Who Cares?

Like any business focused on continuous improvement we spend a lot of time trying to figure out the “one good reason” anyone should take that great leap of faith and give us a chance to show them what we can do.

“One good reason” is all about differentiation: what causes a shop like ours to stand out among the hundreds of choices in automotive service available in our community within a fifteen mile radius. There are only so many differentiators and success is dependent upon finding the right one: the one that works for both the consumer and for a shop like ours.

You can try to be the low cost leader, but it’s kind of crowded at the bottom with more than a few service providers making that claim. Something must be sacrificed in order to compete on the basis of price alone and too often that something wil either be the quality of the part or the service or the overall service experience itself.  

You can compete on quality, but in this economy it would be foolish to ignore price and the impact it has on value.

Service is important, but it would be naïve to suggest that great – even, World Class – service is meaningful unless associated with both quality and value…

So, what does that leave you with?

It leaves you with one of my father’s favorite aphorisms… “You gotta wanna fix the car!” And, wanting to fix the car is all about people!

Quality, service and value can't care…
Only people can care: Care about the vehicle… Care about the client… Care about the Industry… Care about service, quality and value.  

I care because my father cared. Working alongside someone who cared so deeply for thirty-eight years made it hard not to. And, because we cared so much – the people we surrounded ourselves with cared. 

In fact, caring has become an integral part of our culture and I believe it's our ‘differentiator.’

Caring colors every decision we make and determines every action we take. In fact, I believe it would be hard to find another shop that cares more. But, that level of care demands we walk a tightrope every day, trying to find the right balance of quality, value and service and when it comes to that, I’m convinced no one tries harder, does it better or succeeds more often.

Lots of things have changed since I entered this industry forty-seven years ago, but some haven't.  I know the decision to bring a vehicle to a shop like ours is still based on at least one of four elements that translate directly into caring. And, at least insofar as our shop is concerned, the only thing that has changed in the thirty-three years we have been serving this community is the level of that caring – it is deeper, more profound and more tangible than ever and if you haven't been in for a while I’d like to invite you to experience that level of care once again.

The quality is still here made even more tangible by our 2 year/24,000 mile warranty accepted all across the United States and our affiliation with a network of like-minded professionals all across America and Canada. Our commitment to service is just as strong with a shuttle available, special deals on rental cars and VIP pick up and delivery. And, we enhance the value of everything we offer with special pricing, a 3% loyalty rewards program, discounts and allowances like our 10% off* on your next visit, our Mystery Gift program and more.

The bottom line is simple… If you want to know who cares, I can honestly answer: We care! We care more and more deeply than anyone else we know and if finding someone like that is important to you, you can stop looking. You've already found what you're looking for…

If you're not from around here don't despair! I can almost promise there's someone just like us down the block or around the corner, someone who cares just as much and is more than willing to try just as hard...

If you can't find 'em, let me know and I'll help you!

*up to $250... not to be used with any other coupons, discounts and/or allowances.

Moving... Again?

If you've been wondering where I've been... again, it's OK! At least, I'm OK.

It's just that I've been building a new place, just got it finished and figured now was as good a time as any to move in!

Well, move in enough to unpack, hang a few pictures and just generally see how the new place feels.

The good news is it feels great! More important, it's something that has been on my "To Do" list for some time and finally being able to cross it off the list feels even better...

It's a new place in a new neighborhood that will afford me the luxury of writing about things I'm passionate about - Everything and anything I'm passionate about, actually! There will be a number of different categories depending upon your personal interests. For instance, if you are a "Distribution Guy," there will be posts specifically meant for you, focused on issues that impact both the your segment and mine.

If you're a "Manufacturing Guy," I'll have things to share with you from time-to-time as well. But, most of all, if you're a card-carrying, dues-paying member of the service segment: the repair community, there will be an unending menu of things for us to explore - the same things I've been speaking and writing about for more than a generation.

It's a new place in a new neighborhood and I'm hoping you like the place as much as I'm starting to.
So, be sure and stop by. You're always welcome... Here's the address...  Mitch Schneider's World
I'll keep the door open and the light on.

Till then, stay well, take care, make money, have fun and don't do business with anyone you don't like! There's probably a pretty good reason you don't like 'em and you don't need to find out what that reason is!

Weapons and Warriors

Weapons and Warriors...

There are few things more compelling than having a telephone ringtone splash ice water in your face in the middle of the night or the sound you’ve associated with your IM: Instant Messaging, shatter your reverie, rest or concentration. Both alert you to the possibility of something urgent going on somewhere in the universe: something you should probably be aware of. 

This time it was the IM ringtone that dragged me away from Meet The Press this morning and the political railing swirling around the latest campaign gaff (Doesn't really matter who stepped on the landline or even which landline they stepped on does it?). It was our son and daughter-in-law letting us know that Ryan had just finished the race they had flown cross-country to compete in and that for the first time he had finished first in his age group: certainly, worth the interruption.

You see, Ryan is a Triathlete... A three-time IronMan, actually. And, after watching him and the the hundreds (In some cases, thousands!) of other athletes who challenge their psyche and punish their bodies every time they compete, the simple act of finding the Finish Line is nothing less than spectacular! 

It is especially gratifying in Ryan's case because he is not a 'natural athlete.' Sure, he played soccer and tennis and a host of other organized sports while he was growing up. But, he was one of those kids who had to really work hard to make the team and then earn time on the field at the level he relentlessly pursued. In other words, through sheer force of will. Whatever he may have lacked in genetics, skill or natural ability he made up for in courage, heart and determination.

Because the desire to compete... and, then succeed - please note: I purposely substituted  'succeed' for 'win!' - was so strong, he has always managed to persevere and that kind of Warrior's Spirit has served him well over the years and made him an important part of every organization he has ever been a part of.

There are a lot of parallels between what you and I do everyday and Ryan's success this morning, perhaps more then even I am aware of. 

Champions - Warriors - will succeed when others fail not solely because they have the skill or the ability to win: but, because as, Harvey Mackay, so aptly put it, “they have too much pride to lose.” Warriors will find a way because they don't stop looking when everyone else has. They will find a way because they never lose sight of what they are fighting for. They will find a way when unforeseen obstacles block the way or their tools or weapons fail them. They will find a way... Or, create a new way, because for them personal failure is not an option. 

This morning's event was as "Olympic" distance triathlon: that's a one mile, open water, ocean swim followed by 24.9 miles on the bike and ending with a 10-K run (6.2 miles). Ryan competed without the quality tools he has invested in, the tools he is used to and comfortable with. He swam without a wetsuit and competed on a rented bike, not one of the three competition bikes he owns. And, yet, he somehow managed a personal best and a trip to the top of the podium.

There are technicians out there who owe themselves body and soul to one or all of the tool truck driver's that visit your shop once a week, every week. There are tech's who must have: can't live without, the "latest/greatest," just released, whatever it is that just came out. I know, I was one of them... And, there are others who always seem to get the job done; at times, with far less then 'the latest' or 'the greatest' whatever it is, because they are constantly investing in themselves - in their training and education: their experience, ingenuity and imagination. 

Ideally, you are surrounded by warriors - by, champions - who share their desire and their commitment with you for the benefit of your clients - our clients - the motoring public. They willingly sacrifice their time, energy, effort and resources to maintain a level of personal excellence few who are unwilling to compete at that level will ever understand and in too many cases there is no reasonable, rational reason to drive that kind of performance. 

It isn’t for the honor or the accolades. It certainly isn’t for the money. It isn’t even about the competition if you believe that competition has anything to do with anyone other than yourself. 

It is all about knowing that you have brought and left everything you’ve got, everything you are capable of in the arena. It’s about satisfaction and personal best. 

The best bike, the most aerodynamic helmet, the newest tool or the sharpest blade aren’t the weapons that make the warrior formidable enemy or a force to be reckoned with... Courage, heart and spirit are a true warriors weapons of choice!

Find them in yourself. Perfect them in any and every way you can. Learn to use the wisely and often. Find your way to the top of the podium.

Death By Drowning...

WATER TORTURE…

The Repair Order started off with:

            Drivability

                        Customer Concern: Vehicle will crank, but will not start…

Note: Customer installed a new battery because the vehicle would not start, would not crank. Also, customer informed us the electric cooling fan runs after the vehicle is shut down and the key removed and that he has to disconnect the battery in order to power down the fan…

Another day in paradise filled with anomalies, paradox and mysteries starting with what appeared to be a pristine, yet inanimate, 2006 Audi A4 sadly waiting for attention. Bob drew the short straw – Bob always seems to draw the short straw when it comes to anything that might even remotely be considered an anomaly, paradox or mystery – and headed out to the Audi, scan tool in hand.

He connected the scanner and was able to retrieve multiple Diagnostic Trouble Codes for a number of systems other than Engine Management, but was unable to communicate with the vehicle’s Engine Control Module. Bob’s roots go deep into the deep, rich soil of a South Dakota farm just off the Interstate about a hundred miles west of East Elbow, Nowhere. It was far enough away from anything to ensure that everyone who lived there had better know how to fix just about anything. Survival, especially survival during the long, cold winters, demanded nothing less.

Those survival skills coupled with his ‘farmer’s’ intuition and common sense have earned him the nickname of MacGiver.

Something told Bob to go to the ECM first, even before checking for missing or blown fuses. I’m not sure about anyone else here, but one thing I’ve learned over the more than twenty years Bob and I have been “hanging out” is that attempting to distract him from his chosen path is futile. You have about as much chance of getting Bob to do or stopping doing what he feels he must do in order to figure out what is wrong with a vehicle as you would have of changing the weather or influencing the rotation of the Earth.

The only problem was inspecting the ECM would mean removing the rubber strip that seals the plenum cover, the cover itself, removing the windshield wiper arms and then removing the screws that retain the ECM housing cover and then the cover itself. The first thing Bob noticed after he accessed the ECM cover was that the most inaccessible portion of the housing: the part that lives in the deepest recesses under the cowl was damaged, broken away and missing both the boss and bolt that goes through the top of the cover and the boss and retaining nut that fastens the top of the cover to the bottom.

You could almost close your eyes and ‘see’ someone trying to remove the cover without removing the cowl and wiper arms by unscrewing the retaining screws you could see and then trying to either snake or muscle the cover off, not knowing there was another hidden screw. You could almost feel the plastic stretch and bend and then almost hear that sickening ‘snap’ as it finally gave up and gave out. There was only one problem with that cover being broken and that was the loss of integrity that occurred as its result: the housing was no longer watertight. In fact, the housing made a pretty good reservoir!

A place to store water can be a good thing, especially if you’re traveling through the desert. However, it isn’t such a good thing if the receptacle is designed to house an electronic component such as the Electronic Control Module and its accompanying relays. As you can see for yourself, the result can be ugly!

Bob cleaned out the housing, removed one of the relays – the one pictured here – and substituted a ‘known good’ relay in its place.

After recharging the battery and installing that ‘known good’ relay, the electric cooling fan no longer ran after the vehicle was powered down, but the vehicle still refused to start.

Bob checked the fuses to find all the fuses good with the exception of the fuse for the cigarette lighter and replaced the two, twenty-amp fuses. Then he started looking for empty spaces: someplace that had the electrical contacts for a fuse, but no fuse in place. He found a slot for a fuse at the number forty-three position and I’ll bet you’ll never guess what that number forty-three fuse is for – Actually, I’m willing to bet that you have already guessed what it’s for: Engine Management!  He installed the correct fuse and the vehicle started immediately: first try and every time thereafter.

Bob reinstalled all the parts that had to be removed to access the ECM, cleared the Codes, rechecked the vehicle two or three more times and then took a deep sigh of relief…

Done! Another vehicle saved from an otherwise ignominious, albeit watery death.

I wonder if that makes Bob a Lifeguard as well as a farmer, Master Tech, L1 and Mac Gyver?

In It... On It... Through It...

There is an entire universe of things I should be doing right now not the least of which is sleeping…

Yes, Sleeping!

You see I didn’t get quite enough sleep last week. It seemed like I moved directly from my chair at the service counter to my chair in my home office with just a few minutes spent eating and in quiet conversation with my wife at my chair at the dining room table. That’s a lot of sitting. But, more that that, it was a lot of working: especially, when there is a lot more Have To than Want To involved.

It was busy the week before and for that I am truly grateful. It’s the summer and ‘busy’ in a weak economy is a blessing. However, ‘busy’ is always better when it is manageable. Unfortunately, the problem with ‘busy’ is that it isn’t always manageable and it was anything but manageable last week.

When the dominoes begin to fall and things feel like they spiraling out of control it’s hard to do much more than default to what you know will work. I say that like it’s a conscious decision. It’s not… It may as well be an autonomic nervous system response: something you don’t think about, something that occurs without conscious thought or control.

Your days are filled with crisis management and damage control and your evenings with all the paperwork that didn’t get processed while you were busy doing everything else it takes to keep three technicians engaged, involved and productive.

Running a quality shop with a real commitment to “High Touch:” intimate communication with your clients throughout the process, is a contact sport. Anyone who has done this successfully knows that: anyone who doesn’t know or realize it, hasn’t done it or hasn’t done it successfully. Trying to achieve that level of performance when you are short-staffed and while you are breaking in a new office support person is self-destructive if not just plain suicidal, and that was my week last week.

When you are fully engaged working in your business it’s all but impossible to work on it. When you aren’t working on it the only thing you can be sure of is that no one else is working on it either. Long range planning grinds to a halt and the “Crisis Du Jour” is all there is.

Where are the parts you ordered for Infiniti? They should have been here thirty minutes ago!

What do you mean you can’t get a new dual mass flywheel for that ’01 Lincoln LS? How can that be possible? And, where in the world are we going to get it resurfaced if we can’t replace it?

Oh, my God! The automotive literacy clinic you’ve been planning, promoting and talking about for the past six months is this Saturday! How can that be? Are we ready?

  

The tapestry we weave every day is incredibly intricate. The pattern more complex than any of us realizes because we stand too close to recognize the detail.  I see it only because I’ve trained myself to see it. As a writer, it’s a big part of what I do. And, as a writer it’s my job to reflect on what I see. The problem is, we – any or all of us – can only process so much information at any given moment. That means we either disengage and back away or let the chaos wash over us hoping somehow we won’t drown in it.

I’ve learned to back away in order to at least try and gain perspective, attempt to recognize any discernable patterns and then formulate what seems like an appropriate response. The problem is when I do that, I detach almost completely: from just about everyone and everything. That’s one of the reasons that with the exception of the deadlines for my July columns for Motor Age and Aftermarket Business, I’ve been off the grid for the past couple of weeks.

That’s the bad news… The good news is that as a result of all that contemplation and reflection, I’m back and there lots to write about: lots to share, not the least of which is what has to feel like a dysfunctional process (Any process that allows the weight of all the responsibility to fall on the shoulders of just one person in a business that employs many people is dysfunctional in my opinion!).

Any process that leaves you drowning In It: wrestling with ten or twelve or thirteen hours of To Do’s and Have To’s in a ten hour day, instead of working On It, which as the Chief Executive Office of Chaos, Inc., is your job, is a problem.

And, anything that leaves you hoping for little more than getting Through It is certainly a lot less than any of us should find ourselves looking forward to.

Adopt-a-Shop: Paying it Forward

I recently had the opportunity to present at the 2012 ASCCA Summer Meeting, June 22, in Orange County, where I brought up a concept I’ve talked and written about in the past. That concept is: Adopt-a-Shop.

Gene Morrill, Owner of Certified Automotive Specialties in Glendora and a member of ASCCA Chapter 5 came up to me after the presentation and asked if I would put something together explaining this idea in a little more detail, either for the members of his Chapter of for the Board of ASCCA.

In thinking about what to do and how to do it, I decided create a short video first so I could see what I had to say about this idea of Adopting-a-Shop, before attempting to write it all down. The video is available here and on my YouTube Channel:           http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJVMR9qAua4&feature=plcp

If you have a moment, actually about sixteen moments, take a look and let me know what you think. I think it’s an idea worth sharing.

The first thing you need to know is that this is not a new idea… And, second, it isn’t really just mine. I was first exposed to the concept of reaching out to another shop owner in a very intimate and personal way by Ben Caswell, owner of Ben’s Transmission, in Santa Barbara, California, more years ago than either Ben or I would like to remember.

It started shortly after Ben attended a Terry Greenhut seminar and was exposed to Terry’s concepts of automotive shop management: his philosophy of successfully running an automotive service business, and it had a profound impact on both his life and his business…

Ben took those concepts to heart and made them work and in so doing turned his business around. In what was perhaps one of the first demonstrations of “Paying it Forward” I’d ever heard of, he chose to share what he’d learned with other shop owners in order to ensure they had the same opportunities he’d been given. In other words, he became an evangelist. But, unlike a lot of other evangelists, Ben chose to put his money where his mouth was!

The way he chose to practice his special brand of ‘paying it forward” was by personally choosing a shop owner he believed could or would benefit from being exposed to Terry’s message, and then paying for that shop owner to attend a subsequent seminar with a “You can pay me back from the additional profits you generate after you’ve implemented what you’ve learned and you can do it whenever you can….”

In many ways, this was the ultimate “Unconditional, No Risk, Money-Back Guarantee!” All the other shop owner had to do was show up with an open mind, which in many cases was asking a lot more than that statement might imply, and then just execute.

I know… It sounds a lot easier than it is, but difficult doesn’t necessarily mean impossible either!

The ultimate goal here is to elevate the repair community and build a stronger, more resilient, more profitable and successful service industry for us all. The goal is to increase association involvement and, perhaps, more important, commitment.

Having shop owners – especially, successful shop owners who are also active members of our associations- adopt another shop: a shop whose owner might be struggling, just might be the shortest and most direct way to accomplish those goals.

It certainly seems like the easiest way to accomplish them simultaneously.

And, that’s pretty much it… There are really very few among us who have not struggled: who have not left a lot of their own skin in the game while working their way toward success. There are few among who have not paid a significant price for those lessons in dollars, time and effort. And, there are few among us who would not or could not benefit if that experience was shared openly and willingly.

There are shops in our industry desperately in need of help. Shops and shop owners, struggling to survive every day. There are shops within our association that have an incredible amount of experience, wisdom and knowledge to share. Our job is to connect the dots

It sounds simple enough, but let’s not kid ourselves. This will not be a simple or easy fix. We have to overcome a number of issues, not the least of which are: our own insecurities, the insecurities of those we hope to help, our natural resistance to change – any kind of change: positive or negative, issues of trust on both sides of this inter-personal equation, the false notion of somehow losing your “competitive edge” – whatever that means, and a stubborn unwillingness to accept help from anyone – least of all someone who might be perceived as a competitor. But, nothing will ever change for any of us unless or until we overcome any and all of these obstacles and muster the courage to do something different, something bold, something decisive.

We have the knowledge base. We have members within our associations, within our industry, who have the knowledge and ability to change the lives of those marginal shop owners out there who are interested and willing to accept help. If successful, we can effectively double the size of our associations if we can get past the natural reluctance to share what we’ve learned.

We can double the size of our institutions if we can just get past the kind of ‘Scarcity Mentality’ that suggests there is only one pie with a finite number of pieces and it’s getting smaller all the time.

I believe there is a technology for everything… Adopting-a-Shop included. But, this isn’t the time or place to discuss the details of how best to accomplish this strategy or these goals. It is, however, the time and place to decide whether or not we are satisfied with the way things are and what we are willing to do about it if we’re not…

Albert Gray, in a speech entitled “The Common Denominator of Success” delivered before the National Association of Life Insurance Underwriters in 1940, suggested that successful people are successful because they form the habit of doing those things people who are unsuccessful are unwilling to do… I might add that not all those who struggle for success are unsuccessful because they choose to remain that way. Some may be incapable due to a lack of understanding, education or experience.

Those of us who are affiliated have already done at least one of the things the majority of unsuccessful people in our industry are either unwilling or unable to do, and that is JOIN something… We can double the size of our organizations by doing one more thing many people are reluctant to do and that’s reach out to another shop owner to help them reach the next level of their success.

Don’t get too excited, at least not yet. While it might double the size of our organizations, it would still leave us with the vast majority – more than seventy percent - of the shops out there, unaffiliated, isolated and struggling!

Whether you are an association member or you are unaffiliated, I’d like to know what you have to say about this concept: How it could work… Why you think it won’t.

I’m available to discuss this idea further if there is an interest… You can reach me here, at: mitchs@schneidersauto.net or through http://mitchschneidersworld.com.

Until then, stay well, take care, make money, have fun and don’t do business with anyone you don’t like…

There is probably a very good reason you don’t like them and you don’t really need to find out what that reason is…

It's Not... But, It Could Be

I did something last night I rarely do. I watched television: specifically, the premier of the new HBO television series, Newsroom.

It may not sound like a big deal to those of you who watch television, but television and especially serialized dramas are a luxury I refuse to allow myself. Evenings are when I read or write or research or plan or develop or sometimes just sit and think, and lately there hasn't been a lot of 'thought provoking' or even entertaining television to watch.

I'm not sure the majority of so-called reality shows would or could qualify as 'thought provoking.' So far, none of the ones I've forced myself to watch have. I certainly don't have to watch the glut of reality shows currently filling the airwaves to immerse myself in drama if that's what I choose to do with my time. All I have to do is show up at the shop and I have my own 'reality show: a show I get to produce, direct, star in, and, yes, even watch!

Aside from that, I don't want to get hooked on something I know I won't have the time to watch because I've dedicated that time to something else. It's too frustrating and I'm at a point in my life where frustration almost always degenerates into anger or resentment.

Consequently, I aggressively avoid watching television of any kind.

I've been marginally successful. That is, up until last night. Last night the fates conspired against me. I tried to write, but couldn't find the melody or the rhythm I was looking for. I tried to read, but couldn't quiet the noise in my head sufficiently to concentrate. So, I took my shower and got ready for bed just in time to watch the last twenty minutes of Newsroom. It was riveting. It was intelligently written. It was timely. It was provocative. It was, in fact, just about everything television could be. Or, more appropriately, could have been and isn't.

I had a long list of things I wanted to do after dinner this evening... Important things, like finishing a column, scripting a new webcast, developing an idea for a colleague and the association we both belong to. Instead, I pulled Newsroom up on the DVR to catch what I had missed and instead watched it from beginning to end.

There are lots of things I could say about it, but I think I'll stick with the two that impacted me the hardest: the two that have the most to say to us as a people, a country and a culture. The first spins off what I think may have been the first episode's title: "We just decided to..." And, the second, has to do with a message the female lead had for Jeff Daniels, the male lead: "It's Not... But, It Could Be."

You're going to have to watch the pilot on HBO or search for it on YouTube or someplace else to see how Aaron Sorkin, the writer, managed to weave those two ideas into the story line. I'll just tell you that it's worth the effort. Then, I'll let you know what they had to say to me.

"It's Not... But, It Could Be!" spoke to a realistic assessment of where we are as a nation: as a people. You and I could just as easily use that phrase to assess where we are as an industry. It's not the best industry or the most satisfying. It's not the most profitable or the most rewarding. At least, not for the majority of those who struggle just to get by day-to-day. But, it could be...

It could be if we put aside our differences and instead focused on the things that  we have in common: that we can all agree on. It could if we found a way to celebrate our shared values instead of focusing on the issues that divide us.

How do you do that? I think it's probably clear that we have the knowledge: the understanding. We just need to decide to do something with that knowledge. The fact of the matter is, we just need to DO SOMETHING!

The same can be said of or for our Nation. We aren't what we once were... One nation indivisible.

We may be better than most, but we seem to have lost sight of what we could be. The fact of the matter is, we could be better: in many ways, for many of our people. But, to regain that greatness we need huge, virtually unattainable goals: goals so big our differences become inconsequential in their shadow.

Then, all we would have to do is decide: decide to move forward... as individuals, as an industry, as a Nation, as a People.

It's risky to suggest we aren't what we could be, that we have not realized our potential: that we've somehow become lost along the way. I'm sure there are many who would disagree. But, as a diagnostician: a pragmatist, I look at the possibilities each set of beliefs drags along with it before making a decision.

Continually striving to achieve: to reach unattainable heights, achieve impossible goals, provide unparalleled freedoms has brought us to this moment. The kind of arrogance that suggests there are no more mountains to climb, no more challenges to confront: that all is left is desperately clinging to what once was leaves us all with only one direction in which move.

Watch Newsroom, then tell me what you think 'isn't,' but could be. Tell me what we should  decide to do: as an industry or for our Nation.

Till then... Stay well. Take Care. Make money. Have fun. And, don't do business with anyone you don't like... There's probably a good reason you don't like 'em and you don't really need to find out what that reason is!