Larry Wible, Author at FastTrak

Setting Marketing Objectives for Tire and Auto Repair Shops

Auto Shop Marketing, Tire Shop Marketing

Setting marketing objectives or goals is an important aspect of any marketing or business plan. The goals must be realistic, achievable, specific and measurable. Objectives are statements of what you want to accomplish through your marketing efforts. Examples of marketing objectives are attracting new customers, retaining existing customers, increasing sales to existing customers and increasing

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Performing a Cost Benefit Analysis for Auto Repair and Tire Shop Systems

Software Evaluation

A cost/benefit analysis should always be part of any software system evaluation. Without performing this exercise a decision may be made based on the wrong criteria. The majority of the costs in a software system implementation occur on the front end while the benefits are realized over time. A system that appears less expensive in

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Employee Empowerment … the Anti-Micro-Manager

Auto Shop Management, Customer Service, Feature, Tire Shop Management

The philosophy of Employee Empowerment is based on allowing employees to have input and control over the way their work is performed. There is undoubtedly a direct correlation between employee growth and business growth. As employee knowledge and abilities expand business success will do the same.

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Measuring the Accuracy of Labor Estimates for Auto Repair and Tire Shops

Auto Shop Management, Repair Sales, Tire Shop Management

Labor is a significant component in determining profitability and competitiveness in the auto repair and retail tire business. It is of the utmost importance that estimates of labor time are as accurate as possible to ensure that work is profitable and pricing is in line with the marketplace. There are a number of factors that

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Developing an Effective Marketing Strategy

Auto Shop Marketing, Tire Shop Marketing

The purpose of developing a marketing strategy is to focus on target markets that present the best opportunities. Marketing without a defined strategy may be effective but focused marketing will always bring the best results. Target markets that will be most responsive to your unique service and product offerings will achieve the best results for

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Implementing Change and Achieving Buy In

Auto Shop Management, Feature, Tire Shop Management

Change is inevitable. Change can be brought about by external circumstances, internal changes (personnel, etc), growth objectives, new investments and a host of other factors. Change is never easy but it’s even harder when it’s not managed. The importance of garnering support by the people that will contribute to the success of change implementation cannot

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Developing Effective Marketing Campaigns For Auto Repair and Tire Shops

Auto Shop Marketing, Repair Sales, Tire Sales

Marketing campaigns are developed in order to attract business. However, stating an objective as ‘attract business’ will not result in a very effective campaign. Just as it is important to clearly identify your target market, it is important to state a clear objective and target audience when defining a marketing campaign. The more focused the

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Upselling Auto Repairs and Tires

Repair Sales, Tire Sales

Up-selling in the auto repair and tire retail business whereby a customer is offered more expensive items or other add on items in an attempt to make a more profitable sale is a common practice. The pervasive philosophy is to get the maximum value from each vehicle the shop services. When practiced with the correct

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Evaluating the Effectiveness of Repair Order Processing

Auto Shop Management, Customer Service, Feature, Tire Shop Management

The cost of processing a repair order can vary considerably depending on the complexity of the work to be performed as well as a number of other factors. A very simple repair order can take very few relatively small steps while a complex order can take many steps. Continuous evaluation of each step in the

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Evaluating Shop Management System Integration Capabilities

Software Evaluation

When evaluating software for an auto repair or tire business, integration capability is a very important factor to consider. The effectiveness of any system is directly affected by the extent that this area is addressed. Depending on the volume of activity in a business area the impact can vary from minimal to significant. Labor Guides

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