So, You're In The People Business

NADA Convention, Las Vegas

In February my employer invited me to attend the National Automobile Dealers Association Convention in Las Vegas. I'm not a big fan of Vegas, but it was an opportunity to combine business and pleasure at company expense. I paid my wife's air fare and she joined me for three days at the fabulous Bellagio Hotel.

If you've never attended an NADA convention, it is a huge event, where every major car manufacturer displays their new models, and most aftermarket suppliers showcase their products.

Of major interest to me, was the numerous workshops. I perused the list and selected three, one for each day. The first workshop I attended was Value In The Service Lane, How to Create Lifelong Customer Relationships, by John Dillon, which is near to my heart and in line with my book, So, You're In The People Business. The second day I chose Hiring For Success - The Right Person, In the Right Position, Managed the Right Way, by Art Niemann Jr.. The title and sub-title say it all, and this aligns with my business key to success: Hire the right people, train them properly, and treat them right so they stay with you. The third day was a natural for me, as a body shop manager - Increasing Production in Your Body Shop, by Robert Rick. After listening to Robert Rick for an hour and a half, I wanted to bring him back to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to spend a few days in my shop, but at least I came away with some fresh ideas and new enthusiasm for managing my body shop in a Chevrolet dealership.

My wife only left the Bellagio once, to attend an Elton John show at Caesers Palace.

Les

Taggart Bay Lodge

At the end of August I celebrated my 65th BD in a very special way, at a walk-in private Pike lake in Quebec, Canada, creating memories I can relive the rest of my life. For as long as I can remember, I've dreamed of fishing in Canada. My wife and I stayed in a remote cabin at the North end of Lake Kipawa, reachable only by boat, five miles from the nearest camp and any other humans. The cabin was well appointed, with all the conveniences of home, a requirement for my wife. It was the best of both worlds, convenience with the peace and solitude of nature. My concern that Carolyn would not enjoy the solitude was unfounded, as was her apprehension that she would be expected to fish all day, every day. We ate fresh Walleyes every night, sat in front of a campfire instead of watching TV, and enjoyed peace and serenity rare in this fast-paced world. We enjoyed the week so much, Carolyn booked the remote cabin for the same week next year.

Les

Jeff Gordon Visit

Last Thursday I had the honor of hosting four time Nascar Champion Jeff Gordon at the Chevrolet dealership where I manage the body shop. I've been a fan since his rookie year, but had never met him in person. Jeff signed autographs and posed for photos with fans and employees for two hours. He is congenial, gracious, and amazingly humble for a man with so much success. By chance, his visit occurred on the very day our brand new showroom and service center was completed. It was a fantastic kick-off for our new facility, and the camaraderie among our employees reached a new high. The next day Jeff won the pole at Dover Speedway, and finished third in the race on Sunday. What a memorable event, thanks to DuPont Motorsports and Jeff Gordon.

Les

Customer Alert

Every once in a while a customer rattles my cage. Last week I received a call from Anthony, who proceeded to ream me out about not receiving updates on the status of his vehicle repair. Here I was, the "People and Communication Skills guy" and my customer is complaining about our follow through. I took care to not be perceived as making excuses, but in this case the insurance company involved does most of the communication with the customer. But Anthony's perception of his experience was poor customer service on my part. He had a military obligation to be at Fort Hood on Saturday, and needed his vehicle to make the journey. In spite of complications, we were able to complete the repairs and Anthony took delivery of his vehicle Friday afternoon. We had an opportunity to talk, and Anthony left a happy customer. But the experience highlighted an important element of customer service - keeping the customer informed, and do everything possible to give them reason to come back the next time and tell others about the good service they received at your facility.

Les

My First Auto Article

Hello again,

Some years ago I discovered a passion for writing. What I most enjoy is to tell stories, true stories that will entertain, educate, and inspire others to overcome challenges and reach their potential. For many years I've been developing a memoir titled, "The Truth," and have written short stories and travel articles. In July 2001 Fur-Fish-Game purchased and published my hunting story, "Son of a Bitch Ridge." But I had no interest in writing about my profession, auto repair, until a summer day several years ago in Cape May, New Jersey. Here is the article I was inspired to write that day:

The Truth About Customer Satisfaction

"Why is it that when your car is in for repairs, first they give you one date for completion, and then it keeps changing?"

That question was directed at me by Kristen, my seventeen-year-old stepdaughter's friend, who was sitting across from me in a booth at the Jackson Mountain Cafe in Cape May, New Jersey where we were enjoying lunch. My fist impulse was to list all the elements that can alter a projected delivery time, such as hidden or unexpected damage, unavailability of parts, employee abseentism, fluctuatiing schedules... but before those thoughts rolled off my tongue, I realized they would seem like excuses. Kristen had hit a nerve. I'm a body shop manager of a large Chevrolet dealership, and was in the process of qualifying for the Goodwrench Auto Body Center Program. On-time delivery and customer follow-up were at the heart of the certification standards set by GABC.

Meeting the standards of GABC proved to be a challenge. A consultant spent 3 days a month in our shop defining the program and monitoring our progress. It came to light that one of the reasons we failed to meet customer expectations was inadequate staffing. Is your business properly staffed? LIke most dealerships, our administrative staffing was insufficient to administer insurance direct repair programs, and meet the needs of our customers. There were missed opportunities to sell more business, and dollars slipped through the cracks. The addition of staff and training them improved our CSI and increased profits, and proved to be a good investment.

Todays consumer expects quick service and to be kept informed. We live in an age of fast foods, microwaves, cell phones and the internet. The shops that survive and prosper today and in the future will implement systems, hire adequate staff and train them, and focus on good customer care to meet those demands.

Another element the GABC program introduced to us was Customer Satisfaction measurement, specific to our body shop retail customers. Like all GM dealers, we measured warranty CSI, but not retail work. All body shop customers are contacted and asked to complete a survey. If any serious negatives are noted, I get an email directly so that I can contact the customer and attempt to rectify the situation. CSI measurement gave us a tool to improve our performance.

Is your business measuring CSI? Are you adequately staffed to provide good customer service? Are your staff trained? Are your customers satisfied and spreading the good word about you? Do you have the profits you want?

If you keep doing the same things, you can expect the same results.

I teach auto service and sales personnel people skills and communications to eliminate customer complaints and increase profits. http://www.SuperEmployees.com

A beginning

I've been planning to start a blog for several months, so here it begins. I will be posting tips and info relating to the autmotive repair and sales industry, where I am considered by many to be an expert. I will be sharing my 40 years experience, and current research. It has long been my passion to learn all I can and share what I've learned with others. I'm still in the trenches 5 days a week managing a busy auto body repair shop in a large Chevy dealership. Stay tuned for regular updates.

Les