This Week’s Speaker – Wayne Thompson – Harbison Auto

Do you know a good mechanic? I’ll bet ninety five percent of my new customers asked someone that they thought trustworthy and sensible, this question. I have never gone as far as to track this phenomenon on a spreadsheet, but every time a new face appears in my shop I ask how they found me. Most of the time the response is, a friend, a neighbor or a coworker told me to call you. They said you did good work and could be trusted.

Trust is the lifeblood of the service business. Anyone can send out a coupon for some type of “Free” inspection or discounted service. This just doesn’t apply to the automotive repairs, this is any service, be it plumber, electrician, contractor, or jewelry repair. As you know those “Free” inspections are usually not so free in the end. I want to earn your trust. I want you to trust that I value you as a customer and that I will give you value for your money. I want you to feel secure in knowing the repairs we have done for you were done properly and professionally. I want you to return as a customer for both repairs and maintenance. I want you to tell your neighbor to come see me also. When your kids buy their own cars I want them here too.

Unless you own an airplane, helicopter, or a submarine ( which I do not fix ) your car is the most technologically advanced piece of equipment you will ever own. The average car now has thirty to fifty different computer systems in it. It has hundreds of millions of dollars of research put into designing and building it. I know, that you do not know, how any of it works. I also know that you count on this fantastical contraption to get you to work, to buy groceries, to get your kids safely to school, to get to entertainment, pretty much for everything you have to do. That is why you have to put faith in someone who does understand it and can keep it moving.

The local “Main Street” type of repair shop is getting to be a thing of the past. Gone is the corner service station to pump your gas, check your oil and air up your tires. The cost in dollars and time in keeping up with the technology is getting too high for the small shops to bear. The dealers and big chain repair shops have the capital to keep up, but the consumer pays the premium for the service and has no idea if they are getting what they paid for. The phrases I hear most are cheated or ripped me off.

Harbison Auto is still your local neighborhood garage. We know your name, your spouses name, your kids names, where you live and where you work. We know what you expect out of your vehicle and appreciate what it costs for you to have it repaired. We want to have you and more importantly, Keep you as a customer.

If you do own an airplane or submarine, I would really like to go for a ride.