Richard Branson, the billionaire entrepreneur, has a famous quote we need to take to heart in the automotive repair industry: “Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to.” When we look at other trades in the United States – electrician, plumber, HVAC – a well-defined apprentice/journeyman…
The biggest challenge shop owners face isn’t car count, or margins, or even sales. The biggest challenge shop owners face is staffing and keeping employees. The shortage of skilled technicians is already a challenge, but many owners make the hiring process harder on themselves than it should be. By avoiding the following top 5 hiring…
What’s the biggest gamble you can take as a shop owner? Since Las Vegas is the mecca of gambling, I decided to study two famous Vegas acts, to get the answer. First, there’s Siegfried and Roy. They were stage magicians who were known for performing with lions and tigers. They decided not to hire other…
So, there I was, managing a 3.5 million dollar shop in Largo, Maryland. For three months, I had a pressing need to hire another technician. While my colleagues and competitors complained about car count, I struggled to get the cars out that I had! But things were about to change because “Steve” had just accepted…
If you Googled the phrase, “To throw under the bus,” an image of my six-year-old son Eric would appear! He’s infamous in the Twiggs household for throwing his older sister Erin under the bus! If I ask, “Eric, why haven’t you gone to sleep yet?” His reply, “Its Erin’s fault, she keeps talking to me!” “Eric,…
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,…
“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…
It was August of 2009, and I was the new guy. As a rookie coach, I was curious as to why some shop owners experience great success, while others lose money on the bottom line each week. As I would get new clients, I would ask:” What’s your biggest challenge?” The most common responses were…
If you’re like most shop owners, one of your biggest challenges is finding and keeping great employees. You know that without high-quality techs and service advisors you can’t build a successful shop. And, if you’re smart, you’re paying them well enough to keep them happy. But the reality is that a great paycheck isn’t always…
In 2004, Sony released the hit movie 50 First Dates starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. Sandler’s character “Henry” meets Barrymore’s character “Lucy” in a restaurant while having breakfast and is instantly drawn to her. After years of searching, he believes he finally found the right girl. But there’s one slight problem. Lucy suffers from…