Give yourself or your employees an early Christmas this year by sending them to a management class to improve your business management skills.
Hams Management Systems is heading into the hoiday season with a pair of classes before the end of the year. It also has set dates for classes at the start of 2010. The next class is Key Numbers; Which Ones Should You Really Watch? on Dec. 5. There also is CASH! Am I ending up with enough of the pie? on Dec. 19.
The classes are offered on their respective Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
In addition to these classes, other courses and dates are Efficient Shop Management, Jan. 9; Ultimate Service Advisor, Jan. 23; and Specialization, Is It for You? (YES!), Feb. 6. Practicial Marketing will be offered again in 2010, with the date to be announced.
All of these classes are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. as well. Anyone interested in attending a weekday class should e-mail Tom Ham at
[email protected]. Details of all classes are listed below.
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. Plan to cover some things you may have never even considered.
CASH! Am I ending up with enough of the pie?
Five, 10, 15 percent or 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? We'll explore these issues and many 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.
Ultimate Service Advisor
This class will focus on the two critical keys to being a great service advisor, the type of person is best suited to be a service advisor and a review of service advisor tools and systems, selling, estimating and customer contact. The class also will explore other service advisor issues.
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 much more!
All management classes are AMI approved. Management classes are $175 per class. Classes are limited to 20 students.
To register, send an e-mail to [email protected] or call (616) 299-9298. To register for the hybrid class, contact Jack Rosebro at (310) 801-7817 or send an e-mail to [email protected].
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. Rosebro teaches advanced vehicle technology for Perfect Sky throughout North America, and produces technical information for the automotive training industry.
