fbpx

silent thieves

Auto Repair Shop Owners need help dealing with the silent thieves in their automotive business. Determining how they are losing money.

By Adobe Photo Stock

Lack of employee motivation, poor inventory strategies, and accounting snafus might not seem like they have much in common. However, they can all be silent thieves in your auto repair shop. By that, we mean that they can all lead to big problems when they’re not managed properly.

In this blog post, we’ll show you how to recover from these three silent thieves in your auto repair shop so that you can keep your business running smoothly.

Thieves Identified #1: Lack of Employee Motivation

One of the most common silent thieves in auto repair shops is employee motivation. When employees aren’t motivated, it can lead to all sorts of problems. Poor performance, low morale, and high turnover are all examples.

If you want to recover from this silent thief, there are a few things you can do:

First, try to get to the root of the problem. Why aren’t your employees motivated? Perhaps you have not challenged them enough. Is it because they don’t feel like their work is meaningful, or is it something else entirely? Once you know the problem, then you can start addressing it.

Second, try to create a more motivating workplace environment. This might mean providing more employee training and development opportunities, or offering incentives for meeting certain goals. Whatever you do, make sure you’re proactive about addressing employee motivation; otherwise, it will continue to be a silent thief in your shop.

Thief #2: Poor Inventory Strategies

Another common silent thief in auto repair shops is loss due to poor inventory strategies. You may have a bad handle on your inventory. If you’re overstocking certain items, or understocking others, it can eventually lead to big financial losses.

Start your recovery by closely examining your inventory strategies. Are there any areas where you could improve? Are there any changes you could make to reduce losses? Once you’ve identified some potential improvements, implement them as soon as possible.

#3: Simple Accounting Issues

The third and final silent thief we’ll discuss is simple accounting issues. Believe it or not, even a small error in your monthly financial statements can lead to big problems for your business.

To recover from this thief, review your financial statements carefully each month and correct any errors immediately. You should also consider automation tools that can help reduce errors and save time (and money) in the long run. 

These are just a few of the most common silent thieves in auto repair shops, but they’re certainly not the only ones out there. To protect your business from these thieves (and many others), it’s important to be aware of them and take steps to prevent them from causing damage.

You Net Results Can Help!

Contact You Net Results and we will guide you through the process of identifying, itemizing, and neutralizing your silent thieves today! Book a complimentary consultation. Brian Gillis & team will help you build your leadership foundation and plug you into a vast network of auto repair shops, working together to strengthen the industry! Let’s make January the best month of your business life!

Sit down and study your business. Find the silent thieves and eliminate them!

Photo by Dan Dimmock on Unsplash

Do you ever feel like you should be doing better? Even though your business is so successful and so busy, you aren’t seeing the return you should be. This is a very common scenario, so don’t worry. We all get tied up in the daily operations labyrinth, and then we lose sight of the intricate problems weaving in-between. The truly frustrating thing is that the more you grow, the better you do. The more successful you become, it’s more likely your shop is losing money to silent thieves.

What if we told you that you are more than likely the victim of what we call “Silent Thieves”? When these sneaky business problems exist, they ever-so-quietly eat away at your bottom line. Silent thieves are process problems which go unseen and unheard beneath the hustle and bustle of daily operations.

Money losing “Silent Thieves” include poor:

  • Leadership processes
  • Management processes
  • Front counter processes
  • Staffing processes
  • Inventory management
  • Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
  • How-to Manuals

The list goes on, and these may seem like obvious things that you already have documented. However, we consistently find that businesses do not effectively produce these processes across the board.

How do you get everyone on the same page when dealing with your staff? What methods can streamline your processes? How do you increase efficiency as a byproduct? These are all questions that you can answer by getting rid of your silent thieves!

How Can I Get Rid Of My “Silent Thieves”?

If it was easy, everyone would have already figured it out. Just like every superhero needs a sidekick, you need a helping hand in your business. Two heads are better than one, and sometimes, we become blinded to what is beyond the trees (so to say). Effective business coaching can help restore your business vision to 20/20; and beyond!

It starts with:

  • Identifying your KPIs
  • Evaluating your books
  • Examining your daily operations
  • Restructuring your Standard Operating Procedures
  • And more

If you can’t measure it, then you can’t fix it. That is, if you don’t know how big or how bad the problem is, then you can never produce an effective solution. But where do you start? How do you measure it, and how do you quantify those measurements? Don’t worry, because we can help you with every step of that process.

Losing Money? Worried You Can’t Turn Your Shop Around? You Can Do This!

Looking deep inside your business and coming to terms with the shortcomings can be a humbling experience, but that is the necessary step to bring you and your family closer to your dreams. Today is the day that you start. When we work together, we can do this.

You Net Results Can Help Stop Your Auto Repair Shop From Losing Money

Do you need help when identifying your silent thieves? Should you be doing so much better, considering how busy your business is? We are here to help – this is what we do at You Net Results. We take you to the next level in your business future by giving you the “YouTools” you always knew you needed. The real value lies in connecting you with like-minded auto repair shop owners spurring each other on to success.

Don’t hesitate to contact You Net Results today in order to set up a complimentary consultation. Brian Gillis and team will guide you through the murky waters of silent thieves, thus bringing you one step closer to your dream revenue. Let’s make 2022 the greatest year of your business life!

In this clip from our Leadership Process Webinar, Brian Gillis explains silent thieves in the form of poor systems and processes. These thieves can cause our automotive repair shops to literally bleed money! Listen up to learn what areas of your shop that these burglars could be lurking in. Then, join us for future sessions to see how we can identify them and kick them out the door, for good!

Where could they be hiding in your automotive repair shops

Silent thieves in your auto repair shop may not be as obvious as a technician stealing tools!

Silent thieves in your auto repair shop may not be as obvious as a technician stealing tools!

Every shop is unique, but, generally speaking, we all have weak points in certain areas. These poor systems and processes may include:

  • Leadership
  • Management
  • Front Counter
  • How-to Manual
  • People and Staffing
  • Daily Operations
  • Financial

Luckily, You Net Results offers weekly rotational meetings you can join, in order to focus on these specific areas. Through group calls, as well as written systems and processes you can customize for your auto repair business, we can work together to stop silent thieves dead in their tracks.

Finally, Brian lists six steps to get started. Put these steps into place in order to build your own Leadership Process. Real change in business can only be made from the top down. Are you both ready and willing to do what it takes to implement change? Put these six steps into practice today, and get on the road to improvement:

  1. Thinking
  2. Words
  3. Action
  4. Habits
  5. Perseverance
  6. Attainment

Learn More About Eliminating These Silent Thieves – Get Your FREE Strategy Session

You know that you need to kick these silent thieves out of your shop, but you’re not sure where to begin. Why not schedule a FREE business strategy session with Brian, so you can discuss your needs? You’ve got nothing to lose, so sign up today!

 

Leadership Process Webinar

video
play-sharp-fill

SOP Formation and Review

• LD-YNR – 0109 – SOP – Eliminating the Silent Thieves

Downloads

Powerpoint PDF

Silent Thief
play-sharp-fill

Silent Thief

Is there a silent thief in your auto repair shop?You have heard us speak about silent thieves before. You Net Results’ game plan starts with helping your auto repair shop identify which thief or thieves lurk in your midst. In this clip from our Daily Operations meeting, Brian quizzes members on their own experiences. Is your auto shop losing money, but you don’t know why? Then watch this video and find out!

Auto shop losing money – silent thieves on the prowl

Brian opens up by explaining the concept of a silent thief, which is money leaking out of your shop undetected. He asks members what those thieves look like in their shops, starting with inventory.

Once Andy’s business started growing, he noticed that he started to lose track of inventory. His shop’s process of transporting waste oil for reuse, for instance, needed improvement. Therefore, he bit the bullet and invested in new equipment.

Joe’s parts were not properly being charged out, so he implemented a new process to keep track of this expense.

Then, Jim Ryckman talks about the priorities of owners and managers. Whenever the boss doesn’t manage time well, silent thieves can creep in.

Next up, Leon mentions labor inventory. In his case, this is a huge chance to lose money. Because it can be hard to keep track of, labor rates may be a shop’s #1 money loser.

Finally, Brian discusses one thief we may not have thought of previously. Let’s say our advertising is on point, and customers are jamming your phone lines. If your service writers don’t know what to say to them to close the sale, then you may as well be throwing money out the window. This is why proper phone skills and scripts are crucial.

A few tidbits discussed afterward revealed the importance of taking notes on procedures, as well as being open to change. Surprisingly, many shop owners still use pen and paper instead of computers to keep up with shop supplies and tickets. Doubtless, these shops must update procedures and conquer their fear of change in order to survive.

Stop your silent thieves!

Do these problems sound familiar to you? By now, you might be wondering how you can solve these problems. We have your answer! Try one of our coaching groups for free. Each week, you can join fellow shop owners to identify your problems. Then, apply our systems to start turning record profits!

Sign up today!

Hide picture