July/August 2012July/August 2012

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“Always respect others, maintain high standards, don’tcompromise your ethicsand, most importantly,show responsibility anddon’t be afraid to admitwhen you’re wrong!”

When you’ve been a shop owner as long as Greg Skolnik has — sinceDecember 1979, to be exact — you’ve learned a thing or two aboutrunning a successful automotive repair business: Like ways to retaintop-notch employees and how to build relationships with customersthat keep them coming back year after year.

“We’ve been blessed not toneed new employees for manyyears,” Skolnik says of the staffat Motor Works, Inc., located inRockville, MD. “I guess theylike it here. I always considerthat they work ‘with’ me andnot ‘for’ me. This minor distinc-tion makes a huge difference.This empowers the employee;they’re part of a team; theircontributions are valued andtheir opinions matter.”The staff includes three full-

time, fully certified technicians,a service consultant, a shopmanager and a driver/helper.Skolnik says his earliest experi-ences as a professional mechanic in other shops helpedsculpt his core values and questfor balance — as evidenced bya healthy benefits and time offpackage that employees in anyindustry would appreciate.“We provide paid health

insurance, paid vacation, sicktime and holidays, and a paid

extra week off at Christmas,” hesays. “In addition to an employer-sponsored 401(k) andannual profit sharing contribu-tion, I think the most popularbenefit is that we are open onlyfour days a week; they haveevery Friday, Saturday and Sunday off.” The conscious choice to be

open four days a week started in1990, and Skolnik admits it’s abit unconventional. “Mostly theclients are positive, supportiveand some, even envious, wishing their own employerwould follow suit,” says Skolnik.

Shop|Profile|

Motor Works, Inc.Successful Rockville, MD, Shop Is Built on a ‘Winning Combination’ of Confidence In Staff and Respect For Clientele

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by Debbie Briggs, contributing writer

Greg in 1978

“We are avail-able by phoneand e-mail dur-ing our closedperiods for ourclients’ peaceof mind.”When ques-tioned aboutthe loss of potential business, Skolniksmiles and quips, “How much moneyis enough? I don’t want to be the richest guy in the graveyard!”Skolnik says he strives to keep his

view from the employee’s perspectivefirst and employer second; and he’salso trusting — perhaps even to afault. “Every employee has a key tothe shop. I respect the employees andcommand the same level of respect.My lack of employee turnover isproof-positive that I am on to something here.”

Confidence In His TeamSkolnik boasts that his staff is so profi-cient that he’s no longer at the garagedaily. “I generally work from my

home office,where it’squiet and I’mnot as hindered bymy lifelong inability toavoid distrac-tions,” he says.

“I go into the shop once or twice aweek to see the guys and check onthings. I still miss being there everyday and seeing all the clients.“As a recovering ‘micromanager,’ I

think the guys actually do better whenI’m not there. I’m learning to leave thespace for them to step into, and theydo it in fine style! I know they can’t doit exactly like me because they’re notme — and that’s okay! I’m learning tolet go, give them the space to grow andchampion their successes. I like theGandhi quote, ‘Go for excellence, notperfection. The first will motivate you tobe your best. The second will drive youcrazy, make everything take too longand cause much to go unfinished.’”Training, both internally and

externally, is always ongoing, Skolnik

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says, and he’s learnedthe hard way that themotivation to keepgrowing and improv-ing is up to the indi-vidual employee.“When it comes to

the personality of anemployee, what yousee is what you get,”he says. “I can’t change them, no matter how much money they’re paid.They have to want to change — togrow. I try to empower them, but theactual growth is their responsibility. It’spart of our mission statement. I cheerfor them, for they have done thework.“Our exclusive focus on Honda and

Toyota brands gives us a productivityedge, in that our technicians see thesame cars and problems over and overand they have the necessary equip-ment and skills to diagnose and repairthe cars efficiently,” he continues. Skolnik admits his own learning

curve for marketing and promotion

has been long. With his sensitivity tothe overall perception by their clients,he feels they’ve come a long way. Hismantra is, “Identify and find ways toremove the barrier for the client.” Motor Works pioneered the use of

loaner vehicles with the purchase ofits first car in 1984, Skolnik explains.“This was a program we started to alleviate some of the stress a clientwould feel when their car needed repairs or servicing. Providing a clientwith a free loaner vehicle was unheard of in the D.C. area at thattime. I actually received calls fromother shop owners calling us crazy.”Similarly, 1984 saw the birth of

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Aaron Skolnik, I.T. magician

Dave Henkin, service consultant

Mike Winokur, shop manager

Keith Koval, technician

Todd Lewis, technician

Chris Soares, technician

Scott Talbott, driver and facilitiesmanager

their Metro Shuttle program, which coincided with the opening of thenearby Rockville Metro rail station.This convenience helped to increasethe range of their clientele and re-mains a staple program to this day.Another innovative program that

promotes repeat business is a creditfor pre-scheduling. “This simple andeffective benefit for our clients also incentivizes the behavior we are seek-ing: A habit of visiting Motor Works,Inc. three to four times each year. It’sworking well and fits in beautifullywith our long-standing culture and belief in preventive maintenance,”Skolnik says.

Add to these systems an electronice-mail appointment reminder system,an automated instant client feedbacksystem, personalized reminder post-cards for those without e-mail andseveral others, and it’s not hard to seehow focused they’ve been on the entire client experience. “I am prettygood at seeing our shop through theireyes,” he says. “Whether it’s the layoutof the front office, the shape of thewaiting tables, the color of the painton the walls, the lighting, the photog-raphy and imagery they see, or thevideo display content, the list goes onand on. I try to implement the 360-de-gree touch-point review that evaluatesevery point of contact with a client. It’s exhausting, it’s never completed and

it’s worth it in the long run.”Skolnik says he also cannot overem-

phasize the importance of his com-mitment to the changing technologyof business. “Having a clear, function-al website and social media presencehas become a ‘must’ for us. We start-ed our website in 1996 as something‘cool.’ It is now an essential compo-nent of our marketing plan and is oneof the most valuable client informa-tional tools we have. Using our shop’scomputer management software andinformation systems to their maximumis what gives us the edge.” Education was instrumental in

Skolnik’s start in the industry, and he

says he has been in a “continuouslearning mode” since he was veryyoung. He was that kid who was always asking questions and assistingan older brother under one of theircars. His high school had no garage, sothey worked on VWs outside becausethey could remove and carry the engine upstairs to the second-floorclassroom. He learned much duringthis time and built a dune buggy with aclose friend. After graduating from Lin-coln Technical Institute with a degree inautomotive technology, he started hiscareer as a professional technician.Over the years, he’s been through

countless programs, seminars, trainingsessions, and earned an A.A.M. degree from AMI. “I always come

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“As a recovering ‘micromanager,’ I think theguys actually do better when I’m not there. I’m learning to leave the space for them tostep into, and they do it in fine style!”

away with somethingfrom each class orprogram I attend. Thechallenge for me is tosort through the truck-loads of informationand develop somebasic ‘gauges’ that Ilike to keep my eye on,” he says.“Too much data just locks me up in‘analysis paralysis.’ I’m addicted tolearning and have a fairly substantial library of business and improvementbooks.” Even the translation of his lastname from his Russian heritage intoEnglish means, “School Boy.” When asked for his advice on pric-

ing, Skolnik says, “Don’t be afraid tocommand a fair price for a job welldone. At the same time, remain sensi-tive and empathic toward your client’spersonal situation, especially in ourcurrent economic climate. We’ve es-tablished our pricing structures, teampay plans, parts margin matrixes allbased upon our costs and, whilethere will always be someone out

there offering to do a job cheaper, wechoose to focus our communicationon the relationships with our clientsand why they need these repairs. Thisideology bolsters our overarchingcommitment to keeping the client’svehicle in ‘like new’ condition duringits lifetime.” On suggestions to others in busi-

ness he says, “Always respect others,maintain high standards, don’t com-promise your ethics and most impor-tantly, show responsibility and don’tbe afraid to admit when you’rewrong!” Wise words to live by for any shop

owner — at least one who wants toenjoy success in business and life likeGreg Skolnik does. SO

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