrill says. “It was like going into a dark room and having it light up. There is a better way. It really helped me.” The positivity spread throughout the shop over the last year-plus. Starting on Jan. 1, 2012, Morrill instituted a no-negativity policy. While it might be easy to implement this when it comes to dealing with customers, talking behind the scenes and with one another is quite a different story. It wasn’t an easy task to deploy the new focus, and Morrill said he even had to send a couple of key employees home for the day because of a negative attitude behind the scenes. With no negativity anywhere within the building, attitudes have changed and everyone is more productive. Meetings run smoother, there are few problems in the bays or with suppliers and from top to bottom, the culture is cleaner, happier and better for all. “It’s probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do,” Morrill says. “I know a lot of owners just like me. When I go into these shops and meet the owner, talk to his staff and see how he does things, and I go wow that was me.” That was one leap he clearly is glad to have braved. A Leap for the IndustryEarly on in his automotive career, Morrill got involved with several associations in the aftermarket, and is getting others in his shop involved now as well. “I think it’s our obligation as owners to at least do something to try and make our industry better. You don’t have to do a lot. You need to belong to a professional organization minimum,” he says. “Even if you don’t do anything, just belong so they have the money and the resources to fight the legislation. That’s really important to get the word out.” Morrill and the shop are active in AAA, Automotive Service Council of Califonia (ASCCA), Automotive Service Association (ASA), AMI, ACDelco TechNet groups, their program group Bumper to Bumper and more. He is a past president of ASCCA Chapter 5 and a current board member, and also works closely with the California Bureau of Automotive Repair.  He wants to stay active to better the industry and make sure hot-button issues, such as shop and technician licensing (both of which he is for), are handled in the proper ways.  “Being professional is really important to me. We’re getting that respect more that cars are getting more complicated. In the old days, we really weren’t looked at in a professional manner,” he states.  It shows in one of Morrill’s passions — educating legislators on issues that affect the industry. He meets once a month with other shop owners and employees in his area to talk, learn and share other opportunities to help one another and educated themselves on legislation.  [image]In addition to his involvement with organizations, he’s passing his knowledge onto the next generation of technicians and shop employees outside of this business. He teaches automotive classes at Citrus College, where he received his degree, and serves on its advisory board. The shop provides a scholarship for a Citrus College automotive student, and also participates in career days to boost interest in the industry. “I believe in training up, bringing in young people from a community college or trade school and training them up in your shop,” Morrill says. “It builds loyalty and trust that you’re taking them in.”  It also shows them as an owner, you’re taking a leap of faith on them, which many return later as they grow and give back to the industry. Leaps in and for the ShopAs Morrill and his staff take leaps of faith on these future technicians and service advisors, others in the shop are not forgotten. Morrill invests a lot in and focuses heavily on training. All employees are required to complete a minimum of eight hours of training per quarter, and it can range from automotive systems to leadership or even typing classes to help them more quickly enter vehicle information.  Technicians record their training courses and submit the information to Robin Morrill quarterly. They earn an extra $1 per hour every quarter for meeting the training requirements; if they don’t make the quota one quarter, they lose the dollar for that quarter. He also rewards technicians and service advisors with an extra 25 cents per hour on their pay for each ASE certification, and $2 an hour for earning and maintaining their Master certification. To help employees meet the training goals, the shop hosts supplier-led lunch and learns, in which suppliers come to the shop and teach lessons. He pays for all of the training, and is pretty liberal with what employees can take advantage of. Other changes in the shop’s approach to business include completing an analysis of suppliers a few years ago. Early on in his career, the shop used 15 suppliers. He realized some were supplying cheaply made parts, which caused comebacks that lead to disgruntled customers and staff. The shop completed a supplier analysis and narrowed its partnerships to four. The largest supplier is a family-owned operation. But like other business relationships (like that with his marketing partner Zenergy Works), Morrill says he has an association with the owner that allows him to call the owner directly on his cellphone at any point there might be a problem or something the shop could do to help.  Making a Leap in the Community Throughout the years, Morrill has established relationships in addition to business partners with members of the community. He’s been a Rotary Club member for nearly a decade, serving as president from 2008-09. He also serves as a speaker to other community organizations to show his industry in a positive light. Rotary allows Morrill to give back in several ways, and also involve those in his shop. His employees take charge of food drives and toy drives for a local children’s home as their favorite projects to work on for the community. [image]The staff also volunteers to fix vehicles for older community members who need their vehicles but cannot always afford the maintenance or repairs. One elderly shop customer volunteers 40 hours a week at the local hospital. He is too proud to take free work on this vehicle, so the shop service advisors create a bill for him for a small amount of money. “Even if we have to eat the whole bill, we’ll fix that car,” Morrill says. Leaps are Good for BusinessGetting the shop employees involved in service like that in addition to other managerial aspects is one of the biggest leaps of faith Morrill has had to take. “It’s a catch 22. What I learned is 10 years ago, I told you that I knew everything. I wasn’t trained, I had no formal education, I didn’t know anything about business, but I was the smartest guy I knew, so I was going to do everything myself. Once I learned that I wasn’t the smartest guy and became more business educated, more accounting type, money educated, more leadership oriented,” he says “The problem with smaller shops is they don’t want to spend the money to get bigger. I call it manage by checkbook. They get to the end of the month, and if they have money left, ‘whoo hoo!’…They have no idea what their actual numbers were. The hard part for me was learning how to budget manage so you can spend money on advertising.” The shop now is in a solid position where it could operate as-is while Morrill walked away for a week, two or even a month. Getting to that point was through a long-process in which he had to learn and adjust his processes. He treats himself as a marketing person, not as a shop employee. “The reason I can do that is I charge enough money to cover what I need to cover the expenses,” he says. “Ihave people plugged in to do the job that I normally would do as a service advisor or a technician. I’m able to walk away from the business.” By doing so, he serves as an “idea guy,” and can get the ball rolling, helping start advertising programs to bring in customers and implement better ways to serve the customers to create more revenue for advertising. Basically, working on his business now.  And it also means he is able to be open just 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. It helps him hire great employees. That’s their biggest employee benefit, he notes, and helps keep them motivated and loyal to his business. This isn’t anything new, as many shops have these same views and even hours.  Morrill says he jokingly refers to these lessons he learns while interacting with others in the industry and in his 20 Group as R&D – Rip Off and Duplicate.  “You don’t steal things from people, but you take it and then modify it so it fits your business,” he explains. “First question I ask everybody is do you have a model, do you have a plan, and most people say no. That’s very important to have a starting place? Then where do you want to be.” It’s a hard lesson Morrill himself has learned throughout the years and has focused on to better his business. Taking all of the leaps of faith to get where he is today had paid off, and he now works to instill that in others both in his shop, in his group and around the industry. “I’m a big believer also that if you live for today, then at the end of the day, it’ll be tomorrow. So you have to look to the future,” Morrill says. “In business, I look to where I want to be, not where I’m going.” And it might take a few more leaps of faith to get there.  [image] Sat, 01 Dec 2012 12:36:17 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Certified-Automotive-Specialists-Making-the-leap/blog/6481463/31710.html CarGirl 2012-12-01T12:36:17Z AutoPro Workshop  How much should you risk to get your business to where you want it? Gene Morrill took several leaps and has his shop on solid, successful ground. By Tschanen BrandyberryManaging Editor   Sometimes it takes a leap of faith to get where you want to be. [image]For many owners, the first leap is just hanging an “Open” sign. Eventually, that leap could be trusting more in your employees to handle additional – and eventually the majority of – day-to-day business in the shop. Or it could be making the financial investment in more tools and equipment to better service the vehicles in your area to build your customer base.  Maybe it’s looking in the mirror and deciding you’re going to change things in your life to personally better relationships and hoping it will pay off. The leap might be navigating a catch 22 in which you’re risking comfort for the new, unknowns of the Internet.  Gene Morrill has taken all of the leaps and then some during the last three decades. Morrill and his wife, Robin, in 1985 purchased Certified Automotive Specialists in Glendora, Calif., the shop at which Gene had worked since 1978 when he started as a lube tech. Gradually moving from a lube tech to owner is a leap in several aspects of the word. And over the course of their ownership, the Morrills have grown the business from a 1,000-square foot building to a 7,800-square foot facility with a total of 16 bays. These leaps of faith aren’t without struggles, lessons and a lot of education along the way. SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE “You reach that hump you can get over where you’re small and you’re up against the wall and you have to really take a leap of faith to get to the next level to where you can manage and have the money to buy and do all these cool things,” he says. “And if you’re smaller, there’s nothing wrong with being smaller, I wish I was small sometimes. If you’re smaller I think its’ better in a way that you can focus on certain car lines, certain tools, be more proficient at certain things. We’re working on a VW one day and a Chevy the next day, and it’s challenging.” So what do you do when you decide to take that leap and all that comes with it in being a bigger shop? Continue to better the business and everyone around you, as well as yourself.  Growing by LeapsMorrill uses a driving force of just being the best to make precisely grow his business to meet the needs of customers in his area. He tries to improve himself and his company, doing something for that every day. He gets in early every day, and his desire to be professional and ethical helps him grow the company and provides him the guidelines in which to do so. He says it’s like keeping your eye on the ball.    [image]“The ball being your budget, your critical numbers. You have to know where you’re at every day to be able to grow,” Morrill states. “I see so many folks that I talk to that (you ask), ‘Where are you at?’ and the answer is, ‘I don’t know.’ It’s really important to know where you’re at.” This wasn’t something Morrill adopted from the beginning. He worked hard for several years, finally earning his associate’s degree from Citrus College and his Accredited Automotive Manager (AMM) designation from the Automotive Management Institute (AMI). He also is an ASE Master Technician and holds a California smog check technician license.  He said he thought for years that he could do it all himself and that he was the one who know what was best and the right way to go. But like other successful owners across the country have found out, that’s not the case. So Morrill, like many others, sought out coaching and mentoring. Eventually, the business side came to him more after joining an Elite Pro Service 20 Group. What changed his ways was when his group started setting goals for their businesses. Morill admits that he thought that was dumb at first, and set his goals just to appease his 20 Group peers. But within only five years, he had met nearly all of his goals.   “It’s really been an incredible transformation for me. I mean, I was this way and your mentors and group push you to be this way, and son of a gun, it works,” he notes.  “Not everybody in the group is the same as you, but out of all of the guys, there’s probably six I can call for different things. Just have somebody to talk to”  In his business, he set out to have the best customers that trust the shop and whom those in the shop trust, hire the best staff and pay them a living wage, have best equipment and work to better industry and community. The latter is becoming more important to him as he gets older. “The other thing I learned from the group is to have some kind of model. You have to be able to see where you’re going,” Morrill says. “You have to have some kind of policy, procedure, guidelines, a plan to get to the next step. You can’t just drive to Chicago and not know how to get there.” And yes, those plans do include the leaps of faith.  Technological Leaps“I stink at using (technology) but I love it.,” Morrill admits. His love affair is evident in the shop, as technology fills the bays, counters and waiting area. [image]The entire shop is Wi-Fi enabled, and Certified Automotive Specialists has 15 stations within the bays providing R.O. Writer software for the technicians as they work on vehicles. Employees also have portable scanners tied into the R.O. Writer program to go to the vehicle and scan the VIN to pull up vehicle history information. They use tablets and smartphones to enter more information at the vehicle before service begins. Certified Automotive Specialists uses an electronic inspection sheet on new electronic tablets now, also all tied into the shop software to make recording customer and vehicle service information smoother. “It’s something that’s the way of the future,” Morrill notes. The shop also utilizes multiple carts featuring laptops and all of the factory scan tools. “I think that is imperative. I know most people think so as well. If we work on a Chevy, we have the Chevy tool. If we work on a Ford, we have the Ford tool,” Morrill says. “We have laptops and different carts that work for different cars. My guys love that, they’re mobile, they can plug it in, unplug it, put it in the car and drive with the laptop. It’s just awesome. That’s probably the biggest thing I think most shops will have to move to.” Deciding what tools to invest in and eventually what makes to service will affect all aspects of the shop, from training to marketing. Morrill is prepared for any potential changes, especially when it comes to marketing, because of his relationship with Zenergy Works. This company handles website development, search engine optimization (SEO), local geo-specific landing pages, local car manufacturer pages, Google Adwords, Facebook, Twitter and pay-per-click advertising for the shop. Zenergy also is in the process of optimizing the website for mobile searches.  About eight years ago as the Internet continued its quick rise in usage, Morrill tried to do all of the Internet marketing and adversiting himself. But like he learned from the rest of his 20 Group in other areas, he quickly found it was best to bring in outsiders to help. After a few companies burned him, he thought he was set. Morrill recalls a 20 Group meeting back then during which members took turns conducting search reviews of members’ websites. While most of the group could find their sites on results pages one, two or even three, Morrill’s was down quite a ways. On page 28  “I didn’t have a clue it was that bad, because I didn’t know,” he admits. Group members recommended Zenergy, and with another leap of faith following some poor run-ins with others in this arena, they slowly built a relationship. And as the both companies have grown, they’ve remained loyal to each other.  [image]Because of the relationship, Zenergy will try things like new display advertising, landing pages and more. Morrill says while he doesn’t understand it all, he trusts Zenergy.  People have commented on the new site, and notes that his advertising takes on a goofy look on purpose, as they have found it works in his community. For example, for fall, the company put his head on a scarecrow telling people, “Don’t be afraid of these deals.” “Every month the people in the community just crack up. My wife goes, ‘You have kids going to school in the community, stop it.’ But everybody looks forward to what’s he going to be next?” Morrill jokes. “We’re trying for a different theme rather than just serious all the time.” Knowing what works in his community and with his customers comes from tracking all of this marketing, whether it’s the Internet or other approaches like mailings, newspaper advertising or a column Morrill writes for a small weekly paper. Zenergy also manages the shop’s website keywords and has done a good job of targeting searching within the shop’s seven-mile service radius. They also have studied the local area. “It’s a ton of work if you’re going to do it correctly to find what you’re looking for. Once you do it, you realize, wow, I didn’t realize most of my folks are 30-40 and only make this much, so many I charge too much,” Morrill says. He has done his own legwork, too. In 2009, for example, he budgeted $120,000 for advertising and tried everything he could think of for three to six months. “Anything that had ads in it, we tried for three to six months. My belief is, if I spend $400 a month, I want a $3,200 in gross sales from everyone who comes in. So I tracked it, and if I didn’t get it, I canceled it. I had data to know that, Valpak for didn’t work for whatever reason, but money mailer did, so I tried it for a little longer.” He continues to adjust his approaches, tracking responses and making sure the shop capitalizes on what works. He quickly adds that in addition to tracking, a successful owner must charge enough and have money in the bank to do the advertising. “Make sure you charge enough money and hire the right people so you can make enough money so you can advertise. Then do all of that knowing that nobody may walk in the door that day,” he says.  Yet again, taking a leap of faith. A Personal LeapAll of these technological investments and lessons learned from mentoring and the 20 Group eventually came to a head for Morrill. He was forced to take a look beyond his business and realize that if he was to move it forward, he had to change some things personally. The results have been noticed in his shop, and he has implemented his changes shop-wide, positively affecting other employees. Morrill says it started with the group’s coach, Jim Murphy. “I used to believe that I was the owner and you did what you said. It was easy for me, I just went in and said here’s how you’re going to do it,” Morrill confesses. “I realized after sitting down and talking with this group that fear is not a good motivator. People will do it because they want their job.” [image]After encouragement – and prodding – from the 20 Group, Morrill focused on a personal change. He started leadership training and hired a leadership coach, who for three months sat in Morrill’s shop for a week each month, went out to dinner with him and just talked. “And it was like wow, turning on lights for me,” Morrill says. “It was like going into a dark room and having it light up. There is a better way. It really helped me.” The positivity spread throughout the shop over the last year-plus. Starting on Jan. 1, 2012, Morrill instituted a no-negativity policy. While it might be easy to implement this when it comes to dealing with customers, talking behind the scenes and with one another is quite a different story. It wasn’t an easy task to deploy the new focus, and Morrill said he even had to send a couple of key employees home for the day because of a negative attitude behind the scenes. With no negativity anywhere within the building, attitudes have changed and everyone is more productive. Meetings run smoother, there are few problems in the bays or with suppliers and from top to bottom, the culture is cleaner, happier and better for all. “It’s probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do,” Morrill says. “I know a lot of owners just like me. When I go into these shops and meet the owner, talk to his staff and see how he does things, and I go wow that was me.” That was one leap he clearly is glad to have braved. A Leap for the IndustryEarly on in his automotive career, Morrill got involved with several associations in the aftermarket, and is getting others in his shop involved now as well. “I think it’s our obligation as owners to at least do something to try and make our industry better. You don’t have to do a lot. You need to belong to a professional organization minimum,” he says. “Even if you don’t do anything, just belong so they have the money and the resources to fight the legislation. That’s really important to get the word out.” Morrill and the shop are active in AAA, Automotive Service Council of Califonia (ASCCA), Automotive Service Association (ASA), AMI, ACDelco TechNet groups, their program group Bumper to Bumper and more. He is a past president of ASCCA Chapter 5 and a current board member, and also works closely with the California Bureau of Automotive Repair.  He wants to stay active to better the industry and make sure hot-button issues, such as shop and technician licensing (both of which he is for), are handled in the proper ways.  “Being professional is really important to me. We’re getting that respect more that cars are getting more complicated. In the old days, we really weren’t looked at in a professional manner,” he states.  It shows in one of Morrill’s passions — educating legislators on issues that affect the industry. He meets once a month with other shop owners and employees in his area to talk, learn and share other opportunities to help one another and educated themselves on legislation.  [image]In addition to his involvement with organizations, he’s passing his knowledge onto the next generation of technicians and shop employees outside of this business. He teaches automotive classes at Citrus College, where he received his degree, and serves on its advisory board. The shop provides a scholarship for a Citrus College automotive student, and also participates in career days to boost interest in the industry. “I believe in training up, bringing in young people from a community college or trade school and training them up in your shop,” Morrill says. “It builds loyalty and trust that you’re taking them in.”  It also shows them as an owner, you’re taking a leap of faith on them, which many return later as they grow and give back to the industry. Leaps in and for the ShopAs Morrill and his staff take leaps of faith on these future technicians and service advisors, others in the shop are not forgotten. Morrill invests a lot in and focuses heavily on training. All employees are required to complete a minimum of eight hours of training per quarter, and it can range from automotive systems to leadership or even typing classes to help them more quickly enter vehicle information.  Technicians record their training courses and submit the information to Robin Morrill quarterly. They earn an extra $1 per hour every quarter for meeting the training requirements; if they don’t make the quota one quarter, they lose the dollar for that quarter. He also rewards technicians and service advisors with an extra 25 cents per hour on their pay for each ASE certification, and $2 an hour for earning and maintaining their Master certification. To help employees meet the training goals, the shop hosts supplier-led lunch and learns, in which suppliers come to the shop and teach lessons. He pays for all of the training, and is pretty liberal with what employees can take advantage of. Other changes in the shop’s approach to business include completing an analysis of suppliers a few years ago. Early on in his career, the shop used 15 suppliers. He realized some were supplying cheaply made parts, which caused comebacks that lead to disgruntled customers and staff. The shop completed a supplier analysis and narrowed its partnerships to four. The largest supplier is a family-owned operation. But like other business relationships (like that with his marketing partner Zenergy Works), Morrill says he has an association with the owner that allows him to call the owner directly on his cellphone at any point there might be a problem or something the shop could do to help.  Making a Leap in the Community Throughout the years, Morrill has established relationships in addition to business partners with members of the community. He’s been a Rotary Club member for nearly a decade, serving as president from 2008-09. He also serves as a speaker to other community organizations to show his industry in a positive light. Rotary allows Morrill to give back in several ways, and also involve those in his shop. His employees take charge of food drives and toy drives for a local children’s home as their favorite projects to work on for the community. [image]The staff also volunteers to fix vehicles for older community members who need their vehicles but cannot always afford the maintenance or repairs. One elderly shop customer volunteers 40 hours a week at the local hospital. He is too proud to take free work on this vehicle, so the shop service advisors create a bill for him for a small amount of money. “Even if we have to eat the whole bill, we’ll fix that car,” Morrill says. Leaps are Good for BusinessGetting the shop employees involved in service like that in addition to other managerial aspects is one of the biggest leaps of faith Morrill has had to take. “It’s a catch 22. What I learned is 10 years ago, I told you that I knew everything. I wasn’t trained, I had no formal education, I didn’t know anything about business, but I was the smartest guy I knew, so I was going to do everything myself. Once I learned that I wasn’t the smartest guy and became more business educated, more accounting type, money educated, more leadership oriented,” he says “The problem with smaller shops is they don’t want to spend the money to get bigger. I call it manage by checkbook. They get to the end of the month, and if they have money left, ‘whoo hoo!’…They have no idea what their actual numbers were. The hard part for me was learning how to budget manage so you can spend money on advertising.” The shop now is in a solid position where it could operate as-is while Morrill walked away for a week, two or even a month. Getting to that point was through a long-process in which he had to learn and adjust his processes. He treats himself as a marketing person, not as a shop employee. “The reason I can do that is I charge enough money to cover what I need to cover the expenses,” he says. “Ihave people plugged in to do the job that I normally would do as a service advisor or a technician. I’m able to walk away from the business.” By doing so, he serves as an “idea guy,” and can get the ball rolling, helping start advertising programs to bring in customers and implement better ways to serve the customers to create more revenue for advertising. Basically, working on his business now.  And it also means he is able to be open just 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. It helps him hire great employees. That’s their biggest employee benefit, he notes, and helps keep them motivated and loyal to his business. This isn’t anything new, as many shops have these same views and even hours.  Morrill says he jokingly refers to these lessons he learns while interacting with others in the industry and in his 20 Group as R&D – Rip Off and Duplicate.  “You don’t steal things from people, but you take it and then modify it so it fits your business,” he explains. “First question I ask everybody is do you have a model, do you have a plan, and most people say no. That’s very important to have a starting place? Then where do you want to be.” It’s a hard lesson Morrill himself has learned throughout the years and has focused on to better his business. Taking all of the leaps of faith to get where he is today had paid off, and he now works to instill that in others both in his shop, in his group and around the industry. “I’m a big believer also that if you live for today, then at the end of the day, it’ll be tomorrow. So you have to look to the future,” Morrill says. “In business, I look to where I want to be, not where I’m going.” And it might take a few more leaps of faith to get there.  [image] nonadult false Certified Automotive Specialists: Making the leap text blog 1845 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=2689446&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_1568458_31710_2689446_ap_160X120.jpg false 2 0 6481463 2689446 Member 0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Garry39s-Automotive-Putting-the-Plans-in-Place/blog/6481469/31710.html Whether it’s what to do on a slow day or how the ownership will turn the business over, Garry’s Automotive has the plans set forth for any situation. By Tschanen BrandyberryManaging Editor [image]Garry Plimmer put a plan in motion about 14 years ago when he went into business for himself. While it took time to move from a home-based garage, to a rented two-bay facility with no lifts to his current seven-bay facility, carefully laid plans have been in place along the way. In fact, the shop went from a two-bay to seven-bay facility literally overnight, and had no problem filling the bays with work. Because of this, Plimmer knows the importance of putting plans in place, and has done so in many other aspects of his business, Garry’s Automotive in Boise, Idaho. While he and his wife, Jerilyn, are not quite ready to turn over the business to a younger generation, the owners do have a strong succession plan in place. They are more than halfway through an eight-year plan in which one of the shop’s service advisors will take over the business. Plimmer is excited about the plan, because they have an employee in place now who thinks like an owner, allowing the Plimmers more time to do the things they want to do. SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE “We get to sell the business to someone we want to, that will carry on our business, our name into the next generation,” Plimmer says, adding they can sell the shop in their own time frame and for the price they want. “We had a chance to work up a pretty good plan. I think every shop out there, regardless of your financial status, needs to have a plan. You need to have a plan of where you’re going all the way to the end of the road.” Slow Plans In addition to the succession plan, Plimmer has plans in place to fill slow time periods in the shop. When the shop hits a certain point in scheduling, for them that is booking under a half a day for the upcoming day, they break out this plan. There are simple procedures they go through, Plimmer explains, like looking at preordered parts on the parts rack and trying to get those customers in early. They also can offer a discount to someone to move an appointment up, or reach out to commercial accounts to see if they have vehicles in need of service in a nearly immediate appointment. He says there also are prepared email blasts they can send out encouraging customers to book service. “You put a timeline on it, so they’re rushing to get to the phone to make the appointment,” he adds. [image]There are 25 items on Garry’s Automotive’s list, and once a few of them are implemented and business is brought back up to where it should be, the plan is put away until another slow day. Many of the shop’s days are full of work, though, partially because of a thorough marketing plan developed as part of his involvement in an R.L. O’Connor Bottom Line Impact Group. “One of the requirements is a marketing plan, and what’s so cool of being a part of a group like that, some people really have to do a lot of marketing, some people don’t,” says Plimmer, who formally was part of the latter. “So the guys that don’t, really don’t have the experience of doing a marketing plan. And really they’re being left out when they’re not forced to do that.” The ownership learned how to market, focusing on attraction, retention, first-time customer retention and image and branding in the plan, which includes direct mail, thank-you programs, social media, a website and events. Plimmer notes that in addition to the NAPA-related marketing items (the shop is a NAPA Car Care Center), he has 25 more ideas of his own. “It just makes it so good for a guy like me, what do we have going on for next week? It has just a been a super thing for us, and of course it’s continued to grow our business.” Growing and ChangingThe shop has been able not only to grow its business, but reach a broader clientele.  “Even when there’s a shift in the marketplace, like we used to see a lot of women in the marketplace bringing in their cars. Well, it’s shifting back again for us anyway, where we’re seeing more guys bringing in the cars,” Plimmer says. “I don’t know I guess they just want to be more involved in it, and the tickets. have become higher and they want to make sure they’re getting what they need. But we have to adjust constantly for the changes in the market.” They have reached this different clientele, too, because of a focus Plimmer placed on having the facility look more like a dealership than an independent facility. While they couldn’t build a dealership, they could make adjustments to their shop. “When I was in my older shop, it was a rented shop with a dirt parking lot. Everybody brought their pickup trucks and their hunting vehicles and their extra cars and their kids’ cars. But I really wasn’t seeing the nice cars,” he recalls. “Since we’ve built this building and it looks sharp, it’s clean as a pin inside and out, everybody looks a certain way, everybody talks a certain way, we have really sought that other clientele and we’ve gotten it. It just doesn’t look, and customers have said this to me, like the normal, every day repair shop that I’m used to.” They also have been able to better facilitate scheduling, partially through instituting a 35-minute window for the technicians. This initial time is for them to verify the complaint, set a testing pat and perform a  32-point safety inspection. [image]“A lot of people will just let the technician run with it and they don’t limit him until he decides to give up,” Plimmer explains. “With us, we’re going to give you enough time to do a maintenance inspection and go verify the complaint — and that’s the key word verify the complaint — before we give you any more time. We don’t’ want you to spend two hours on the car and go, you know that noise, I just can’t find it.” Technicians can continue to search for problems beyond the time frame, but are not paid. “We limit what they pay them so they become more efficient, we’re not writing off time, they’re not writing off time, and it’s not as much time for the customer, because they’re missing their car while we’re off on a wild goose chase.”  Shifting to Community Service Aside from a strong emphasis on planning and procedures, Garry’s Automotive also has a large focus on community service. The shop annual conduct free oil change events on Veteran’s Day, complete with military vehicles in the parking lot for all customers to check out. Plimmer, a U.S. Navy Vietnam-era veteran, notes that the shop was invited to join a Veteran’s Day event seven years ago. After partnering with another shop back then, they were hooked. “Once you are at an event like that, and some of these people who have served and you hear why it’s important to them that you do and event like that, to hear them say, ‘No one has ever done this for me,’ it’s awesome,” he says, adding they get mail and thank-you drawings from children for weeks after the event. “I mean who wouldn’t do it again and again after people respond like that. That’s what continues to drive us.” The shop also is active with the March of Dimes following their work with the Plimmers’ oldest son and his family, whose son was born premature. Even now, with his grandson active at age 3, the organization still is there for the family. [image]“I think when you have people that are part of an organization like that that treat people like us that have this particular problem, you’re going to go alongside them in anything they do. I think that’d be fairly natural for anybody,” says Plimmer. The shop does other community service activities, and gets all of the employees involved in the Boise Paint the Town event, painting homes for the elder, and restoring a 1969 Mercury CyclineCJ428 for Wish Grantors, a Make-A-Wish organization for adults. “I think some of the other things we do in the community, I think with our technicians, everybody kind of has something kind of like to do, but I think we have to lead the charge. If we don’t lead the charge, people don’t come to me asking for me, scan you find something we can be involved in. I think certainly as the owners, we found this cool thing and this is why it’s cool, and would you guys like to be a part of it, and they will most of the time respond to that,” Plimmer says. And it all is part of his plan for business, his shop and beyond. [image] Whether it’s what to do on a slow day or how the ownership will turn the business over, Garry’s Automotive has the plans set forth for any situation. By Tschanen BrandyberryManaging Editor [image]Garry Plimmer put a plan in motion about 14 years ago when he went into business for himself. While it took time to move from a home-based garage, to a rented two-bay facility with no lifts to his current seven-bay facility, carefully laid plans have been in place along the way. In fact, the shop went from a two-bay to seven-bay facility literally overnight, and had no problem filling the bays with work. Because of this, Plimmer knows the importance of putting plans in place, and has done so in many other aspects of his business, Garry’s Automotive in Boise, Idaho. While he and his wife, Jerilyn, are not quite ready to turn over the business to a younger generation, the owners do have a strong succession plan in place. They are more than halfway through an eight-year plan in which one of the shop’s service advisors will take over the business. Plimmer is excited about the plan, because they have an employee in place now who thinks like an owner, allowing the Plimmers more time to do the things they want to do. SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE “We get to sell the business to someone we want to, that will carry on our business, our name into the next generation,” Plimmer says, adding they can sell the shop in their own time frame and for the price they want. “We had a chance to work up a pretty good plan. I think every shop out there, regardless of your financial status, needs to have a plan. You need to have a plan of where you’re going all the way to the end of the road.” Slow Plans In addition to the succession plan, Plimmer has plans in place to fill slow time periods in the shop. When the shop hits a certain point in scheduling, for them that is booking under a half a day for the upcoming day, they break out this plan. There are simple procedures they go through, Plimmer explains, like looking at preordered parts on the parts rack and trying to get those customers in early. They also can offer a discount to someone to move an appointment up, or reach out to commercial accounts to see if they have vehicles in need of service in a nearly immediate appointment. He says there also are prepared email blasts they can send out encouraging customers to book service. “You put a timeline on it, so they’re rushing to get to the phone to make the appointment,” he adds. [image]There are 25 items on Garry’s Automotive’s list, and once a few of them are implemented and business is brought back up to where it should be, the plan is put away until another slow day. Many of the shop’s days are full of work, though, partially because of a thorough marketing plan developed as part of his involvement in an R.L. O’Connor Bottom Line Impact Group. “One of the requirements is a marketing plan, and what’s so cool of being a part of a group like that, some people really have to do a lot of marketing, some people don’t,” says Plimmer, who formally was part of the latter. “So the guys that don’t, really don’t have the experience of doing a marketing plan. And really they’re being left out when they’re not forced to do that.” The ownership learned how to market, focusing on attraction, retention, first-time customer retention and image and branding in the plan, which includes direct mail, thank-you programs, social media, a website and events. Plimmer notes that in addition to the NAPA-related marketing items (the shop is a NAPA Car Care Center), he has 25 more ideas of his own. “It just makes it so good for a guy like me, what do we have going on for next week? It has just a been a super thing for us, and of course it’s continued to grow our business.” Growing and ChangingThe shop has been able not only to grow its business, but reach a broader clientele.  “Even when there’s a shift in the marketplace, like we used to see a lot of women in the marketplace bringing in their cars. Well, it’s shifting back again for us anyway, where we’re seeing more guys bringing in the cars,” Plimmer says. “I don’t know I guess they just want to be more involved in it, and the tickets. have become higher and they want to make sure they’re getting what they need. But we have to adjust constantly for the changes in the market.” They have reached this different clientele, too, because of a focus Plimmer placed on having the facility look more like a dealership than an independent facility. While they couldn’t build a dealership, they could make adjustments to their shop. “When I was in my older shop, it was a rented shop with a dirt parking lot. Everybody brought their pickup trucks and their hunting vehicles and their extra cars and their kids’ cars. But I really wasn’t seeing the nice cars,” he recalls. “Since we’ve built this building and it looks sharp, it’s clean as a pin inside and out, everybody looks a certain way, everybody talks a certain way, we have really sought that other clientele and we’ve gotten it. It just doesn’t look, and customers have said this to me, like the normal, every day repair shop that I’m used to.” They also have been able to better facilitate scheduling, partially through instituting a 35-minute window for the technicians. This initial time is for them to verify the complaint, set a testing pat and perform a  32-point safety inspection. [image]“A lot of people will just let the technician run with it and they don’t limit him until he decides to give up,” Plimmer explains. “With us, we’re going to give you enough time to do a maintenance inspection and go verify the complaint — and that’s the key word verify the complaint — before we give you any more time. We don’t’ want you to spend two hours on the car and go, you know that noise, I just can’t find it.” Technicians can continue to search for problems beyond the time frame, but are not paid. “We limit what they pay them so they become more efficient, we’re not writing off time, they’re not writing off time, and it’s not as much time for the customer, because they’re missing their car while we’re off on a wild goose chase.”  Shifting to Community Service Aside from a strong emphasis on planning and procedures, Garry’s Automotive also has a large focus on community service. The shop annual conduct free oil change events on Veteran’s Day, complete with military vehicles in the parking lot for all customers to check out. Plimmer, a U.S. Navy Vietnam-era veteran, notes that the shop was invited to join a Veteran’s Day event seven years ago. After partnering with another shop back then, they were hooked. “Once you are at an event like that, and some of these people who have served and you hear why it’s important to them that you do and event like that, to hear them say, ‘No one has ever done this for me,’ it’s awesome,” he says, adding they get mail and thank-you drawings from children for weeks after the event. “I mean who wouldn’t do it again and again after people respond like that. That’s what continues to drive us.” The shop also is active with the March of Dimes following their work with the Plimmers’ oldest son and his family, whose son was born premature. Even now, with his grandson active at age 3, the organization still is there for the family. [image]“I think when you have people that are part of an organization like that that treat people like us that have this particular problem, you’re going to go alongside them in anything they do. I think that’d be fairly natural for anybody,” says Plimmer. The shop does other community service activities, and gets all of the employees involved in the Boise Paint the Town event, painting homes for the elder, and restoring a 1969 Mercury CyclineCJ428 for Wish Grantors, a Make-A-Wish organization for adults. “I think some of the other things we do in the community, I think with our technicians, everybody kind of has something kind of like to do, but I think we have to lead the charge. If we don’t lead the charge, people don’t come to me asking for me, scan you find something we can be involved in. I think certainly as the owners, we found this cool thing and this is why it’s cool, and would you guys like to be a part of it, and they will most of the time respond to that,” Plimmer says. And it all is part of his plan for business, his shop and beyond. [image] Sat, 01 Dec 2012 07:48:29 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Garry39s-Automotive-Putting-the-Plans-in-Place/blog/6481469/31710.html CarGirl 2012-12-01T07:48:29Z Motor Age Blogs AutoPro Workshop Whether it’s what to do on a slow day or how the ownership will turn the business over, Garry’s Automotive has the plans set forth for any situation. By Tschanen BrandyberryManaging Editor [image]Garry Plimmer put a plan in motion about 14 years ago when he went into business for himself. While it took time to move from a home-based garage, to a rented two-bay facility with no lifts to his current seven-bay facility, carefully laid plans have been in place along the way. In fact, the shop went from a two-bay to seven-bay facility literally overnight, and had no problem filling the bays with work. Because of this, Plimmer knows the importance of putting plans in place, and has done so in many other aspects of his business, Garry’s Automotive in Boise, Idaho. While he and his wife, Jerilyn, are not quite ready to turn over the business to a younger generation, the owners do have a strong succession plan in place. They are more than halfway through an eight-year plan in which one of the shop’s service advisors will take over the business. Plimmer is excited about the plan, because they have an employee in place now who thinks like an owner, allowing the Plimmers more time to do the things they want to do. SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE “We get to sell the business to someone we want to, that will carry on our business, our name into the next generation,” Plimmer says, adding they can sell the shop in their own time frame and for the price they want. “We had a chance to work up a pretty good plan. I think every shop out there, regardless of your financial status, needs to have a plan. You need to have a plan of where you’re going all the way to the end of the road.” Slow Plans In addition to the succession plan, Plimmer has plans in place to fill slow time periods in the shop. When the shop hits a certain point in scheduling, for them that is booking under a half a day for the upcoming day, they break out this plan. There are simple procedures they go through, Plimmer explains, like looking at preordered parts on the parts rack and trying to get those customers in early. They also can offer a discount to someone to move an appointment up, or reach out to commercial accounts to see if they have vehicles in need of service in a nearly immediate appointment. He says there also are prepared email blasts they can send out encouraging customers to book service. “You put a timeline on it, so they’re rushing to get to the phone to make the appointment,” he adds. [image]There are 25 items on Garry’s Automotive’s list, and once a few of them are implemented and business is brought back up to where it should be, the plan is put away until another slow day. Many of the shop’s days are full of work, though, partially because of a thorough marketing plan developed as part of his involvement in an R.L. O’Connor Bottom Line Impact Group. “One of the requirements is a marketing plan, and what’s so cool of being a part of a group like that, some people really have to do a lot of marketing, some people don’t,” says Plimmer, who formally was part of the latter. “So the guys that don’t, really don’t have the experience of doing a marketing plan. And really they’re being left out when they’re not forced to do that.” The ownership learned how to market, focusing on attraction, retention, first-time customer retention and image and branding in the plan, which includes direct mail, thank-you programs, social media, a website and events. Plimmer notes that in addition to the NAPA-related marketing items (the shop is a NAPA Car Care Center), he has 25 more ideas of his own. “It just makes it so good for a guy like me, what do we have going on for next week? It has just a been a super thing for us, and of course it’s continued to grow our business.” Growing and ChangingThe shop has been able not only to grow its business, but reach a broader clientele.  “Even when there’s a shift in the marketplace, like we used to see a lot of women in the marketplace bringing in their cars. Well, it’s shifting back again for us anyway, where we’re seeing more guys bringing in the cars,” Plimmer says. “I don’t know I guess they just want to be more involved in it, and the tickets. have become higher and they want to make sure they’re getting what they need. But we have to adjust constantly for the changes in the market.” They have reached this different clientele, too, because of a focus Plimmer placed on having the facility look more like a dealership than an independent facility. While they couldn’t build a dealership, they could make adjustments to their shop. “When I was in my older shop, it was a rented shop with a dirt parking lot. Everybody brought their pickup trucks and their hunting vehicles and their extra cars and their kids’ cars. But I really wasn’t seeing the nice cars,” he recalls. “Since we’ve built this building and it looks sharp, it’s clean as a pin inside and out, everybody looks a certain way, everybody talks a certain way, we have really sought that other clientele and we’ve gotten it. It just doesn’t look, and customers have said this to me, like the normal, every day repair shop that I’m used to.” They also have been able to better facilitate scheduling, partially through instituting a 35-minute window for the technicians. This initial time is for them to verify the complaint, set a testing pat and perform a  32-point safety inspection. [image]“A lot of people will just let the technician run with it and they don’t limit him until he decides to give up,” Plimmer explains. “With us, we’re going to give you enough time to do a maintenance inspection and go verify the complaint — and that’s the key word verify the complaint — before we give you any more time. We don’t’ want you to spend two hours on the car and go, you know that noise, I just can’t find it.” Technicians can continue to search for problems beyond the time frame, but are not paid. “We limit what they pay them so they become more efficient, we’re not writing off time, they’re not writing off time, and it’s not as much time for the customer, because they’re missing their car while we’re off on a wild goose chase.”  Shifting to Community Service Aside from a strong emphasis on planning and procedures, Garry’s Automotive also has a large focus on community service. The shop annual conduct free oil change events on Veteran’s Day, complete with military vehicles in the parking lot for all customers to check out. Plimmer, a U.S. Navy Vietnam-era veteran, notes that the shop was invited to join a Veteran’s Day event seven years ago. After partnering with another shop back then, they were hooked. “Once you are at an event like that, and some of these people who have served and you hear why it’s important to them that you do and event like that, to hear them say, ‘No one has ever done this for me,’ it’s awesome,” he says, adding they get mail and thank-you drawings from children for weeks after the event. “I mean who wouldn’t do it again and again after people respond like that. That’s what continues to drive us.” The shop also is active with the March of Dimes following their work with the Plimmers’ oldest son and his family, whose son was born premature. Even now, with his grandson active at age 3, the organization still is there for the family. [image]“I think when you have people that are part of an organization like that that treat people like us that have this particular problem, you’re going to go alongside them in anything they do. I think that’d be fairly natural for anybody,” says Plimmer. The shop does other community service activities, and gets all of the employees involved in the Boise Paint the Town event, painting homes for the elder, and restoring a 1969 Mercury CyclineCJ428 for Wish Grantors, a Make-A-Wish organization for adults. “I think some of the other things we do in the community, I think with our technicians, everybody kind of has something kind of like to do, but I think we have to lead the charge. If we don’t lead the charge, people don’t come to me asking for me, scan you find something we can be involved in. I think certainly as the owners, we found this cool thing and this is why it’s cool, and would you guys like to be a part of it, and they will most of the time respond to that,” Plimmer says. And it all is part of his plan for business, his shop and beyond. [image] aftermarket, automotive, blogs, garrys automotive, motor age, repair shops, top shops nonadult false Garry's Automotive: Putting the Plans in Place text blog aftermarket,automotive,blogs,garrys automotive,motor age,repair shops,top shops 695 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=2689446&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_1568458_31710_2689446_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 Motor Age / Blogs 0 6481469 2689446 Member 0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_CarFix-Words-to-live-by/blog/6481457/31710.html     Instead of expansion, a father and son opted for a new location. The move is paying off for the entire family.    By Robert BravenderContributor Located on the edge of North Carolina’s vaunted Research Triangle region, CarFix represents the latest chapter in one family’s involvement in auto repair, going back three generations. It was in the 1930s that Mike Allen’s grandparents first opened a garage in nearby Orange County, followed by Auto Protocall, his father’s shop in Chapel Hill. Then in 2005, dad James and son Mike teamed up to open CarFix, a separate, distinct store rather than an expansion. “The original store was primarily a tire and quick lube business, as was the new CarFix,” says the younger Allen. But the new store, chiefly owned by James and managed by Mike, is smaller and has become more of a one-stop shop. “If we can’t do something, I don’t what (customers) to have the stress of having to find someone who can.” Mike Allen says. “Let them bring (their vehicle) to me, I’ll figure out who can do it for them. I’ll take them in, I’ll get the work done and bring it back and re-deliver it to the customer.” Different WorldsThe two shops’ markets are different as well, Chapel Hill being an affluent suburb located between the campuses of University of North Carolina and Duke University, “whereas we’re an hour away on the southeastern side of Raleigh in a much more rural setting, more agrarian,” Allen explains. “There’s virtually zero customer overlap, and there’s totally zero marketing overlap, with the possible exception of saving on printing, that kind of thing.” Thus CarFix was started from scratch like any new shop, with no legacy from his father’s store. Another handicap was location. While a relatively large facility, this former tire store is off the beaten path, tucked away behind an industrial park. “Initially we did some very directed, very focused marketing efforts,” Allen recalls. Postulating that 90 percent of their customers live or work within a five-mile radius of the shop, they crafted an ideal demographic of car owners who valued maintenance for and longevity from their vehicles, then cross referenced this with the local DMV registry. Over the ensuing years, the Allens have produced some really innovative direct mail pieces, due primarily to James’ creativity. “My father gets a lot of joy out of marketing and trying to think outside the box,” says his son. For the upcoming holiday season they’ve come up with a clear plastic mailing tube with red end caps. Inside will be flyer printed with green holly on the back to give it that classic Christmas look. Another mailer was a box with a toy car inside – “we took care of your toy car,” while another contained dice — “don’t gamble with your car’s maintenance.” “It might not win the customer over immediately,” Allen comments, “but at least it will make an impression. If I’ve got a box with a couple of die in it, I would read whatever’s in it, just out of amusement.” Then there’s the frequency, timing their mailers to deliver something to their target demographic at least every six weeks. “When they do need a service, we’ll be forefront in their minds,” he concludes. Traction TrainingAnd their efforts are getting traction, for the shop has expanded over the past seven years to the point where, as Allen puts it, “we’re doing a lot of the high end European stuff, and we’re getting more and more factory scan tools.” Of course once they get customers in the door, they’ve got to be able to keep them. To ensure they have properly trained technicians, CarFix asks their staff to complete 40 hours of course work per year. Pay increases are awarded for self improvement, and the company reimburses for time and travel. “Our policies are designed to remove any financial impediments to getting the best training,” Allen says, “and to reward those who stay up to date.” CarFix also is one of the best-equipped shops in the area, having many factory and aftermarket diagnostic tools; computer stations are at every tool box. Should a need arise, they promptly try to take care of it. Allen points out that “by constantly addressing the ‘weak spots’ in operations, “we’ve had a minimum of 15 percent growth every year since we opened in 2005. Most importantly, we have seen a steady growth in profit margins as well.”  He credits much of this to a set of ethical guidelines they formulated and adopted a couple of years ago. These Core Values, posted in the shop and on their website, is actually a good enough code with which to live by: Walk the walk.• Act with integrity and sincerity.• Show empathy and compassion.• Demonstrate self-respect by respecting others.• Embrace challenges, they are growth opportunities.  Do the right thing.• When given a choice, choose the path that is the most positive for the most people.• See a need, take action.• Speak the truth, respectfully.  Give back.• You got where you are today with the help of others. Return the favor.• Leave things in better shape than when you arrived.• Always show gratitude.  Be Nice.• Treat everyone how you want to be treated.  Laugh.• At ourselves.• With others – not at others.  Inspired by an assignment from Elite Pro Service, a peer group of independent garage owners throughout North America, Allen decided to distill what it took to run a successful, ethical business down into a set of basic guidelines. “(It) was a collaborative effort amongst our staff and some of the friends that I’ve met through the Pro Service. It took a couple of months to come up with it, tweaking, adding, subtracting, simplifying. What if you operated a business or your life by those values,” he muses. “If everyone did that, how much better the world would be.” [image]      Instead of expansion, a father and son opted for a new location. The move is paying off for the entire family.    By Robert BravenderContributor Located on the edge of North Carolina’s vaunted Research Triangle region, CarFix represents the latest chapter in one family’s involvement in auto repair, going back three generations. It was in the 1930s that Mike Allen’s grandparents first opened a garage in nearby Orange County, followed by Auto Protocall, his father’s shop in Chapel Hill. Then in 2005, dad James and son Mike teamed up to open CarFix, a separate, distinct store rather than an expansion. “The original store was primarily a tire and quick lube business, as was the new CarFix,” says the younger Allen. But the new store, chiefly owned by James and managed by Mike, is smaller and has become more of a one-stop shop. “If we can’t do something, I don’t what (customers) to have the stress of having to find someone who can.” Mike Allen says. “Let them bring (their vehicle) to me, I’ll figure out who can do it for them. I’ll take them in, I’ll get the work done and bring it back and re-deliver it to the customer.” Different WorldsThe two shops’ markets are different as well, Chapel Hill being an affluent suburb located between the campuses of University of North Carolina and Duke University, “whereas we’re an hour away on the southeastern side of Raleigh in a much more rural setting, more agrarian,” Allen explains. “There’s virtually zero customer overlap, and there’s totally zero marketing overlap, with the possible exception of saving on printing, that kind of thing.” Thus CarFix was started from scratch like any new shop, with no legacy from his father’s store. Another handicap was location. While a relatively large facility, this former tire store is off the beaten path, tucked away behind an industrial park. “Initially we did some very directed, very focused marketing efforts,” Allen recalls. Postulating that 90 percent of their customers live or work within a five-mile radius of the shop, they crafted an ideal demographic of car owners who valued maintenance for and longevity from their vehicles, then cross referenced this with the local DMV registry. Over the ensuing years, the Allens have produced some really innovative direct mail pieces, due primarily to James’ creativity. “My father gets a lot of joy out of marketing and trying to think outside the box,” says his son. For the upcoming holiday season they’ve come up with a clear plastic mailing tube with red end caps. Inside will be flyer printed with green holly on the back to give it that classic Christmas look. Another mailer was a box with a toy car inside – “we took care of your toy car,” while another contained dice — “don’t gamble with your car’s maintenance.” “It might not win the customer over immediately,” Allen comments, “but at least it will make an impression. If I’ve got a box with a couple of die in it, I would read whatever’s in it, just out of amusement.” Then there’s the frequency, timing their mailers to deliver something to their target demographic at least every six weeks. “When they do need a service, we’ll be forefront in their minds,” he concludes. Traction TrainingAnd their efforts are getting traction, for the shop has expanded over the past seven years to the point where, as Allen puts it, “we’re doing a lot of the high end European stuff, and we’re getting more and more factory scan tools.” Of course once they get customers in the door, they’ve got to be able to keep them. To ensure they have properly trained technicians, CarFix asks their staff to complete 40 hours of course work per year. Pay increases are awarded for self improvement, and the company reimburses for time and travel. “Our policies are designed to remove any financial impediments to getting the best training,” Allen says, “and to reward those who stay up to date.” CarFix also is one of the best-equipped shops in the area, having many factory and aftermarket diagnostic tools; computer stations are at every tool box. Should a need arise, they promptly try to take care of it. Allen points out that “by constantly addressing the ‘weak spots’ in operations, “we’ve had a minimum of 15 percent growth every year since we opened in 2005. Most importantly, we have seen a steady growth in profit margins as well.”  He credits much of this to a set of ethical guidelines they formulated and adopted a couple of years ago. These Core Values, posted in the shop and on their website, is actually a good enough code with which to live by: Walk the walk.• Act with integrity and sincerity.• Show empathy and compassion.• Demonstrate self-respect by respecting others.• Embrace challenges, they are growth opportunities.  Do the right thing.• When given a choice, choose the path that is the most positive for the most people.• See a need, take action.• Speak the truth, respectfully.  Give back.• You got where you are today with the help of others. Return the favor.• Leave things in better shape than when you arrived.• Always show gratitude.  Be Nice.• Treat everyone how you want to be treated.  Laugh.• At ourselves.• With others – not at others.  Inspired by an assignment from Elite Pro Service, a peer group of independent garage owners throughout North America, Allen decided to distill what it took to run a successful, ethical business down into a set of basic guidelines. “(It) was a collaborative effort amongst our staff and some of the friends that I’ve met through the Pro Service. It took a couple of months to come up with it, tweaking, adding, subtracting, simplifying. What if you operated a business or your life by those values,” he muses. “If everyone did that, how much better the world would be.” [image]  Sat, 01 Dec 2012 02:22:06 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_CarFix-Words-to-live-by/blog/6481457/31710.html CarGirl 2012-12-01T02:22:06Z Motor Age Blogs AutoPro Workshop     Instead of expansion, a father and son opted for a new location. The move is paying off for the entire family.    By Robert BravenderContributor Located on the edge of North Carolina’s vaunted Research Triangle region, CarFix represents the latest chapter in one family’s involvement in auto repair, going back three generations. It was in the 1930s that Mike Allen’s grandparents first opened a garage in nearby Orange County, followed by Auto Protocall, his father’s shop in Chapel Hill. Then in 2005, dad James and son Mike teamed up to open CarFix, a separate, distinct store rather than an expansion. “The original store was primarily a tire and quick lube business, as was the new CarFix,” says the younger Allen. But the new store, chiefly owned by James and managed by Mike, is smaller and has become more of a one-stop shop. “If we can’t do something, I don’t what (customers) to have the stress of having to find someone who can.” Mike Allen says. “Let them bring (their vehicle) to me, I’ll figure out who can do it for them. I’ll take them in, I’ll get the work done and bring it back and re-deliver it to the customer.” Different WorldsThe two shops’ markets are different as well, Chapel Hill being an affluent suburb located between the campuses of University of North Carolina and Duke University, “whereas we’re an hour away on the southeastern side of Raleigh in a much more rural setting, more agrarian,” Allen explains. “There’s virtually zero customer overlap, and there’s totally zero marketing overlap, with the possible exception of saving on printing, that kind of thing.” Thus CarFix was started from scratch like any new shop, with no legacy from his father’s store. Another handicap was location. While a relatively large facility, this former tire store is off the beaten path, tucked away behind an industrial park. “Initially we did some very directed, very focused marketing efforts,” Allen recalls. Postulating that 90 percent of their customers live or work within a five-mile radius of the shop, they crafted an ideal demographic of car owners who valued maintenance for and longevity from their vehicles, then cross referenced this with the local DMV registry. Over the ensuing years, the Allens have produced some really innovative direct mail pieces, due primarily to James’ creativity. “My father gets a lot of joy out of marketing and trying to think outside the box,” says his son. For the upcoming holiday season they’ve come up with a clear plastic mailing tube with red end caps. Inside will be flyer printed with green holly on the back to give it that classic Christmas look. Another mailer was a box with a toy car inside – “we took care of your toy car,” while another contained dice — “don’t gamble with your car’s maintenance.” “It might not win the customer over immediately,” Allen comments, “but at least it will make an impression. If I’ve got a box with a couple of die in it, I would read whatever’s in it, just out of amusement.” Then there’s the frequency, timing their mailers to deliver something to their target demographic at least every six weeks. “When they do need a service, we’ll be forefront in their minds,” he concludes. Traction TrainingAnd their efforts are getting traction, for the shop has expanded over the past seven years to the point where, as Allen puts it, “we’re doing a lot of the high end European stuff, and we’re getting more and more factory scan tools.” Of course once they get customers in the door, they’ve got to be able to keep them. To ensure they have properly trained technicians, CarFix asks their staff to complete 40 hours of course work per year. Pay increases are awarded for self improvement, and the company reimburses for time and travel. “Our policies are designed to remove any financial impediments to getting the best training,” Allen says, “and to reward those who stay up to date.” CarFix also is one of the best-equipped shops in the area, having many factory and aftermarket diagnostic tools; computer stations are at every tool box. Should a need arise, they promptly try to take care of it. Allen points out that “by constantly addressing the ‘weak spots’ in operations, “we’ve had a minimum of 15 percent growth every year since we opened in 2005. Most importantly, we have seen a steady growth in profit margins as well.”  He credits much of this to a set of ethical guidelines they formulated and adopted a couple of years ago. These Core Values, posted in the shop and on their website, is actually a good enough code with which to live by: Walk the walk.• Act with integrity and sincerity.• Show empathy and compassion.• Demonstrate self-respect by respecting others.• Embrace challenges, they are growth opportunities.  Do the right thing.• When given a choice, choose the path that is the most positive for the most people.• See a need, take action.• Speak the truth, respectfully.  Give back.• You got where you are today with the help of others. Return the favor.• Leave things in better shape than when you arrived.• Always show gratitude.  Be Nice.• Treat everyone how you want to be treated.  Laugh.• At ourselves.• With others – not at others.  Inspired by an assignment from Elite Pro Service, a peer group of independent garage owners throughout North America, Allen decided to distill what it took to run a successful, ethical business down into a set of basic guidelines. “(It) was a collaborative effort amongst our staff and some of the friends that I’ve met through the Pro Service. It took a couple of months to come up with it, tweaking, adding, subtracting, simplifying. What if you operated a business or your life by those values,” he muses. “If everyone did that, how much better the world would be.” [image]  aftermarket, automotive, blogs, carfix, motor age, repair shops, top shops nonadult false CarFix: Words to live by text blog aftermarket,automotive,blogs,carfix,motor age,repair shops,top shops 559 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=2689446&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_1568458_31710_2689446_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 Motor Age / Blogs 0 6481457 2689446 Member 0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Bill39s-Quality-Auto-A-team-approach/blog/6481453/31710.html [image]Drivers encounter traffic jams on today’s roads on a daily basis. Why deal with one inside the shop, too?  Bill Garcia, owner of Bill’s Quality Auto Care in Simi Valley, Calif., felt the old way his shop assigned jobs to technicians – any service advisor could give a tech a vehicle – was inefficient. In order to alleviate what he describes as traffic jams under the old system, the shop has implemented a team approach to assigning and working on vehicles. The employees are divided into teams – two groups of two technician and one single tech – and each is assigned to one service advisor. At the end of each pay period, the teams rotate to the next service advisor.  “It makes them more efficient, “Garcia says. “And let’s say you’re a service advisor and someone comes to you with a European car, but your tech isn’t the strong European tech. You help the customer and the whole nine yards, but then you go to the service technician that has the European guy and say I’m going to have to sub through you. It still keeps it kind of restricted to where (the job is) not going to go flopping around.” SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE Progress also is tracked on a large white board in the shop. Garcia says this board is for him and his employees, similar to large glass boards filled with models of planes, helicopters and other transportation seen on aircraft carriers. While those models track physical placement of those transportation modes, the board tracks vehicle assignment within the shop. [image]“There’s something about the human eye and the human psychology that needs that physical, quick look. Since you have multiple service advisors and sometimes their work crosses paths with the other service advisors and technicians, it’s nice to give a quick look at Technician A and see that he has four cars and a total of 13 hours to do that day, so you know to not give him another job to get back that day. It just happens to fit our model,” Garcia says.  More TechnologyWhile the physical white board might seem old school, that is not the case for the rest of the shop. Bill’s Quality Auto Care features technology throughout the shop for vehicle information lookup, service, tire repair and more. “Technology is great. We have systems in place where a technician can go to his computer and see what job he has and look at the history of the vehicle,” Garcia states. “I just dump it on them, here’s the information whatever you want.” The technicians are used to the technology, too, as all of them are Master certified, and three (soon to be all four) have their California smog licenses. “We’ve always had a real high respect for ASE certification. And actually as technologically advanced as vehicles are getting, you want to make sure that your staff has a minimum level requirement, so to speak, and ASE satisfies that in my mind,” he states. “I figure that’s a minimum requirement for working at our facility. Other than maybe an apprentice, and we get them in the program and try to get them started. There’s no recognition as far as going somewhere.” Maintaining that standard is one way the shop is able to show its customers how dedicated the staff is to servicing the vehicles. “Why not gain another one, which is ASE Master Tech status, to show people that hey, we keep this up. We work hard to do the best and be the best for you. All of our service advisors are ASE certified as well. It’s a minimum standard that I believe our business needed to achieve and to maintain, because let’s face it, our world is not getting any easier. We help maintain that by supporting our technicians. We fully pay for all ASE testing, training, so on and so forth. There’s really no excuse to fall behind.” Garcia touts this to others with whom he interacts as a way to better the industry.  Mentoring and Giving BackGarcia is highly active as a mentor to not only other shop owners, but business people in other industries. “You owe it to your customers, your clients you need to learn to be a businessman, a good conscious businessman, a resource for your customers. It’s not easy,” he notes. He learned the hard way, and tells a story a mentor once asked him about charging customers. He was asked if he would overcharge a customer, and later was asked if he would undercharge someone. Garcia says his answer was he’d rather undercharge someone than overcharge them. That wasn’t quite the right answer. [image]“You’d rather tell them how cool you are, how smart you are and how good you are and give them a warranty, but you’d rather undercharge them and go out of business so they if they have any warranty they have no one to go to, because you didn’t charge enough to stay in business,” he recalls the mentor saying. “It made me think so hard about it.” With that, he made a vow to learn how to do it the right way, taking courses, reading books and signing up with Elite Pro Service. “I was one of those guys who hung a shingle, because I was a really good tech, I could fix cars. My heart was in the right place. It really was. I loved helping people. I was in law enforcement for a year. I just decided that wasn’t for me. But I didn’t go into that because I wanted to carry a gun; I wanted to help people.” The education he received in learning how to properly run a business has trickled down to affect others. “That didn’t just open doors for me and opportunity for me and my family, but in turn, it opened doors for people that work with me and their families and on an done. It was sort of like a pyramid,” Garcia says. “When I got my chance to do the same, I couldn’t say yes quick enough. I just wanted to make sure I could do a great job for them.” Mentoring also still helps him better his business. When he and those owners with whom he works sit down and go through a problem, he too learns as they work. “It’s like being a trainer in a gym. You say, no do this or that, or watch me. You get something out of it, too,” Garcia states. “You’re doing sit ups too or you’re running on the treadmill along with them. It’s dual-benefit. The rewarding part is when you achieve success in an area they really struggled with, it just really makes you proud.” Working TogetherGarcia’s employees also work together, whether it’s offering feedback on processes through the new team set-up in the shop, listening to recorded incoming calls or being mystery shopped. “My guys are always king of being shopped and we talk about it. We always look and see how we can improve,” he notes. “You see the progression. It’s like a 300 pound guy getting down to 175. It’s like the Biggest Loser. … That’s sort of the program we go through and keep fit, so to speak, in our ability to answer the phone and help customers the best we can. We review that. We also review techniques and trends, the economy, things that are affecting people, the fact that cars are getting older.” [image]All of these topics as well as technician average repair orders (TARO) are discussed at weekly service advisor meetings on Wednesday. This helps them catch areas of need before they become problems, and get the technicians the training, new scheduling or other issues. “We don’t just look at this stuff once month or a quarter or at the end of the year, we look at it on a weekly basis,” Garcia says, adding that then these topics are discussed again with technicians in a weekly Thursday meeting. The theme of working together spills over into marketing, too, as the shop works as a unit to offer specials and reach customers. Kelli Garcia handles the shop’s Facebook page and connects with customers by offering more than just repair information. Many customers make a connection by reading her recipes. “I remember asking her to do that. I said let’s just get a blog going, and because it’s all new to us, I said just put stuff that interests you.” Bill Garcia explains. “It’s brought some people to the website that we probably wouldn’t have gotten. It’s gotten us used to doing blogs, and we post stuff like our women’s clinics and are phasing stuff in like that.” The shop also benefits from having the AAA distinction, which fits in nicely with Garcia’s focus on technician training, certification and raising the bar. “AAA has raised the standard for shops. They’ve made the shops that were eligible, and they’re always raising the bar, to get involved with their program, you can’t say you want to be AAA and here’s the fee,” he says. “You have to maintain the equipment, you have to maintain the standards. You have to agree to let AAA be a mediator if there are any problems in the future with a customer that isn’t satisfied.  They’ve established accountability where there is none.” And the more the bar is raised, the more Garcia works to get his employees to reach it. [image] [image]Drivers encounter traffic jams on today’s roads on a daily basis. Why deal with one inside the shop, too?  Bill Garcia, owner of Bill’s Quality Auto Care in Simi Valley, Calif., felt the old way his shop assigned jobs to technicians – any service advisor could give a tech a vehicle – was inefficient. In order to alleviate what he describes as traffic jams under the old system, the shop has implemented a team approach to assigning and working on vehicles. The employees are divided into teams – two groups of two technician and one single tech – and each is assigned to one service advisor. At the end of each pay period, the teams rotate to the next service advisor.  “It makes them more efficient, “Garcia says. “And let’s say you’re a service advisor and someone comes to you with a European car, but your tech isn’t the strong European tech. You help the customer and the whole nine yards, but then you go to the service technician that has the European guy and say I’m going to have to sub through you. It still keeps it kind of restricted to where (the job is) not going to go flopping around.” SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE Progress also is tracked on a large white board in the shop. Garcia says this board is for him and his employees, similar to large glass boards filled with models of planes, helicopters and other transportation seen on aircraft carriers. While those models track physical placement of those transportation modes, the board tracks vehicle assignment within the shop. [image]“There’s something about the human eye and the human psychology that needs that physical, quick look. Since you have multiple service advisors and sometimes their work crosses paths with the other service advisors and technicians, it’s nice to give a quick look at Technician A and see that he has four cars and a total of 13 hours to do that day, so you know to not give him another job to get back that day. It just happens to fit our model,” Garcia says.  More TechnologyWhile the physical white board might seem old school, that is not the case for the rest of the shop. Bill’s Quality Auto Care features technology throughout the shop for vehicle information lookup, service, tire repair and more. “Technology is great. We have systems in place where a technician can go to his computer and see what job he has and look at the history of the vehicle,” Garcia states. “I just dump it on them, here’s the information whatever you want.” The technicians are used to the technology, too, as all of them are Master certified, and three (soon to be all four) have their California smog licenses. “We’ve always had a real high respect for ASE certification. And actually as technologically advanced as vehicles are getting, you want to make sure that your staff has a minimum level requirement, so to speak, and ASE satisfies that in my mind,” he states. “I figure that’s a minimum requirement for working at our facility. Other than maybe an apprentice, and we get them in the program and try to get them started. There’s no recognition as far as going somewhere.” Maintaining that standard is one way the shop is able to show its customers how dedicated the staff is to servicing the vehicles. “Why not gain another one, which is ASE Master Tech status, to show people that hey, we keep this up. We work hard to do the best and be the best for you. All of our service advisors are ASE certified as well. It’s a minimum standard that I believe our business needed to achieve and to maintain, because let’s face it, our world is not getting any easier. We help maintain that by supporting our technicians. We fully pay for all ASE testing, training, so on and so forth. There’s really no excuse to fall behind.” Garcia touts this to others with whom he interacts as a way to better the industry.  Mentoring and Giving BackGarcia is highly active as a mentor to not only other shop owners, but business people in other industries. “You owe it to your customers, your clients you need to learn to be a businessman, a good conscious businessman, a resource for your customers. It’s not easy,” he notes. He learned the hard way, and tells a story a mentor once asked him about charging customers. He was asked if he would overcharge a customer, and later was asked if he would undercharge someone. Garcia says his answer was he’d rather undercharge someone than overcharge them. That wasn’t quite the right answer. [image]“You’d rather tell them how cool you are, how smart you are and how good you are and give them a warranty, but you’d rather undercharge them and go out of business so they if they have any warranty they have no one to go to, because you didn’t charge enough to stay in business,” he recalls the mentor saying. “It made me think so hard about it.” With that, he made a vow to learn how to do it the right way, taking courses, reading books and signing up with Elite Pro Service. “I was one of those guys who hung a shingle, because I was a really good tech, I could fix cars. My heart was in the right place. It really was. I loved helping people. I was in law enforcement for a year. I just decided that wasn’t for me. But I didn’t go into that because I wanted to carry a gun; I wanted to help people.” The education he received in learning how to properly run a business has trickled down to affect others. “That didn’t just open doors for me and opportunity for me and my family, but in turn, it opened doors for people that work with me and their families and on an done. It was sort of like a pyramid,” Garcia says. “When I got my chance to do the same, I couldn’t say yes quick enough. I just wanted to make sure I could do a great job for them.” Mentoring also still helps him better his business. When he and those owners with whom he works sit down and go through a problem, he too learns as they work. “It’s like being a trainer in a gym. You say, no do this or that, or watch me. You get something out of it, too,” Garcia states. “You’re doing sit ups too or you’re running on the treadmill along with them. It’s dual-benefit. The rewarding part is when you achieve success in an area they really struggled with, it just really makes you proud.” Working TogetherGarcia’s employees also work together, whether it’s offering feedback on processes through the new team set-up in the shop, listening to recorded incoming calls or being mystery shopped. “My guys are always king of being shopped and we talk about it. We always look and see how we can improve,” he notes. “You see the progression. It’s like a 300 pound guy getting down to 175. It’s like the Biggest Loser. … That’s sort of the program we go through and keep fit, so to speak, in our ability to answer the phone and help customers the best we can. We review that. We also review techniques and trends, the economy, things that are affecting people, the fact that cars are getting older.” [image]All of these topics as well as technician average repair orders (TARO) are discussed at weekly service advisor meetings on Wednesday. This helps them catch areas of need before they become problems, and get the technicians the training, new scheduling or other issues. “We don’t just look at this stuff once month or a quarter or at the end of the year, we look at it on a weekly basis,” Garcia says, adding that then these topics are discussed again with technicians in a weekly Thursday meeting. The theme of working together spills over into marketing, too, as the shop works as a unit to offer specials and reach customers. Kelli Garcia handles the shop’s Facebook page and connects with customers by offering more than just repair information. Many customers make a connection by reading her recipes. “I remember asking her to do that. I said let’s just get a blog going, and because it’s all new to us, I said just put stuff that interests you.” Bill Garcia explains. “It’s brought some people to the website that we probably wouldn’t have gotten. It’s gotten us used to doing blogs, and we post stuff like our women’s clinics and are phasing stuff in like that.” The shop also benefits from having the AAA distinction, which fits in nicely with Garcia’s focus on technician training, certification and raising the bar. “AAA has raised the standard for shops. They’ve made the shops that were eligible, and they’re always raising the bar, to get involved with their program, you can’t say you want to be AAA and here’s the fee,” he says. “You have to maintain the equipment, you have to maintain the standards. You have to agree to let AAA be a mediator if there are any problems in the future with a customer that isn’t satisfied.  They’ve established accountability where there is none.” And the more the bar is raised, the more Garcia works to get his employees to reach it. [image] Sat, 01 Dec 2012 02:15:41 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Bill39s-Quality-Auto-A-team-approach/blog/6481453/31710.html CarGirl 2012-12-01T02:15:41Z Motor Age Blogs AutoPro Workshop [image]Drivers encounter traffic jams on today’s roads on a daily basis. Why deal with one inside the shop, too?  Bill Garcia, owner of Bill’s Quality Auto Care in Simi Valley, Calif., felt the old way his shop assigned jobs to technicians – any service advisor could give a tech a vehicle – was inefficient. In order to alleviate what he describes as traffic jams under the old system, the shop has implemented a team approach to assigning and working on vehicles. The employees are divided into teams – two groups of two technician and one single tech – and each is assigned to one service advisor. At the end of each pay period, the teams rotate to the next service advisor.  “It makes them more efficient, “Garcia says. “And let’s say you’re a service advisor and someone comes to you with a European car, but your tech isn’t the strong European tech. You help the customer and the whole nine yards, but then you go to the service technician that has the European guy and say I’m going to have to sub through you. It still keeps it kind of restricted to where (the job is) not going to go flopping around.” SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE Progress also is tracked on a large white board in the shop. Garcia says this board is for him and his employees, similar to large glass boards filled with models of planes, helicopters and other transportation seen on aircraft carriers. While those models track physical placement of those transportation modes, the board tracks vehicle assignment within the shop. [image]“There’s something about the human eye and the human psychology that needs that physical, quick look. Since you have multiple service advisors and sometimes their work crosses paths with the other service advisors and technicians, it’s nice to give a quick look at Technician A and see that he has four cars and a total of 13 hours to do that day, so you know to not give him another job to get back that day. It just happens to fit our model,” Garcia says.  More TechnologyWhile the physical white board might seem old school, that is not the case for the rest of the shop. Bill’s Quality Auto Care features technology throughout the shop for vehicle information lookup, service, tire repair and more. “Technology is great. We have systems in place where a technician can go to his computer and see what job he has and look at the history of the vehicle,” Garcia states. “I just dump it on them, here’s the information whatever you want.” The technicians are used to the technology, too, as all of them are Master certified, and three (soon to be all four) have their California smog licenses. “We’ve always had a real high respect for ASE certification. And actually as technologically advanced as vehicles are getting, you want to make sure that your staff has a minimum level requirement, so to speak, and ASE satisfies that in my mind,” he states. “I figure that’s a minimum requirement for working at our facility. Other than maybe an apprentice, and we get them in the program and try to get them started. There’s no recognition as far as going somewhere.” Maintaining that standard is one way the shop is able to show its customers how dedicated the staff is to servicing the vehicles. “Why not gain another one, which is ASE Master Tech status, to show people that hey, we keep this up. We work hard to do the best and be the best for you. All of our service advisors are ASE certified as well. It’s a minimum standard that I believe our business needed to achieve and to maintain, because let’s face it, our world is not getting any easier. We help maintain that by supporting our technicians. We fully pay for all ASE testing, training, so on and so forth. There’s really no excuse to fall behind.” Garcia touts this to others with whom he interacts as a way to better the industry.  Mentoring and Giving BackGarcia is highly active as a mentor to not only other shop owners, but business people in other industries. “You owe it to your customers, your clients you need to learn to be a businessman, a good conscious businessman, a resource for your customers. It’s not easy,” he notes. He learned the hard way, and tells a story a mentor once asked him about charging customers. He was asked if he would overcharge a customer, and later was asked if he would undercharge someone. Garcia says his answer was he’d rather undercharge someone than overcharge them. That wasn’t quite the right answer. [image]“You’d rather tell them how cool you are, how smart you are and how good you are and give them a warranty, but you’d rather undercharge them and go out of business so they if they have any warranty they have no one to go to, because you didn’t charge enough to stay in business,” he recalls the mentor saying. “It made me think so hard about it.” With that, he made a vow to learn how to do it the right way, taking courses, reading books and signing up with Elite Pro Service. “I was one of those guys who hung a shingle, because I was a really good tech, I could fix cars. My heart was in the right place. It really was. I loved helping people. I was in law enforcement for a year. I just decided that wasn’t for me. But I didn’t go into that because I wanted to carry a gun; I wanted to help people.” The education he received in learning how to properly run a business has trickled down to affect others. “That didn’t just open doors for me and opportunity for me and my family, but in turn, it opened doors for people that work with me and their families and on an done. It was sort of like a pyramid,” Garcia says. “When I got my chance to do the same, I couldn’t say yes quick enough. I just wanted to make sure I could do a great job for them.” Mentoring also still helps him better his business. When he and those owners with whom he works sit down and go through a problem, he too learns as they work. “It’s like being a trainer in a gym. You say, no do this or that, or watch me. You get something out of it, too,” Garcia states. “You’re doing sit ups too or you’re running on the treadmill along with them. It’s dual-benefit. The rewarding part is when you achieve success in an area they really struggled with, it just really makes you proud.” Working TogetherGarcia’s employees also work together, whether it’s offering feedback on processes through the new team set-up in the shop, listening to recorded incoming calls or being mystery shopped. “My guys are always king of being shopped and we talk about it. We always look and see how we can improve,” he notes. “You see the progression. It’s like a 300 pound guy getting down to 175. It’s like the Biggest Loser. … That’s sort of the program we go through and keep fit, so to speak, in our ability to answer the phone and help customers the best we can. We review that. We also review techniques and trends, the economy, things that are affecting people, the fact that cars are getting older.” [image]All of these topics as well as technician average repair orders (TARO) are discussed at weekly service advisor meetings on Wednesday. This helps them catch areas of need before they become problems, and get the technicians the training, new scheduling or other issues. “We don’t just look at this stuff once month or a quarter or at the end of the year, we look at it on a weekly basis,” Garcia says, adding that then these topics are discussed again with technicians in a weekly Thursday meeting. The theme of working together spills over into marketing, too, as the shop works as a unit to offer specials and reach customers. Kelli Garcia handles the shop’s Facebook page and connects with customers by offering more than just repair information. Many customers make a connection by reading her recipes. “I remember asking her to do that. I said let’s just get a blog going, and because it’s all new to us, I said just put stuff that interests you.” Bill Garcia explains. “It’s brought some people to the website that we probably wouldn’t have gotten. It’s gotten us used to doing blogs, and we post stuff like our women’s clinics and are phasing stuff in like that.” The shop also benefits from having the AAA distinction, which fits in nicely with Garcia’s focus on technician training, certification and raising the bar. “AAA has raised the standard for shops. They’ve made the shops that were eligible, and they’re always raising the bar, to get involved with their program, you can’t say you want to be AAA and here’s the fee,” he says. “You have to maintain the equipment, you have to maintain the standards. You have to agree to let AAA be a mediator if there are any problems in the future with a customer that isn’t satisfied.  They’ve established accountability where there is none.” And the more the bar is raised, the more Garcia works to get his employees to reach it. [image] aftermarket, automotive, bills quality auto, blogs, motor age, repair shops, top shops nonadult false Bill's Quality Auto: A team approach text blog aftermarket,automotive,bills quality auto,blogs,motor age,repair shops,top shops 669 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=2689446&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_1568458_31710_2689446_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 Motor Age / Blogs 0 6481453 2689446 Member 0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Avoiding-the-oil-change-indicator-light/blog/6438721/31710.html LAS VEGAS — As the vehicle population continues to age, more manufacturers and repair shops are finding new ways to tackle new problems in getting vehicles into the shops for service. One of the newest technologies that the aftermarket is facing is the oil change indicator light, says Mark Seng, vice president, sales and client services, Aftermarket & Commercial Vehicle Solutions, Global Aftermarket Practice Leader at R.L. Polk & Co. While consumers have been trained for decades on time and mileage markers to have their oil change, these lights are changing the game. In a meeting at AAPEX, Seng says that 2.4 percent of 2002 models had the indicator light, compared to 56 percent of 2011 models. He notes that the OEMs are using this paired with telematics to drive a further wedge between the consumer and independent repair shop. He explains that a dealerships now can use telematics to say to consumers, “We see you’re in need of an oil change, and we have this special this week. We’ll see you Friday.” To be prepared for this, Seng says the aftermarket needs to be aware that the trend is changing, and second, stop looking at telematics as an OEM technology.  He adds that he feels more manufacturers are becoming aware of this. As technologies become available more, the next step will be to determine business models. He also says the Car Care Council’s Be Car Care Aware campaign is one way to leverage this knowledge with the consumer in efforts to continue to get a piece of the $67 billion in unperformed maintenance. In the end, Seng says it will be as important for the aftermarket to understand 4G as it is four cylinder engines.  LAS VEGAS — As the vehicle population continues to age, more manufacturers and repair shops are finding new ways to tackle new problems in getting vehicles into the shops for service. One of the newest technologies that the aftermarket is facing is the oil change indicator light, says Mark Seng, vice president, sales and client services, Aftermarket & Commercial Vehicle Solutions, Global Aftermarket Practice Leader at R.L. Polk & Co. While consumers have been trained for decades on time and mileage markers to have their oil change, these lights are changing the game. In a meeting at AAPEX, Seng says that 2.4 percent of 2002 models had the indicator light, compared to 56 percent of 2011 models. He notes that the OEMs are using this paired with telematics to drive a further wedge between the consumer and independent repair shop. He explains that a dealerships now can use telematics to say to consumers, “We see you’re in need of an oil change, and we have this special this week. We’ll see you Friday.” To be prepared for this, Seng says the aftermarket needs to be aware that the trend is changing, and second, stop looking at telematics as an OEM technology.  He adds that he feels more manufacturers are becoming aware of this. As technologies become available more, the next step will be to determine business models. He also says the Car Care Council’s Be Car Care Aware campaign is one way to leverage this knowledge with the consumer in efforts to continue to get a piece of the $67 billion in unperformed maintenance. In the end, Seng says it will be as important for the aftermarket to understand 4G as it is four cylinder engines.  Wed, 31 Oct 2012 22:48:26 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Avoiding-the-oil-change-indicator-light/blog/6438721/31710.html CarGirl 2012-10-31T22:48:26Z Motor Age AutoPro Workshop LAS VEGAS — As the vehicle population continues to age, more manufacturers and repair shops are finding new ways to tackle new problems in getting vehicles into the shops for service. One of the newest technologies that the aftermarket is facing is the oil change indicator light, says Mark Seng, vice president, sales and client services, Aftermarket & Commercial Vehicle Solutions, Global Aftermarket Practice Leader at R.L. Polk & Co. While consumers have been trained for decades on time and mileage markers to have their oil change, these lights are changing the game. In a meeting at AAPEX, Seng says that 2.4 percent of 2002 models had the indicator light, compared to 56 percent of 2011 models. He notes that the OEMs are using this paired with telematics to drive a further wedge between the consumer and independent repair shop. He explains that a dealerships now can use telematics to say to consumers, “We see you’re in need of an oil change, and we have this special this week. We’ll see you Friday.” To be prepared for this, Seng says the aftermarket needs to be aware that the trend is changing, and second, stop looking at telematics as an OEM technology.  He adds that he feels more manufacturers are becoming aware of this. As technologies become available more, the next step will be to determine business models. He also says the Car Care Council’s Be Car Care Aware campaign is one way to leverage this knowledge with the consumer in efforts to continue to get a piece of the $67 billion in unperformed maintenance. In the end, Seng says it will be as important for the aftermarket to understand 4G as it is four cylinder engines.  aapex, aapex 2012, motor age, oil change light, polk, rl polk nonadult false Avoiding the oil change indicator light text blog aapex,aapex 2012,motor age,oil change light,polk,rl polk 4206 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=2689446&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_1568458_31710_2689446_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 Motor Age 0 6438721 2689446 Member 0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Goggling-at-AAIA-Town-Hall/blog/6438357/31710.html LAS VEGAS — Everyone in the room at the AAIA Town Hall probably has used Google at some point to find information. Now they know just how Google can track their searches and help them build businesses. Danielle Russell, industry director, automotive, at Google, broke down what the search engine company knows about searches and what it can do to help aftermarket companies better their positions in the market. The search engine is seeing 24 million visitors a month searching for aftermarket needs and visiting parts and tire websites. In the first quarter of 2012, 52 percent of maintenance shoppers used this search function, twice the percentage of shoppers consulting their service advisors or technicians  To use the information Google has for the aftermarket, Russell focused on three trends — seasonality, cross-shopping and new behavior — that companies can look at to focus their presence in search results. For example, there is an annual spike in battery searches in December. Russel notes that there is a 30 to 40 percent greater opportunity to capture consumer demand that month. She also related local pockets of opportunity, comparing state to state behavior. It’s one way to impact business on a local level. Another example is a big spike in starters and wiper searchers during the same week in December every year for the last three years. Russell joked that these items are on your holiday wish lists, right? Looking at cross-shopping, Google has a tool to look at search behavior in a certain search session. Russell went through circle diagrams outlining how many searches occur and how users cross-shop within a session. As for new behavior, a great opportunity for the aftermarket is a growing interest in online videos. This provides the opportunity to extend the conversation with customers, Russell says, allowing the aftermarket to build trust with consumers.  She closed with three ways those at the Town Hall can take action on this:   • Track your trends at google.com/trends • Check your mobile site at hotogomo.com • And see what’s working at google.com/ads LAS VEGAS — Everyone in the room at the AAIA Town Hall probably has used Google at some point to find information. Now they know just how Google can track their searches and help them build businesses. Danielle Russell, industry director, automotive, at Google, broke down what the search engine company knows about searches and what it can do to help aftermarket companies better their positions in the market. The search engine is seeing 24 million visitors a month searching for aftermarket needs and visiting parts and tire websites. In the first quarter of 2012, 52 percent of maintenance shoppers used this search function, twice the percentage of shoppers consulting their service advisors or technicians  To use the information Google has for the aftermarket, Russell focused on three trends — seasonality, cross-shopping and new behavior — that companies can look at to focus their presence in search results. For example, there is an annual spike in battery searches in December. Russel notes that there is a 30 to 40 percent greater opportunity to capture consumer demand that month. She also related local pockets of opportunity, comparing state to state behavior. It’s one way to impact business on a local level. Another example is a big spike in starters and wiper searchers during the same week in December every year for the last three years. Russell joked that these items are on your holiday wish lists, right? Looking at cross-shopping, Google has a tool to look at search behavior in a certain search session. Russell went through circle diagrams outlining how many searches occur and how users cross-shop within a session. As for new behavior, a great opportunity for the aftermarket is a growing interest in online videos. This provides the opportunity to extend the conversation with customers, Russell says, allowing the aftermarket to build trust with consumers.  She closed with three ways those at the Town Hall can take action on this:   • Track your trends at google.com/trends • Check your mobile site at hotogomo.com • And see what’s working at google.com/ads Wed, 31 Oct 2012 20:01:28 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Goggling-at-AAIA-Town-Hall/blog/6438357/31710.html CarGirl 2012-10-31T20:01:28Z Motor Age Blogs AutoPro Workshop LAS VEGAS — Everyone in the room at the AAIA Town Hall probably has used Google at some point to find information. Now they know just how Google can track their searches and help them build businesses. Danielle Russell, industry director, automotive, at Google, broke down what the search engine company knows about searches and what it can do to help aftermarket companies better their positions in the market. The search engine is seeing 24 million visitors a month searching for aftermarket needs and visiting parts and tire websites. In the first quarter of 2012, 52 percent of maintenance shoppers used this search function, twice the percentage of shoppers consulting their service advisors or technicians  To use the information Google has for the aftermarket, Russell focused on three trends — seasonality, cross-shopping and new behavior — that companies can look at to focus their presence in search results. For example, there is an annual spike in battery searches in December. Russel notes that there is a 30 to 40 percent greater opportunity to capture consumer demand that month. She also related local pockets of opportunity, comparing state to state behavior. It’s one way to impact business on a local level. Another example is a big spike in starters and wiper searchers during the same week in December every year for the last three years. Russell joked that these items are on your holiday wish lists, right? Looking at cross-shopping, Google has a tool to look at search behavior in a certain search session. Russell went through circle diagrams outlining how many searches occur and how users cross-shop within a session. As for new behavior, a great opportunity for the aftermarket is a growing interest in online videos. This provides the opportunity to extend the conversation with customers, Russell says, allowing the aftermarket to build trust with consumers.  She closed with three ways those at the Town Hall can take action on this:   • Track your trends at google.com/trends • Check your mobile site at hotogomo.com • And see what’s working at google.com/ads aaia, aaia town hall, aapex, aapex 2012, aftermarket, automotive, blogs, google, motor age nonadult false Goggling at AAIA Town Hall text blog aaia,aaia town hall,aapex,aapex 2012,aftermarket,automotive,blogs,google,motor age 653 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=2689446&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_1568458_31710_2689446_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 Motor Age / Blogs 0 6438357 2689446 Member 0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Moving-Prolong-Nitro-to-the-streets/blog/6438507/31710.html After testing with racers and nearly a year of exposure to the aftermarket, Prolong is continuing its unveiling of Nitro 50 and Nitro 70 racing oils this week at AAPEX. Jon Apogée, general manager, domestic sales, marketing and motorsports with Prolong, says the oil is the next generation of KB 460, and feedback from the race teams on the motor oils has been positive. “They do engine teardowns on what caused the problem, and we ask them did our oil have advantages or disadvantages during (the run),” he states. He adds that some teams have blown engine blocks but commented that the bearings look great. As the push to get the word out about Nitro 50 and Nitro 70 continues, Prolong will be unveiling programs for distributors and racing teams in the coming weeks. For more information on Prolong or the oils, visit www.prolong.com. After testing with racers and nearly a year of exposure to the aftermarket, Prolong is continuing its unveiling of Nitro 50 and Nitro 70 racing oils this week at AAPEX. Jon Apogée, general manager, domestic sales, marketing and motorsports with Prolong, says the oil is the next generation of KB 460, and feedback from the race teams on the motor oils has been positive. “They do engine teardowns on what caused the problem, and we ask them did our oil have advantages or disadvantages during (the run),” he states. He adds that some teams have blown engine blocks but commented that the bearings look great. As the push to get the word out about Nitro 50 and Nitro 70 continues, Prolong will be unveiling programs for distributors and racing teams in the coming weeks. For more information on Prolong or the oils, visit www.prolong.com. Wed, 31 Oct 2012 19:01:22 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Moving-Prolong-Nitro-to-the-streets/blog/6438507/31710.html CarGirl 2012-10-31T19:01:22Z Motor Age Blogs AutoPro Workshop After testing with racers and nearly a year of exposure to the aftermarket, Prolong is continuing its unveiling of Nitro 50 and Nitro 70 racing oils this week at AAPEX. Jon Apogée, general manager, domestic sales, marketing and motorsports with Prolong, says the oil is the next generation of KB 460, and feedback from the race teams on the motor oils has been positive. “They do engine teardowns on what caused the problem, and we ask them did our oil have advantages or disadvantages during (the run),” he states. He adds that some teams have blown engine blocks but commented that the bearings look great. As the push to get the word out about Nitro 50 and Nitro 70 continues, Prolong will be unveiling programs for distributors and racing teams in the coming weeks. For more information on Prolong or the oils, visit www.prolong.com. aapex, aapex 2012, aftermarket, automotive, blogs, motor age, motor oil, nitro 50, nitro 70, prolong nonadult false Moving Prolong Nitro to the streets text blog aapex,aapex 2012,aftermarket,automotive,blogs,motor age,motor oil,nitro 50,nitro 70,prolong 650 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=2689446&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_1568458_31710_2689446_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 Motor Age / Blogs 0 6438507 2689446 Member 0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_NASTF-launches-technician-outreach/blog/6395899/31710.html The National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF) is launching a new program to expand its contact with technicians, including joining forces with events like ASRW. Skip Potter, NASTF executive director, outlined the outreach program Friday morning at ASRW. The outreach program will focus on expanding the number of events where NASTF will interact with technicians and also driving technicians to the NASTF website to help them reach useful OEM websites. To reach the first goal, NASTF is having its fall meeting today at ASRW. It will have its spring general and board meeting at VISION Hi-Tech Training and Expo in Kansas in March. Sheri Hamilton, exec director of ASA-Mo/Kan, spoke about VISION and NASTF’s involvement, as well. “We’re really excited about the ability to be at VISION,” Potter says. To further its outreach, technicians who register on the NASTF website or stops by the NASTF booth at VISION will be registered to win a pair of autographed Mechanix Wear gloves autographed by NASCAR crew chief legend Leonard Wood. “We want to expand that and part of this outreach is to get more technicians to go to our website and (register),” Potter says. The National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF) is launching a new program to expand its contact with technicians, including joining forces with events like ASRW. Skip Potter, NASTF executive director, outlined the outreach program Friday morning at ASRW. The outreach program will focus on expanding the number of events where NASTF will interact with technicians and also driving technicians to the NASTF website to help them reach useful OEM websites. To reach the first goal, NASTF is having its fall meeting today at ASRW. It will have its spring general and board meeting at VISION Hi-Tech Training and Expo in Kansas in March. Sheri Hamilton, exec director of ASA-Mo/Kan, spoke about VISION and NASTF’s involvement, as well. “We’re really excited about the ability to be at VISION,” Potter says. To further its outreach, technicians who register on the NASTF website or stops by the NASTF booth at VISION will be registered to win a pair of autographed Mechanix Wear gloves autographed by NASCAR crew chief legend Leonard Wood. “We want to expand that and part of this outreach is to get more technicians to go to our website and (register),” Potter says. Fri, 12 Oct 2012 20:36:10 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_NASTF-launches-technician-outreach/blog/6395899/31710.html CarGirl 2012-10-12T20:36:10Z Motor Age Blogs AutoPro Workshop The National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF) is launching a new program to expand its contact with technicians, including joining forces with events like ASRW. Skip Potter, NASTF executive director, outlined the outreach program Friday morning at ASRW. The outreach program will focus on expanding the number of events where NASTF will interact with technicians and also driving technicians to the NASTF website to help them reach useful OEM websites. To reach the first goal, NASTF is having its fall meeting today at ASRW. It will have its spring general and board meeting at VISION Hi-Tech Training and Expo in Kansas in March. Sheri Hamilton, exec director of ASA-Mo/Kan, spoke about VISION and NASTF’s involvement, as well. “We’re really excited about the ability to be at VISION,” Potter says. To further its outreach, technicians who register on the NASTF website or stops by the NASTF booth at VISION will be registered to win a pair of autographed Mechanix Wear gloves autographed by NASCAR crew chief legend Leonard Wood. “We want to expand that and part of this outreach is to get more technicians to go to our website and (register),” Potter says. asrw, blogs, cars, motor age, nace, nace and cars coverage, nastf, technicians nonadult false NASTF launches technician outreach text blog asrw,blogs,cars,motor age,nace,nace and cars coverage,nastf,technicians 1263 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=2689446&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_1568458_31710_2689446_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 Motor Age / Blogs 0 6395899 2689446 Member 0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Turning-the-tables-on-mentoring/blog/6392229/31710.html NEW ORLEANS — The mentor program at your shop probably pairs up younger techs with those who’ve been in your shop a while. But what if you turned the tables, and had those younger technicians mentor the older, more experienced ones? Bill Haas with ESi suggested this “reverse mentoring” as a way to bring the younger generation into the shop and educate everyone on new and changing technologies. “How much has technology changed? Whose more apt to embrace those technologies — the 23-year-old two years out of tech school or the 56-year-old who says, ‘We’ve always done it this way,” Haas posed to attendees of his Wednesday afternoon session. This is one idea to consider when addressing processes in the shop. Haas adds it’s a good idea to utilize the generation that grew up on video games when teaching others in the shop new technologies. He used Jack Welch, CEO of General Electric, as an example. The exec did not know how to use the Internet, and brought in younger employees and help a couple of times a week to teach him how to monitor GE on the Internet and do other functions of business. Haas reiterated that there are opportunities that exist today for young people to bring their talents to shops, but few shops take advantage of them. “Use the right people to do the right things,” he explains. While some attendees raised concerns that these younger techs might not be as patient with the older ones as the other way  might be, others in the class and Haas offered suggestions such as rewards and making sure you talk to them about breaking information into small chunks, not dumping a wealth of information on them at once. NEW ORLEANS — The mentor program at your shop probably pairs up younger techs with those who’ve been in your shop a while. But what if you turned the tables, and had those younger technicians mentor the older, more experienced ones? Bill Haas with ESi suggested this “reverse mentoring” as a way to bring the younger generation into the shop and educate everyone on new and changing technologies. “How much has technology changed? Whose more apt to embrace those technologies — the 23-year-old two years out of tech school or the 56-year-old who says, ‘We’ve always done it this way,” Haas posed to attendees of his Wednesday afternoon session. This is one idea to consider when addressing processes in the shop. Haas adds it’s a good idea to utilize the generation that grew up on video games when teaching others in the shop new technologies. He used Jack Welch, CEO of General Electric, as an example. The exec did not know how to use the Internet, and brought in younger employees and help a couple of times a week to teach him how to monitor GE on the Internet and do other functions of business. Haas reiterated that there are opportunities that exist today for young people to bring their talents to shops, but few shops take advantage of them. “Use the right people to do the right things,” he explains. While some attendees raised concerns that these younger techs might not be as patient with the older ones as the other way  might be, others in the class and Haas offered suggestions such as rewards and making sure you talk to them about breaking information into small chunks, not dumping a wealth of information on them at once. Thu, 11 Oct 2012 01:40:58 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Turning-the-tables-on-mentoring/blog/6392229/31710.html CarGirl 2012-10-11T01:40:58Z Motor Age Blogs AutoPro Workshop NEW ORLEANS — The mentor program at your shop probably pairs up younger techs with those who’ve been in your shop a while. But what if you turned the tables, and had those younger technicians mentor the older, more experienced ones? Bill Haas with ESi suggested this “reverse mentoring” as a way to bring the younger generation into the shop and educate everyone on new and changing technologies. “How much has technology changed? Whose more apt to embrace those technologies — the 23-year-old two years out of tech school or the 56-year-old who says, ‘We’ve always done it this way,” Haas posed to attendees of his Wednesday afternoon session. This is one idea to consider when addressing processes in the shop. Haas adds it’s a good idea to utilize the generation that grew up on video games when teaching others in the shop new technologies. He used Jack Welch, CEO of General Electric, as an example. The exec did not know how to use the Internet, and brought in younger employees and help a couple of times a week to teach him how to monitor GE on the Internet and do other functions of business. Haas reiterated that there are opportunities that exist today for young people to bring their talents to shops, but few shops take advantage of them. “Use the right people to do the right things,” he explains. While some attendees raised concerns that these younger techs might not be as patient with the older ones as the other way  might be, others in the class and Haas offered suggestions such as rewards and making sure you talk to them about breaking information into small chunks, not dumping a wealth of information on them at once. asrw, bill haas, blogs, cars, esi, management, marketing, mentoring, motor age, nace, nace cars coverage, reverse mentoring, shop management nonadult false Turning the tables on mentoring text blog asrw,bill haas,blogs,cars,esi,management,marketing,mentoring,motor age,nace,nace cars coverage,reverse mentoring,shop management 2283 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=2689446&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_1568458_31710_2689446_ap_160X120.jpg false 1 Motor Age / Blogs 0 6392229 2689446 Member 0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Dealing-with-38/blog/6392225/31710.html NEW ORLEANS — How do your service writers and advisors handle it when an angry customer gets on the phone or in front of the desk and barks out demands and complaints? These situations unfortunately come with all businesses, and learning to address them properly is key in keeping customers happy and maintaining your reputation. Margie Seyfer worked with some owners at ASRW on Wednesday afternoon to prep them with tools, phrases and approaches to defuse these situations as quickly and successfully as possible. “Swearing is an anger igniter. Getting a customer to speak in more positive terms can turn a customer around.” But how do you start? Seyfer suggested a handful of steps, starting with count to 10 before you speak. If you can’t make it to 10, get some numbers in. Second, ask permission to rewind. Phrases like this can help: “I apologize. Could we just start over?” “You know, your language is distracting me from helping you.” “Would you please slow down? I’m taking notes.” If you go with the final phrase, that means you’re writing down all of the four letter words and names they’re using, and some people will change their tone. Another way you can address the problem is by saying, “NAME, what value do you see in talking to me this way? I will address this when you speak to me in a civil manner.” However, a big word of caution here is to never add, “Do you understand” at the end. That is one of three forbidden phrases, the others being “Calm down” and “Chill out.” Avoid these at all costs, and you will have more success in toning down angry and swearing customers. “A simple ‘I apologize’ may be enough,” she says, adding that you need to be careful when defending your actions, as things can go downhill quickly. Owners shared their own experiences and how they would handle things. It is interesting to see approaches from various owners. For example, one owner says her shop is one of three body shops in a small town of 1,500 – that also houses four mechanical shops. She shared how they handle situations in order to keep every customer they can. And working to keep all customers happy is the goal. The best way to avoid some issues, such as customers having to wait hours for their vehicle to be finished, is to make customer callbacks in the morning and afternoon, Seyfer suggests. This is a practice at her family’s shop.  NEW ORLEANS — How do your service writers and advisors handle it when an angry customer gets on the phone or in front of the desk and barks out demands and complaints? These situations unfortunately come with all businesses, and learning to address them properly is key in keeping customers happy and maintaining your reputation. Margie Seyfer worked with some owners at ASRW on Wednesday afternoon to prep them with tools, phrases and approaches to defuse these situations as quickly and successfully as possible. “Swearing is an anger igniter. Getting a customer to speak in more positive terms can turn a customer around.” But how do you start? Seyfer suggested a handful of steps, starting with count to 10 before you speak. If you can’t make it to 10, get some numbers in. Second, ask permission to rewind. Phrases like this can help: “I apologize. Could we just start over?” “You know, your language is distracting me from helping you.” “Would you please slow down? I’m taking notes.” If you go with the final phrase, that means you’re writing down all of the four letter words and names they’re using, and some people will change their tone. Another way you can address the problem is by saying, “NAME, what value do you see in talking to me this way? I will address this when you speak to me in a civil manner.” However, a big word of caution here is to never add, “Do you understand” at the end. That is one of three forbidden phrases, the others being “Calm down” and “Chill out.” Avoid these at all costs, and you will have more success in toning down angry and swearing customers. “A simple ‘I apologize’ may be enough,” she says, adding that you need to be careful when defending your actions, as things can go downhill quickly. Owners shared their own experiences and how they would handle things. It is interesting to see approaches from various owners. For example, one owner says her shop is one of three body shops in a small town of 1,500 – that also houses four mechanical shops. She shared how they handle situations in order to keep every customer they can. And working to keep all customers happy is the goal. The best way to avoid some issues, such as customers having to wait hours for their vehicle to be finished, is to make customer callbacks in the morning and afternoon, Seyfer suggests. This is a practice at her family’s shop.  Thu, 11 Oct 2012 01:30:32 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Dealing-with-38/blog/6392225/31710.html CarGirl 2012-10-11T01:30:32Z Motor Age Blogs AutoPro Workshop NEW ORLEANS — How do your service writers and advisors handle it when an angry customer gets on the phone or in front of the desk and barks out demands and complaints? These situations unfortunately come with all businesses, and learning to address them properly is key in keeping customers happy and maintaining your reputation. Margie Seyfer worked with some owners at ASRW on Wednesday afternoon to prep them with tools, phrases and approaches to defuse these situations as quickly and successfully as possible. “Swearing is an anger igniter. Getting a customer to speak in more positive terms can turn a customer around.” But how do you start? Seyfer suggested a handful of steps, starting with count to 10 before you speak. If you can’t make it to 10, get some numbers in. Second, ask permission to rewind. Phrases like this can help: “I apologize. Could we just start over?” “You know, your language is distracting me from helping you.” “Would you please slow down? I’m taking notes.” If you go with the final phrase, that means you’re writing down all of the four letter words and names they’re using, and some people will change their tone. Another way you can address the problem is by saying, “NAME, what value do you see in talking to me this way? I will address this when you speak to me in a civil manner.” However, a big word of caution here is to never add, “Do you understand” at the end. That is one of three forbidden phrases, the others being “Calm down” and “Chill out.” Avoid these at all costs, and you will have more success in toning down angry and swearing customers. “A simple ‘I apologize’ may be enough,” she says, adding that you need to be careful when defending your actions, as things can go downhill quickly. Owners shared their own experiences and how they would handle things. It is interesting to see approaches from various owners. For example, one owner says her shop is one of three body shops in a small town of 1,500 – that also houses four mechanical shops. She shared how they handle situations in order to keep every customer they can. And working to keep all customers happy is the goal. The best way to avoid some issues, such as customers having to wait hours for their vehicle to be finished, is to make customer callbacks in the morning and afternoon, Seyfer suggests. This is a practice at her family’s shop.  asrw, blogs, cars, customer service, management, margie seyfer, marketing, motor age, nace, nace cars coverage, shop management nonadult false Dealing with #*%&$)! text blog asrw,blogs,cars,customer service,management,margie seyfer,marketing,motor age,nace,nace cars coverage,shop management 3984 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=2689446&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_1568458_31710_2689446_ap_160X120.jpg false 3 Motor Age / Blogs 0 6392225 2689446 Member 0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Are-you-productively-paranoid/blog/6392097/31710.html NEW ORLEANS — When most people start a new shop, they understand the risks they’re taking and go into the process head-on. This personality pays off in the beginning. But what changes down the line? Speaking to a wide variety of owners (most of whom, by a show of hands, have been in business between 10 and 30 years), Chris “Chubby” Frederick, founder and CEO of Automotive Training Institute, discussed how processes and approaches in the shop change for the better or worse. His discussion in “What Got Us There Might Not Keep Us There,” was the first part of his Mechanical Mangement Symposium at ASRW 2012. “We zoom out and we zoom in and we try to predict what’s going to happen before it happens,” he says. “Those of you who’ve been doing this a long time, this is kind of why.” Frederick walked through a variety of ways to look at your business, helping the shop owners in attendance determine what they need to focus on, whether that is adding new processes, revisiting what you’ve done in the past or starting new ideas. “I’ll be you when you went in business, you were nuts. I bet you were defiant,” he says. “Many of us just put our head down and did it. We think that’s how you business. It is how you get into business. If it wasn’t for the bold risk takers like most of us, we wouldn’t be here. And I’ll tell you that most of us in this room, especially those been in business 20, 30, 40 years, you don’t do that any more. You think things through and plan things out.” Frederick discussed a variety of approaches owners now can take as they progress through their shop growth. Among them are fanatic discipline, empirical creativity and productive paranoia. • Fanatic Discipline – This is having the inner will to do whatever it takes to create a great outcome, no matter how difficult while being consistent with values, long term goals and culture. • Empirical creativity – When faced with uncertainty, 10Xers do no look primarily to other people, conventional wisdom, authority figures or peers for direction. • Productive paranoia – They assume conditions will turn against them at perhaps the worst possible moment. They channel their fear and worry into action, preparing, developing contingency plans, building buffers and maintaining large safety margins. Frederick gave examples of each of these designs, anything from Southwest Airlines to some of his own shop clients. One example of bettering yourself that comes out of these three areas is making a list of everything that could put you out of business. “It’s a great drill,” he notes, adding that the list could include technology on vehicles, service advisor starting a shop down the street, technicians stealing from you, among others. “It’ll scare you a little bit, but it’ll wake you up. It might make you some noncompete agreements with your employees. It might make you do things you hadn’t thought of,” he adds Frederick also talked to the owners about “shooting bullets instead of cannonballs” at problems and questions like hiring new employees or opening a new store. He elaborated that a bullet is low cost, low risk, while a calibrated cannonball is more targeted, but larger. Attendees also ranked what they need to work on in making sure that they are using the right approach first, and firing bullets not cannonballs. Frederick offered suggestions on how to adapt if they needed to change their approaches. Frederick’s portion was just the start of the day-long event. The afternoon continued with presentations from Larry Edwards of Edwards & Associates, Mark Quarto of Automotive Research and Design and Bernard Swiecki of CAR. NEW ORLEANS — When most people start a new shop, they understand the risks they’re taking and go into the process head-on. This personality pays off in the beginning. But what changes down the line? Speaking to a wide variety of owners (most of whom, by a show of hands, have been in business between 10 and 30 years), Chris “Chubby” Frederick, founder and CEO of Automotive Training Institute, discussed how processes and approaches in the shop change for the better or worse. His discussion in “What Got Us There Might Not Keep Us There,” was the first part of his Mechanical Mangement Symposium at ASRW 2012. “We zoom out and we zoom in and we try to predict what’s going to happen before it happens,” he says. “Those of you who’ve been doing this a long time, this is kind of why.” Frederick walked through a variety of ways to look at your business, helping the shop owners in attendance determine what they need to focus on, whether that is adding new processes, revisiting what you’ve done in the past or starting new ideas. “I’ll be you when you went in business, you were nuts. I bet you were defiant,” he says. “Many of us just put our head down and did it. We think that’s how you business. It is how you get into business. If it wasn’t for the bold risk takers like most of us, we wouldn’t be here. And I’ll tell you that most of us in this room, especially those been in business 20, 30, 40 years, you don’t do that any more. You think things through and plan things out.” Frederick discussed a variety of approaches owners now can take as they progress through their shop growth. Among them are fanatic discipline, empirical creativity and productive paranoia. • Fanatic Discipline – This is having the inner will to do whatever it takes to create a great outcome, no matter how difficult while being consistent with values, long term goals and culture. • Empirical creativity – When faced with uncertainty, 10Xers do no look primarily to other people, conventional wisdom, authority figures or peers for direction. • Productive paranoia – They assume conditions will turn against them at perhaps the worst possible moment. They channel their fear and worry into action, preparing, developing contingency plans, building buffers and maintaining large safety margins. Frederick gave examples of each of these designs, anything from Southwest Airlines to some of his own shop clients. One example of bettering yourself that comes out of these three areas is making a list of everything that could put you out of business. “It’s a great drill,” he notes, adding that the list could include technology on vehicles, service advisor starting a shop down the street, technicians stealing from you, among others. “It’ll scare you a little bit, but it’ll wake you up. It might make you some noncompete agreements with your employees. It might make you do things you hadn’t thought of,” he adds Frederick also talked to the owners about “shooting bullets instead of cannonballs” at problems and questions like hiring new employees or opening a new store. He elaborated that a bullet is low cost, low risk, while a calibrated cannonball is more targeted, but larger. Attendees also ranked what they need to work on in making sure that they are using the right approach first, and firing bullets not cannonballs. Frederick offered suggestions on how to adapt if they needed to change their approaches. Frederick’s portion was just the start of the day-long event. The afternoon continued with presentations from Larry Edwards of Edwards & Associates, Mark Quarto of Automotive Research and Design and Bernard Swiecki of CAR. Wed, 10 Oct 2012 17:32:33 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Are-you-productively-paranoid/blog/6392097/31710.html CarGirl 2012-10-10T17:32:33Z Motor Age AutoPro Workshop NEW ORLEANS — When most people start a new shop, they understand the risks they’re taking and go into the process head-on. This personality pays off in the beginning. But what changes down the line? Speaking to a wide variety of owners (most of whom, by a show of hands, have been in business between 10 and 30 years), Chris “Chubby” Frederick, founder and CEO of Automotive Training Institute, discussed how processes and approaches in the shop change for the better or worse. His discussion in “What Got Us There Might Not Keep Us There,” was the first part of his Mechanical Mangement Symposium at ASRW 2012. “We zoom out and we zoom in and we try to predict what’s going to happen before it happens,” he says. “Those of you who’ve been doing this a long time, this is kind of why.” Frederick walked through a variety of ways to look at your business, helping the shop owners in attendance determine what they need to focus on, whether that is adding new processes, revisiting what you’ve done in the past or starting new ideas. “I’ll be you when you went in business, you were nuts. I bet you were defiant,” he says. “Many of us just put our head down and did it. We think that’s how you business. It is how you get into business. If it wasn’t for the bold risk takers like most of us, we wouldn’t be here. And I’ll tell you that most of us in this room, especially those been in business 20, 30, 40 years, you don’t do that any more. You think things through and plan things out.” Frederick discussed a variety of approaches owners now can take as they progress through their shop growth. Among them are fanatic discipline, empirical creativity and productive paranoia. • Fanatic Discipline – This is having the inner will to do whatever it takes to create a great outcome, no matter how difficult while being consistent with values, long term goals and culture. • Empirical creativity – When faced with uncertainty, 10Xers do no look primarily to other people, conventional wisdom, authority figures or peers for direction. • Productive paranoia – They assume conditions will turn against them at perhaps the worst possible moment. They channel their fear and worry into action, preparing, developing contingency plans, building buffers and maintaining large safety margins. Frederick gave examples of each of these designs, anything from Southwest Airlines to some of his own shop clients. One example of bettering yourself that comes out of these three areas is making a list of everything that could put you out of business. “It’s a great drill,” he notes, adding that the list could include technology on vehicles, service advisor starting a shop down the street, technicians stealing from you, among others. “It’ll scare you a little bit, but it’ll wake you up. It might make you some noncompete agreements with your employees. It might make you do things you hadn’t thought of,” he adds Frederick also talked to the owners about “shooting bullets instead of cannonballs” at problems and questions like hiring new employees or opening a new store. He elaborated that a bullet is low cost, low risk, while a calibrated cannonball is more targeted, but larger. Attendees also ranked what they need to work on in making sure that they are using the right approach first, and firing bullets not cannonballs. Frederick offered suggestions on how to adapt if they needed to change their approaches. Frederick’s portion was just the start of the day-long event. The afternoon continued with presentations from Larry Edwards of Edwards & Associates, Mark Quarto of Automotive Research and Design and Bernard Swiecki of CAR. asrw, Cars, chubby frederick, management, marketing, motor age, nace, nace cars coverage, shop management nonadult false Are you productively paranoid? text blog asrw,Cars,chubby frederick,management,marketing,motor age,nace,nace cars coverage,shop management 1619 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=2689446&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_1568458_31710_2689446_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 Motor Age 0 6392097 2689446 Member 0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Brembo-unveils-brake-line-with-unique-display/blog/6339479/31710.html Brembo has a different way of making its brake products stand out, starting with its characteristic red coloring. But the company has gone further this year, launching innovative, more environmentally conscious models featuring a new UV coating and displaying brake parts in a unique, artistic manner in its booth at Automechanika 2012. [image] “We always try to combine our high-tech solutions with style, aesthetics and design. It’s been a key for our success worldwide,” explains Marco Moretti, Brembo’s director of marketing, aftermarket. The artist-decorated brake products on display at Automechanika are part of a plan promoting the company’s new line of brakes with UV coatings that it launched at the European show and will display at SEMA next month. Discs in the new brake line, Moretti states, are coated with a water-based paint and then cured under UV bulbs. The process provides the parts with good resistance through an environmentally friendly manufacturing process. Moretti notes that the energy savings from the technology used to make 100 discs is equivalent to 55,000 coffees — Italian, like the company, of course. “We consider it a need to have something new and effective,” he states. “It is not just a question of aesthetics. The protection against corrosion is also practical, thanks to the integral coating, we don’t need to protect with oil.” Brembo has used this technology in its brake product manufacturing on the OEM side, and over the last year brought it to the aftermarket. “We decided to explore our presence (at Automechanika) to launch this range extension of our UV coating program,” Moretti says. “It is really a novelty technology for coating discs with really high results, unbeatable I would say, in resistance to corrosion, combined with very nice aesthetic appearance thanks to the metallic finishing...It’s a unique technology to Brembo.” Displaying the new technology is in addition to promoting the new full line of Brembo brake parts the company now offers. “We realize that in the aftermarket we were known only for the brake discs, while we’re a company that’s known and a leader for the whole system. We have the know-how, we have the facilities, we have the labs, we have everything, all the tools to be successful and we have the brand,” Moretti says. “We decided to extend the range from rotors to drums, pads, shoes and we also have hydraulic components. Thinks to this, we are a system supplier for the aftermarket.” The line covers the high-end and most middle segment vehicles in the European market, and Moretti says they are working to cover a good portion of the U.S. car parc as well. The company is expanding the line’s reach to the United States; Brembo and Federated this summer reached an agreement for Federated to distribute the brake parts. It’s working, too, as he adds that Brembo has seen a 15 percent increase in sales in the European market after one year. [image] So while more European technicians, and soon U.S. techs, will be more familiar with Brembo’s signature red coloring, Automechanika attendees are getting a different look at the company’s products in artwork on display in the company’s booth. Moretti explains the company conducted a contest for young German artists to create artwork with the brake parts. European technicians judged the submissions online, and the top 10 finalists are on display in the Automechanika booth. Visitors to the booth are voting on their favorite, with the overall winner receiving a Vespa Piaggio scooter. Visitors who vote also are entered to win a new Brembo helmet. Overall, the new process and marketing plan provide what Moretti describes as a good approach and one that answers requests for a complete line customers have inquired about for years. “It is really a need for our customers,” he states. “When they buy a rotor, they need pads for sure, and to have them from the same pad, selected by the same technical approach is the best way.” Brembo has a different way of making its brake products stand out, starting with its characteristic red coloring. But the company has gone further this year, launching innovative, more environmentally conscious models featuring a new UV coating and displaying brake parts in a unique, artistic manner in its booth at Automechanika 2012. [image] “We always try to combine our high-tech solutions with style, aesthetics and design. It’s been a key for our success worldwide,” explains Marco Moretti, Brembo’s director of marketing, aftermarket. The artist-decorated brake products on display at Automechanika are part of a plan promoting the company’s new line of brakes with UV coatings that it launched at the European show and will display at SEMA next month. Discs in the new brake line, Moretti states, are coated with a water-based paint and then cured under UV bulbs. The process provides the parts with good resistance through an environmentally friendly manufacturing process. Moretti notes that the energy savings from the technology used to make 100 discs is equivalent to 55,000 coffees — Italian, like the company, of course. “We consider it a need to have something new and effective,” he states. “It is not just a question of aesthetics. The protection against corrosion is also practical, thanks to the integral coating, we don’t need to protect with oil.” Brembo has used this technology in its brake product manufacturing on the OEM side, and over the last year brought it to the aftermarket. “We decided to explore our presence (at Automechanika) to launch this range extension of our UV coating program,” Moretti says. “It is really a novelty technology for coating discs with really high results, unbeatable I would say, in resistance to corrosion, combined with very nice aesthetic appearance thanks to the metallic finishing...It’s a unique technology to Brembo.” Displaying the new technology is in addition to promoting the new full line of Brembo brake parts the company now offers. “We realize that in the aftermarket we were known only for the brake discs, while we’re a company that’s known and a leader for the whole system. We have the know-how, we have the facilities, we have the labs, we have everything, all the tools to be successful and we have the brand,” Moretti says. “We decided to extend the range from rotors to drums, pads, shoes and we also have hydraulic components. Thinks to this, we are a system supplier for the aftermarket.” The line covers the high-end and most middle segment vehicles in the European market, and Moretti says they are working to cover a good portion of the U.S. car parc as well. The company is expanding the line’s reach to the United States; Brembo and Federated this summer reached an agreement for Federated to distribute the brake parts. It’s working, too, as he adds that Brembo has seen a 15 percent increase in sales in the European market after one year. [image] So while more European technicians, and soon U.S. techs, will be more familiar with Brembo’s signature red coloring, Automechanika attendees are getting a different look at the company’s products in artwork on display in the company’s booth. Moretti explains the company conducted a contest for young German artists to create artwork with the brake parts. European technicians judged the submissions online, and the top 10 finalists are on display in the Automechanika booth. Visitors to the booth are voting on their favorite, with the overall winner receiving a Vespa Piaggio scooter. Visitors who vote also are entered to win a new Brembo helmet. Overall, the new process and marketing plan provide what Moretti describes as a good approach and one that answers requests for a complete line customers have inquired about for years. “It is really a need for our customers,” he states. “When they buy a rotor, they need pads for sure, and to have them from the same pad, selected by the same technical approach is the best way.” Thu, 13 Sep 2012 19:22:18 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Brembo-unveils-brake-line-with-unique-display/blog/6339479/31710.html CarGirl 2012-09-13T19:22:18Z AMBW Blogs AutoPro Workshop Brembo has a different way of making its brake products stand out, starting with its characteristic red coloring. But the company has gone further this year, launching innovative, more environmentally conscious models featuring a new UV coating and displaying brake parts in a unique, artistic manner in its booth at Automechanika 2012. [image] “We always try to combine our high-tech solutions with style, aesthetics and design. It’s been a key for our success worldwide,” explains Marco Moretti, Brembo’s director of marketing, aftermarket. The artist-decorated brake products on display at Automechanika are part of a plan promoting the company’s new line of brakes with UV coatings that it launched at the European show and will display at SEMA next month. Discs in the new brake line, Moretti states, are coated with a water-based paint and then cured under UV bulbs. The process provides the parts with good resistance through an environmentally friendly manufacturing process. Moretti notes that the energy savings from the technology used to make 100 discs is equivalent to 55,000 coffees — Italian, like the company, of course. “We consider it a need to have something new and effective,” he states. “It is not just a question of aesthetics. The protection against corrosion is also practical, thanks to the integral coating, we don’t need to protect with oil.” Brembo has used this technology in its brake product manufacturing on the OEM side, and over the last year brought it to the aftermarket. “We decided to explore our presence (at Automechanika) to launch this range extension of our UV coating program,” Moretti says. “It is really a novelty technology for coating discs with really high results, unbeatable I would say, in resistance to corrosion, combined with very nice aesthetic appearance thanks to the metallic finishing...It’s a unique technology to Brembo.” Displaying the new technology is in addition to promoting the new full line of Brembo brake parts the company now offers. “We realize that in the aftermarket we were known only for the brake discs, while we’re a company that’s known and a leader for the whole system. We have the know-how, we have the facilities, we have the labs, we have everything, all the tools to be successful and we have the brand,” Moretti says. “We decided to extend the range from rotors to drums, pads, shoes and we also have hydraulic components. Thinks to this, we are a system supplier for the aftermarket.” The line covers the high-end and most middle segment vehicles in the European market, and Moretti says they are working to cover a good portion of the U.S. car parc as well. The company is expanding the line’s reach to the United States; Brembo and Federated this summer reached an agreement for Federated to distribute the brake parts. It’s working, too, as he adds that Brembo has seen a 15 percent increase in sales in the European market after one year. [image] So while more European technicians, and soon U.S. techs, will be more familiar with Brembo’s signature red coloring, Automechanika attendees are getting a different look at the company’s products in artwork on display in the company’s booth. Moretti explains the company conducted a contest for young German artists to create artwork with the brake parts. European technicians judged the submissions online, and the top 10 finalists are on display in the Automechanika booth. Visitors to the booth are voting on their favorite, with the overall winner receiving a Vespa Piaggio scooter. Visitors who vote also are entered to win a new Brembo helmet. Overall, the new process and marketing plan provide what Moretti describes as a good approach and one that answers requests for a complete line customers have inquired about for years. “It is really a need for our customers,” he states. “When they buy a rotor, they need pads for sure, and to have them from the same pad, selected by the same technical approach is the best way.” ambw, automechanika, blogs, brake drums, brake pads, brake shoes, brembo, brembo brakes, clutches, disc brakes, hydraulic components nonadult false Brembo unveils brake line with unique display text blog ambw,automechanika,blogs,brake drums,brake pads,brake shoes,brembo,brembo brakes,clutches,disc brakes,hydraulic components 1006 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=2689446&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_1568458_31710_2689446_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 AMBW / Blogs 0 6339479 2689446 Member 0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_The-New-Look-of-MotorAgecom/blog/6179641/31710.html Have you visited MotorAge.com lately? If so, you’ve seen the new look we’re boasting. We hope the site will make it easier for you to find the information you’re looking for to help run your shop. Motor Age is part of the larger SearchAutoParts.com, which is our way of gathering all of the information you need to know about the entire automotive aftermarket from the manufacturer to the distributor to the mechanical or collision repair shop. With our new look and setup, it’s easier than ever to find the content you need for your shop. The new MotorAge.com is designed to help guide you through the content we have, finding specifically what interests you. You’ll find the newest, top stories in the center surrounded by a number of new lists for blogs, videos and discussions. All of these Workshop postings — from our own social networking site the AutoPro Workshop — keep you up-to-date on what others like you are saying. You’ll also notice integrated Facebook and Twitter feeds to help you see and share with others today’s important stories. In fact, if you’re looking for an easy way to stay up-to-date with Motor Age, join and/or post in our Workshop now and you’ll be entered in a drawing for a new iPad. Anyone who joins or posts before July 13 is eligible to win. Stories specific to your role in the shop are easy to find, as on the left side of the page are links for Technicians, Shop Owner, Products, Community (the aforementioned Workshop) and Classifieds. Just click on what you want to read about, whether it’s technical, repair-related, management, marketing or products. If you’re interested in seeing what’s going on with your distributors, click on Aftermarket Business World, or on ABRN to see your collision market counterparts. Automotive Events will get you a list of training classes and industry gatherings, while ASE Test Prep will take you to Motor Age Training and its money-back guaranteed ASE guides for taking ASE certification tests. Other features of the new MotorAge.com include a self-service free classified section. Think of it as a new way to find the best technicians out there and to reach a targeted audience of people you know have similar interests and backgrounds. Overall, we feel that finding information on the new MotorAge.com is easier than ever. And as always, you can reach out to myself at tbrandyberry@advanstar.com or on Twitter @Motor_Age with any questions or to share your thoughts. Have you visited MotorAge.com lately? If so, you’ve seen the new look we’re boasting. We hope the site will make it easier for you to find the information you’re looking for to help run your shop. Motor Age is part of the larger SearchAutoParts.com, which is our way of gathering all of the information you need to know about the entire automotive aftermarket from the manufacturer to the distributor to the mechanical or collision repair shop. With our new look and setup, it’s easier than ever to find the content you need for your shop. The new MotorAge.com is designed to help guide you through the content we have, finding specifically what interests you. You’ll find the newest, top stories in the center surrounded by a number of new lists for blogs, videos and discussions. All of these Workshop postings — from our own social networking site the AutoPro Workshop — keep you up-to-date on what others like you are saying. You’ll also notice integrated Facebook and Twitter feeds to help you see and share with others today’s important stories. In fact, if you’re looking for an easy way to stay up-to-date with Motor Age, join and/or post in our Workshop now and you’ll be entered in a drawing for a new iPad. Anyone who joins or posts before July 13 is eligible to win. Stories specific to your role in the shop are easy to find, as on the left side of the page are links for Technicians, Shop Owner, Products, Community (the aforementioned Workshop) and Classifieds. Just click on what you want to read about, whether it’s technical, repair-related, management, marketing or products. If you’re interested in seeing what’s going on with your distributors, click on Aftermarket Business World, or on ABRN to see your collision market counterparts. Automotive Events will get you a list of training classes and industry gatherings, while ASE Test Prep will take you to Motor Age Training and its money-back guaranteed ASE guides for taking ASE certification tests. Other features of the new MotorAge.com include a self-service free classified section. Think of it as a new way to find the best technicians out there and to reach a targeted audience of people you know have similar interests and backgrounds. Overall, we feel that finding information on the new MotorAge.com is easier than ever. And as always, you can reach out to myself at tbrandyberry@advanstar.com or on Twitter @Motor_Age with any questions or to share your thoughts. Mon, 18 Jun 2012 20:46:14 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_The-New-Look-of-MotorAgecom/blog/6179641/31710.html CarGirl 2012-06-18T20:46:14Z Motor Age AutoPro Workshop Have you visited MotorAge.com lately? If so, you’ve seen the new look we’re boasting. We hope the site will make it easier for you to find the information you’re looking for to help run your shop. Motor Age is part of the larger SearchAutoParts.com, which is our way of gathering all of the information you need to know about the entire automotive aftermarket from the manufacturer to the distributor to the mechanical or collision repair shop. With our new look and setup, it’s easier than ever to find the content you need for your shop. The new MotorAge.com is designed to help guide you through the content we have, finding specifically what interests you. You’ll find the newest, top stories in the center surrounded by a number of new lists for blogs, videos and discussions. All of these Workshop postings — from our own social networking site the AutoPro Workshop — keep you up-to-date on what others like you are saying. You’ll also notice integrated Facebook and Twitter feeds to help you see and share with others today’s important stories. In fact, if you’re looking for an easy way to stay up-to-date with Motor Age, join and/or post in our Workshop now and you’ll be entered in a drawing for a new iPad. Anyone who joins or posts before July 13 is eligible to win. Stories specific to your role in the shop are easy to find, as on the left side of the page are links for Technicians, Shop Owner, Products, Community (the aforementioned Workshop) and Classifieds. Just click on what you want to read about, whether it’s technical, repair-related, management, marketing or products. If you’re interested in seeing what’s going on with your distributors, click on Aftermarket Business World, or on ABRN to see your collision market counterparts. Automotive Events will get you a list of training classes and industry gatherings, while ASE Test Prep will take you to Motor Age Training and its money-back guaranteed ASE guides for taking ASE certification tests. Other features of the new MotorAge.com include a self-service free classified section. Think of it as a new way to find the best technicians out there and to reach a targeted audience of people you know have similar interests and backgrounds. Overall, we feel that finding information on the new MotorAge.com is easier than ever. And as always, you can reach out to myself at tbrandyberry@advanstar.com or on Twitter @Motor_Age with any questions or to share your thoughts. aftermarket, automotive, motor age, website nonadult false The New Look of MotorAge.com text blog aftermarket,automotive,motor age,website 1556 2 5.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=2689446&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_1568458_31710_2689446_ap_160X120.jpg false 2 Motor Age 0 6179641 2689446 Member 0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_You-can-chat-with-Kevin-Harvick-this-week/blog/6164837/31710.html When you sit on your couch or at your buddy's house on a Sunday afternoon, have you wanted to talk to the NASCAR driver you're cheering for? Champion Spark Plugs is giving you the chance to do that this week. NASCAR® Sprint Cup driver and Champion® brand spokesperson Kevin Harvick will chat live with fans during the next #ChampionChat session, this Thursday at 7 p.m. ET, via Twitter, TweetChat.com and the VYou.com conversational video site. The monthly #ChampionChat series is part of a comprehensive program designed to connect Harvick and the iconic Champion brand of spark plugs, filters, wiper blades and performance chemical additives with a new generation of “Performance Driven™” consumers. Each #ChampionChat session offers fans the opportunity to ask Harvick, driver of the Richard Childress Racing No. 29 Chevrolet, about the battle for the Sprint Cup points championship, recent or upcoming races and other topics. Harvick will respond to as many tweets as possible during the 30-minute session and also post video responses to select questions via VYou.com. “Kevin is having a lot of fun with #ChampionChat, and so are fans around the world,” says Jessica Wynn, manager of brand strategy, North America, Federal-Mogul. “This program is a huge win for the Champion brand, which is connecting millions of consumers with Champion spark plugs, filters and other products they can use to perform maintenance on their vehicles and other engine-driven equipment.” To participate in Thursday’s chat session, simply log on to TweetChat.com or Federal-Mogul’s @ChampionParts Twitter feed. To ask Harvick a question, simply include the #ChampionChat hashtag at the end of the tweet. Harvick’s video responses are archived on VYou.com.For additional information about Champion products and programs, please visit www.AlwaysaChampion.com. When you sit on your couch or at your buddy's house on a Sunday afternoon, have you wanted to talk to the NASCAR driver you're cheering for? Champion Spark Plugs is giving you the chance to do that this week. NASCAR® Sprint Cup driver and Champion® brand spokesperson Kevin Harvick will chat live with fans during the next #ChampionChat session, this Thursday at 7 p.m. ET, via Twitter, TweetChat.com and the VYou.com conversational video site. The monthly #ChampionChat series is part of a comprehensive program designed to connect Harvick and the iconic Champion brand of spark plugs, filters, wiper blades and performance chemical additives with a new generation of “Performance Driven™” consumers. Each #ChampionChat session offers fans the opportunity to ask Harvick, driver of the Richard Childress Racing No. 29 Chevrolet, about the battle for the Sprint Cup points championship, recent or upcoming races and other topics. Harvick will respond to as many tweets as possible during the 30-minute session and also post video responses to select questions via VYou.com. “Kevin is having a lot of fun with #ChampionChat, and so are fans around the world,” says Jessica Wynn, manager of brand strategy, North America, Federal-Mogul. “This program is a huge win for the Champion brand, which is connecting millions of consumers with Champion spark plugs, filters and other products they can use to perform maintenance on their vehicles and other engine-driven equipment.” To participate in Thursday’s chat session, simply log on to TweetChat.com or Federal-Mogul’s @ChampionParts Twitter feed. To ask Harvick a question, simply include the #ChampionChat hashtag at the end of the tweet. Harvick’s video responses are archived on VYou.com.For additional information about Champion products and programs, please visit www.AlwaysaChampion.com. Tue, 12 Jun 2012 13:35:10 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_You-can-chat-with-Kevin-Harvick-this-week/blog/6164837/31710.html CarGirl 2012-06-12T13:35:10Z Motor Age Blogs AutoPro Workshop When you sit on your couch or at your buddy's house on a Sunday afternoon, have you wanted to talk to the NASCAR driver you're cheering for? Champion Spark Plugs is giving you the chance to do that this week. NASCAR® Sprint Cup driver and Champion® brand spokesperson Kevin Harvick will chat live with fans during the next #ChampionChat session, this Thursday at 7 p.m. ET, via Twitter, TweetChat.com and the VYou.com conversational video site. The monthly #ChampionChat series is part of a comprehensive program designed to connect Harvick and the iconic Champion brand of spark plugs, filters, wiper blades and performance chemical additives with a new generation of “Performance Driven™” consumers. Each #ChampionChat session offers fans the opportunity to ask Harvick, driver of the Richard Childress Racing No. 29 Chevrolet, about the battle for the Sprint Cup points championship, recent or upcoming races and other topics. Harvick will respond to as many tweets as possible during the 30-minute session and also post video responses to select questions via VYou.com. “Kevin is having a lot of fun with #ChampionChat, and so are fans around the world,” says Jessica Wynn, manager of brand strategy, North America, Federal-Mogul. “This program is a huge win for the Champion brand, which is connecting millions of consumers with Champion spark plugs, filters and other products they can use to perform maintenance on their vehicles and other engine-driven equipment.” To participate in Thursday’s chat session, simply log on to TweetChat.com or Federal-Mogul’s @ChampionParts Twitter feed. To ask Harvick a question, simply include the #ChampionChat hashtag at the end of the tweet. Harvick’s video responses are archived on VYou.com.For additional information about Champion products and programs, please visit www.AlwaysaChampion.com. aftermarket, automotive, blogs, champion, champion spark plugs, federal-mogul, kevin harvick, motor age, nascar nonadult false You can chat with Kevin Harvick this week text blog aftermarket,automotive,blogs,champion,champion spark plugs,federal-mogul,kevin harvick,motor age,nascar 1042 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=2689446&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_1568458_31710_2689446_ap_160X120.jpg false 0 Motor Age / Blogs 0 6164837 2689446 Member 0