Motor Age: Have you gotten any runoff business due to dealership closings?
Lambdin: I can't say we have. We're certainly in a unique area and are more insulated than the rest of the country from this recession and still remain pretty vibrant in lots of different areas. I don't think we have noticed it as much as anyone else. Initially, there was a tightening of the dollars which meant no one was getting the money, and then there were some decisions made to keep the car (drivers) have, so the maintenance became important again."Motor Age: Your shop once prided itself on being the 'Home of the No Commission Technician.' Is that policy still prevalent?
Lambdin: That has been a huge deal over a long period of time. Just recently, we changed that program to kind of a team bonus. Rather than trying to focus on the technicians and how many hours they've flagged, we've turned it into something that involves those technicians and the general service as well. So we've come up with our own set of numbers that mean we have to have a certain efficiency percentage in order to get that bonus, and it's also based on gross profit dollars. If you guys make this, you get paid. Without profit, we can't continue to thrive and provide training, equipment and health insurance year after year.
Motor Age: Was motivation difficult when employees' pay wasn't based on sales?
Lambdin: Yes and no; there are some people who need the carrot and it was definitely a change when they would come to us. As time went by, they enjoyed the overall atmosphere of everyone wanting to produce and make our customers happy, get what they want done and knowing we were providing monetary safety for all of us and for the company's future. There are those people who want to control only their money, and we did change the program for a number of reasons. Regardless of how you look at it, it and other things have worked.
Motor Age: Has the Cash for Clunkers program had an immediate impact on your business?
Lambdin: I think it affects everyone immediately, adversely, from my standpoint. It's just more money where we've already spent an astronomical amount on keeping these big businesses going. It's just more money that's now being paid out by you and I to make sure they survive and certainly, not necessarily anything good or green over the long haul as it's being promoted. The whole thing is for the wrong reasons, but the bad news is the general public is going to do whatever they think is easiest on their wallet.
