The story is told of a billionaire businessman with two sons. He met with them one day and told them his fortune would be left to the first son who could create a successful business! Success was defined as generating one million dollars in annual net profit. The oldest son, “Sam” went straight into activity…
Are you holding your people accountable? When I was a district manager for a national automotive chain back in 2001, I would have answered this question with a definite “YES!” After all, I always “preached” the right things. During team meetings, I preached about the habit of filling out a courtesy check for every customer. I preached…
What’s keeping you from achieving your goals? The following scenario may reveal the answer. If you were to speak into your phone and ask “Alexa,” “Who’s the best technician at my shop?” An image of YOU holding a wrench would appear! Finding and hiring a qualified replacement would free you up to focus on the…
I’m with the “Twiggs Publishers Clearing House,” and I have a one-million-dollar prize just for you. I will show up at your shop to present your winnings with my selfie stick in hand so we can take a photo with the symbolic, super-sized, check that has one million dollars written across the front. (BTW, don’t try…
“I don’t understand how I can be so busy and not make any money.” If you’ve caught yourself thinking this, you are not alone. A lot of auto repair shop owners find themselves working harder than they ever did for someone else – and making far less money! Here are the top profit eaters that…
“Greg” and I were struggling to figure out why his car count wasn’t improving. He had ten five star google reviews. When I Googled all of the primary automotive search terms for his area, I found him on the first page and in the top spot. His website was so strong that I would send…
Don’t try this at home! The year was 1999, and I was a new manager who was having a problem getting my people to embrace the courtesy checks. During a shop meeting, I was explaining all the reasons why completing the forms was good for the car, the customer, and the company. Before I could finish, “Terry,”…
Hard work doesn’t pay off. I know Shop Owners who work around the clock but still have low car count. They arrive early, stay late, but have a low retention rate. They work hard to fill their racks, but their customers don’t come back. These examples lead me to believe that hard work doesn’t pay off. Now,…
“Traffic was really bad!” “There was a bad accident on the beltway!” “I was pulled over by a state trooper!” If I had a dollar for every time someone has made one of these statements, I’d have about 327 dollars! ATI Fundamental #20 instructs us to Be Punctual. While I’ve heard the previously mentioned reasons for…
In his book Good to Great, Jim Collins communicates the concept of The Stockdale Paradox. It’s based on the experience of James Stockdale, a high-ranking naval officer who was held captive as a POW for seven years during the Vietnam war. He was tortured repeatedly and had no rational reason to remain positive. The dates on…