Classes are slated for the next several months at Hams Management Systems in Michigan. All classes are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and cost $175. Topics and dates are as follows: Ultimate Service Advisor, July 17; Efficient Shop Management, July 26; CASH! Am I ending up with enough of the pie?, Aug. 14; Key Numbers, Which Ones Should You Really Watch?, Aug. 23; Practical Marketing, Sept. 18; Specialization, Is It for You?, Sept. 27. Below are descriptions of each class. CASH! Am I ending up with enough of the pie?
Five percent, 10 percent, 15 percentor even more of the income in many automotive shops wanders off every year. How much money evaporates in your shop? How well do you manage your money? Do you look for the best deal, negotiate, and ask for discounts? Do you regularly compare your expenses with other shops? Do you have a budget? These issues and more will be explored. Ultimate Service Advisor
What are the two critical keys for a great service advisor? What type of person is best suited to be a service advisor? Review of: Service advisor tools and systems, selling, estimating, customer contact. The instructors will take a look at these service advisor issues and many others. Practical Marketing
It's much more than just buying some ads. Included are dozens of ideas and samples, most at low cost, that you can employ to increase your sales. Topics include drive-by impressions, customer area, shop area, direct mail, write up, ROs, tracking what works, pricing, shops in your area, recommendations, referrals, oil changes, specials, new customers, existing customers, signage, after hours, people contact, inspections, displays, menus and more. Efficient Shop Management
Specific procedures, systems and checklists designed to make the management of a repair shop more efficient. Covered areas include scheduling, service recommendations, service history, staff assignments, customer write up, RO procedures, arming the tech, in shop communication, service advisor procedures, canned jobs, estimating, inventory handling, parts acquisition, quality control, customer follow up, shop care, inspections and how to take a vacation without the shop falling apart. Key Numbers, Which Ones Should You Really Watch?
Whether we like it or not, business means numbers. We all watch certain ones. But, are we watching the right ones? Are we even aware of all of the right ones that we should watch? How closely should we watch them? How do we track them? Which ones are really important and which ones are not? Students are welcome to bring their laptops and numbers with them for reference and discussion. Specialization, Is It for You?
Nothing strikes more terror in the heart of many shop owners than suggesting that they target a certain specialty and down play the others. But, could it be that you would be better off targeting certain makes or types of repair? Or, should you cast the widest net that you can? Would specialization increase or decrease your bottom line? What are the advantages and disadvantages of specialization? Will specialization grow or decrease in the future? Can any shop specialize? How would you select a specialty? The first four classes are AMI approved. The Key Numbers and Specialization classes are brand new and applications are being submitted for approval. To register, send an e-mail to [email protected] or
[email protected] or call (616) 299-9298. Classes are limited to 20 students. Tom Ham has been in the automotive service industry since 1969 where he got his start on the service station drive. He and his wife Deb are the owners of Hams Automotive, specializing in Honda and Toyota, in Grand Rapids, Mich. |
