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…
Imagine for a moment that your goal is to visit Hawaii. To accomplish your goal, you invest in a travel agent named “Amy” who has a track record of helping thousands of other travelers like you get to the same destination. Based on this experience, she selects a specific all-inclusive package that includes the flight,…
“It’s not my fault, it’s the area,” said Matt, a service manager who worked for me back in 2001. “We can’t find good people because of the low unemployment rate and high median income.” This shop had a history of being understaffed on tire technicians and mechanics. Matt was the third manager in the last…
“Craig“ passed the Wonderlic with flying colors! His accuracy score was a 10, and if you Googled the words “peacock personality,” Craig’s picture would appear! He aced his initial interview with “Samantha” the shop owner. According to Samantha, he was “the cat’s meow,” and “the greatest thing since sliced bread!” My follow-up phone interview was…
“I can get it cheaper from the parts store. You guys are too expensive, cancel everything!” Has anyone ever said this to you? This is what Laura, a first-time customer said to “Chris,” the service writer after he presented her with a $530 estimate for a distributor on her Mitsubishi Eclipse. “Rich,” the shop owner,…
My wife and I were having breakfast at a local chain restaurant. “William,” the waiter, was friendly, the service was timely, and the food was tasty. Towards the end of our visit, William handed me the bill and instructed me to go see “Two Star Mary” to settle up. When I arrived at the cashier counter,…
As a district manager, I hated when my regional manager would visit without notice. One day, I received a call from “Rick,” my regional manager. He said he was in town and wanted to visit shops with me! The bad news was that this was a complete surprise. The good news was that he allowed…
For most auto repair shop owners, the holiday season is challenging. Car count dwindles as customers prioritize shopping and feasting over maintenance and repair services. Travelers tend to be impatient and our service advisor becomes the bearer of bad news when the vehicle they want to drive several hundred miles to visit family is proven…
In 1991, a group of psychics joined forces to start The Psychic Friends Network. Singer Dionne Warwick was the host of this popular show that used infomercials to attract its customers. By 1994 the show had aired over 12,000 episodes and was generating $125 million per year! By 1998, the company had declared bankruptcy with…
I would count to ten and take deep breaths before my coaching calls with “Tom.” Tom is a shop owner who would agree to do certain things but never followed through. For example, he would consistently fail to conduct the daily repair order audits. When I asked what happened, his response was, “I didn’t have…