Donati Automotive Company Profile

ver since boyhood, Marc Donati has enjoyed fixing things. The son of a father who made a career in the National Park Ranger service, Marc moved around a lot growing up. But everywhere he went, one thing remained true: He loved fixing things that were broken. When his parents retired in Crescent City, California, Marc decided to indulge his penchant for repairing things and headed to Sonoma County to attend the automotive program at Santa Rosa Junior College.

EXTENSIVE TRAINING AT FACTORY SCHOOLS
During his studies he went to work at an auto supply store, and then obtained a position in the service department at a General Motors dealership in the nearby town of Healdsburg. There he had the opportunity to attend a special GM automotive repair training. Marc had to get student loans to buy his own tools and pay his own tuition. In addition, he had to apprentice at the dealership part time and travel to De Anza College in Cupertino to attend classes, but it was, he felt, an opportunity too good to pass up.

After graduating in 1985 he continued to work at the dealership as a mechanic, honing his skills. He rose to the position of service advisor, the person who greets customers and helps identify their car's problem and walk them through the process. This was where he learned his customer service skills. "I probably would never have opened my own business if I hadn't done that job," he said. "It taught me about the customer service side of the business."

In 1998 Marc decided to take the plunge and open his own shop. He began working in his own garage, building a clientele. His attitude toward his business is based on honesty, great customer service and "keeping things simple."

BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY
"Here's the thing," he said. "My basic philosophy is that if you keep it simple and are honest with people they'll come back and they'll tell their friends. My goal is to offer the high-quality service and parts found in a dealership but on a more personal level. I learned to treat customers like old friends. I've had people tell me they came to me because I treated them better than other places."

HONESTY AND INTEGRITY
While conducting the interview with Marc he asked me if I would hold for a moment while he helped a customer. He put the phone down and while I waited I could hear their conversation clearly. They briefly discussed the repair on her car and he presented her with a bill. At this point I overheard the customer say, with a touch of disbelief, ". . . you've got my business from now on, because you just charged me less than the amount you quoted."

When asked about that transaction Marc said, "I quoted her over the phone. When she got here her problem turned out to be smaller than we thought, so it cost less."

The point? He could have charged his customer the amount of the original quote, and she would have paid it. That level of honesty and candor is a rare find and helps explain why Marc's customers keep coming back.

ALL MAKES AND MODELS & A WIDE RANGE OF SERVICES
Donati Automotive is a full-service shop. From brakes to tune-ups, air conditioning to wheel alignments (the shop has a Hunter computerized four-wheel alignment machine), Marc and his three employees are ready to service your automobile, whatever make or model, with skill, integrity and honesty. With years of experience and a passion for cars, Marc Donati is there to keep your car safe and in perfect running condition. "It makes it all worth it when my customer is happy," said Marc. "I love taking something that's broken and making it work."

---Jim Brumm
Staff Writer
The Prime Buyer's Report