Jeff Gordon, four time Nascar Champion, to visit Sutliff Chevrolet Thursday...

HERSHEY, PENNSYLVANIA -- In an age of big-chain automotive shops and impersonal service, Les Schmidt, Auto Repair Shop Manager of Sutliff Chevrolet in Harrisburg, Pa, says listening to customers is his #1 secret to success.

Ka-ching.

Auto repair shop managers who take time to listen to customers are as rare as smiling gas station attendants who check the oil, wash the windows and fill tanks. Instead, the quickie repair shop that charges low prices for instant service has become the norm.

Full-service repair shops increasingly experience stiff competition and slim-profit margins.

Schmidt, has seen many shops come and go in over 40 years working in the automotive industry. He gives new meaning to the words customer care. Through his Automotive Customer Care Profit Secrets course, he discusses how owners and managers can hire “super employees” aka long-term employees that become customer magnets.

“The only way to get referrals and retain customers for life is from satisfied customers,” he says. (http://www.superemployees.com).

He cites that a recent study showed that 68% of companies lose customers because of an attitude of indifference on the part of a company employee.

Schmidt realized early on in his career that he was in the people business, He has managed five dealership body shops and eliminated customer and employee complaints in every shop. Sutliff Chevrolet became the only certified GM Goodwrench collision center in Central Pennsylvania and was awarded the GM Mark of Excellence in 2003, 2004, and 2005.

A widely held belief is that dollar-conscious consumers are willing to forgo customer service for nickel and dimes - even if it means driving across the city.

But Schmidt has had customers drive from as far away as New Jersey to work with a shop they trust.

Schmidt believes in providing old-fashioned service with a smile, not just paying lip service. It's a niche that many chain repair shops don't provide.

Schmidt not only knows his customers by name, he knows the names of their cars, their children's names, their birthdays, anniversaries and the last time they went on vacation or visited the doctor.

Stacy Bartnik, CarStar Consolidators Group, Chicago Illinois and Trevor Milliner, an autobody technician from Houston, Texas recently read Schmidt’s course, Automotive Customer Care Profit Secrets, that teaches employees how they can become Master Automotive Communicators. Both were impressed.

Schmidt’s sister Diane and one of his seven daughters, Gayle, assist him in the body shop. They also distribute books, develop his website and related chores.

The former Faith Tabernacle high school student knew at the age of 17 that he wanted to work in auto repair. His first job was as an assembler’s helper, installing bumpers, mirrors and chrome moldings at Paul Brothers, a large auto body shop in West Philly. At the age of 25, he opened the doors to his own shop, Schmidt Auto Repairs. “I grew up in and around the car repair business. My dad worked as a frame-repairman in body shops in Philadelphia. He took me with him nearly everywhere he went.”

Nowadays Schmidt supervises twenty-four employees, and enjoys a reputation as one of the most respected body shop managers in Central Pennsylvania. He also serves on the board of the Dauphin County Vo Tech School.

Customers appreciate Schmidt’s sincere vision to help others. He has also written an Auto Accident Repair Assistance Guide that seeks to make life easier after an auto accident. This easy-to-follow guide helps the public to recognize a good shop from not so reputable ones, teaches what questions to ask, and explains the entire auto repair process from start to finish including industry terms and language. (http://www.autoaccidentexpert.com).

Working full-time and writing books in his spare time does pose some challenges, Schmidt admits.

"It is a challenge to work a long day and find time and energy to write, but it is gratifying to share what I’ve learned. There is no greater learning experience than to write and teach."

Schmidt says that dealerships, independent repair shops and chain repair centers are all dealing with costly regulations.

But the bottom line is that car owners want to do business with people they trust

Schmidt is optimistic about his future.

"When you truly care about people, the rewards make it all worthwhile."