Here's a money saving tip

If you are selling gas, check out the price that your trucking company is charging you.  I take 6 full loads weekly and was being charged 4.5 cents per gallon. I got a competitive quote which saved me $160 per load--nearly $1,000 per week from another trucking company.

 

Why the price difference?  I don't know--maybe the travel time was different or maybe they were just being competitive. What is important is that I am still getting my loads on time and each week, I have an extra $1,000 on the bottom line.

 

Have a great holiday!~

 

Norm

Lessons in Life...From an old GarageGuy

Sorry for the long delay between posts.

I am always on the look out for stories that illustrate my way of looking at life. Here's one:

We all know a guy like my customer Jim. You tell him that you just put in a new above-ground pool at your house and he tells you about his new 20 x 50 in-ground job. If he happens to be around when another customer is asking about a set of new tires, Jim will be sure to put his two cents in about the kind of tires HE just bought (and not from my shop either!) Jim is always smarter or one better than you are. He just can't help himself.

My friend Gary owns the local hardware store and I heard this story from him.

Jim happened to go into Gary's hardware store recently asking about how to get rid of a mouse in his basement. Gary is the nicest guy in the world but being this was Jim he couldn't help himself.

OK Jim, do you know if you have a male or a female mouse?

Why, no I don't, says Jim, Why?

Well, we use different methods to catch a mouse depending upon its sex.

By this time, Gary can hardly keep it in and excuses himself to the back room where he can let out a guffaw. He picks up two standard mouse traps off the rack and sprays one of them with the air freshener from the bathroom...then he returns to the counter with the traps

Here, Jim. Smell 'em.

Jim smells the identical mouse traps.

Notice anything? Says Gary.

Well, one of them has a perfumey smell and the other one just smells like wood.

That's right, Jim. Use the perfumey one if you have a female mouse. Use the wood one if it's a male.

Jim, thought about it for a minute and said "Boy, you better give me both of 'em"

Gary took the money, put the "female" and "male" mouse traps in a bag. Then quickly excused himself to guffaw into a towel in the back room.

There's a lesson here but I can't put my finger on it--if any reader wants to take a shot at it, write me back.

New Blond Joke

The blond came home and found the front door ajar and upon looking inside her
home it had been obviuosly ransacked. Fearfull the the intruder might still be on
the inside she did not enter and called the police. When the police dispatcher put
out the call the nearest patrol car was a K-9 unit, so he responded. When the
officer pulled up and got out of his patrol car with his dog the blond replied
O GREAT my home has been robbed and they send me a blind cop!

Be careful of insurance quotes!

Recent experience that happened here, a normal situation of my name is so and so,
we both know a mutual acquaintance, can I give you a competitive quote on your
garage liability insurance. Of course I said yes. When the quote came it was quoted
with only 3 employees when the agent knew there are 12 employees. If I did not
research the quote I would have considered changing agents. So a word to the wise
like always some things are not as they appear.

How to pick a repair shop, 12 guide lines

1-Prefererably the owner if not the manager is on the premises most of the time -
regular business hours

2-Professional shop, it may be older and worn but it must be clean, neat and most
important organized. Todays debris on the floor is o.k. but not yesterdays or even worse
last weeks. All employee's must be in uniform, clean neat and fresh.

3-No discord, no screaming, yelling or bickering, management must respect the employees

and the employess must respect management

4-Proof of continuing education. Seminars, workshops etc. Modern access to information

(All Data, Shop key etc.)

5-The shop you choose must be a busy facility, many cars, employees always active and busy,

(not reading newspapers or playing cards)

6-A pricing menu in plain sight, price quotations readly given, nothing hidden, legible itemized

invoices and some type of follow up reminders

7-Observe other customer's interaction with management. When bills are presented are they

within the quoted amount and was the work completed by the time it was promised.

8-Modern up to date equipment, tire machime,wheel balancer, alignment equipment, scope

and scanners etc.

9-Personality of management, do they take pride in their work and facility, is there a sense

of accomplishment when the harder repair job is done or are they only working for money.

10-Measure the degree of honesty. This is easily done, request a tow reciept or an inflated

repair invoice for work that was not done or ask to have a tire checked for a leak that you

know is not leaking.

11-No junk cars, todays debris on the floor, not yesterdays. Walk around the side or back of

the building and observe the cleanless and organization.

12-It helps if you can feel comfortable and comunicate well with whomever you are dealing

with.

New Entry

Question for all you folks that have successful business

operations-why is it that the harder and longer we work

the more lucky the customer perceives that we are?

I would like to share a cute joke that one of my female

customers told me-she said having sex with a man is

like a snow storm. I responded with a quizzical look and

said-huh? she replied, you don't know how many inches

you are going to get and how long it will last.

 

Look for my next posting on how I think a

customer should select a repair shop 

Introductions

Please allow me to introduce myself, my name is Norman Dawson (that's why it's Norman's corner, mystery solved), I have owned and operated this full service gas station (yes we clean windows), and repair facility for more than 43 years. I have been repairing combustion engines for more than 50 years which includes my own 70 Chevelle (a gas class race car), lawn mowers, back pack blowers, etc etc. And I remember standard shift cars on the column and hill holders, not only do I remember them, I used to fix them.

My facility has 5 bays. We have modern and up to date equipment. Don't look in the corners or the attic, we have the USELESS headlight aimers and scuff gauge like everyone else who's been around a few thousand years. We also have technicians who are sent for continuing education to keep up with technology to keep the alligators to a minimum, which by the way only works sometimes. I guess that makes it like alldata, which my guys have called it on more than one occasion somedata

Please don't hesitate to email me with questions or comments, I look forward to them.