The Value Of Training
In
Hard Economic Times
As a former shop owner and technician for over 30 years, I have seen the effects of hard economic times on the automotive repair industry. A depressed and uncertain economic situation has unfortunate effects on many businesses. In our business, we can not only do well, but watch our business grow in hard times.
A properly prepared shop can actually thrive in hard economic times. We do not have to be economists to know that in our society, which is dependent on the automobile, we need to drive to work. A bad economy has no effect on this fact. What is affected is the ability and willingness to go out and buy big ticket items like new cars. This means that the present car will be retained longer. More repairs and maintenance will be required and are essential to the ability to get to work. This can mean more business for the shop. A shop that is not prepared may experience very difficult times.
One thing we are always watching is our overhead expense. This takes on additional significance in hard times. We might want put off that big equipment or tool purchase and try to do more with less. This can be wise but we must be careful here. As a technician or a shop owner, when you buy a tool it can be an expense or an investment. It can be a good tool or a not so good tool. We all know how to tell the difference. The good tool makes you money. In hard times we just have to be more choosey and try to buy only good tools. A tool can work perfectly and do exactly what it is supposed to do but, if it does not make you money, it is not a good tool. Investing in good tools is even more important in hard times.
The same principles can be applied to technical training. However, in this case, trying to do more with less is not a good choice. In hard times, it is even more important to invest in training that makes you money. Your customers will be keeping their cars longer and you will be seeing more failures. This means more opportunity to you, if you have the expertise in house to diagnose accurately and efficiently. If you are prepared for that drivability problem, you can keep that customer in your shop and maybe get that gravy brake job too. Once you send them down the road because you can’t handle it, you risk losing that extra business and maybe that customer too. Customers like one stop shopping when it comes to their cars. Once they establish trust in you, they will prefer to have you handle all their service concerns. You worked hard to earn that trust. Good diagnostic training can prepare you to keep that customer in your shop.
That tool that was not as useful as you had hoped just sits and gets dusty. That tool was an expense. That training you sent your techs to that was not as useful as you had hoped was an expense. So, the issue becomes how to tell in advance what tool or what training will be “good”. Unfortunately, we do not have a “Consumer Reports” for tools and training. To acquire this information, we must network. Ask around and use organizations like ASA to find out what works. Don’t put too much weight on what that tool salesman has to say but find out what others thought of that tool. Likewise, don’t put too much weight on what I say when I try to sell you my training program. Find out what others thought of the training.
Good tools and training are really the same thing. You cannot survive without both. They are even more important in hard economic times. We just have to be more careful with our choices so that we can have more investments than expenses. Good Training doesn’t cost money; it makes money.
Tom Roberts
Autonerdz.com
PO Box 810