Keep Parts in Stock for More Sales Keeping popular head gasket sets, head bolt sets, piston rings, bearings and valves in stock is a proven way to make more sales. Contact your supplier and ask him what discounts you can get for placing a large stock order. Ask them...

RV Engine Opportunities Machine shops are not building as many “daily driver” complete engines these days; a lot of that business has gone to the PER and the junkyard. There are still a ton of engine builds, but they are mostly generated from two broad categories;...

Flyer Selling and Swapping An easy and cheap form of advertising is the 8-1/2 ̋ x 11 ̋ flyer. For about a dime, you can print a flyer, and most quick printers will help you with the design. A broad generic flyer could take on the purpose of a resume, telling customers...

Save Those Old, Failed Parts I suggest keeping a few examples of failed parts around your machine shop so you can show a customer first hand what happens in his engine. Below is a photo of a failed lifter, a prime example and perfect chance to teach your customers the...

Get Organized! Looking around for tools and parts wastes a lot of time and money. There is a great benefit to being organized and having the tools you need where you need them. Our head resurfacer for instance used to have a roll cart next to it piled with adapters,...

iPad, Do You? The next piece of electronics for your shop might be an iPad or something comparable. I hear that some guys are even trying to handle parts purchasing from their smart phones. Leave the phone for talking. A tablet or iPad could be used for many things...