Grow Your Business
Jul
30
2020
Can Your Diesel Repair Shop Run Without You?
Can Your Diesel Repair Shop Run Without You?
You've spent years building your business. You know all the ins and outs of your shop and you have the answer to everyone's question. But, what...
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Jun
30
2020
How to Recover Your Diesel Repair Shop After the Covid-19 Crisis
How to Recover Your Diesel Repair Shop After the Covid-19 Crisis
As you know, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on just about every business in the US,...
May
29
2020
How Customer Satisfaction Can Build Value for Your Diesel Repair Shop
How Customer Satisfaction Can Build Value for Your Diesel Repair Shop
If you're reading this article, it's safe to assume that you want to build value for your diesel repair shop, whether...
Apr
29
2020
Does Your Diesel Repair Shop Stand Out From the Competition?
Does Your Diesel Repair Shop Stand Out From the Competition?
Customers like choices. They like to know that they are getting the best service for the best price, and they'll work to...
Mar
31
2020
Is Your Diesel Repair Shop Too Reliant on a Single Entity?
Is Your Diesel Repair Shop Too Reliant on a Single Entity?
Diversification is the key to a killer investment portfolio. You've probably heard this even if you aren't into the stock...
Feb
24
2020
How to Increase Your Diesel Repair Shop's Value Through Recurring Revenue
How to Increase Your Diesel Repair Shop's Value Through Recurring Revenue
Have you taken a look at your revenue streams recently? Do you know where the bulk of your money comes from each...
Jan
27
2020
What Metrics Impact the Value of Your Diesel Repair Shop?
What Metrics Impact the Value of Your Diesel Repair Shop?
So, you're working on getting your diesel repair shop ready to sell. Or, you're at least considering selling at some point in the...
Dec
30
2019
How Your Diesel Repair Shop's Growth Potential Contributes to Its Value
How Your Diesel Repair Shop's Growth Potential Contributes to Its Value
If you're wanting to sell your diesel repair shop in the near future, then you're probably concerned...
Nov
25
2019
How to Setup a Facebook Business Page for Your Diesel Repair Shop
How to Setup a Facebook Business Page for Your Diesel Repair Shop
If you think you don't need a Facebook page for your diesel repair shop, you probably want to...
Oct
28
2019
How Financials Contribute to Your Diesel Repair Shop's Value
How Financials Contribute to Your Diesel Repair Shop's Value
So you're getting ready to sell your diesel repair shop. It's as easy as listing the business and just waiting for offers to...
Sep
30
2019
How to Build Value for Your Diesel Repair Shop
How to Build Value for Your Diesel Repair Shop
If you're like many small business owners, you have no set exit plan for your business. For some of you, this may be because...
Aug
26
2019
5 Ways to Maintain Your Diesel Repair Shop's Marketing Presence (And Why They Matter)
5 Ways to Maintain Your Diesel Repair Shop's Marketing Presence (And Why They Matter)
So you've got a marketing strategy in place for your diesel repair shop. Your...
Jul
29
2019
5 Objections to Marketing Your Diesel Repair Shop Online (And Why They Shouldn't Bother You)
5 Objections to Marketing Your Diesel Repair Shop Online (And Why They Shouldn't Bother You)
Yes. We've talked about marketing your repair shop online before. We've given...
Jun
24
2019
8 Basic Ways to Market Your Diesel Engine Repair Shop Online
8 Basic Ways to Market Your Diesel Repair Shop Online
We've mentioned it beforeif you're not utilizing the internet in your marketing strategy, then you're missing out on great...
Jun
3
2019
Repair Shop Marketing Message Part II: Branding Your Repair Shop
Repair Shop Marketing Message Part II: Branding Your Repair Shop
In Repair Shop Marketing Message Part I , we focused on your marketing message and how to craft it to...
Apr
29
2019
Repair Shop Marketing Message Part I: Power of Creativity
Repair Shop Marketing Message Part I: Power of Creativity
Our last posts spent time discussing your target customer—how to identify and reach them. This is one of the most important...
Apr
22
2019
Marketing to Your Most Qualified Repair Shop Customers
Marketing to Your Most Qualified Repair Shop Customers
In our earlier post , we discussed how to go about identifying your target customer and what kinds of things are important to...
Apr
15
2019
Repair Shop Marketing: Identifying Your Target Customer
Repair Shop Marketing: Identifying Your Target Customer
So you've decided to focus on the way your diesel repair shop handles its marketing. Maybe you've even considered a few...
Apr
8
2019
How a Website Can Grow Your Diesel Repair Shop
How a Website Can Grow Your Diesel Repair Shop
The internet has swiftly invaded the way we interact in our everyday lives. Most people access the internet daily now, for shopping, news,...
Apr
1
2019
Word-of-Mouth Isn't All It's Cracked Up to Be
Word-of-Mouth Isn't All It's Cracked up To Be
If you're like many diesel repair shop owners, you probably rely heavily on word-of-mouth advertising as part of your overall marketing...
Mar
25
2019
Repair Shop Advertising: Are You Doing it Right?
Repair Shop Advertising: Are You Doing it Right?
In our series overview, How Are You Marketing Your Diesel Repair Shop? , we talked a little bit about the differences between marketing...
Mar
18
2019
How Are You Marketing Your Diesel Repair Shop?
How Are You Marketing Your Diesel Repair Shop?
It might seem like marketing your repair shop is a waste of time—you have customers and word of mouth seems to be good. But with...
Mar
11
2019
Grow Your Business, Not Your Work: HHP White Paper
Grow Your Business, Not Your Work: HHP White Paper
Are you ready to grow your diesel repair shop? Our white paper can help! We've brought our Grow Your Business, Not Your Work series...
Mar
4
2019
Don't Let Employee Problems Hold Your Repair Shop Back
Don't Let Employee Problems Hold Your Repair Shop Back
We've said it before, and I'm sure you've heard it—there's a shortage of qualified diesel technicians out there. But that...
Feb
25
2019
Busy Work Keeping You From Growing Your Repair Shop?
Busy Work Keeping You from Growing Your Repair Shop?
We've all said it before: I'm just too busy! And there's no doubt that you are busy. But are you the right kind of busy? As a diesel...
Feb
18
2019
Prevent Parts Problems from Derailing Your Repair Shop
Prevent Parts Problems from Derailing Your Repair Shop
Are you having trouble getting the right parts? Are your orders getting mixed up? Markups not making you enough? Parts problems can...
Feb
11
2019
How to Get and Keep Qualified Diesel Technicians
How to Get and Keep Qualified Diesel Technicians
If you own a repair shop, I don't have to tell you there's a shortage of qualified technicians. It's a problem the vast majority of shops...
Feb
4
2019
Keep Work Delays from Stalling Your Repair Shop
Keep Work Delays from Stalling Your Repair Shop
In a previous post in this series, we talked about what to do if your bays are full but you're not making enough money. Closely related...
Jan
29
2019
Setting Up Processes Your Repair Shop Will Follow
Setting Up Processes Your Repair Shop Will Follow
If you've been reading the other posts in this series, you've probably noticed a common piece of advice—systematizing your diesel...
Jan
21
2019
Full Bays, No Cash?
Full Bays, No Cash?
Have you noticed that you consistently have full bays, but you don't seem to make any money on the work? Have you ever really stopped to think about why that might...
Jan
14
2019
Keep Your Repair Shop from Holding You Captive
Keep Your Repair Shop from Holding You Captive
When's the last time you were able to take a vacation and not have to worry about getting phone calls from your diesel repair shop? You...
Jan
7
2019
Manage Your Way to a Profitable Shop
Manage Your Way to a Profitable Shop
If you're like most repair shop owners, you've got your eye on your bottom line, and you always want it to be a little higher. In our last post,...
Jan
2
2019
Will Your Repair Shop be Here in 5 Years?
Will Your Repair Shop be Here in 5 Years?
When was the last time you thought about your retirement? If you're like many small business owners, you may not have thought about it as much...
Dec
21
2018
Solve Repair Shop Headaches With Business Systems
Solve Repair Shop Headaches through Business Systems
Is your repair shop making enough money? Are you going to be able to retire comfortably from your shop? Can your business run without...
Dec
17
2018
Profit Boosting Boot Camp: HHP White Paper
Profit Boosting Boot Camp: HHP White Paper
Today we're bringing the entire Profit Boosting Boot Camp together! We've spent the last few weeks discussing various metrics you can measure...
Dec
10
2018
Profit Boosting Boot Camp: Increasing Efficiency
Increasing Efficiency
In our last post, we took a look at your shop's productivity , which measures the time and resources dedicated to a job. Now, we're focusing in on efficiency, and...
Dec
3
2018
Profit Boosting Boot Camp: An Eye on Repair Shop Productivity
An Eye on Repair Shop Productivity
Last week, your effective labor rate took center stage, but now we're turning our focus to repair shop productivity.
In an ideal world, everyone...
Nov
26
2018
Profit Boosting Boot Camp: Your Effective Labor Rate
Your Effective Labor Rate
Our last post focused on your Posted Labor Rate and how you might be undercharging your customers and harming your business. This installment brings it back...
Nov
19
2018
Profit Boosting Boot Camp: Evaluating Your Posted Labor Rate
Evaluating Your Posted Labor Rate
Our last few posts have focused on your profit margins and how they affect your bottom line (read about your gross profit margin here .) In this post,...
Nov
12
2018
Profit Boosting Boot Camp: Investigating Your Net Profit Margin
Investigating Your Net Profit Margin
Understanding your net profit margin can be key to understanding your shop's profitability and what you can do to improve it. We've spent some time...
Nov
5
2018
Profit Boosting Boot Camp: Gross Profit Margin on Labor
Gross Profit Margin on Labor
We have spent the last couple of parts in our Profit Boosting Boot Camp series focusing on your gross profit margin and your gross profit margin on...
Oct
29
2018
Profit Boosting Boot Camp: Gross Profit Margin on Parts
Gross Profit Margin on Parts
In our last blog in the Profit Boosting Boot Camp series, we discussed your overall gross profit margin.
This time, we're taking a look at...
Oct
23
2018
Profit Boosting Boot Camp: Gross Profit Margin
Gross Profit Margin
A common question business owners want answered is: how do I know if I'm making enough profit to stay open? In our previous post, we talked about average...
Oct
15
2018
Profit Boosting Boot Camp: What the Average Order Value Means for Your Shop
What Your Average Order Value Means for Your Shop
While it might seem like busywork, tracking your shop's KPI's is actually a vital part of growing your business. In our last...
Oct
8
2018
Profit Boosting Boot Camp: How Your Closing Ratio Impacts Your Shop's Profits
How Your Closing Ratio Impacts Your Shop's Profits
How often have you looked at your shop's profits and wished they were higher? As we mentioned in the last post, 10 Metrics...
Oct
1
2018
10 Metrics Proven to Boost Diesel Engine Repair Shop Profitability
10 Metrics Proven to Boost Diesel Engine Repair Shop Profitability
It's always good to make more money, right? But sometimes it's hard to identify strategies for making that goal...
May
29
2018
RSVP Shop Talk: CJ's Diesel Performance
RSVP Shop Talk: CJ's Diesel Performance
Problem-solving and thinking outside-the-box fuel the life-long passion of CJ Sprau, owner and operator of CJ’s Diesel Performance in Vernal, Utah....
Apr
3
2018
RSVP Shop Talk: Rattlesnake Ridge Truck Repair
RSVP Shop Talk: Rattlesnake Ridge Truck Repair
Rattlesnake Ridge provides service for light, medium, and heavy trucks, along with trailers & RVs. Customers include municipalities, school...
Jan
23
2018
5 Tips to Reduce Repair Shop Receivables & Get Paid Faster
No one likes talking about cash flow, but when it comes to running a diesel repair shop, cash flow conversations are a must. During a survey HHP conducted with nationwide repair shops, managing...
Jan
16
2018
5 Ways to Increase Diesel Repair Shop Efficiency & Profitability
When we polled over 500 repair shops nationwide, we found the number one concern as we begin 2018 was repair shop profitability. As the cost of doing business increases and customers are...
Jan
9
2018
Time is Money. Why Waste it Searching for Parts?
Highway & Heavy Parts surveyed over 500 repair shops nationwide and found that of all the repair shops surveyed, bottom line profitability is the biggest concern for 2018. However, when...
Nov
16
2017
Boost Profitability with Employee Training
In recent Highway and Heavy Parts business polling, employee retention and managing cash flows were the top concerns listed by nationwide repair shops. Given the ongoing Diesel Mechanic...
Nov
9
2017
How to Reduce Repair Shop Turnover
Simply stated, no one takes a job and immediately thinks about how they’re going to quit. Typically new hires are excited, eager to start working, and are ready to learn....
Nov
2
2017
Hiring Technicians as the Diesel Mechanic Shortage Continues
When it comes to the Diesel Mechanic shortage, it’s clear the crisis has moved from topic of conversation to a nationwide crisis. In fact, in recent Highway & Heavy Parts polling,...
Mar
28
2017
Boost Profits by Rebuilding Parts and Selling Labor
Though handling your shop’s day-to-day accounting operations might not be exactly what you have in mind when you walk into work in the morning, it certainly doesn’t hurt to have a...
Jan
18
2017
Make More Money by Reinvesting in your Diesel Repair Shop
To reduce the risk of failure and ensure the success of your diesel repair shop, you must take measures to continually increase the net worth of your business. This requires reinvesting time and...
Jan
6
2017
Improve your Shop Culture to Recruit Talented Diesel Repair Technicians
When it comes to recruiting new, talented employees, we could all learn a thing or two from college athletic coaches. Every year, there is only a limited number of prospective, star athletes...
Dec
31
2016
FREE WHITE PAPER - How to Maximize Your Diesel Repair Shop Profits
At Highway & Heavy Parts, we believe that knowledge is the key to making good decisions for your business. Because of this, we strive to continually provide our diesel repair shop customers...
Dec
30
2016
Controlling Overhead Costs to Increase your Diesel Repair Shop Profits
Overhead costs are the expenses associated with running your diesel repair shop that are not directly attributed to a sale or a repair order, such as rent, insurance, utilities, office staff,...
Dec
23
2016
How to Increase Profits in your Diesel Repair Shop Parts Department
Your parts department plays an important role in generating profits for your diesel repair shop. A typical diesel repair shop should keep the cost of parts at or below 25% of sales. Making...
Dec
16
2016
Managing Labor to Maximize Your Diesel Repair Shop Profits
Managing labor to maximize profits can be challenging for any diesel repair shop owner. There are many aspects of labor that need to be scrutinized in order to get the most out of it. From...
Dec
5
2016
How to Make More Money on Parts than Labor
Click here to Download and Print your own copy.
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Nov
30
2016
Maximizing Your Diesel Repair Shop Profits - The Efficiency Factor
Like many other businesses today, getting the profits you need is a challenging undertaking for most diesel repair shop owners. The multitude of factors and variables involved in running a repair...
Nov
23
2016
The Cost of Employee Turnover to your Repair Shop
Research has shown that most diesel repair shops are having difficulty finding and keeping good employees. This presents many problems for a repair shop. It forces owners to work longer hours and...
Nov
16
2016
FREE WHITE PAPER - 5 Rules for Successfully Marketing your Diesel Repair Shop
At Highway & Heavy Parts, we believe that knowledge is the key to making good decisions for your business. Because of this, we strive to continually provide our diesel repair shop...
Nov
15
2016
Measure your Marketing to Ensure Success
Many diesel repair shop owners view marketing as a necessary evil. They do it because they know they need to, seeing it as more of an expense, rather than an investment. This is primarily because...
Nov
4
2016
Nov
3
2016
Setting SMART Marketing Goals for Your Diesel Repair Shop
So, your diesel repair shop has a great brand identity, you’ve developed compelling marketing messages, and you know where and how to reach your target customers. But, have you determined...
Oct
31
2016
Selecting the Best Marketing Channels for Your Diesel Repair Shop
Once you have established a great brand and created compelling marketing messages, it’s time to spread the word about your diesel repair shop. With the wide variety of marketing and...
Oct
31
2016
Creating Powerful Marketing Messages for your Diesel Repair Shop
Your marketing messages must tell your audience what you do, but also persuade them that you are the best at what you do. Your messages should be attention-grabbing statements, followed by...
Oct
25
2016
Creating a Great Brand for your Diesel Repair Shop
Company branding is the marketing practice of creating a unique name, logo, sales proposition, and messaging that identifies and differentiates your business, products, and services from others....
Sep
30
2016
FREE WHITE PAPER - Estimating the Value of your Diesel Repair Shop
At Highway & Heavy Parts, we believe that knowledge is the key to making good decisions for your business. Because of this, we strive to continually provide our diesel repair shop...
Sep
21
2016
Estimating the Value of Your Diesel Repair Shop - Part III
PART III: Four Basic Business Valuation Techniques.
1. Comparable Transactions Technique:
Thousands of businesses in America are bought and sold...
Sep
14
2016
Estimating the Value of Your Diesel Repair Shop - Part II
PART II: Fair Market Value - The Best Measure of a Company's Value.
Determining fair market value of your diesel repair shop can be a complicated undertaking. There are many ways to...
Sep
7
2016
Estimating the Value of Your Diesel Repair Shop - Part I
PART I: Company Value - The Ultimate Indicator.
When you think about all of the parts that make up your diesel repair shop and how they are measured, you may wonder; “Is there any...
Aug
31
2016
Capacity Planning Strategies for a Diesel Repair Shop
What is Capacity Planning?
Capacity planning is the process of determining the production capacity needed by an organization to meet changing demands for its products or services. In...
Aug
24
2016
FREE WHITE PAPER - The Entrepreneurial Approach to Running a Successful Diesel Repair Shop
At Highway & Heavy Parts, we believe that knowledge is the key to making good decisions for your business. Because of this, we strive to continually provide our diesel repair shop...
Aug
24
2016
The Entrepreneurial Approach to Running a Successful Diesel Repair Shop - Part III
PART III: Implementing Strategic Growth Projects
“Strategic Growth Projects” are the optimal tactics, identified through analyzing systems variances that will produce the...
Aug
19
2016
The Entrepreneurial Approach to Running a Successful Diesel Repair Shop - Part II
PART II: Setting Strategic and Tactical Goals for Success.
So, how do you implement innovative and systemic changes to help your diesel repair shop succeed? You begin by establishing goals...
Aug
18
2016
The Entrepreneurial Approach to Running a Successful Diesel Repair Shop - Part I
PART I: The Entrepreneurial Perspective.
If you are reading this article, you are most likely a diesel repair shop owner, a manager, or a diesel repair technician looking to expand your...
Aug
10
2016
FREE WHITE PAPER - Optimizing Resources to Improve the Productivity of your Diesel Repair Shop
At Highway & Heavy Parts, we believe that knowledge is the key to making good decisions for your business. Because of this, we strive to continually provide our diesel repair shop...
Aug
4
2016
Optimizing Resources to Improve the Productivity of Your Diesel Repair Shop - Part III
PART III: Performing a Productivity Review.
Putting the principles of productivity into practice in your diesel repair shop is simply a matter of selecting a system, function,...
Aug
4
2016
Optimizing Resources to Improve the Productivity of Your Diesel Repair Shop - Part II
PART II: Managing the Productivity of Your Diesel Repair Shop.
Principles apply to productivity management like they do anything else you manage in your diesel repair shop. They apply to...
Aug
4
2016
Optimizing Resources to Improve the Productivity of Your Diesel Repair Shop - Part I
PART I: Implementing Strategic Productivity to Maximize the Value of Your Diesel Repair Shop.
Productivity is the practice of getting the highest and best use from your resources. It means...
Aug
3
2016
Improving Your Repair Shop Through Process Leadership
Leadership means taking initiative, accepting responsibility, and setting a good example for your employees. If you want a first class diesel repair business, you must provide your employees with...
Jul
12
2016
Innovating Your Diesel Repair Shop Systems
Observe them. Evaluate them. Improve them. Watch them work.
Every system can be improved. If you don’t believe it, you should. It’s the main premise which forms the basis for...
Jul
6
2016
FREE WHITE PAPER - The Importance of Systemizing Your Diesel Repair Shop
At Highway & Heavy Parts, we believe that knowledge is the key to making good decisions for your business. Because of this, we strive to continually provide our diesel repair shop...
Jul
6
2016
The Importance of Systemizing Your Diesel Repair Shop - Part III
Part III: Key Performance Indicators
As we briefly mentioned in Part II of this blog series “The Importance of Systemizing Your Diesel Repair Shop – Part II”, system...
Jun
30
2016
The Importance of Systemizing Your Diesel Repair Shop - Part II
Part II: Systems Evaluation
Systems are the foundation of any diesel repair shop business. But, how do you know if your systems are working? How do you evaluate them to determine if they...
Jun
29
2016
The Importance of Systemizing Your Diesel Repair Shop Part I
Part I: Systems Development
As the owner or manager of a diesel repair shop, do you continually struggle with getting the optimal efficiency out of your work flow? Do the...
Jun
15
2016
How to Make More Money on Parts Than Labor for Your Diesel Repair Shop
In today’s competitive diesel repair market it is increasingly more difficult for diesel repair shops to make more money. Rising labor rates, higher taxes, stiff competition, and fixed...
May
10
2016
Create an Employee Reward and Recognition Program
It’s difficult to find skilled employees. Then once you’ve interviewed and hired them, it’s a challenge to keep them. And even if you’re able to keep them, maybe some...
Apr
26
2016
5 Tips to Recruit Technicians
The rate of new technicians coming into the industry is lower than the rate of technicians retiring. For many repair shops and fleets, this shortage is already a harsh reality. The Bureau...