Get with Other Auto Repair Shop Owners and Ride the Surge

The Surge by Rick White, President 180BIZ

What I want to talk to you about today is what we're experiencing across the country is we are seeing what I'm calling a surge right now. Shops are so busy. They are booking out a week to two weeks, which is amazing. It really is so reinforcing to see people starting to come out of their houses. I have just a couple of things I really want to talk to you about today.

Notice I called this a surge. I did that because I think you're going to see this come up and then it's going to start to go down. That is going to happen. Be prepared for it. That's the first thing. The second thing is all the steps that you need to take.

Don't go into an activity mindset and just get cars out as quickly as you can. Please learn from everything that you've gone through with this pandemic and maximize the opportunities you have in the shop. You're going to do that with what I call my three Cs.

• Complete Evaluation of the vehicle
• Complete Estimate of the needed work to make the vehicle safe and reliable
• Complete Presentation to the customer of what’s going on with their vehicle

Now, sometimes that feels kind of sleazy because you feel like you're pushing to get something, but that's not what this is about. What this is about is alerting your customer to the current condition of their vehicle. And then helping them come up with a plan for them to achieve the goals they want for their vehicle. That is what your job is. Your job is not to make a sale. It's not to push. It's not to force someone into buying something. If you stop feeling that way and stop thinking that way, it will get much easier.

So, practice your opportunity skillset. We're looking at every vehicle, alerting the customer to what's needed so that if you don't have time to get it done today, you can plant the seeds for a week or two or three out. You will ride this surge longer. You won't be riding waves continually up and down where business is based solely on the activity of people coming to you. You are going to take control and influence so that you can end up with a better result and your customers will end up with a safer, more reliable, more efficient vehicle. That is a win-win in my book.

I want you to make sure that you are taking advantage of this, that you're not looking to get through this. You're looking to grow through this. That is critical. This is how you're going to make 2020 the best year ever. It is by recovering and moving forward, learning, applying those messages, and making it better. This is your life. This is your year. This is your business. Let's rock it and take control. Let's ride this wave as long as possible.

God bless and go make some money!