This particular article is addressed to all the progressive independent shops in the country.
Over the past five years, many independents throughout the country have refocused their efforts to become better business people and entered the mission to move their business to the next level. These shops are to be congratulated; the industry should offer a huge thank you for their efforts.
The word to you now is “don’t stop here.” As a progressive shop owner/manager, you have a larger responsibility to yourself, your team and the industry, than you may think.
Consider the following: Traditionally independent shop owners attend courses sponsored by their supplier or WD and leave the course semi-focused in that they understood the message, but were fuzzy on how to implement their new knowledge into their particular outlet. These shop owners represent about 80 percent of the participants attending these courses.
The most progressive shop owners represent the remaining 20 percent of these participants. The top 20 percent take the information, review and study it to fully understand the details and then apply it to their particular shop, understanding the proper time frame to expect results, but more importantly, they remain focused to see their mission to the end. They learned to change only two things at a time, as they now realize many changes — such as five or six at once — will cause an implosion in the business as the staff tries to grasp what is going on.
The remainder of the industry gets lost in the forest, working “in” the business and not "on" it. They end up confronting their biggest nemeses in their business, namely, a total lack of self-discipline to execute.
Consider that it is this lack of self-discipline that people throughout our industry fail to recognize as the root cause of why an independent shop owner/manager does not move their business to the next level, or become the very best they could be.
Can you separate the fact from fiction? |
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The question must arise to the most progressive shop owners: “Well, how does this affect me?”
It affects you very dramatically, and it shows up on your bottom line, called net profit.
The weaker shops within our industry keep dragging down the overall image the consumer has of us. Consider the image projected of our industry on past investigative-type TV programs aired where set-up ghost cars were taken to various shops across the country. This format is unfair, and we all acknowledge that; however, it leaves one heck of a perception in the consumers' mind, and it is not good!
It is time the strong independents became more prominent in the consumers' mind. It is time the stronger independents became more prominent to their peers, perhaps challenging them — through leading by example — to come up to the next level. Why? Because the good in our industry are great, and because when the independents are focussed, they are the best and that is the image the consumer must come to see.
Top shops within our country lead the industry in how business should be, and must be done today to sustain our industry and succeed in our future.
These types of shops must challenge the entire industry to join them. Ladies and gentlemen, our industry must embrace these owners and move to their level with them. Don’t ignore them saying there isn’t enough of them; let’s all work together and bring as many shops to this level as possible. Our independent future depends on it.
