Fixed Ops Journal - June 2021 - F21

FIXED OPS JOURNAL
A knack for service, forging friendships
E
d Shoemaker spent 10 years in the auto
business. Most of them were as a service
adviser. All were at one dealership, Flemington
Infi niti, in a New Jersey town of the
same name.
And he left a mark. Just look at the comments posted
on the Wright & Ford funeral home website following
his death. At least two dozen came from the
store's customers. Th ey recalled his smile. His laughter.
His professionalism. His infectious optimism.
Any self-respecting service adviser would be humbled
to imagine something like this comment
etched as an epithet to a career well spent:
" In a world where skepticism is the norm, I had
such confi dence in Ed's advice and recommendations
that I even told my family members to trust
whatever he recommended as I knew that his moral
compass and ethical standards were beyond reproach. "
Steve
Kiley is the store's general manager. He got a call at 6:30 a.m.
Dec. 1 with word that Shoemaker had died of a heart attack at 47.
Th e fi rst customer who heard the news that morning, Kiley says, had
to be held up to keep from collapsing to the fl oor.
Said one customer: " I knew that his ...
standards were beyond reproach. "
Kiley decided then a better route to sharing the
news was to email the dealership's clients. Th at generated
an outpouring of calls and messages and expressions
of condolence.
" He really did touch a lot of people, " Kiley says.
Shoemaker was a locksmith before he entered the
car business. It didn't take long for him to fi nd the
key to being a good service adviser.
What set him apart?
Ed Shoemaker knew cars, Kiley says. He appreciated
cars. He loved the brand. He got along with
co-workers. He was dedicated. He went out of his
way to respond to customers quickly. He was civic-minded.
He was genuinely a decent person. He
was well-read on many subjects. And he could communicate
with all sorts of people.
" He was able to explain exactly in terms that customers
could understand, whether they were car
savvy or not, " Kiley says. " Th ere was an art to that. "
An art that was recognized far beyond Flemington. Just three months
before he died, Shoemaker was named Infi niti's U.S. service adviser of
the year.
- Dave Versical
WITH AN OPTIMIZED INVENTORY
The right stock can make all the difference. Don't miss a sale with Mighty's Inventory Optimization program. It uses proprietary
software tools to analyze your local market, identify stock challenges and make adjustments to optimize your inventory.
Increase your bay efficiency without tying up excess cash - BE MIGHTIER!
Get your free inventory analysis at MightyAutoParts.com/Inventory
QUAL I T Y PRODUCTS
INVENTORY MANAGEMENT
BUSINESS INSIGHT
CUSTOMIZED TRAINING
JUNE 2021 PAGE 21

http://www.MightyAutoParts.com/Inventory

Fixed Ops Journal - June 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Fixed Ops Journal - June 2021