Features

In CAT recently I listed the important elements for review in a modern garage and first on the list was volume. Volume is the key ingredient. However, as Joni Mitchell sang: “you don’t know what you’ve got ‘till it’s gone” and right now there must be several garages wishing that “a big yellow taxi” would come and take them away. Volume and marketing are synonymous yet their interests are opposed. When you have volume you don’t want the cost of marketing, yet when the volume dries up it’s too late to start marketing your business effectively.

According to pay monitoring site Payscale, motor mechanics can earn as little as £9474 per year, while a parts advisor earns, at the lowest point, just £15,510. Considering that these numbers are the mid point of the salaries reported, the pay might actually be much worse. The Low Pay Commission has reported in the past that motor trades and retail are problem areas for them.

The last few years have shown that predicting the future is far from easy. One certainty is that vehicles will continue to become more technologically advanced, particularly when it comes to fuel. Rising diesel prices could see lower capacity petrol engines using turbo or hybrid technology becoming more popular. Also, expect to see further progress in technology, such as regenerative braking, that utilises

"A car is a technical piece of engineering, requiring in-depth knowledge and skill to service and maintain it, this cannot possible be done at rock bottom prices." That's what Mill Autoquip's Damian Milling thinks, do you agree?

Do you ever get that Monday morning feeling? How about your staff? Many a business that I have visited on that day seems to have a lethargy that lasts until lunchtime and of course by that time 10% of the week is gone! So, a clear and focused Monday morning mind can make all of the difference to your business.

Codes and licensing is the subject of much debate in the aftermarket. Some argue the industry is mature enough to regulate itself, while others maintain that mandatory garage licensing is the only way forward. This month we ask the CAT Council for their view.

"Garage systems and online catalogues play vital roles in helping aftermarket businesses remain competitive. Garage systems enable workshops to increase their professionalism, productivity and profitability. They allow work to be scheduled efficiently, finances to be closely administered and enable customer relationships to be nurtured.

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"Obviously the internet has been seen as a fantastic way of increasing business for the last 20 years. In A1 motor stores there were one or two using their website

I think now it’s probably a little over crowded but I’m sure the good ones will carry on doing well because of the social trends of today.

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"As an industry we have to realise our customer base is getting younger and more tech savvy.
From a young age they are used to searching for things online and they use this expertise in their purchasing strategy. My 18 year old daughter will rarely visit a shop to make her purchase but instead looks online to compare price before ordering.