Posted by NCWayne on April 14, 2013 at 23:55:45 from (173.188.169.54):
As some of you guys know, I am a one man show now. Dad left a dealership and went into business for himself backin '86 and worked until personal issues (ie-a bad divorce)caused him to pack it in and go to work for someone else a few years back. While I've worked on equipment of some type nearly all of my life, he and I were basically together for just about 12 years until his situation pretty much forced him to bow out about 3 years back. Like many others in the repair business he and I were feeling the strain of the recession even before he packed it in. Trying to keep things going, by myself, through it all, I'll admit I went through a few really lean, and difficult years as customers downsized, and work went from wide open to nothing. Through the recession I was lucky enough to be able to hang on to many of our old customers who were lucky to make it through the mess too. As expected I also lost a few as managment and equipment changed at their operations, or, worse, they simply went under like so many others. The nice thing is for every one I lost I picked up a replacement, and now actually have a much broader customer range than ever before. While the majority of my work now is for small to medium sized contractors, my largest (as of the other day) is now the local operation of a multibillion dollar, international company. Granted the company I'm speaking about only has two pieces of equipment at their local operation, but you have to get your foot in the door and start somewhere, right? LOL
One thing I have found over the years is that every customer I work for, regardless of the size of the company, called, and continued to call Dad and me, (now just me) for basically the same reasons. Too, all of our previous customers came to us, and the newest ones to me, soley by word of mouth from other customers.
That said, I understand that there are times when the OEM is going to be the only choice on some of the newer equipment, wether you (or I) like it or not. I say this because very few independents, me being one of them, can afford to specialize in one specific brand of equipment. As a result the purchase of special computers and programs is cost prohibitive for nothing more than occasional use on multiple brands of equipment. Still, I manage alright by basically specializing in 'not specializing'.
All that leads me to my question to ya'll. When you do have the choice of an OEM/dealership mechanic vs an independent, what all do you look for before you call? Too, once the guy comes out the first time, what does he do/say, or not do/say, that influnces your decision to call him back again?
Given the responses to my last two posts I'm not going to say anything about the reasons that have been given to me by my customers for calling me. Instead I'm going to leave it up to you guys to school me as the way things are nowdays since it's obvious the things I have always been told that were considered good in the past must be changing all around me, for many more than I would have thought, and I am just plain oblivious to all of it........
Like I said in the post' heading, I'm really curious, so any serious answers would be greatly appreciated. Wayne
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