The Buck Stops Here
When companies don’t get the bottom-line results they want, it’s usually not their competition, the economy, or their people. Its’ usually the leader who has gotten stuck in their old ways of doing business and not willing to try new ideas or change. Start At The Top Company owners are 100% responsible for everything in
Make Your Customer Part of the Team by Taking Deposits on Engine Builds
I just could not imagine that he had time to contact me. Although I DO write for a major trade magazine in the automotive industry, I am not, no matter how much I may dream, a promising retail author. But after I woke up, I realized that there was a different type of message here.
Career Building: Developing Engine Building Experiences in School Starts with Instructors
For some older technicians and mechanics, servicing vehicles and tearing down engines was something learned on the job. For others, automotive skills were developed through an automotive program at a high school or technical college. According to an employment forecast from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), between 2010 and 2020, the nation’s workforce will
How To Prepare Your Shop For The Next Opportunity
There are also times when your equipment breaks down — with no warning— and business is at a standstill until it can be replaced or fixed.Having cash available is essential to keeping your business movingforward during both types of situations. However, it can be difficult keeping extra cash on hand to put towardthese situations. Many
Common Customer Service Myths Exposed
By Jody Devere, CEO of AskPatty.com Ever since the phrase "the customer is alwaysright" was coined, it surely has been the bane of every worker whose titleincludes the word "associate" or "representative." Thoughfront-line employees bear the brunt of customers’ requests, when it comes downto it, we’re all in the customer service business. Let’s take a
Advertising Does Not Work, And I Can Prove It!
There was a time when I only relied on word of mouth, the yellow pages andan occasional ad in the local paper. I would throw together an ad myself andwhen the results were poor, I would convince myself it was because advertisingdid not work –when this simply was not true. In today’s world of business,
Leveraging Your Most Valuable Customers
You have total control over how your business is run, but unfortunately for you, the economy is something that you have no power over. There’s basically two ways to address economic slumps, and I’m a strong advocate for one method and strongly denounce the other. The approach that I refuse to endorse falls along the
How Much Is Your Shop Worth?
During the interview with Janke, we were discussing thethings that shop owners can do to get top dollar for their shops, and towardsthe end of the interview we started talking about how shop owners should goabout establishing the value of their businesses. As you can imagine, Hal saidthat there are a number of things you
Ten Percent Growth Needs To Be The Goal
There’s a lot to be said for that, but even if you’re pleased with theperformance of your business, you still need to set a growth goal of at least10%. Why? Because not only is there no certainty in the future, but youcan bet that the competition is going to be tougher in the coming year.
Time Management And Achieving Balance
Looking back at my upbringing, I recall we didn’t have as much “stuff” as my friends in school, but one thing my mom always had for us was her time and love. While Mom worked, she had many hobbies from bowling to rose gardening. As we began the process of cleaning out her house, her
Musings on Presents, Prizes and Presidents
Sometimes these tips are of a very technical nature. Sometimes…well, not so much. “My wife decided to help me out this winter by buying me a new jacket to wear during the cold weather. She purchased a new camouflaged-colored work jacket. The jacket is just fine, except when I take it off and lay it
Facebook Timeline Design: How To Make Your Page Look Nice
Well, we’re going to teach you where each feature is and how to use it, so you don’t need to waste your time trying to figure things out! ?? First of all, if you haven’t already done so, DON’T change your Business Page to Timeline design just yet. Use it in Preview Mode until you