Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

What’s the Biggest Threat to Your Progress?

Tuesday, July 16, 2019
What’s the Biggest Threat to Your Progress?

Join me as we journey through a typical morning in my life. I make my first call to a new client named “Richard.” I notice he’s had the same labor rate for the past three years. “Richard, it’s time to increase your labor rate,” I suggest. “I can’t do that, coach. My customers are on a fixed income and can’t afford to pay more.”

My next call is with “Susan,” who has been in the program for nine months. “Susan, what are you doing to find the ‘A’ technician to replace yourself in the shop?” “Eric, I can’t advertise for technicians now because we’re going into our slow season and I won’t have the work to support him. Besides, what if my other techs find out that I’m looking?”

Moments later, I call “Larry,” who has been on board for one year. “Larry, have you located the service manager to free you up from working the counter?” To which he replied, “My customers ask for me by name. Besides, that service manager I hired four years ago didn’t work out!

What do Richard, Susan, and Larry have in common? They have each become a victim of “the oppressor.”

Who’s the Oppressor?

The oppressor is the voice in your head that talks you out of progressing beyond your current level. In the animated movie world, whenever the lead character is facing a difficult decision, little angels appear on each shoulder offering advice.

The red angel offers guidance that would keep the hero from achieving his goal. The oppressor is like the red angel on your shoulder that talks you out of taking risks.

The oppressor is your biggest threat because you can’t make progress without taking risks. 

So what can you do to defeat that voice of doubt? Keep reading to learn two strategies to overcome the voice of the oppressor.

Discover hidden profit in your shopWorking hard, but hardly making ends meet? Discover hidden PROFIT in your shop with tips from ATI’s shop owner events! Register today at atievent.com.

Name Your Oppressor

We are always having internal conversations with ourselves. In his book What To Say When You Talk to Yourself,  Dr. Shad Helmstetter describes this mental dialog as “self-talk.” He goes on to say that because of our programming since birth, 75% or more of our self-talk is negative.

We’re programmed to avoid pain, so we tend to talk ourselves out of activities that force us to stretch and leave our comfort zone.

Remember sitting through shop owner’s class when Randy mentioned using the pricing matrixes, and you thought to yourself, “This won’t work in my area!” That, my friend, was the little red angel doing the talking.

You can’t overcome an oppressor if you don’t know it’s there. Giving this voice a name will make you aware of when it shows up. For example, let’s say you named your oppressor “Oliver.”

When you start hearing the following statements: “My shop is different”; “I’ll look for my replacement once business picks up”; “I don’t have $50 to spend on a visit frequency report”; and “going up to an $80 labor rate will put me out of business,” you’ll know that Oliver is doing the talking.

Consider the Consequences

There’s a story of a man and his dog sitting on the porch. The dog is whining, whimpering, and groaning.  The neighbor walks by and asks, “Hey, what’s with your dog?” To which the man replied, “Oh, that’s just Fido, he’s lying on a nail.” To which the neighbor replied, “Well, why doesn’t Fido get off the nail?” The man on the porch had the classic response: “He’s not moving because it doesn’t hurt enough yet!”

Like Fido, we aren’t motivated to move until the pain of staying the same, exceeds the pain of making the change. When you hear the oppressor talking, ask yourself the following question: What are the consequences of staying the same?

Implementing the parts matrix may be painful, but not having the finances to retire in style, will hurt more. It hurts to look for your replacement, but being at the shop while your son plays his football games will cause more pain.

Asking for the exit appointment can be painful. Losing good customers to the competitor you despise will hurt as well.

Considering the consequences will motivate you to move when the voice of doubt starts talking to you.

Conclusion

So, there you have it. Naming your oppressor and considering the consequences will help you to drown out the voice of doubt. I challenge you to overcome the biggest threat to your progress.

At ATI, we focus on teaching and coaching shop owners on best practices to get the most out of your automotive repair business. Want to learn more? Find an ATI shop owner event near you.