Repair Shop Advice

Archive for August, 2019

Zims Tire & Auto Service / We Take Pride In Fixing Your Ride!

August 30th, 2019

Zims Tire & Auto Service is the best place in Ridgeley West Virginia for honest auto repair services. Since 2002 they have provided quality auto repair services to their community and they are not stopping now. Their customers have nothing but great things to say about them and the cleanliness and integrity of their shop. They offer tons of services ranging from brake repair, tires and tire repair, towing, engine services and much more. They are waiting to show you why they are loved so much so give them a call at 304-738-0439 today. Or visit their shop at 106 Cement Mill Rd Ridgeley, WV if you are near by.

Making an Honest Profit from New Equipment

August 29th, 2019

New equipment can open up new opportunities for business.  It can make repairs easier or less frustrating.  Also, it’s just fun to have nice, new equipment in the shop.

Unfortunately, new equipment can also be a giant waste of money.  If you financed some portion of it, it can also be a drag on shop profits for years.  Here’s how to avoid that scenario, and to make sure that any equipment you buy is helping you sell services that are in the best interest of the customer.


Build a Realistic Forecast

Unsurprisingly, the marketing materials explaining the benefits of a new piece of equipment are often based on optimistic scenarios.  If possible, it’s best to use data from your own shop to build a more realistic one.

If you’re evaluating a piece of equipment that will allow you to sell a new service, collect data on the number of vehicles that could benefit significantly from that service.  Crucially, once you have that number, make sure to ask how many of those customers would have purchased the service if given a solid explanation of how they would benefit.

If you’re evaluating a piece of equipment that will reduce the amount of time required to complete a job, make sure to document the number of times that specific repair delayed your ability to fix other cars.  A faster turnaround time can lead to higher customer retention – but the easiest way to justify a time-saving repair is by being able to handle more vehicles each day.

Build a Solid Sales Pitch

For good reason, many shop owners cringe when they hear “sales pitch.”  That’s because the goal of an honest shop isn’t to upsell the customer, it’s to help them make the best decision for them and their vehicle.  Ironically this “customer first” mentality is precisely why you need to build a solid sales pitch before you can justify purchasing any equipment that will help you add a new service.

Forget all of the features that come with that new A/C machine, alignment machine or wheel balancer.  What’s the benefit for the customer?  Will it make their tires last twice as long?  Will it improve their fuel efficiency, or make their vehicle safer?  If you can’t explain the benefits of the product in a sentence or two that will resonate with most of your customers, you’re going to find yourself with a very expensive piece of equipment that doesn’t get used very much.  And that’s exactly how some shops get squeezed into making the ‘hard sell’ pitch that makes honest shop owners cringe.

Earn the Business

Some equipment can provide a new customer base for your shop, or increase the services you can provide to existing customers.  Other equipment will allow you to see more vehicles.  In either case, you’ll likely need to adjust your shop’s marketing messaging.

If the new equipment mostly helps existing customers, you’ll need to incorporate it into your diagnostic  processes.  Make sure that each shop technician is aware of why you purchased the machine (how it can help the customer) and what specific scenarios to look for.  Make sure the service writer knows how to describe the benefit to the customer.

If the new equipment allows you to perform new services, make sure that service is on your website. It will take several months to climb the rankings of Google and search well for the service, so you want the website content up as early as you can get it up.  You may also want to put coupons on your website to encourage people to try out the new service.

If the equipment allows you to service more vehicles, you may need to boost your marketing budget temporarily, to provide the increased number of vehicles you can now handle.  Make sure to tell your best customers that you’re looking for new customers, and to find creative ways to thank customers that refer you to their friends, family and neighbors.  While this is always important, it’s especially important when you’re trying to grow your business.

To learn how Repair Shop Websites can help your business grow, call us at 855-294-6397 or email us at Team_RSW@RepairShopWebsites.com.

Repair Shop Websites Webinar – How Auto Repair Shops Can Build an Online Presence to Crush Their Competitors

August 27th, 2019

The Internet provides a great opportunity for you to win new customers. But to win their business in 2019, you’ve got to beat out your competitors. How do you do that?

In this in-depth, fast paced webinar our marketing director, Martin Morgan, talks about:

  • Online trends
  • Google search results
  • Pay-per-click ads
  • Google My Business
  • Organic search
  • Reputation Management
  • Social Media
  • The most important thing to remember about all of this

Click or tap on the webinar below to start watching!

Dave’s Auto Clinic / “Treating” your car right!

August 26th, 2019

If you have a vehicle that is in need of some doctoring bring it on down to Dave’s Auto Clinic in Fremont Michigan. They will patch your vehicle up and have you back on the road in no time at all. Established since 1984 they have perfected their craft when it comes to auto repair so trust them to do the job the right way. They offer a lot of services from preventative maintenance and repair to heavy duty and fleet repair. So let it be your brakes, alignment, a/c or tires they are here to help you. Give them a call at 231-924-66665 or stop by the shop at 914 Rex St Fremont, MI today.

Madison Muffler and Auto Inc / A Napa Auto Care Center

August 23rd, 2019

Here at Madison Muffler and Auto Inc, we strive to provide you with the best auto repair services needed. Located in the heart of Madison Ohio, and we are a big part of our community. We sponsor little league teams and are as active as we can be. We provide many different auto repair services such as brake repair, custom exhaust, a/c services, alignments, and more. Our address is 6797 Chapel Rd. Madison, OH and our phone number is 440-428-2677. Give us a call and let us see how we can assist you today.

Advanced Tire & Auto Repair Company / Your Community Auto Repair Center!

August 22nd, 2019

If you are in Fort Mohave Arizona and are in need of an honest auto repair shop, look no further, Advanced Tire & Auto Repair Company is here for you. You can ask around and their customers will let you know these guys know cars. They offer just about about any auto repair service you can think of including brake repair, alignments, tires, and more. Tires and tire repair are their specialty but they will tackle any repair you may need. The shop is located at  4380 S Hwy 95 Fort Mohave, AZ and they can be reached at 928-788-3897.

AGT Imports D/B/A J&M Auto Doctors / We Specialize In Cars!

August 20th, 2019

AGT Imports is a well known auto repair shop in Miami Florida and they know their stuff. They are honest and understanding and their customers have nothing but great things to say about them. The company has been established since 1978, longer than a lot of us have been alive. Now they are merging with J&M Auto Doctors so the work will only get better from here. They offer services for all makes and models like, brake repair, alignments, a/c services, and more. Give them a call at 305-974-4412 or stop by the shop at 1928 NE 151st Miami, FL.

Chappy’s Auto Maintenance / Jolly Good Show

August 19th, 2019

Chappy’s Auto Maintenance is here for all your auto repair needs. Their slogan is “Jolly Good Show”, and that’s exactly what you will get from Chap and the crew. Located in Hastings Nebraska they specialize in electronic work, a/c repairs, preventative maintenance, and much more. If you are in need of auto repair services give them a call today at 402-463-2477 or stop by the shop at 1010 W J St Hastings, NE.

The One Thing that Generates the Most Profit

August 19th, 2019

It’s expensive to gain a customer.  That’s because other shops want those customers, too.  In fact, big shops and franchises spend tons of money advertising to get new customers – sending coupons or mailers to their houses, buying Google ads, and in some cases even buying TV or radio commercials.

They do all of this knowing they’ll never make that money back when a customer stops by for an oil change or a brake replacement.  They’re doing it because they’re hoping that the customer keeps visiting them for years.

After the first visit, the big franchise shops and dealerships also spend heavily to keep them coming back.  They might give them a rewards card or a coupon book.  They might collect their email and address so they can mail them even more discounts.

None of this early business is profitable.  These shops are spending tremendous amounts of money to build a habit.  They want the customer to passively return to the shop without considering the alternatives.  Once the customer starts visiting the shop by habit, the business becomes profitable.

Great Customer Service is the Best Business Hack in the World

Most independent shops don’t have enough money laying around to buy business like this.  Fortunately, if you’re doing a great job at the front desk, you don’t need to.  If you’re just opening the shop, you might need to work hard to get your first customers in the door, but once they’re there it’s not hard to provide service that far exceeds expectations.  Pay attention to the customer when you’re on the phone with them.  Give your service advisor the tools they need to work with the customer.  Patiently explain problems to customers, and give them options to get their vehicle back on the road.


When customers feel like you provided honest service and took their needs and requests into account, they won’t need a coupon book mailed to them to remember which shop they visited last.  If you go out of your way to help them get to a meeting on time, or if you tell them they have a problem but it doesn’t need to be fixed immediately, they’ll remember that you looked out for them.  They’ll turn into loyal customers that follow advice without questioning the price – in short, they’ll turn into your most profitable customers.

Unlike the customers who are lured in with repeated coupons and radio ads, these customers also won’t be coming to you out of habit.  They won’t be passive customers – they will be active ones.  That means you can rely on them for referrals and online reviews, especially if you ask them for the favor.  Both of these things will bring you new customers, but they don’t cost a dime.  All you have to do is to keep knocking customer service out of the park.

Don’t get complacent!

It’s easy to focus on customers when you don’t have many of them.  It gets a lot harder when your shop is full of vehicles and the weekend is nearing.  You’ve still got to make sure your service is top notch – even phone calls with customers you don’t have the time to help.

A great reputation can be destroyed even more quickly than it was created.  An unfriendly response from your business can turn into a one-star review whether you perform work on the person’s vehicle or not.  Negative word-of-mouth and poor reviews will have immediate impacts.  The car count will start dropping but the bills will keep coming. If this happens, all of those expensive ads might start looking like the only way out.  It much cheaper to keep the focus on customer service, even if it reduces the number of customers you can serve!

To learn how Repair Shop Websites can help your shop thrive, call us at 855-294-6397 or email us at Team_RSW@RepairShopWebsites.com.

Black Forest Werkshop / Dedicated To Taking Care Of Your Vehicle!

August 19th, 2019

Black Forest Werkshop is the best place in Austin Texas to have your import vehicle serviced. Not just any import vehicle, they only work on BMW’s, Mercedes, Mini’s, and Porsche. If you have one of these vehicles and need services such as brake repair, alignments, a/c services, engine repairs or more, give them a call today at 512-300-2697. Or stop by the shop located at 2512 Buell Ave Austin, TX and let them assist you today.