Littleton, Colo.—Ask Randy Hancock about his business and he does not express the typical recession concerns. Instead, Hancock, owner of Randy’s Auto Care and host of Randy’s Auto Show on KEZW 1430, says his business is not only steady, but growing. Hancock attributes his success to completing a management training program, marketing, and exceptional customer service.
“When the economy went bad, we were doing record numbers,” said Hancock, who opened Randy’s Auto Care in 1995 after working as a Toyota Master Technician for more than 11 years. “I wanted a bigger challenge.”
So he started his own business. Since 1995, the independent repair shop has grown from two employees, including Hancock, to seven National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE)-certified technicians and two service writers. The American Automobile Association (AAA)-approved repair shop offers a broad range of services, from preventive maintenance to hybrid vehicle repair.
To execute repairs and obtain vehicle diagnostic information, technicians use AllData, Mitchell OnDemand, and NAPA Fix.
“I’m really into fixing the car right the first time,” Hancock said.
Additionally, Hancock said he prides himself on running a green, environmentally conscious shop. He said he recycles all fluids and even burns oil to heat the building.
“I’ve always recycled,” Hancock said. “I have a son and I want a better place for him to live.”
Although Randy’s Auto Care continues to grow at a steady pace, Hancock said it was a challenge at first for him to assume the management role. Although he was an experienced technician, he admitted that he didn’t necessarily know how to run a business.
To improve his management skills, Hancock said he became involved with Management Success, an auto shop management training company that specializes in training repair shop personnel to increase sales. Through Management Success training, Hancock said he learned business management skills, such as monitoring and analyzing appropriate numbers in order to reach business goals.
“I had to go from wearing my mechanic hat to wearing my executive hat,” Hancock said.
Although Hancock has high praise of Management Success training, he said there are still challenges to running an auto repair shop.
He said managing employees is one of his biggest challenges as a shop owner because employees can sometimes find it difficult to see how their priorities align with the priorities of the business. To overcome this, Hancock said he holds shop and sales meetings to promote group cohesiveness and to illustrate the interconnectedness of the business to employees.
“We’re all a chain,” Hancock said. “We’re only as strong as our weakest link.”
According to Hancock, marketing is also a big part of his shop’s success. Hancock said he has been actively marketing his business for 10 years, initially with fliers, and now with direct mailings to the area around his repair shop, as well as specials sent to existing customers.
In addition to print advertising, Hancock increases visibility of his repair shop as the host of the KEZW program Randy’s Auto Show every Saturday.
Hancock began his radio career in 2001 as a guest automotive expert on the KEZW show, The Auto Answerman. In October 2009, Hancock became the host, renaming it Randy’s Auto Show.
Listeners call in with questions on vehicle repairs and problems. “I’m doing it to help people,” Hancock said. “This is my help line to people.”
In addition to helping people, hosting the radio show has also helped Randy’s Auto Care’s business.
Hancock says the show has expanded his customer base and has brought additional vehicles into his repair shop. “I am getting a following,” he said.
Even though marketing and Randy’s Auto Show help bring customers in the door, Hancock said the key to Randy’s Auto Care’s success is customer service. “We care about our customers and they know it,” he said.
To maintain relationships with customers, Randy’s Auto Care sends thank-you notes to customers, makes follow-up phone calls after the completion of repairs, and offers a referral program benefiting customers who refer a friend.
To help educate customers about cars and repairs, Randy’s Auto Care hosts a free car care clinic three times a year. The clinics, open to the public, offer demonstrations on such things as how to change a tire and how to change fluids.
Along with offering automotive advice, Hancock said he is also involved in the community, most recently participating in Toys for Tots.
Hancock said his favorite part of working in the auto repair business is helping customers by giving them an honest repair shop. “Even on bad days I have people thanking me,” he said.
In the future, Hancock plans to expand marketing efforts online and eventually open a second Randy’s Auto Care location.
In the February, 2010, Mountain edition of Parts & People, in the article entitled “Radio show, community participation are keys to marketing success for owner of Randy’s Auto Care” the writer inserted several comments without attribution that proved incorrect or misleading.
The first misleading comment suggested that “The Auto Answerman Show” was renamed. In fact, “The Auto Answerman Show” is still on the air in Denver, Colo., every Saturday from 9-10 a.m. on ESPN Radio, 1600 AM.
The interview subject Randy Hancock did not become the new host of the show but instead hosted an entirely new show eventually named “Randy’s Auto Show” in 2009.
Parts & People regrets the inaccuracy and stands corrected.
