The post Why aren’t garages making a profit on their labour? appeared first on Garage Services.
]]>According to Andy Savva, The Garage Inspector, thousands of independent workshops don’t know the true cost of opening their doors every day.
He says of all the garages he’s worked with over the last five years, only two of them had fully calculated their overheads and were charging a profitable hourly rate based on those figures.
Andy commented: “Many garage businesses are set up by people who are brilliant technicians but have no experience of running a business. This generally means they don’t know how to charge their true worth or feel uncomfortable doing so.
“This isn’t helped by the fact that for the last 60 years, people think it’s acceptable to bargain with a garage on price – to tell us what we should be charging!
“You can’t do that in a restaurant, so why would a garage be any different?”
In the final bumper episode of Tea Break Talk Series One, Andy also talks to podcast presenter, Jim Lang, about the thorny issue of customers supplying their own parts, why garages need a ‘real’ website to attract work from the under 30’s, harnessing the power of individuality to outshine franchised dealers, and the undeniable link between attracting the right customers online, with profitability and the sector’s huge skills shortage.
Host Jim, aftermarket online expert, said: “Andy’s insight into the running of a garage business has proved to be incredibly popular with our audience.
“The podcast’s aim is to help busy garage owners maximise their workshop’s efficiency, profitability, and long-term success.
“Andy’s passion to help garages shines through. It’s been heartening to hear that he too champions the crucial link between a website that only attracts the profitable work a garage wants, and a business that’s makes more money and is less stressful to manage.”
Watch it here, via Amazon, Apple or Spotify or subscribe to Garage Services Online’s YouTube channel.
SUBSCRIBE NOW!
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]]>It’s estimated the number of hours wasted answering the phone and searching for the right spanner, is costing garage owners thousands of pounds a year.
The post Garages Urged to Rethink How They Price Work! appeared first on Garage Services.
]]>Andy Savva, The Garage Inspector, is urging garage owners to challenge outdated pricing strategies. Strategies which pull work in on price and do nothing for customer relationships – or the garage’s bottom line.
His advice on the simple steps garages can take to turn things around are revealed on the latest episode of Tea Break Talk, the video podcast that helps busy garage owners maximise their workshop’s efficiency, profitability, and long-term success.
He said: “Fifty years ago we worked transactionally. It was thought the way to get customers through the door was to advertise a lower price than the garage down the road. The business barely made a profit because its hourly rate was a guess. Rather than a calculation of what it needed to charge to open the doors every morning.
“Incredibly, 80 per cent of the garages I physically visit these days still operate in the same way. They’re barely surviving because their mindset is focused on transactional marketing and not relationship marketing. Everything should be about the relationship with the customer.
“Moving away from being transaction focussed and knowing what to charge to cover the overheads is just the first step. It’s crucial to then demonstrate visibly, through customer service, a website and marketing, why the garage is charging a fair price.
“To do this, a shift is needed where business assets – whether they be a website, machinery, or tools – are treated as investments and not costs. They’re not a cost. They’re fundamental elements of a successful garage business.
“Basically, if you don’t have a website company that really understands the ethos of an independent garage business, or a selective group of suppliers for tools and parts, then the workday is going to be harder than it needs to be.”
CEO Jim, podcast host and website expert, agrees.
He said: “Andy is absolutely right. Garages need to be allocating a budget for marketing. This should cover the website and things like branded clothing and professional signage.
“And when a garage is marketed professionally, it makes a huge difference to how customers view it.
“From their first impression of the business online via its website, to the reception area and all the customer touch points, they all contribute to the customer experience. The garage is then able to charge the correct rate because the customer sees the value.”
Episode 5 of Tea Break Talk is an 5-minute watch, perfect for a busy garage owner’s tea break.
Watch it here, via Amazon, Apple or Spotify or subscribe to Garage Services Online’s YouTube channel.
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]]>It’s estimated the number of hours wasted answering the phone and searching for the right spanner, is costing garage owners thousands of pounds a year.
The post How Time-Saving Workshop Tools Equal More Profit appeared first on Garage Services.
]]>Episode 4 of Tea Break Talk reveals how the partnership between time-saving workshop tools and being visible online can make garages more profitable. It’s the latest episode of the video podcast that helps busy garage owners maximise their workshop’s efficiency, profitability, and long-term success.
Jim Lang, MD of GSO, podcast host and website expert, and Sean Satchwell, national sales manager at Laser Tools, explain how the unlikely combination of investment in a subscription-based website alongside innovative workshop tools can make more money for time-strapped garages.
Sean said: “A lot of tooling and equipment we develop at Laser Tools is about saving time. If a job means the vehicle could be on a ramp for three hours, we want to make it one and a half. That gives one and a half hours back to the garage which can be charged out with another job. That could increase even a small garage’s revenue by a few hundred pounds every day.
“This time saving may come in the form of anything from a hydraulic lift which removes a battery from an electric vehicle, through to a consumables stand ensuring the smallest of parts is always to hand.
“I visited a workshop recently where they’d been waiting two days for an injector washer to come in from a main dealer. Now, with the help of Laser Tools, the garage owner has a full supply of trim clips, nuts, bolts, and washers which he can recharge out as consumable items – and no vehicle backlog.
“The thing is, to maximise the extra time that’s being freed up, garage owners need to ensure they’re filling this new-found ramp capacity by attracting new customers.
These customers are all online, speaking into devices, reading reviews, and generally forming an opinion before they’ve even spoken to anyone. It’s imperative a garage has a good website that reflects its professionalism and feeds the workshop with the jobs it wants – the ones it’s tooled up for.”
Jim agrees. “When a garage has invested in tools and equipment to give it time efficiencies, its website needs to step up and keep the right flow of work coming through. This ensures investment in both the tools and website is paying for itself multiple times over.
“Afterall, if you’ve invested in tools that makes you better than the garage down the road, what good is it if you don’t exist in your customer’s online world?”
Episode 4 of Tea Break Talk is an 8-minute watch, perfect for a busy garage owner’s tea break.
Watch it here, via Amazon, Apple or Spotify or subscribe to Garage Services Online’s YouTube channel.
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]]>It’s estimated the number of hours wasted answering the phone and searching for the right spanner, is costing garage owners thousands of pounds a year.
The post Garages Need to Find More Time to Make Money appeared first on Garage Services.
]]>Managing Director, Jim Lang, one of the aftermarket’s leading online experts, is urging garages to look at how much time their technicians spend carrying out daily tasks.
It’s estimated the number of hours wasted answering the phone and searching for the right spanner, is costing garage owners thousands of pounds a year.
In the latest episode of Tea Break Talk, the podcast that helps busy garage owners run better businesses, Jim talks to Sean Satchwell from Laser Tools and Andy Savva, The Garage Inspector, about the easy steps garages can take to claw back time in their busy day.
Jim said: “We know having a website that’s fully optimised to attract the type of work a garage sees as being its most profitable, will save time answering the phone and dealing with unwanted email enquiries. However, there are so many other ways to maximise a technician’s time.
“Having spoken to Sean and Andy on the podcast, it’s clear that specialist tooling is key to working quickly and efficiently.
“Just like a website, investment in the right tools and equipment will pay for itself in no time – and then actually start making money.”
Sean, national sales manager at Laser Tools added: “Time is the most profitable thing a garage can sell. Even 10 minutes here and there really add up across the month.
“As one of only two companies in Europe that designs and manufactures timing tools and specialist tooling for garages and bodyshops, we speak directly to the owners and technicians to find out what they need to make tasks quicker and easier – and then we go away and create it!
“It could be something as simple as a magnetic pad, so tools are always to hand. Or an inexpensive transmission suspension arm tool that lifts a gear box out in five minutes, instead of half an hour.
“Helping make garages owners’ lives easier is something we’re passionate about. Recently, we worked with a clutch manufacturer to create a robust, four-drawer clutch kit on wheels.”
Andy, the Garage Inspector agrees. He said: “The right website, the right tools and the right training are all so easily accessible these days.
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Jim Lang, Garage Services Online’s managing director, is the latest in a line of automotive aftermarket experts to speak on one of sector’s leading podcasts, Harmonic Motion.
He was invited by host James Dillon to share his knowledge, insight and opinion on everything from garage websites and social media to the latest Google updates and Pay Per Click (PPC) campaigns.
Jim said: “It was a pleasure to talk to James and get into detail about everything online – it’s a very broad topic!
“The way garage repairs and services are found online can be multi-faceted. Therefore, it’s essential that potential customers can navigate a clear route to the destination where they’ll find the answers they’re looking for. And that destination is the garage’s website.
“The customer’s digital journey needs to be quick and seamless. Garage owners need to look at the bigger picture; they need to think about how everything links together and how best to attract the work they want.”
You can hear Jim on the Harmonic Motion podcast via Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music or watch it on YouTube here.
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]]>The post Video Series Launched to Help Garages Make More Money appeared first on Garage Services.
]]>A brand-new online video series has been launched to help independent garage owners maximise their workshop’s efficiency, profitability and long-term success.
Tea Break Talk is set to be the latest and most informative way to listen to straight-talking business advice, including topics such as how to attract the best staff and customers, investing in tools and equipment, and making more money.
The filming for series one is complete and each of the six episodes featuring host, Jim Lang from Garage Services Online, will be released fortnightly on YouTube.
In the first series, Jim speaks to Andy Savva, The Garage Inspector and Sean Satchwell from the Tool Connection.
He said: “In the UK, 99 per cent of independent garages do not make a profit on their labour. They’re busier than ever, more stressed than ever and still not making the returns they deserve.
“A garage’s main income must come from its labour, not the markup on parts. If we put 40 per cent on a part, why not on the labour rate? A lot of garages’ hourly rates don’t even cover their overheads – they’re effectively losing money with every hour they charge out.
“It’s a myth that customers won’t come if the labour rate is increased. The key is working smarter, not harder. Garages must be able to say ‘no’ to non-profitable jobs.”
It’s a view echoed by Jim. He said: “Garages need to promote themselves for the jobs that make the most money. The best way to find that work is via their website. It’s the most cost-efficient way to bring the most profitable jobs through the door.”
Viewers will be able to access episodes of Tea Break Talk by subscribing to Garage Services Online’s YouTube channel or via its website, Facebook or LinkedIn pages. The series will also feature in leading online aftermarket magazines.
Each advice-packed episode is about a 10-minute watch, perfect for a busy garage owner’s tea break.
In future episodes, Jim and Andy are joined by Sean Satchwell from The Tool Connection. The conversation turns to topics including Block Exemption; investing in new tools and equipment; planning for the aging car parc; staff shortages and a very lively discussion about EVs.
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]]>Aftermarket website expert, Jim Lang, has called for independent garages to stop viewing websites as online brochures.
The founder of Garage Services Online, a leading provider of websites to the automotive aftermarket, says many garage owners also tend to think of websites as a form of advertising they don’t need.
He said: “We talk to lots of garage owners who feel a website will only serve to bring in even more work to their workshops; work that they don’t need.
“But websites have come a long way and, done properly, the role they play in a business can be game-changing.
“They’re effectively like an integral member of staff and absolutely vital for the profitability and long-term success of independent garages.”
Case studies show that with a correctly optimised website, a garage has the power to be selective when it comes to choosing what work goes on its ramps.
And building a website that’s a beacon for the type of work a garage really wants, gives owners the confidence to say no to less desirable work. If a new customer enquires about a job that will hardly cover its costs, it makes perfect business sense to turn the work down in favour of something else, something profitable.
Jim continued: “There’ll always be loyal customers for whom you’ll have to take the low ticket work as part and parcel of looking after their vehicle. But that doesn’t mean it’s a strategy for every enquiry you get.
“It’s not how independent garages will make the profits they’re capable of.”
Every month, hundreds of customers maximise their business’ potential with Garage Services Online, including Carl Regan at Arnold Garage in Nottingham.
He said: “I’m not a businessman. I’m a mechanic with a great team and a good garage.
“We’re busy and through the website, we get even more enquiries. We can cherry-pick the work we want to do; the more profitable, faster turnaround jobs.
“I feel like I’ve touched every car in Nottingham, there can’t be a car I haven’t seen!”
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