Management Success! Offers New Automotive Shop Management Training Course on Writing Shop Policy

Press Release
Glendale, California

October 26, 2015

For immediate release 

Management Success! Offers New Automotive Shop Management Training Course on Writing Shop Policy

Management Success!, the nationwide leader in auto shop management training, has released a new online course, How to Write Shop Policy,  to help auto shop owners cope with the ostensibly daunting task of establishing a workable policy and procedure manual to help guide their businesses.  

“This new online course is the result of many years of working with automotive repair facility owners and managers establishing standard practices and procedures.  We found a real need to provide policy writing training and implementation in just about every shop.  Auto shop owners who have completed this course have given very positive feedback,” stated Robert Spitz of Management Success.  This new course is AMi certified and earns credits toward certification.  

For more information, please contact Robert at rspitz@managementsuccess.com, or call (818) 500-9631.

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Management Success! Receives Award for Excellence in Advertising

Readex Research recently conducted a survey sponsored by FenderBender magazine studying people’s perceptions of advertisements. The results of the survey revealed what types of advertisements communicate the most effectively to FenderBender readers.

The advertisements for the study were chosen from FenderBender’s August 2015 issue. The respondents were asked to report how they perceived each advertisement. The first method of reporting was to choose one of three categories (attention-getting, believable, or informative) to which they felt the advertisement belonged; the second was to provide their own personal feedback on what message or feeling the advertisement conveyed to them. 

The Management Success! advertisement is directed toward auto shop managers who are having a difficult time effectively managing their employees, thus creating a “black hole,” which pulls their employees’ production down and prevents the shop from becoming highly profitable. The main goal of the advertisement is to encourage the managers to take the Management Success! Black Hole quiz to find out what areas of their management need improvement. 

For more information about Management Success’ training and consulting services, please visit www.managementsuccess.com. 

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. 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.

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Please contact Morgan Scott at Management Success’ Marketing Department at Morgan.Scott@managementsuccess.com or (818) 500-9631 for more information regarding Management Success! conventions and training programs.

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Attributes Of A Good Service Writer By Mike Lee

There are many things that lead to a successful business. One of them is a good Service Writer. I have visited lots of shops where it was obvious that the Service Writer was not trained and was not motivated.

There are many important attributes of a good Service Writer.

1. They are alive.
2. They are motivated.
3. They like people.
4. People like them.
5. They enjoy their job.
6. They have good communication skills.
7. They have patience.
8. They know what they are doing.
9. They have stable lives.

There are others, but these are some of the more important ones. 

Are They Alive? 

It is amazing how many Service Writers are just going through the motions. They are not happy and this communicates to customer immediately. Customers react unfavorable to a Service Writer, who is acting like a walking zombie.

If they are not motivated, it greatly affects their sales. You can advertise like crazy, but the sales will be slow because the Service Writer is turning people off. This is especially true when they answer the phone.

In some shops, they have a mirror right beside the phone with the word “SMILE” above it. This way, when anyone answers the phone they will look at themselves in the mirror and remember to smile while talking to the customer.

Are They Focused?

I have seen in the past, Service Writers who are pretty good at their jobs, suddenly, start forgetting things and not following up or stay on top of their job. At the same time, the sales start to drop when it was busy. Later in talking to the Service Writer, you will find that he has some major problem going on.

Sometimes, you will find that they have a drinking or drug problem or they are going through a divorce or they have financial problems. When a Service Writer has personal problems, it will affect his ability to do his job.

Do They Like People?

When we do interviews with Service Writers, occasionally, we find that they actually don’t like sales. Mainly this comes from not knowing how to handle people in general or not knowing how to sell.

It is really apparent to customers when a Service Writer does not know how to deal with people or is not happy with life in general.

Often times, Service Writers get busy and are short with customers or they fail to take enough time with the customers to make sure they have handled all of the customers questions and considerations. Handling customers requires a person who likes people, who has patience with people that are confused and don’t fully understand what they are agreeing to have done with their car. Anytime a Service Writer loses his patience he generally loses the customers.

Do They Know What They Are Doing?

A high percentage of problems Service Writers have with customers come from their inability to handle problems thrown at them by customers. I have seen Service Writers start to lose their effectiveness when they start having problems that they don’t know how to handle.

They have problems with price shoppers, they don’t know how handle upset customers and what they or others at the shop did to help create the upsets.

Their lack of training causes them to lose sales, upset customers and not enjoy their job. Many do not fully understand their responsibilities and what is expected of them.

I can not tell how many times, I have seen Service Writers suddenly light up and take off once they understand what they are suppose to do and how to do it more effectively. Many times, you can turn a Service Writer who is not doing well into a happy, very effectively salesperson, who makes good money for themselves and you, by having them adequately trained on their job. Is your Service Writer producing at the levels you would like? It is only money…Yours!

Management Success! 

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Loren’s Auto Repair Hosts Management Success General Repair TOP 20 Group Meeting

From August 29^th to 30^th, 2015, the TOP 20 general repair shop owners met to network and discuss concerns and issues general repair shop owners face and what they can do about them. The discussion took place at Loren’s Auto Repair in Kalispell, Montana and was hosted by owners, Loren and Travis Sallee.

On Friday the 29^th, the group began the get-together sightseeing at Logan Pass in Glacier National Park. With an elevation of 6,647 feet and encompassing beautiful mountains, lakes, and wildlife, it was a peaceful way to clear their mind before the discussions. In the evening, they dined at a restaurant in Whitefish.

The following day, the group discussed challenges they are each currently facing, and they provided suggestions and solutions that could help the challenges of each owner. They went over using tablets for inspections and how that is incorporated into shop flow. One shop owner who already uses tablets gave useful pointers to the others on beneficial ways of implementing it.

The meeting also consisted of a tour of Loren’s Auto Repair. Travis Sallee walked the group through the shop, which was designed and built by his father with the help of Travis. He showed their shop’s different systems, such as workflow, and talked about the history of their shop. The group finished the day off by having dinner at a restaurant in Kalispell.

On Sunday, Jim Smith led the group on a profit & loss and KPI study. Members got to compare numbers and zero in on members who have exceptional performance in various categories giving everyone ideas on how to improve their bottom line. The meeting concluded at noon on Sunday, leaving enough time for everyone to get back home and start their week off with a fresh mind and new ideas.

For more information on Management Success! or the General Repair TOP 20 Group, please contact Morgan Scott at morgan.scott@managementsuccess.com. 

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