Celebrating Anniversaries and Other Simple Things

Whether it's a personal anniversary, an anniversary of the business entity, a co-worker's anniversary, or some other anniversary - any anniversary provides the opportunity to celebrate and share good times with the people with whom you work.

Why is this important? Because it builds teamwork, morale, a sense of belonging, a feeling of shared experiences. And recognizing an anniversary does not have to be elaborate or expensive. It can be as simple as a card, or as big as lunch out with the gang. My favorite way to celebrate starts with donuts in the morning and ends with cake in the afternoon. Unfortunately, this can lead to a little sluggish work in the mid-afternoon hours, so I recommend you find your own way to celebrate.

Did you know that most people do not quit jobs because of pay or work hours, or even their boss? They quit because they feel underappreciated. Next time an important milestone rolls around your place, whether it's an anniversary, a birthday, a wedding, or the birth of a child, make the time to acknowledge the event. You'll be a better person for it and your work atmosphere will improve as well.

Coincidentally, today we celebrated Jennifer McMullen's 10th anniversary with Babcox Publications. She has been an editor with Babcox for 10 years, and has been editor of TechShop for the past five years. Congratulations Jennifer! Looking forward to the next ten!

You Think You Know Women

But do you? According to the woman behind AskPatty.com, Jody DeVere, technicans as well as front office people are really not all that great at reaching out to the female consumer. And that's not good for your business. Why?

In the U.S., women account for 85% of all consumer purchases. They are responsible for 65% of new car purchases and represent 73% of repair and service customers. But you probably already know that.

Do you know what drives them to your door or what keeps them away? The top two things women want in a vehicle are safety and reliability. It is fair to say they would probably value this from a repair or service shop as well. Does your shop look like it's a safe place to work? Do your technicians or you or your service writer look "reliable"? (Of course looks are subjective, but one way to look reliable is to have all employees in matching uniforms, or at the very least have a similar look with name badges.)

Currently, 62% of women manage the family checking account and 53% create the family budget. Women head 30% of all U.S. households. And, 1 out of 3 women earn more than men. When it's time for a vehicle repair, the amount of money spent and the location chosen will likely be picked by a woman. Look around your shop, listen to yourself and others. Are you "female-friendly"? If not, it's time to consider some training. When your shop becomes female-friendly, you will start attracting and retaining an extremely lucrative part of the automotive repair market.

The last thing you need to know as we head into Father's Day weekend: 1/3 of all respondents in a nationwide survey of women homeowners said they would rather receive a dozen tools than a dozen roses.

Safety in our Business

Saw this in AAIA’s Capital Report and thought it might interest you…Injury and Death Rates for Mechanics Exceed National Average. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) has released an article in Compensation and Working Conditions Online that concludes automotive technicians are more likely to be killed or injured on the job than the average U.S. worker. The article reports that from 2003 to 2005, 147 technicians were fatally injured at work – a death rate of 5.3 per 100,000 workers. The fatality rate for all occupations is 4.0 per 100,000 workers. Additionally, there were 15,560 nonfatal injuries and illnesses to technicians in 2005, down roughly 10 percent from 2003. There were around 954,000 U.S. technicians during this time.
Most of the injuries and illnesses reported during 2005 were due to contact with an object or equipment or overexertion. Assaults and violent acts accounted for 30 percent of workplace fatalities in 2003-2005. Homicides accounted for 44 percent of assaults and violent acts, while self-inflicted wounds made up the remaining 56 percent. The national average for fatalities due to assaults and violent acts is 15 percent. For the full analysis, visit www.bls.gov/opub/cwc/print/sh20070521ar01p1.htm .

Top 5 Challenges Facing Your Repair Shop

Each week, The Pulse provides insight into the buying, sourcing and brand-loyalty habits of counter professionals and professional technicians. This week, using data from Industrial Marketing Research’s (IMR) recent Installer Survey, we look at the top five challenges that repair shop managers face.
When asked to list the biggest challenges in managing a repair shop, it makes sense that customers would be at the top of that list. Probably the most difficult task any shop owner or manager can face is maintaining a consistent level of customer service. A highly individualized and intangible skill, dealing with customers is a constant challenge and a top priority. Nearly 48 percent of repair shop managers surveyed said that dealing with customers is their biggest challenge.
A satisfied customer is a definite success, but is no excuse for resting on your laurels. Keeping and maintaining that customer is a priority as well. The shop managers surveyed agreed, and said keeping customers is a struggle as well, with 8 percent of shop managers rating it as their biggest challenge. This was trumped only by another sometimes puzzling issue – diagnostics – which 11 percent of shop managers cited as their top challenge. Rounding out the list of a shop manager’s top five challenges were finding employees (5 percent) and parts availability (3 percent).

In order, these are a shop's biggest challenges:
1 - Dealing with Customers
2 - Keeping Customers
3 - Diagnostics
4 - Finding Employees
5 - Parts Availability