Sales teams love chasing the big jobs.
The $5,000 engine replacement.
The $30k commercial painting job.
The custom project that “will lead to more work.”
I get it. Big tickets are exciting. But here’s the problem…
That engine job ties up your best people & bays.
It complicates your workflow and creates unnecessary headaches.
Meanwhile, our bread and butter work (brakes, suspension, tires) sits waiting.
Here’s the math:
$5k engine job takes 3 days to do:
- COGS: $2.5k (50% margin)
- Payroll: $700 (14% of the job)
- Gross Profit = $1,800 (over 3 days)
Compared to brake jobs:
- $500 average job
- COGS: $100 (80% margin)
- Payroll: $70 (14% of jobs)
- Gross Profit = $330
3 brake jobs per day = $990 x 3 days = $2,970
Not only is the money better, but brakes have very little headaches or comebacks compared to complicated repairs like replacing a motor.
Stop letting your team chase complicated jobs.
Focus on the “easy stuff.”
The boring stuff.
The stuff that makes you money.
Master your core business first:
- Easy to train on
- Reliable margins
- Predictable demand
- Systemized processes
Your sales team will always want to chase the shiny stuff.
It’s human nature.
Your job is to keep them focused on what actually grows the business.
The fancy projects feel important. The bread and butter work IS important.
One builds your ego. The other builds your bank account.
Get really good at saying no to everything else.
Cheers!
Brian
