Three Clues You Have a Service Advisor Problem

“It's easy to look back and see it, and it's easy to give the advice. But the sad fact is, most people don't look beneath the surface until it's too late.”  Wendelin Van Draanen

"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 the link to my other clients as an example of what to do. "Steve," his service advisor, had been with him for seven years and had forgotten more about the automotive business than the average person knew.

The Easy Way to Hire Your Next Employee

“Hire character, train skill.” Peter Schutz

“Harry” is a hiring manager for a Fortune 500 company. One fateful morning, he’s driving into the crowded company parking lot to begin his day of scheduled interviews.

After several minutes of circling, he finally locates a space and pulls in. He doesn’t notice “Bruce,” sitting in a brown Buick, waiting for the same spot!

“Hey, Jerk!” Bruce yells. “Don’t you see me sitting here? Are you blind?” Harry’s running late, so he doesn’t take the time to reply.

How to Overcome Your Employee’s Resistance

"Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers." - Voltaire 

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,” my ‘A’ technician, interrupted me by asking, “How does filling out these #$@! courtesy checks benefit me?”

The Hidden Secret to Growing Your Car Count

"You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read." Charlie Tremendous Jones 

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, before you work hard to close this post, allow me to clarify my point.

The One Thing You Never Hear from Employees

“Time is what we want most but use worst!” William Penn 

“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! 

How to Gain an Unfair Advantage in Your Area

“Not following up with your prospects is the same as filling up your bathtub without first putting the stopper in the drain.” Michelle Moore 

How do they do it? I asked this question several years ago, as a new member of my local Toastmasters International club. The meetings were held every Tuesday, and the room was always packed with aspiring speakers.

At the district conventions, the leaders of the other clubs complained about member count being down in the area. When one club leader spoke about their low member count, the others would console her by saying, “It’s not just you; everybody is slow.” (Sound familiar??)

Three Steps to Build a Leading Brand

A brand is worthless if it doesn’t connect with the right audience in a relevant way.” Cory Torella 

It’s late in the evening and you’re out of town, driving without your GPS device. You don’t know where you are, you don’t know where you’re going, but you do know that you’re hungry! Up ahead, you see the next exit has fast food options so you turn off and go down that road.

You pull up to the stop light and are faced with a difficult decision: you can either turn left and go to McDonald’s, or you can go right and eat at The Twiggs Burger Joint. What would you do?

Moving From Good to Great as a Shop Owner

“Don’t expect victory or defeat. Plan for victory, learn from defeat.” Gary John Bishop 

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 the calendar would change, but his situation remained the same.

Are You Getting Thrown Under the Bus?

“The starting point of success is taking ownership of your failures.”

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!”

How to Get More Buy-In at Your Shop

“When a team takes ownership of the problem, the problem gets solved.” Jocko Willink 

Think back on all your extended vacations. How many times did you take the rental car to the car wash? I conducted an official survey of a select group of leaders who have high attention to detail.

I added their combined total of lifetime rental car washes and placed their numbers into my special spreadsheet. The total came to ZERO!

You have NEVER washed the rental car!  Why?  It’s because you didn’t own it, and you place a higher value on things that you own.

How to Conquer the Car Count Paradox

"The greatest gift to give yourself is the willingness to change your mind." Marianne Williamson

Have you ever seen a fight break out at the dentist’s office? Let’s think about your last visit. The receptionist handed you a card and said, “Your next appointment will be on May 1st.”

She didn’t ask, “would you like to come in on May 1st?” or, “You don’t want to schedule your next appointment, do you?” She just told you the date and assumed you would accept it.

The Difference Between Losing and Being Beaten

“He who chases two rabbits catches neither.” Confucius 

In his book Essentialism, The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, Greg McKeon tells the story of Larry Gelwix, one of the most successful high school rugby coaches in history.

In thirty-five years, his Highland High School Rugby Team compiled a record of 419 wins, 10 losses, and 20 national championships! 

If you played for coach Gelwix, here’s what he would tell you:

The Batting Cage Strategy

“Some defeats are only installments to victory." Jacob Riis 

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is judging the success of your effort by the initial response you get. I was reminded of this as I sat through a 20 Group meeting. Mike Haley, the former hiring class instructor, was the guest speaker on the agenda.

He opened his session by asking about the current state of hiring in the shops. One owner talked about running an employment ad that didn't work. Someone else mentioned having a scheduled interview with a great candidate who didn't show up for the appointment. Then there was another entrepreneur who chimed in about using a head hunter only to have the resulting hire quit on them.

How to Increase the WOW Count at Your Shop

“Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.”  Richard Branson

Imagine that you’re a customer getting your car serviced at your shop. What are the first words that come to mind when you pull up to the curb?  

What’s the first impression you get as you walk up to the counter? How do you feel after interacting with your service advisor? 

Be brutally honest. If you weren’t the owner, would you enthusiastically refer your shop to your friends? If your first words, impressions, and feelings weren’t “WOW,” you would be unlikely to refer.

The Reason Your Shop Meetings Aren't Working

“The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” George Bernard Shaw

I was all in, on-board, and “drinking the Kool-Aid!” As a new district manager of automotive service, I had a just returned from a national meeting where our president clearly communicated the company direction. 

What he said was good for the car, the customer, and the corporation. My next step was to have a meeting with my managers to get their buy-in. 

The Secret to Finding Success When You're Feeling Stuck

“Never take constructive criticism from someone who has never constructed anything.”
Dr. George Frazier

“Harry” is a shop owner in your area. One day he’s walking down the street thinking about his dreams, his dollars, and the upcoming decisions he will have to make at his shop. 

He’s so focused on his future that he fails to notice that there is a hole in the sidewalk. As a result, Harry falls in the hole! 

Harry’s best efforts to climb up result in him falling down! To make matters worse, it’s starting to rain and the water is up to his ankles. (BTW, why does it only rain on the days when you wash your car and fall into a hole?)   

The Fastest Way to Build Trust With Your Customers

It takes twenty years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. Warren Buffett 

"That's outrageous! It's just too much!" Said "Gary,"  the owner of a 2007 Toyota Camry in need of a power steering pump and fluid exchange.

I overheard this conversation as I was listening to the recording of "John," a service writer from Maryland, present the technician's findings. It was painfully obvious that this call was not going well!

How to Lose Your Good Customers Over Price

"There are no price objections; only value questions." Art Sobczak

"I'm losing business because of the pricing matrix!" This statement was made by a shop owner named Rich, during our weekly coaching call. Both his car count and average repair order (ARO) were down from the previous year.

He had two service writers named Steve and Chris. Even though they had the same invoice count, Steve held a 61% parts margin and a $400 ARO, while Chris hovered around 45% and $230.

I had Rich make the "where have you been" calls to determine why people weren't coming back. He spoke to ten customers; five from each writer.

The Key to Attracting Your Ideal Customer

Look at everything as if you were seeing it either for the first or last time. Betty Smith

Several weeks ago I took my car to a local tire retailer to resolve a slow leak. As soon as I arrived at the service counter it became obvious that “Jeff,” the service writer, didn’t want my business.

He didn’t smile, didn’t greet me, but he did say the following: “Sir, I need you to step to the other side of the counter because I’m with a customer.” After several minutes it was my turn and I made him aware of my tire situation.

How to Hire the Right Technician for Your Shop

"Customers will never love a company until the employees love it first.” Simon Sinek 

When it comes to automotive education, "Bill" has more degrees than a thermometer! He's a master certified ASE technician. He also has certifications from Ford and Subaru.

If you were to survey the tool truck drivers and ask them to name the most productive technician in town, they wouldn't have to phone a friend or use a lifeline! They would name Bill.

His white toolbox is bigger than a Buick, and if he ever got a scratch on it, he would replace the entire drawer!

What if Bill knocked on your door today, with the goal of becoming your next "A" technician? Would you hire him?

The Leading Cause of Low Car Count at Your Shop

“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” Anais Nin

He got out of a Ford Crown Victoria with no hubcaps. He had a full shaggy beard, a white t-shirt, jeans with holes in them, and flip flops. It appeared that it had been a while since he last combed his hair!

This is how Dave Ramsey describes his sales prospect, "Chris" in his book EntreLeadership, 20 Years of Practical Business Wisdom from the Trenches. This encounter occurred back when Ramsey sold expensive custom homes as a Real Estate professional.

Something to Consider When You Feel Like Giving Up

"You can never tell how close you are, it may be near when it seems far." John Greenleaf Whittier

Have you ever felt like giving up? "Mike" and "Harry" certainly did. They were frustrated by their general manager's performance failures. He was highly compensated, but his results weren't on par with his pay.

In spite of their best efforts to provide training and coaching, sales were slipping, profits were plummeting, and morale was moving in the wrong direction.

They ran hiring ads to find the right general manager, but only the forklift drivers applied! When they did meet a promising prospect, the candidate would "forget "to show up for the interview! It was truly a frustrating situation.

My Biggest Frustration With Selling Service

“It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so.” Mark Twain

Imagine that “Cliff,” your customer, has dropped off a brown 2007 Toyota Scion with over 115,000 miles. The paint is peeling, the front bumper is missing, and the rear windshield is cracking. If you typed the word “beater” into “Google,” an image of this car would appear!

After conducting a complete courtesy check, you find that it needs over $3,500 worth of work to include front and rear brakes, the valve cover gasket, and a tune-up. Cliff’s reason for bringing the car to you was to have the oil changed and tires rotated.

Your technician has just handed you the courtesy check and complete estimate. It’s time to call Cliff and present your findings.

How to Regain Your Swagger at The Shop

“Skill and confidence are an unconquered army” George Herbert

The year was 2012 and I was frustrated. I was frustrated by the fact that I couldn’t move “Jack.” Jack is a shop owner who was failing to achieve his profit goals. He and I would speak every week, but the results didn’t change.  

We improved his pricing, but never experienced the payoff. We implemented new processes but failed to see the performance. We hired new people but didn’t enhance production. What was I missing?

How to Achieve Relentless Success at Your Shop

“The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement.” Helmut Schmidt

In his book, Relentless, From Good To Great To Unstoppable, Tim Grover tells the story of how he became the personal trainer of choice for professional basketball players in the NBA.

Back in the late 1980s, Tim was a 25-year-old, with no prior experience working with pro athletes. He was hoping to get his big break.

He picked up the phone and contacted the local team offering his performance improvement services. He called all twelve players on the roster leaving messages for them to get back with him. Eleven of the twelve ignored the call.

What Top Shops Never Say and What They Do Instead

 

"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." – Mark Twain

“Jack” owns a shop on the east coast and has two service advisors. The first advisor “Ray” is an automotive industry veteran with over 15 years of experience. He’s been there, done that, and has the tee shirt and coffee mug to prove it! 

The second writer “Craig”, knows nothing about cars and couldn’t change his own oil if his life depended on it! Which one would you hire? Before you answer, allow me to continue the story.

How To Become An Unstoppable Shop Owner This Year

Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.  Robert Collier

Have you ever attended a training class looking for "the silver bullet?" I thought about this as I watched a documentary on legendary football coach Vince Lombardi. Lombardi is considered to be the greatest coach of his era. He would conduct clinics for assistant coaches around the league who were seeking the secret to his success.