AAMCO Franchise vs. Firestone Franchise
As you research Firestone franchises, here is why you should consider franchising with the iconic AAMCO brand. Many brands are trying to capture a significant share of the general automotive repair market — worth $57 billion, according to IBISWorld. But who is best? As you research the Firestone franchise, it pays to research other brands, as well. Each is a little different in terms of support teams, strategies, values and ROI. Here’s what you should know about the AAMCO franchise opportunity.
AAMCO’s commitment to its franchisees stems from the fact that several of the AAMCO corporate team were franchisees themselves. “We create value for franchisees primarily by doing two things: 1) Helping them improve bottom-line results, and 2) Helping them create long-term enterprise value in their businesses and the investment our franchisees made in our brand,” says AAMCO’s Leadership Team. “We wrap ourselves around the franchisees. We’re talking about operational support, marketing support, administrative support, recruitment help — because our mission in life is pretty clear. We need to support the people on the front lines of our business — the auto repair franchise owners who are operating the business every day, who have the fortune of serving the millions of consumers AAMCO has the pleasure to take care of year in and year out.”
Training and Support
Today’s successful organizations recognize the value of investing in training their employees — who are the greatest asset to any business. Many businesses still see training as an optional expense, but there is significant evidence to the contrary. Employees who receive training and development are better able to identify their long-term career path and goals. These employees have higher morale and job satisfaction, and they stay with their employers longer. These employees also are more productive and provide better customer service — netting their companies higher sales and greater customer satisfaction.
One of the reasons that AAMCO stands apart from the Firestone franchise and other franchise systems, is the significant investment we make in training our franchisees and employees with AAMCO University, a state-of-the-art facility in Newnan, Georgia. In addition to the brick-and-mortar location, “AAMCO U” offers online courses and conducts in-market training seminars. AAMCO University and our dedication to training are only part of our long-term growth strategy. For more than 60 years, we have been a legacy brand known as the leader in transmission repair and Total Car Care. We believe that our employee and franchisee training through AAMCO U and our online learning management system will keep us at the top of the category, while also expanding our expertise in Total Car Care.
“AAMCO University is a significant investment that we have made and continue to make in our owners and their employees,” AAMCO Leadership Team says. “We want to make certain that we have the best-trained franchise owners and center managers in the industry. We also want to maintain and develop the best-trained technicians to solve the problems consumers are going to have with their vehicles in modern-day driving America.”
AAMCO University offers a wide range of programs through four schools: Technical Excellence, Management, Franchise Ownership and Franchise Support. Our technicians are at the heart of our organization, and we have created AAMCO Technical Institute to reward proficiency and achievement in entry-level modules as part of a path toward more advanced technical status, such as a master technician. Career paths are designed to advance general technicians into certified technician, master diagnostician, and even master rebuilder roles. With each course, technicians expand their skills and knowledge, making them a valuable asset to the organization.
AAMCO Has Been Tested and Proven
One of the biggest positives in partnering with a nationally known brand with a more-than-60-year history of expertise and customer trust is that the groundwork is already laid. AAMCO has spent decades establishing itself as a preeminent brand, and franchisees benefit from that legacy the day they open their doors.
The fact that the American public trusts the AAMCO brand is instrumental in the automotive repair chain winning customers for life. AAMCO calculations, based on information from Consumer Reports, IHS Automotive, R.L. Polk & Co. and the Pew Research Center, find that the average automobile customer will spend $54,036 on repairs over the time they own and operate a car. If that customer has two vehicles — and most households have two vehicles or more — that amount doubles. Even though the average transmission rebuild has a significant price tag, total spending on transmission work is a small fraction of car care spending. Most people only consider replacing a transmission on a vehicle once, but they get oil changes, brake work and tune-ups time and time again — comprising the bulk of that $54,000-per-customer lifetime spending.
“At AAMCO, we believe we are very well positioned to win the automotive aftermarket,” AAMCO Leadership Team says. “Our brand is very well known for transmission expertise that typically has a large ticket value associated with it. Our goal going forward is to maintain our leadership position for transmissions, while focusing on building lifetime relationships with our customers through providing expert service in all automotive areas. As a result, we will build long-term business value for our franchisees.”
