Joined: 19 May 2007 Posts: 206 Location: Camp Verde, AZ
Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 10:29 pm Post subject: Signs, Good or Bad
Signs behind the desk say;
No out of area checks.
Local checks with 2 forms of ID only.
Credit Card purchases with $50.00 minimum only.
We only accept VISA cards.
50% Deposit required on estimates over $500.00.
What are we communicating to our customers?
_________________ David Wittmayer
Owner / Manager
Hansen Enterprises Fleet Repair, LLC
Camp Verde, AZ
www.hefrshop.com
Joined: 15 May 2007 Posts: 774 Location: Baton Rouge, LA
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 2:30 pm Post subject: Re: Signs, Good or Bad
Dave wrote:
Signs behind the desk say;
No out of area checks.
Local checks with 2 forms of ID only.
Credit Card purchases with $50.00 minimum only.
We only accept VISA cards.
50% Deposit required on estimates over $500.00.
What are we communicating to our customers?
Hi Dave,
I always felt signs are a reflection of the owners thought process, those above would tell me all I needed to know, to avoid the place. It's sort of like the statement:
>the people service business is a minefield;
>and only taking the utmost care with everything written, or
>verbalized, will allow us to thread our way through it on a
>daily basis.
I would hate to have to work in an environment where that applied.
Once I stopped in a motel outside of Atlanta. I was exhausted and wished to stop for the night. The door was locked and after some knocking, the manager "buzzed" me in. Behind the counter was a huge sign:
Warning
Armed robbery is punishable by thirty-years imprisonment!
I decided I wasn't that tired after all, and drove on.
Joined: 19 May 2007 Posts: 206 Location: Camp Verde, AZ
Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 10:07 pm Post subject: Re: Signs, Good or Bad
louis wrote:
I always felt signs are a reflection of the owners thought process, those above would tell me all I needed to know, to avoid the place.
Louis,
Right you are, they do show the owners thought process.
When I wrote this I was thinking a couple things. One was, why do some shops make it so hard for people to give them money? Sure credit cards cost a couple percent to process. So what, it is an expense, factor it into the labor rate, smile and say thanks when someone hands you an American Express card.
Another issue was trust. I think that all the signs showed a lack of trust toward the customer. Trust is a two way street. If a shop wants the clients to trust them to make recommendations and repairs that are in the clients best interest, then the shop needs to trust that the people will pay them.
Lastly, in addition to showing a lack of trust, I feel that deposits say this shop is running on a shoestring. They cannot afford to buy the parts up front. It makes me wonder if the business will be around tomarrow, to take care of any issues that may come along.
Thanks,
_________________ David Wittmayer
Owner / Manager
Hansen Enterprises Fleet Repair, LLC
Camp Verde, AZ
www.hefrshop.com
Joined: 15 May 2007 Posts: 774 Location: Baton Rouge, LA
Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 7:37 am Post subject: Re: Signs, Good or Bad
Dave wrote:
louis wrote:
I always felt signs are a reflection of the owners thought process, those above would tell me all I needed to know, to avoid the place.
Louis,
Right you are, they do show the owners thought process.
When I wrote this I was thinking a couple things. One was, why do some shops make it so hard for people to give them money? Sure credit cards cost a couple percent to process. So what, it is an expense, factor it into the labor rate, smile and say thanks when someone hands you an American Express card.
Another issue was trust. I think that all the signs showed a lack of trust toward the customer. Trust is a two way street. If a shop wants the clients to trust them to make recommendations and repairs that are in the clients best interest, then the shop needs to trust that the people will pay them.
Lastly, in addition to showing a lack of trust, I feel that deposits say this shop is running on a shoestring. They cannot afford to buy the parts up front. It makes me wonder if the business will be around tomarrow, to take care of any issues that may come along.
Thanks,
Hi Dave,
Good points. My Dad told me long ago, never do business with a man you really don't like. Fortunately, I like just about everybody
His point was, as long as you are a normal person and you really don't like someone, you probably don't trust them and there is likely a reason why. A deposit, contract, rule book or set of laws will not protect you from a true shyster. Avoid the ones you can, write off the ones you can't and move on. After all, they represent such a small percentage as to not really matter, in my opinion.
I would really rather concentrate on the 98% great folks and disregard the two-percent bad. [Those with percentages greatly different may wish to examine and work on the reasons why?]
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