Make It Happen - Instruction

Have you ever thought about teaching a class? Yes, you! Continuing education classes are offered everywhere! Why not get paid for helping the community by teaching a couple of evenings during the week. The exposure would be great for your business and add some value to the course offerings at your local college. "Auto Maintenance for Everyone", if you will.

The Class Introduction:

Getting the students fired up and ready to listen to you.

You walk into the room. Make eye contact while pacing back and forth in front of the class while saying ...

I have serviced Hundreds of thousands of vehicles during the past twenty years from my Express Lube here in town. Everything you can imagine has been through my shop. Brand new vehicles, vehicles with duct tape or clothes hangers holding the vehicle together, antique cars, trucks, you name it, I have seen it.

I would like to draw a parallel between my quick lube and a coach, teacher, and dance instructor. While a coach, teacher, or dance instructor can provide a foundation from which to build skills, perfecting the skills occur when you are at home, or away from the "educator". The Quick Lube Industry, or perhaps I should say, Car Care Industry recommends regular maintenance checks for all vehicles. Here at my shop, vehicles return for service 3 to 4 times a year. While we may do our job, what happens between shop visits is the subject matter of this class.

Stop at the podium, or desk, square your shoulders with the class, and say the following with a slower delivery ...

My name is Chuck Sears, and this is the "Auto Maintenance for Everyone" class.

Take attendance

More Later.

Animal Massage

What is the relationship between an Animal Massage & your Quick Lube, Fast Lube, or Oil Change Center? Well, neither the Animal nor the Vehicle can "really" talk to the paying customer about their "Service" experience.

Step away from your business, get out of your comfort zone and look at other business's that directly or indirectly affect what you do. Taking your Dog for a Massage is $35 (I checked - no, I don't do it). Does the Dog get the massage? Is the beast simply thrown into a closet until I return to pick the beast up? I REALLY don't know. We have to be able to TRUST the business.

Seeing is Believing!

When an animal is groomed or a vehicle is washed, we can see the results. When purchasing a new set of tires, tune-up, alignment, etc. we can see and/or feel the results from our purchase. Consumers are programmed to see results!

How many times have you been with a family member that was purchasing a car? I would have to say (and I don't understand it) that the decision to buy usually comes down to the feel of the Drivers Seat, Lights on the Dash Board, the Radio, and the personality of the sales person.

How many times have you frequented a fast food place, purchased a burger & fries, and found MORE fries in the bottom of the bag? For me, 100% of the time.

My vehicles have been serviced hundreds of times. For some reason, one of the vehicles always seems to have one of the Valve Stem Caps missing. Not Once, has a replacement cap been put on when having service done. Why? How much are they? How much time does it really take to put one on? Guess what, I cannot see or feel the difference in an Oil Change, but I do notice the tires every time I get into or out of my vehicle. For many consumers, it's the small things (radio, extra fries, valve stem cap, etc.) that generate feelings of satisfaction.

Seeing is believing, and the more a customer can see, the more they learn to trust you and recommend you to others.

Make It Happen - Coffee Shops

Early morning coffee at a coffee shop can accomplish many things. Don't you know the "Worlds Problems" are solved by the daily early morning "Brain Trust" in small coffee shops throughout the country? Every morning, you have an opportunity to weigh (and weigh in) on that which is on the minds of fellow locals.

Further, just listening or contributing to early morning conversations will:

• Show you exist outside of your business
• Allow others to see you being yourself
• Provide an avenue to educate your "audience"
• Provide an avenue for YOU to learn (the wit of a waitress - shop owner - patrons ...)
• Provide an avenue to learn what your "audience" is concerned about
• Clarifies the local news (it's what people think about the news - not just the news)
• Puts you in direct contact with customers and potential customers!

Sometimes, you just have to Make It Happen. Sitting around wondering if business is going to "Dry Up" accomplishes nothing. Quick Lubes and other Auto Care facilities have plenty of opportunities to go into the public and get business.

We are all paid to Solve Problems. How can we even begin to solve problems if we do not know what Local people want or need? I realize a small coffee shop is not entirely the answer, but it could be a start. After all, an early morning visit to your local coffee shop is both a small investment of time and money.

Make It Happen!

Make It Happen - HR Directors

Sometimes, you just have to Make It Happen. Sitting around wondering if business is going to "Dry Up" accomplishes nothing. Quick Lubes and other Auto Care facilities have plenty of opportunities to go into the public and get business.

How many Human Resource Directors of local companies do you know? Human Resource Directors are usually responsible for:

• recruiting and staffing
• organizational and space planning
• performance management and improvement systems
• organization development
• employment and compliance to regulatory concerns
• employee orientation, development, and training
• policy development and documentation
• employee relations
• company-wide committee facilitation
• company employee and community communication
• compensation and benefits administration
• employee safety, welfare, wellness and health
• charitable giving
• employee services and counseling

(Note: Depending on the organization, the Human Resources Director often directs administration, including reception, and may even be responsible for facility security and upkeep in addition to space planning.)

Compile a list, get to know these people, stay in contact with them. HR Directors want to keep the employees happy, plain and simple. As a Quick Lube or Auto Care facility owner, what can you bring to the HR Directors table that will be "value added"? Get involved, contact the Medical Centers, Hotels, Apartment Complexes and all Corporations. Make It Happen!

Obama, Go Shopping!

Barack Obama during a recent debate berated President Bush for telling Americans, after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, "to go out and shop". I knew immediately why Bush said that, I know that a majority of "working people" understand why he said that. Shopping, instead of hiding in our homes thinking "we are all doomed" is one way a democratic economy WORKS! Obama does not know this simple fact, Obama does not know much about anything regarding American Pride, Sacrifice, Team Work, or the Mental Infrastructure of America.

Please read this short recent article entitled Lots of motorists neglecting car maintenance which appeared Friday, October 17, 2008. For me, this article, married with Obama's remarks of the past months finally struck a nerve and demanded a response from this small business owner.

For all small business owners of Car Care Facilities; Quick Lubes, Tire Centers, Car Washes, Muffler Shops, etc.. For all business's Everywhere ... What are you telling YOUR customers?

The article above stated:

• "We're doing a lot of brakes and preventive stuff you need to do. But major repairs, they're just not doing it"
• "has seen a major drop in drivers keeping up to speed on oil changes. "
• "People will come in four, five thousand miles and their oil will be really low. And they'll tell me I need to get it taken care of, but I've just been putting it off"

Come on folks, the article should have been named "Motorist Scrutinizing Major Auto Repairs", not MAINTENANCE. "We're doing a lot of brakes and preventive stuff .." is one quote pertaining to maintenance. Excuse me, he said people are continuing automotive maintenance "preventative stuff you need to do".

The quote about a "major drop in drivers keeping up to speed on oil changes" complimented with the "FACT" that "People will come in four, five thousand miles and their oil will be really low" makes no sense to those that know the Lube & Oil business. Most consumers have been coming in every 4 to 5 thousand miles for YEARS!

It's absolutely absurd, that in this, and articles around the country, if you get two pieces of paper and write the quotations on one page, and all non-quoted material on the other, you have two separate stories and the non-quoted page becomes the basis, or title, of the article (the attention grabber) most of the time!

So, independent care care owners or independent business people everywhere, what picture do you paint for your customers? Hopefully it is one of optimism, pride, and a relentless nature that failing is simply not an option. Hopefully, phrases like "business is down", "I am cutting back on the number of employees", "I am trying to survive" is never spoken to your customers, if they are, you just lost them to a more optimistic, strong, and prideful competitor.

Mr. and Mrs. Obama want "Camelot", no matter the costs. The Oliver Stones, Michael Moores, and many Celebrities believe America is doomed, but, they continue to believe in us by the fact they continue to release movies. Perhaps Hollywood and the Obamas should thank George Bush for his leadership in getting the American People to "Move On" and "Go Shopping" instead of berating him.