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 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 Profit From Your Biggest Problem

“Don’t be upset by the results you didn’t get from the work you didn’t do.”  

The San Antonio Spurs are one of the most successful franchises in professional basketball.  They’ve won five NBA Championships and have the highest regular season winning percentage in league history.  

With all their success, the Spurs still have the same big problem as you.

The Surprising Secret of the Influential Leader

The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place. - George Bernard Shaw

Jimmy Johnson was the head football coach of the Dallas Cowboys from 1989 through 1994.  He had a reputation for being a no nonsense, disciplinarian who was tough on his players.

Falling asleep during one of his meetings was considered a “career limiting move.”  Everyone knew this.  Everyone, except for a backup linebacker named John Roper.  

Getting The Best Performance From Your People

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.”  John Quincy Adams

A Shop Owner named “George” was meeting with his General Manager, named “Ed.”   

Normally, they would have their Monday one on one meetings at George’s office, but this particular day was different.  George decided that a field trip was in order.

He took Ed out to this gorgeous field.  As they walked, George pointed to the blue ocean to their left. As they continued to walk, he directed Ed’s attention to the breathtaking mountains to their right.   

The Secret To Building Momentum At Your Shop

“Slow, steady progress is better than daily excuses.” Robin Sharma

In 1995, Mike Tyson was released from prison after serving a three year sentence.  His promoter Don King, was eager to help him regain his title as boxing’s Heavy Weight Champion of the World.

   

For his first fight, King arranged for Tyson to fight an unranked, lowly regarded boxer, named Peter McNeely.  It took “Iron Mike” eighty nine seconds to knock out his over matched opponent.   

How to Master The Art of Persuasion

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou

What’s possible if you become a master of persuasion?  As I ponder this question, I’m reminded of something that happened back when I was a shop manager in need of a new car.  

The shop was 45 minutes away from home, so I was looking for a reliable and dependable vehicle.

The plan was to get a car that I could drive until the wheels fell off!

How To Grow When They Say It's Slow

   

"Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heaven for?" - Robert Browning

     

“My tool guy says that everybody’s slow!” Said “Katie”, the service manager of a local repair shop.   She was averaging $12,000 per week in sales which was a 16% decrease when compared to the previous year. 

Katie went on to tell me: “It’s a tough economy, and we’re in the fall season,  but I’m sure things will pick up as we get closer to the holiday's.

My initial instinct was to believe her since she had a good reputation in her community and a track record of previous success. 

The Best Kept Secret To Increasing Your Car Count

“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” – Bill Gates

Are you frustrated by the decrease in car count that came with your increase in Google AdWords?   Does it feel like you’re flushing money down the drain with each marketing campaign?

In his book titled, Sticky Church, Larry Osborne communicates a similar frustration. 

Osborne is a church pastor who struggled to grow his membership.   Back in 1980, he had a congregation consisting of 128 members.

How To Experience Victory In The Valley

“The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely to be the one who dropped it.”  Lou Holtz

The story is told of a traveler who was on a journey from one village to another.  As he was walking, he noticed a monk tilling the ground.  He asked the monk the following question:

“I’m traveling from the village in the mountains to the village in the valley and I was wondering if you knew what it was like in the valley?  “What was your experience in the mountains like?” asked the monk.

How To Charge An Upscale Price Without Upsetting Your Patrons

“Today’s consumers do not buy just products or services. Their purchase decisions revolve around buying into an idea and an experience.” Mckinsey

So there I was.  I had just arrived in Florida for a weekend getaway, and checked into my hotel.  The bad news was that it was getting late, and I was getting hungry. 

The good news was that my hotel had an in-house restaurant, and it was a premium steak house. I knew it was upscale because the waiters each had on white jackets, that resembled a lab coat, and the chef cooked the meal right in front of you.

How To Achieve A Positive Outcome In A Negative Environment

"Turning pro is a mindset.  If we are struggling with fear, self-sabotage, procrastination, self-doubt, etc., the problem is we are thinking like amateurs. ” Steven Pressfield

How do you achieve a positive outcome in a negative environment?  To answer this question, it helps to understand the concept of home field advantage.   In the sports world, teams that play in front of their home crowd, have a better chance of winning than the visiting road opponent.  

How To Prevent A Blowout in Your Bank Account

“It is the neglect of timely repair that makes rebuilding necessary.  Richard Whately

“This tire is defective!  I want to talk to the manager!”  This is what I overheard at the service counter while conducting a shop visit back when I was a district manager for a national automotive chain. I won’t tell you the name of the organization, but I will say that the employees had a lot of “Pep” in their step!

My anxiety levels increased as I heard the service advisor confidently proclaim, “Sir, the manager is off today, but my district manager, Eric Twiggs is here!”   The customer’s name was “Larry”, he drove a grey Lexus, and he had an angry look on his face.

How To Become An Irrelevant Shop

"When you're finished changing, you're finished." Ben Franklin

Now that I have your attention, imagine that you’ve just landed in an unfamiliar town where you don’t know anyone, and you lack access to a rental car.  To make matters worse, your hotel doesn’t offer a shuttle to pick you up.  What would you do? Catch a bus? Catch a train? Hitch a ride? 

This was my predicament while vacationing with the family in South Carolina.  Since I got out voted on the idea of exploring the adventures of hitch hiking, I decided to use my phone instead of my thumb to get us a ride!  This was my opportunity to experience Uber.

Overcoming Your Biggest Obstacle To Success At The Shop

Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.  Napoleon Hill

What’s the biggest barrier that’s blocking your path to success?  As I ponder this question, I’m reminded of a story shared by author Ryan Holiday.

In his book The Obstacle is The Way,  Holiday shares the story about a King from the ancient times, who conducted an interesting experiment with his subjects.

How To Bridge The Celebrity Gap At Your Shop

"A man without a smiling face must not open a shop."  Chinese Proverb

Do you have a celebrity gap at your shop?   “Dan”, a shop owner from the Midwest, has one.  A few weeks back on a 100 degree afternoon, a customer named “Sarah”, arrived at his location with the following request, 

“I just blew my right front tire, and I don’t have any cash on me. Can someone help me put my spare on?  I’ll come back and pay when I get off of work.”

To which Dan replied: “Ma’am, I’m sorry but the charge for that service is $20.00! I gotta make money somehow!”  What Dan didn’t know was that Sarah was a “celebrity” within her network.  

Are You A "Hot" Shop Owner?

“I am constantly in a crisis to get to the next version of myself.” Ed Mylett

During my recent trip to Dallas Texas, I was a HOT coach.   I touched down at 10am and it was already 95 degrees!  My first order of business was to get to my room to cool down.  Upon arrival, I sadly discovered that the AC was turned off! 

I turned it on and set the thermostat to 72 degrees.  By the time I got back to my room during the early afternoon, the outside temperature was 107 degrees!  Since my thermostat was set for 72, the room temperature adjusted down to the pre-set level. 

How To Get The Jump On Your Competition

Average leaders raise the bar on themselves; good leaders raise the bar for others; great leaders inspire others to raise their own bar.  Orrin Woodward

Have you ever wondered what you could do to get the jump on your competition?  The answer came to me as I was watching a video presentation that was conducted by motivational speaker Gary Ryan Blair   where he provided the following detailed data on the sporting event known as the competitive high jump.  

During the competition, a bar is placed between two poles and the athlete is challenged to jump over it to the other side. 

How To Think Like A Top Shop Owner

“Never surrender to your own satisfaction” Tim S. Grover

When I was growing up, one of my favorite basketball players was Earvin “Magic” Johnson, who played for the Los Angeles Lakers. He could look in one direction while throwing an accurate pass to a teammate on the opposite side of the court.  But that’s not why I liked him.

He had the guts to take the game winning shot, with the championship on the line.  But that’s not why I liked him.  He was a leader on the court whose presence made everyone better.  But that’s not why I liked him.