After many months of struggle, “Mark” was finally turning the corner. The year was 2012 and he was the owner of a Midas in the Midwest. Making payroll wasn’t a problem, and he was no longer consumed with the concept of cost-cutting. Mark believed that time was on his side and confident of the direction…
Do you spend more time looking out the window or in the mirror? When car count is climbing, the portal screen is green, and profit is in your pocket, the tendency is to look at yourself in the mirror. For example, if I were reading your mind, I would hear: “The technician I hired, the…
“Fred” is drinking the Kool-Aid, all in, and on-board, when it comes to implementing most of ATI’s suggestions. As an aspiring Top Shop Owner, he attends SuperConference, is active with his 20 group, and is current with his classes. He’s so convinced of the power of coaching that he turned the tables on” Chris,” his…
I have a unique story as a coach here at ATI. I started out on the other side of the process as an auto repair shop owner with a “leg up” – my background included over 10 years in small business operations (customer service, marketing, accounting, etc.). With a great technician as my partner in…
Meet “Ben.” Ben is a shop owner who made several attempts to motivate his manager, “Sarah,” to complete her goal poster. He initially mentioned this during their Monday morning one-on-one meeting. First, he told her that seeing her goals would increase the likelihood of achieving her goals. Using his Les Brown voice, he said, “Sarah,…
During my days as a district manager, I had the opportunity to witness the building of several new locations. The builders would arrive on-site and we would review the drawings. I could see how many bays we would have, the layout of the customer waiting area, and total facility square footage. As I observed, I…
If I ask you what’s the most valuable tool in your auto repair shop, would your answer be the telephone? Would the word telephone even come to mind? If not, it should – but for most, it doesn’t. As a shop owner, one of your top priorities is keeping your techs busy and your bays…
What’s the leading cause of consistently inconsistent results? One week your sales, car count, and ARO are above the benchmarks. Your portal data is as green as a well-manicured golf course! You don’t need more cars; you need to get the cars you have out the door. Your problems are “good problems.” You don’t know…
Are you on the fence about replacing yourself in the business? This topic reminds me of an encounter I had with a shop owner named “Chuck” back in 2009. After several years of struggle, he had grown his business to where he could finally pay himself without having to invest his own money to pay…