I realized recently that in my 20-year career one of the few constants in the local auto repair scene is the jobber store. I can count on one hand how many of the customers that were around “way back then” who are still in business. This got me to wondering what makes a business prosper or perish in a field as wide open as automotive repair.
Frankly, I’m a bit mystified. Although there is more opportunity for repair work because the average age of consumers is rising along with the average age of their vehicles, shops are disappearing. Some of the local shops have closed due to personal difficulties or retirement, but it seems like a lot of them closed up simply because they were only good at one or two things.
Two local shops that have been around even longer than me provide some interesting insight into what makes a shop sink or sail in today’s wmarket. On the surface these two shops seem very different, but looks can be deceiving. Geographically they are less than 10 miles apart, with one in a town centered on a small college with a population that fluctuates with the school year. The other is located in an ex-farming community that has become a bedroom community for the surrounding area.
From the physical plant view, these shops are worlds apart. One is a modern four-bay shop with a separate alignment bay, customer waiting area, wrecker service, online parts ordering and lots of signage. The other is a small, two-bay shop that at one time was used as a combination body and mechanical repair facility. It’s located behind a cluster of other buildings, and if you didn’t know it was there you might not notice it. At first glance, you might think it’s a good place to bring your 4X4 pickup in for ball joints or a muffler, but not your ’02 Saab for a drivability problem –– but you would be wrong. Both shops get their fair share of the good and the not so good jobs, and both produce excellent results.
The common thread between these shops is that the owners have invested in their shops and their employees. They have kept up with the proper equipment and technical training for their employees by continuing to learn and keep up with current technology.
Compare them to the shop owners who decide what they know now is enough to carry them through to retirement, which will come early due to the fast-paced changes that are occurring in every aspect of automotive technology from undercar to engine controls to collision repair. Because of the dramatic changes, the learning curve can be quite steep for many repair sequences, which means learning must be a continual process.
Of course, the same rules apply to anyone behind the counter. If you’re not taking advantage of every opportunity you can to attend clinics or training seminars and offering the same to your customers, you may both be old news before long. Most manufacturers and sales reps are more than happy to assist you with product training. The more you know about the parts you sell, the more you will sell. Plus, you will have far fewer warranty problems and that will benefit both you and your customers. That, in itself, is a worthwhile payoff.
