Concours Motors Hosts Biannual Management Success! TOP 20 Group in Ventura, CA

From February 19 to February 21, 2016, general repair shops from around the country gathered at Concours Motors in Ventura, CA for the Management Success! General Repair TOP 20 Group meeting, held biannually. The shops discussed best practices, key performance indicators (KPIs), management, marketing techniques, and much more.

The meeting kicked off with a visit to HAAS Automation in Oxnard for a tour of the facility to see how the processes and procedures of a manufacturer could benefit small business practices.  The group was impressed with what they observed and came away with many ideas.

The group reconvened the next day at J.R. Luna’s automotive repair shop to discuss ideas inspired by the manufacturing company tour, and how to incorporate some of the concepts into their businesses. They also did a comprehensive walk-through of Concours Motors work-flow lines, from customer drop-off to vehicle pick-up, led by Phil Sylvester manager of Concours Motors.

The intense 3-day meeting was highlighted with a catered picnic lunch on the beach and dinners at the delectable Beach House Fish on Friday night and The Watermark in historic downtown Ventura on Saturday night.

“It was an awesome meeting. It's really motivating to be surrounded by other professionals in our industry who are working to make their shops better every day,” stated J.R. Luna, President of Concours Motors. 

About the General Repair TOP 20 Group
The Management Success TOP 20 Group is comprised of shop owners who have been recognized by their peers for their top-notch management skills.  Membership is by nomination only.

About Management Success!
Management Success! is an auto industry consulting firm that specializes in elevating the quality of life of shop owners all over the US and Canada. Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Glendale, CA, Management Success! helps shop owners become effective managers in order to increase profits.
 
Contact
For more information on Management Success! or the General Repair TOP 20 Group, please contact Morgan Scott at morgan.scott@managementsuccess.com.

Management Success Goes Global!

Glendale, CA – March 10, 2016 –

After successfully consulting managers with the government of Oman’s transportation division on  best practices for managing the maintenance of their fleet of vehicles in 2013, Management Success was asked to return to Oman to help another organization improve their efficiency.

Yousuf Abdullah AlZidjaly, one of the transportation division managers was so impressed with the training he received from Management Success; he recommended that his best friend and independent repair shop owner, Badar Mansoor owner of Basar Mansoor Trading try the program.

Badar Monsoor Trading contracted with Management Success to have Larry Monroe, Senior Management Success Consultant travel to Oman for a week to deliver training to Badar Monsoor’s staff. 

“We learned a lot of valuable things, including customer sales and service, how to properly organize the shop, and how to increase efficiency of the workflow process.  I feel this was a great opportunity!” stated Sandesh Poojary, a Badar Monsoor employee. 

As part of the Management Success training program, Badar’s employees partook in workshops such as, Service Writer School and Controlling the Front.  Badar’s shop also received a 2-Day, On-site Shop Inspection to help locate inefficiencies and improve workflow systems.

“It was a great experience and an honor to visit Oman and to work with the staff of Badar Monsoor Trading.  By the end of our visit they had all blossomed as team members” stated Monroe.
 
About Management Success!
Management Success! is an auto industry consulting firm that specializes in elevating the quality of life of shop owners all over the US and Canada. Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Glendale, CA, Management Success helps shop owners increase management skill in order to increase profits. The Management Success team believes shop owners deserve to be well-compensated for their hard work. Management Success fully arms shop owners with every executive ability needed to win.

www.managementsuccess.com

Management Success launches a new Online Learning Program Exclusively for Shop Owners

Glendale, California, January 28, 2016; Management Success is pleased to announce a new innovative benefit for its members:  Visual Management Inspection (VMI), an online business analysis program designed to help shop owners increase their production and profitability.  
 
VMI enables shop owners who cannot attend one of the Management Success Interactive Weekend Workshops in person, to still have an expert analysis performed on their shop.  Like the workshop attendees, the online VMI attendees will receive customized solutions to their unique business needs.   

Bob Spitz, Snr VP Business Development,  stated, “Demand continues to be high for our Interactive Weekend Workshops, but we often get requests for a format that will allow shop owners to attend without having to leave their shops.  VMI fills this need.”

“The launch of VMI supports our on-going commitment to developing innovative training programs to help shop owners better manage their businesses.  People are changing their learning habits, and are more readily using convenient technology-based training options. We are entering a new era of training where people want information that is immediately accessible to them from the comfort of their own offices, “stated Mr. Spitz.  

The VMI online program includes an in-depth Shop Business Analysis that provides you with a visual graph of what you are doing right and what you want to improve; A review of your numbers to help identify your strengths and weaknesses; An on-line Video Inspection of key sales and production areas of your shop; An evaluation of your business by the VMI experts with a strategic plan designed just for you...

For more information regarding VMI, please contact Maddy Smith at msmith@managementsuccess.com

http://managementsuccess.com/VMI/overview.asp

The Four Stages of Business by Mike Lee

A majority of shop owners in the auto repair industry find that these are their main problems. Their shops have either grown to a certain size in gross monthly sales and have then flattened off, or they can’t seem to take home enough money. It does not matter how big a shop has grown, when it comes to the owner’s checkbook, you should hear him groan. 

The Four Stages of Business 

 The average business goes through four stages of development. These stages reflect the development of the shop owner’s business and management skills. Unfortunately some shops seem to get stuck in one stage of development and are unable to expand beyond it. Other shops are able to grow fairly quickly but can’t seem to make any money.
 

Stage One 

In this stage we have the technician that has opened his first shop. In most cases, he is doing most of the work on the cars and handling the customers as best he can, along with doing all of the paperwork. Basically he is doing everything himself. This is the normal startup procedure.

Some shop owners get stuck in stage one and never really grow out of this condition. They hit a certain level of monthly sales and that is it. 

Stage Two 

 In stage two we have a shop owner who has decided to go primarily into the front office to handle the customers or hire someone to do this for him so he can work on the cars. If he is the service writer he still helps out with fixing the cars in the shop. 

Stage Three 

In stage three the shop owner has expanded to the point that he has delegated the primary jobs to others. He has a service writer running the front office and other people fixing the cars in the shop. He helps out in the front with the customers in the morning and then will go into the shop to help solve the problems of his technicians. Delegating responsibility successfully gives him an opportunity to do other things to help the business grow. 

Stage Four 

Here we have a shop that has successfully expanded to high levels of volume. The owner is not required to be there to run the day-to-day operations. Profits are high and relatively stable. He is at a level where 80% of the shop owners in the country would love to be. 

We Work Hard, So Why Don’t More of Us Arrive at Stage Four? 

There is a rule of management that you will always expand up to the level of confusion that you can handle. When you get confused you go slow and make mistakes. This means that over time a shop owner may develop a big operation, but unless he really understands all the key areas of his business — personnel, marketing, finance, production, quality control, public relations, sales and management — his bottom line will suffer. 

But I Don’t Have Any Dough! 

Some shops do a million dollars in sales a year and aren’t making any money! If they are making money it isn’t a good return for the amount of business they have or the amount of effort they put into their business. Time and time again I have found shops doing more than $750,000 a year and not making any real profit. 

The Real Problem 

If you want to narrow all of these conditions down to one broad statement that defines the problem in the auto repair indus­try, it would be that the owners of these shops are very good at FIXING CARS. They can solve any problem with the cars in their shops if given enough time.

But the problem that is beating them up is that they don’t know how to FIX THE BUSINESS. They lack management skills and knowledge. Their lack of management skills is the primary reason they are not making enough money in the business. 

Solution 

In each of the four stages of a business, the solution is for the owner to quit being a mechanic and start being a businessman. He needs to learn to run his business. Running the business and making a profit is what a businessman is supposed to do. If the owner does this right he can slowly move up stage by stage.

Eventually he will move out of the hectic, overworked stages one and two until he arrives stably at stage three or four and is making DOUGH. That is my wish for you!

Management Success has been helping shop owners for over 20 years achieve their goals, and have the life they envisioned.  Find out what stage your shop is in by going to www.ManagementSuccess.com and taking our free Stages of Shop Expansion Test!

For more information please contact Morgan Scott at Morgan.Scott@ManagementSuccess.com or call (818) 500-9631.

FIND THE BLACK HOLE IN YOUR SHOP!
TAKE THE BLACK HOLE TEST!

Management Successes New Mastering Social Media Workshop

Glendale, California, January 1, 2016

Management Success is pleased to announce the launch of its newest workshop series, “Mastering Social Media.”  This series is designed to help auto repair shop owners get the most out of social media.

“Knowing how to execute a successful social media campaign is more crucial than ever.   Social Media is no longer just a buzz word, it’s how customers connect and find you."–Robert Spitz, Snr VP Business Development

In this two day workshop, shop owners will learn: 

• Social Media Terms

• Social Media Websites

• Reviews vs. Word-of-Mouth Advertising

• Reputation Management

• Social Media Marketing

• Making Social Media Work With Your Website

On Facebook, Yelp, and Google Plus:

• How They Work

• Why They Are Important for Your Business

• Setting Up and Using a Business Profile Page

• Gaining Followers

• Getting and Responding to Reviews

• Checking Analytics

• Linking Your Social Media Pages Together

“Thanks to everyone who attended our first “Mastering Social Media” workshop and made it such a success!  We were overwhelmingly pleased with the turnout and positive feedback that we received from you.”–Brandon Thomas, Social Media Consultant 

Follow this LINK to see pictures from Management Success’s first Mastering Social Media Workshop.  

“Great Course!!  Well done.”–T. Mckenzie-Top Shop Automotive

For more details and dates of our next Mastering Social Media Workshops, please contact Morgan Scott at Morgan.Scott@ManagementSuccess.com.

www.managementsuccess.com

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Is Your Shop Operational? By Bob Spitz

Robert Spitz
Snr VP Business Development
Management Success!

First off, let’s define operational.  Operational is a term adapted from philosophy and science to the world of business.  It means the business is functioning effectively and its processes and procedures are running smoothly.  In other words, everyone in the business knows their job functions and is executing these functions efficiently.  Having a truly operational business system results in a higher profits and sustainability.  Generally speaking, the business runs very well without the owner’s constant attention.

What will it take to get your business to run at this highly efficient state?  Let’s take a look at this point-by-point and see if we can map out a plan that will allow you to reach this ideal land.

Goals for Your Business

Most entrepreneurs go into business with the goals of sustained financial security and personal freedom that elude many people who work for someone else. This being said, the ability to set effective goals for yourself and your business is vital to your success. 

Organization

Although, many technicians have dealership experience, they are not necessarily exposed to the dealership’s organizational and operational systems.  Consequently, these technicians are left with limited knowledge of operating a growing business.  

In the start-up stages, it may appear that little organization is needed to experience some initial business growth.  However, in the long-run, knowledge of how to operate all aspects of a business from marketing, sales, employees, production, operations, accounting, collections and expansion are key to a successful business.

Recruiting and Hiring

Most people in our industry start out on the technical side.  They’re good techs but have only learned that one side of the business.  A business cannot grow without people who are well trained in all aspects of business operations.  Knowing how to recruit, hire and train the right employees is imperative. Without good hiring techniques the business will most likely stay small, leaving the business owner wearing to many hats and feeling over worked. 

Employee Management

A common error among small business owners is to assume that their employees value their business as much as they do.  As a result, issues that are painfully obvious to the owner are often overlooked by employees, resulting in owners feeling disappointed and frustrated.  It is important for a business owner to clearly communicate the BIG PICTURE of their business and motivate their employees to subscribe to their vision and goals.   Having competent employees who clearly understand and appreciate all of the shop functions is critical to the success of a business.  Otherwise, the business owner may feel like they have all of the functions of the shop wrapped around their neck.

Marketing and Sales

“Build a better mousetrap and consumers will beat a path to your door.”  Maybe you have heard this old adage.  The problem with this saying is…it is incomplete.  You could build the best mouse trap the world has ever seen, but without a good marketing plan no one will ever know about it.   Without a good marketing plan and competent people on the front lines who know how to sell your services, your business won’t thrive.  We live in a very transitional period.  No one marketing vehicle can stand alone.  Only the most carefully crafted strategical marketing plans will allow you to outshine the rest.  

Transitioning

Probably the hardest thing you will do is learn how to transition out of the back to the front office, and then ultimately out of the front, too.  But you must do this if you have the goal of being highly operational.  You have to learn how to correctly recruit, hire and train technicians to handle your shop efficiently.  You have to know how to attract the right talent up front and train them to take care of your customers the way you do. Then the final transition point is learning to trust someone to handle the day-to-day management of the business for you.  This is a process that takes knowledge, skill and patience.  But, if you gain the needed knowledge and management skills you will be rewarded with the successful shop and life you envision.

Industry Analysis & Trends

According to a 2015 market research study conducted by IBISWorld, the auto repair industry is in growth mode.  “The Auto Mechanics industry has grown steadily over the last five years. Individuals and businesses have increased demand for industry services, as rising disposable income encourages consumers to opt for auto mechanic services over do-it-yourself repair. In the coming years, disposable income levels are expected to continue to grow, encouraging consumers to spend more on the maintenance and repair of their vehicles.”   The IBIS report shows the current revenue for the auto mechanic industry is currently at $57 billion.  So we ask you…. Do you want to take advantage of this industry growth trend?  Or, do you want to sit on the sidelines and watch others prosper?

In Conclusion

Management Success has been helping shop owners for over 20 years achieve their goals, and have the life they envisioned.  Take the next step to being highly operational by going to www.ManagementSuccess.com and taking our free online Shop Business Analysis! 

*IBISworld Mechanics Market Research Report
(http://www.ibisworld.com/industry/default.aspx?indid=1689)

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Management Success! Releases Two New Dynamic Services

Press Release - December 2, 2015 - Glendale, CA

Management Success! Releases Two New Dynamic Services

Responding to the needs of its clients, Management Success! released two new services to help shops obtain larger market share and increase car count through social media marketing.

The first of these services is the Social Media Maintenance package, which includes the maintenance and management of a shop’s social media presence on Facebook, Yelp, Google+, and Twitter.  The second of these services, the Mastering Social Media Workshop, shows shop personnel how to control and use social media to expand the business in an interactive workshop.

“These new services have been released after thorough research and development of social media and the management of social media by our web development team, MSWebPros. We are very pleased to release these services at this time,” stated Robert Spitz, Senior V.P. of Business Development.

For more information on these services, please contact morgan.scott@managementsuccess.com, or call (818) 500-9631.

Management Success! Mastering Social Media Workshop

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Keys to Repairing Erratic Car Count By Robert Spitz

Robert Spitz
Snr VP Business Development

Keys to Repairing Erratic Car Count by Robert Spitz

Erratic car count is a situation all too common in many shops.  It creates cash flow problems, erratic production problems, not to mention the anxiety it causes for the owner of a shop.  Understanding what the causes are is the first step to repairing the problem.  Following are nine points for any shop owner or management team to address and fix.  These are not short-term solutions but lay the groundwork for long-term stability.

Marketing and PR knowledge

Most shop owners are not in the position to hire a marketing/PR firm to map out a strategy and plan for their business.  However, it is the first step to repairing an erratic car count.  This means anyone who is responsible for the success of a small business better understand the art of public relations and marketing.  They are big subjects with a lot of twists and turns, but they are learnable and must be embraced.  Taking a class in the subjects is the first place to start.

Having a marketing plan

There is an old saying that I find to be true: “A bad plan executed is better than a great plan that is left on the shelf.”  You must have a plan of action.  Who is your audience, and what are the demographics of your shop?  What do these people need and want from a vehicle service facility? When they shop for automotive services, how do they do it?  Most likely, they shop online.  This means you must have a strong internet presence consisting of a professionally-built website with well-managed social media.  This has got to be in your plan.  Most people in this industry are from a technical background and haven’t a clue as to how the average person thinks or what their needs are.  It is so easy to assume you know, which is a terrible mistake.  A casual survey with some pointed questions of the business’ existing customers can help in formulating a plan.  

Working the shop’s customer data-base

If you forget about your customers, they will forget about you.  Part of your marketing plan has to include working your existing customer data-base.  This is part of having a good customer retention marketing program.   This can be done internally if you have the time or the shop can utilize one of the CRM programs available in the market.  Either way, staying in touch with your existing customers and keeping your name and your face in front of them is a critical part of an overall marketing plan.

Word-of-Mouth Advertising

Anyone who has been in this industry longer than a week knows it is driven by word-of-mouth.  Today’s customers rely on social media for advice on where to purchase services.  Encouraging customers to leave positive reviews for your shop on one of the social media sites has to be done religiously.  Businesses thrive or die on referrals. 

Attractive Facility

There is a technical term used by female customers known as the “yucky” factor.  No one expects a repair facility to be a “pristine” show-case, but it has to be clean, orderly, and attractive. 

Sales Skills

Sales is an intricate part of any marketing plan.  A shop can waste a fortune on advertising if the sales aspect of the plan is missed.  Advertising’s job is to get the phone to ring and to get people stopping by.  Sales’ job is to get the potential customer to commit. Anyone working the front counter and answering the phones has got to be well-trained in communication and sales.  The people on the front have to have the right personality and aptitude.   

Technical Know-How

It is fine to have plenty of sizzle created by PR and Marketing, but it will be short-lived if the back does not have the steak.  A shop has to have the technical know-how to properly diagnose and fix the vehicle the first time.  This requires employing the best practices on inspections from the service writer through to quality control.  A shop can do a top-notch job, but if there is no standard process for quality control before the vehicle is delivered back to the customer, the shop can still lose the customer and end up with a bad review.

Customer Service

When it comes to customer service, the delivery of the vehicle is as important as the intake of the vehicle.  This is a golden opportunity to leave a great lasting impression.  Never just hand the keys to the customer and just thank them.  Walk them out to the car, and let them know how much you appreciate their business.  This is the time to ensure the customer knows the fine job you performed.  It is the time to resell the job and go over warrantees and features of new components.  This time also gives the shop an opportunity to schedule any work that is coming up in the future, and this is the time to ask for referrals and reviews.  Make the most of this opportunity. 

Follow-up

A shop can cut themselves out of the herd by doing the simple action of calling within a couple of days to ensure the customer is happy with the job. If there is a problem, the shop can be pro-active in getting any problem handled quickly.  The bottom-line is you have got to be more customer-centric than repair-centric with the modern day customer if you want to repair erratic car count. 

If you are not happy with your car count, Management Success! can help.  Give us a call at 818 500 9631, email us at morgan.scott@managementsuccess.com or visit us on-line at www.managementsuccess.com.  Wishing you success!

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Mastering the Art of Auto Shop Management - 2015 Fall Convnention

Over 30 automotive repair shop owners earned shop management certifications at the Management Success! Fall Convention held on October 9-11, 2015 at the Glendale Hilton in Glendale, California. The highest honor, Master Elite of Shop Management, was awarded to Robert and Lynda Archer of Aardvark Automotive and Steve and Jennifer McNamara of H-Heaven Inc. Robert Spitz, Senior VP of Business Development, presented the shop owners with their awards.  

“The Master Elite of Shop Management award is the highest level of certification, given only to those who successfully complete a rigorous training program, which is then verified through on-site shop inspections and through KPI analysis against benchmarks to verify profitability, marketing, and production. The Management Success! qualification division passed Robert, Lynda, Steve and Jennifer with flying colors, and we are all very proud of their accomplishment,” stated Spitz.

Additional awards were given to Tony Lynn & Debbie Sawtelle of Advanced Auto Clinic, Scott Chase of Keith’s Body Shop, Dan & Sandi Antonelli of Antonelli’s Advanced Auto, Dusty & Roxy Kubly of Kubly’s Automotive, John Mason of Northdise Auto, Travis Sallee of Loren’s Auto Repair, Jeff Yokum of Yokum’s Auto Body and Jeremy Austrum & Shawn Kline of Next Generation Auto for Master of Shop Management.  

Lloyd & Janice Geroux were awarded and were certified as Sustained Masters of Shop Management.  This award is given to those who can maintain the highest level of proficiency and profitability year after year.

For more information regarding the Master Certification Program, please contact morgan.scott@managementsuccess.com.

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