LAS VEGAS — That was the message AAPEX attendees heard from Jeremy O’Neal, founder of AdvisorFix, a California-based company that focuses on the training and development of automotive service advisors (that is, anyone in your shop charged with interacting with your customers and earning their business). According to O’Neal, “A good repair process begins with a solid diagnostic strategy, (and) this takes time and resources. Shops can no longer afford to give this service away. In order to build a more profitable business, shops will have to have a strategy in place that allows them to generate revenue for testing services.”
Techs that earn their living on any type of commission basis would certainly agree with him. O’Neal spent the early part of the session, entitled “Selling Diagnostic Services for Maximum Profits” on Nov. 5, by first overcoming the natural discomfort many service advisors have in selling a service they don’t fully understand. “Most shops struggle with selling diagnostic time or pricing diagnostic packages properly.” To show his audience just how valuable that service is, O’Neal spent time explaining just how expensive good diagnostic testing was, requiring specialized knowledge and training of the technicians and the investment in purchasing capable (and costly) diagnostic equipment. He also included an additionally valuable observation often overlooked– the cost to the business and the customers of a misdiagnosis or improper repair.
O’Neal shared with me before his session that he had two goals for his AAPEX presentation. One, he wanted to help his audience understand how to properly build and price diagnostic packages and two, to show them how to sell those services for maximum profit. He succeeded on both counts.
About the Author
Pete Meier
Creative Director, Technical | Vehicle Repair Group
Pete Meier is the former creative director, technical, for the Vehicle Repair Group with Endeavor Business Media. He is an ASE certified Master Technician with over 35 years of practical experience as a technician and educator, covering a wide variety of makes and models. He began writing for Motor Age as a contributor in 2006 and joined the magazine full-time as technical editor in 2010. Pete grew the Motor Age YouTube channel to more than 100,000 subscribers by delivering essential training videos for technicians at all levels.
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