Sometimes, taking on the wrong jobs can lead to a business heading in the wrong direction, a situation that Premier Motors in Aberdeen recently found itself in.
The business is one of only a few independent specialist BMW and Mini garages in the area and as such, was not short of work.
Owner, Scott Feaks, says it was only after attending a business training course with The Garage Inspector that he realised he needed to address the situation at Premier Motors.
“We were spending an increasing amount of time estimating work for people who valued price over the job being done properly,” Freaks commented. “As a result, we were very busy, but the bottom line did not reflect that, and our lead times were increasing.
“We were about to expand Premier Motors with a second larger site, and I knew for that to work, we would need to concentrate on jobs where we could charge the correct hourly rate and maximise the technicians’ time.
“However, that is easy to say in theory. It takes a certain leap of faith to actually do it.”
Valuable resource for Premier Motors
Freaks met Jim Lang from website provider Garage Services Online (GSO. The two discussed what Premier Motors needed and how a website would be its most valuable resource to attract the right profile of work. But Scott was still hesitant.
“I was worried a website would just open the flood gates and we would be inundated with work,” Freaks continued. “I had also been given bad advice by our previous website provider. They were not garage website specialists and, in hindsight, it showed.
“My worries were unfounded, and in the end, it was a simple step and easy decision to work with GSO. Jim’s advice was not sales patter and everything he said would happen, did.”
Premier Motors opened its second site on an industrial estate, adding a further six ramps and MOT facility to the three ramps at its city centre site. The new website went live and within six months both garages were only attracting the work Freaks had identified as the most profitable.
“The website only appears in a search for the work we want. As well as filling the ramps with the right work, it helps us get a quicker return on any investment we make in the business,” He concluded.
“For example, when I installed the MOT bay, I calculated we needed to do eight or nine tests per day. The website consistently brings that in; it is never a worry. There are hundreds of MOT stations in Aberdeen, but Premier Motors is always near or at the top of a Google search.
“The team at GSO is brilliant, they listen and then guide. The website has proved to be invaluable in helping me to do what I need to do to make the business work.
“I would not say it is a magic pill; it will not turn a bad garage into a good one, but a specialist website is an essential part of running a successful garage business. One that is an easy, simple step when you go to the right people.”
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