As a technician or workshop owner/manager of an ‘all-make’ workshop, most of us take pride in being able to do almost everything under the sun. We might even be the local expert/specialist in a certain area. That being said, we need to know where to draw that line when it’s not economical to perform a repair or service.
We might be able to source and program that spare key for our customers lexus, but by the time we have borrowed the right scan tool, picked up the key blank, got the blade cut and spent half an hour learning the procedure, we have made a $20 profit. Time that would have been better spent performing work in our key service areas and handballing the job to the local locksmith.
There may also be some instances where we just aren’t comfortable tackling a particular job. Maybe we don’t have the sufficient equipment, tooling or training and decide it is better to sublet the job. There is nothing wrong with this!
We should always be on a quest to learn and upskill but we have to start making smarter decisions and ‘picking our battles’
Besides not being profitable jobs for the business, we can often dig ourselves a hole by ‘overreaching’ which generally leads to unnecessary cost, frustration, wasted time and embarrassment.
The point we are making is that sometimes we just need to say no, followed swiftly by a recommendation and solution for our customer. Having a network of local service providers and workshops that can help fill these gaps is a great way to show our customer we have them covered and strengthens our relationships with local businesses.
Although we may not be able to carry out the work required, we create a dependency for our customer. They know that no matter what issues or problems they may be having with their vehicle that we are the first ‘port of call’, because even if we cannot carry out the work required, we are likely to be able to provide a solution.
It can be a hard pill to swallow for some of us, admitting that we can’t (or shouldn’t) do everything, but it’s often in everyone’s best interests.
What do you think?
Is it smart to handball some jobs or do you prefer to tackle everything?
Let us know in the Mechanic.com.au Private Facebook Group (Members Only)
