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.

How To Keep A Bad Attitude From Impacting Your Shop

How To Keep A Bad Attitude From Impacting Your Shop

By

Eric M. Twiggs

“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” Winston Churchill.

After several months of searching for a service manager, “John”, a local shop owner had finally found “Mr. Right.”  “Steve”, had over 15 years of experience writing service and was most recently working for another ATI shop owner. 

During the interview he said all the right things and had all the right answers.  Steve passed his background check with flying colors.

As a mere formality, John called his old boss named “Bill” for a reference.  Here is how the conversation went:

“Bill, I see that Steve worked for you from January of 2017 to February of 2018.” “Yes” Bill replied. “He says his reason for leaving was that he was relocating because his wife’s new job." “Yes” Said Bill.  

“Great. So, knowing what you know today about Steve, would you hire him back?” To which Bill Replied: “ABSOLUTELY NOT!”

Bill went on for the next ten minutes telling John about how Steve was negative, resistant to change, and always blaming other people for his failures!  Steve’s attitude cost him a career opportunity.   How much has a bad attitude at your shop cost you?

I know what you’re thinking: “But Coach, my manager is only negative with me.  She says the right things to my customers!”

My response can be best summed up by the following quote from John Maxwell: “People hear your words, but they feel your attitude.”  

This explains why someone with a bad attitude can lower your customer retention rate, even if you never receive a complaint.  She seems to say the right things, but your patrons feel her attitude and don’t return. 

Here’s the bottom line:  If your writer is always negative with you, your customer feels it too.   

Negativity at the counter may be costing you more than you realize.  

So, how can you keep a bad attitude from impacting your shop?  Keep reading and you will learn.

Consider The Michelin Method

Early in my automotive career, I worked as a service advisor for a major tire retailer.   I thought it would be cool to work for the Michelin Tire Corporation as a Michelin Representative. 

Based on my research, they spent their time traveling to conferences, conducting training clinics, and hosting plant tours! 

Because of my previous tire experience, I considered myself to be a slam dunk to get a position with their organization.  I embraced the right attitude as I completed the application.

Apparently, Michelin never got the memo, that I was a slam dunk.   They didn’t get the memo, but I got the rejection letter!    After speaking with "Mary" my local Michelin Rep, I discovered that my previous tire experience was the problem! 

According to Mary, the company had a strict policy of not hiring anyone with a background in selling tires.

Why would a tire company refuse someone with tire experience?   Here’s what Mary said: “We hire for attitude and train for aptitude.”  

In other words, on the journey to success, Michelin was looking for people who would bring luggage and not baggage.    Stay with me as I unpack these two terms.

Luggage vs Baggage

While traveling, luggage represents the items you bring with you that are essential to your trip.  It’s portable and easy to travel with.   For example, the army refers to the portable equipment it travels with as luggage. 

Baggage on the other hand, represents those excess items that limit your freedom, progress, and comfort.  Baggage is so difficult to deal with; the airports have created a baggage claim section to free you up.  When was the last time you saw a luggage claim section?

Many of the service managers with automotive experience, bring baggage with them.  They are weighed down with bad habits, limiting beliefs, and all the reasons that your idea won’t work.  

Since you don’t have a baggage claim area at your shop, the next best thing, is to hire for attitude.     

Please make note of the following disclaimers:  1) I have nothing against hiring experienced service managers.  Their experience can be valuable, if they show up with luggage and not baggage. 2) When hiring someone with no automotive background, be prepared to invest the time.  It may take up to six months to bring them up to speed on the basics of the business.

Conclusion

So, there you have it.  When hiring your next service manager, consider the Michelin Method of hiring a qualified person with no industry background.  Also, make sure the next industry veteran you hire is carrying luggage instead of baggage.   

Committing to these steps will keep a bad attitude from impacting your shop.

Sincerely

Eric M. Twiggs

The Accountability Coach

www.autotraining.net

PS. Email etwiggs@autotraining.net to receive a checklist containing The 7 Symptoms of a Bad Attitude.

The Secret To Successful Selling At Your Shop

"We have two ears and one tongue so that we would listen more and talk less." -Diogenes

My interviewer threw me a curve-ball!  I had just graduated from college and was interviewing with a sales manager named “James”, for an outside sales position with a major copy machine company. 

“Sell me this pen!” James demanded, as he slammed the pen on his desk in front of us and awaited my response. 

I responded by creating an imaginary list of all the features the pen had to offer, to include special ink that lasted a lifetime!  “This will be the last pen you ever buy in your life!” I confidently exclaimed. 

I felt good about my selling performance as the interview concluded.  I was sure that I aced “the pen test” and was looking forward to getting a call back.  As I sat by the phone waiting for it to ring, the only sound I heard was the sound of the crickets outside of my window! 

Where did I go wrong?  All of my sales training up to that point had stressed the importance of clearly communicating the features and benefits of the product. 

Several months later, after reading Jeffrey Gitomer’s book The Sales Bible, I realized where I went wrong. Gitomer wrote the following statement that forever changed how I viewed the sales process: 

“Listening is the first commandment of selling.”   And then it hit me.   I had nothing to listen to, because I never asked James any questions related to his need for a pen! 

Was he in the market for a pen?  What did he like about the one he currently uses?  How specifically did he plan to use the pen?   I was so focused on talking that I forgot about listening.

Have you ever been so focused on talking that you forgot to listen? Well, you aren’t alone.  Consider the following research findings of Dr. Ralph Nichols, a pioneer in the field of listening:

“While participating in a conversation, the average person forgets 50% of what the other person is saying immediately after they finish speaking.”

In most conversations, when one person is talking, the other is mentally rehearsing his response, while he waits for his turn to talk.  

Think about your own life for a moment.  How many people can you name that actively listen without interrupting, and give you their undivided attention while you are speaking?  For most people, it’s a short list.

Since the failure to listen is such a prevalent problem, becoming a masterful listener can give you a competitive edge. This makes listening, the secret to successful selling at your shop.  Stay with me to learn two specific ways that you can benefit from becoming a better listener.

Listening Builds Trust

Imagine taking your car to a shop and you tell the writer that you have a 2010 Ford Fusion.   As he is writing you up he asks you “What kind of car was that?”  Later in the transaction, you instruct your advisor to replace the two rear tires, only to find that he has the two front tires circled on the work order! 

You ask him to call you on your cell phone number with updates and realize later, that you have three messages on your home answering machine letting you know that the job won’t be done today as promised!  Based on this interaction, how much trust would you have in this shop? 

Sadly, this scenario occurs every day in shops across America.  How can the customer trust you to be “her mechanic”, when she can’t trust you to remember what she told you about her vehicle?  To build higher levels of trust I recommend that you embrace the habits of note taking and restating.

When the customer is calling, you can use your phone log to write down the necessary details of the conversation.   When she is at your location, use a note pad to write down what she’s saying.

After she has told you about a specific problem, review your notes and restate the problem back to her, to confirm that you were listening.    Embracing these habits can make you her shop of choice, because you will have established the right level of trust. 

Listening Builds Connection

The story is told of a young woman in England who had the opportunity to dine with two political rivals who were running for the office of Prime Minister: William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraell.  

She was later asked to compare her encounters with both gentleman.  What she reported confirms the value of being a great listener.

“When I left the dining room after sitting next to Mr. Gladstone, I felt like he was the most interesting man in the world.  After sitting next to Mr. Disraeli, I felt like I was the most interesting woman in the world!”

Disreali won the election by a landslide, because of his ability to listen and connect.  He allowed her to talk about her favorite subject.   

Your customers and the young lady have the same favorite subject: Themselves!   This is why going out to the vehicle with the customer is such a critical step.  You get the opportunity to listen as she talks about herself.   Asking the right questions is the starting point of the listening process. 

For example, after asking her how long she plans to keep the car, you get to listen as she tells you about how well she maintains it.  After asking about the toddler car seat in the back, you get to listen as she tells you about how well her little son is doing in soccer.

When she feels like she is the most interesting customer in the world, she will vote for you as her shop of choice!  Your ability to listen will build that connection.

Conclusion

So, there you have it.  The opportunity to build trust and connection, makes listening the secret to successful selling at your shop.  I have mixed emotions about failing the pen test. 

On the one hand, I wish I would have asked the right questions to start the listening process.

However, If I had gotten the copier sales job, I may have never started my career in automotive, and I wouldn’t be in position to listen to the recordings of you applying the secret to successful selling!  

Sincerely,

Eric M. Twiggs

The Accountability Coach

www.autotraining.net

PS.  Email etwiggs@autotraining.net to receive the 7 Secrets To Becoming a Masterful Listener!

How To Grow Into A Better Version Of Yourself

How To Grow Into A Better Version Of Yourself

By

Eric M. Twiggs

"I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'" - Muhammad Ali

So, how do you grow into a better version of yourself?  As I ponder this question, I’m reminded of the lobster.

As a lobster starts to grow, its existing shell begins to feel uncomfortable and confining.  The discomfort from the shell creates so much pain, that the lobster casts off the old shell, and produces a new one.  The shell is what protects it from being eaten by predators, so removing it is risky. 

Since its impossible to grow without taking risks, the lobster presses on with its improvement plan.  To minimize the risk, it hides under a rock during the process.   

As it continues to grow, the latest version of the shell gets uncomfortable, forcing it to repeat the process of going under the rock to produce a newer upgrade.  Pain is nature’s way of demanding that the lobster continues to grow. 

It’s painful when your new technician leaves you to return to his old shop.  It’s painful when you have too much month at the end of your money, and making payroll becomes a problem.    It’s painful when your 5 star efforts, result in a 1 star yelp review. 

Here’s the big idea from the lobster story: If you want to grow into a better version of yourself, you must view pain as a necessary part of the process.   

Now, you may be thinking, “Cute story Coach, but you’ve been living under a rock!  Running a successful shop in my area is harder now than ever.  How do I embrace pain as part of the process?” 

Keep reading and you will learn what you can do to grow into a better version of yourself. 

Focus On The Other Side

In his book The Tools, Transform Your Problems into  Courage, Confidence, and Creativity, Phil Stutz writes about a conversation he had with his high school football playing class mate, who was considered to be the best running back in the city.  

He had achieved the distinction of first team All-City, and had numerous scholarship offers to prove it.  He was explaining to Phil how he’d achieved this honor.  What he had to say was shocking.

He told Phil that he wasn’t the fastest running back in town.   He mentioned that others around the city were stronger than him.  It was his attitude about getting hit that separated him from the pack.  

When he got the ball, he would run towards the nearest tackler and absorb the hit, no matter how much it hurt.

Many of the other backs were more skilled, but they avoided contact out of fear.  His mindset helped to overcome the difference in skillset.  

His goal was to get into the end zone, so he knew that what he wanted was on the other side of the pain.

What’s In It For You?

I know of service advisors who would rather “run out of bounds” than make a CSI call to a lost customer.  I know of service managers who “slide” to avoid the pain of having their sales presentation videotaped in the advanced sales class. 

I know of shop owners who would love to “hand off” the opportunity to have their 20 group members visit their shop and critique their operation.   

What does your end zone look like?   Like the running back, it resides on the other side of the pain.   

For example, getting through the pain of the CSI call will give you the opportunity to get into the end zone of happier customers.  Getting through the pain of the practice video will improve your selling process, and get you into the end zone of additional gross profit. 

Getting through the pain of the shop visits, will improve your overall operations, and get you into the end zone of improved efficiency.  

The happier customers, additional gross profit, and improved efficiency, would be the result of you becoming a better version of yourself. 

Summary

So, there you have it.   The lobster can’t grow without first experiencing pain.  If you focus on what’s on the other side of the pain, you will grow into a better version of yourself, and experience the results that come with it. 

Sincerely,

Eric M. Twiggs

The Accountability Coach

www.autotraining.net

PS.  Email etwiggs@autotraining.net to receive a checklist of 7 Painful Practices That Will Improve Your Profits!

50 First Days! How To Know If You've Made A Bad Hire

50 First Days! How To Know If You've Made A Bad Hire

By

Eric M. Twiggs

“For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong.”  H.L. Menken

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 has finally found the right girl.

But there’s one slight problem.  Lucy suffers from short term memory loss, and can’t remember anything that happened from the previous day.  As a result, every date is like the first date.  Even though Harry says the same things each day, Lucy is always hearing it for the first time. 

Does your recent experience with your latest hire, feel like 50 First “Days?”  Each day you talk about making exit appointments, but it’s like she’s hearing it for the first time.  Each day you review the courtesy check process, but it’s like he’s hearing it for the first time. 

Each day, you talk about collecting email addresses, but it’s like they’re hearing it for the first time.  Like Henry, you initially felt like you found the right one, but now you feel like every day is their first day. 

It’s possible that you’ve made a bad hire.  But how can you know for sure?    Studies show that a bad hire can cost a shop as much as six times the employee’s salary, so the sooner you find out the better!     

As you read on you will learn the “head, heart, hands” evaluation method, that can help you answer this question.   

Head

Years ago, I worked as a corporate trainer for a national automotive service corporation.  One of the classes that I facilitated was phone training. 

At the end of each session, the students had to demonstrate via role play, that they knew how to answer the phones and follow the phone outline.  The role plays were then graded on a scale of 0-100.

I remember one student named “Jeff” who was my best student. He passed the final exercise with a perfect score of 100%.  In the following weeks Jeff, my star student, went back to his location and failed his next three phone shops! 

Every day was like his first day when it came to executing the phone process.    His manager “Jim” blamed training as the issue, and wanted to send him back through my sessions again.  I disagreed, because Jeff demonstrated through the role plays that he knew what to do. 

When evaluating whether it’s a head issue, the question is “Does your employee know what to do?”  If the employee can demonstrate the task, then the answer is yes.  If after repeated training and follow up, he’s still unable to do it, then it’s possible that you have hired someone who doesn’t have the aptitude for the job.

Therefore, I recommend creating random role plays for those tasks that aren’t getting executed, even though you keep telling them to do it. In other words: “When it feels like their first day, it’s time to role play!”

Heart

Back when I was a store manager, I had a meeting with my team to discuss the courtesy check process.  I went through all the information as to why it was good for the car, the customer, and the company.  I also reviewed how they could make more money. 

I felt like the message was clear, until one of my technicians interrupted me mid-sentence with the following statement: “Yeah Eric, I hear all that, but what’s really in it for me to fill out these courtesy checks?”    To which I replied: “You get the benefit of continuing to work here!” 

After that, I never had another issue with his courtesy checks!   I had addressed the following heart question: “Does your employee know why he is doing it?”  In other words what is their motivation to perform the task? 

Studies show that people are motivated by either approach or avoidance, when it comes to their behavior.  Approach means that doing the task will help them to approach something they want. 

For example, completing the courtesy check will help your tech to make more money.   Someone who is motivated by avoidance, is looking to avoid the consequences of not performing the task.  The technician at my meeting was looking to avoid termination, which motivated him to execute.   

What if you’ve addressed the head issue, the benefits, the consequences, and it still feels like their first day?  In this case, it’s possible that the person has a limiting belief that they are unwilling to overcome.  This is the most common heart issue that I encounter, and it’s a sure sign that you have made a bad hire. 

Hands

When I think about the hands issue, I’m reminded of another situation I encountered back when I was a corporate trainer.  Myself and several other company executives where sent out to Northern New Jersey because a disgruntled employee at a troubled location had filed a grievance with the local labor union.    

I was sure that the disgruntled employee had either a head or a heart issue.  I was planning to provide training, and then follow up with the location manager to ensure that he was providing the right levels of motivation.  What I found, took me by surprise. 

The union drive, which made national news, was started because of a tire technician who didn’t have the right tool to perform flat repairs.   He kept telling his manager, but his requests went ignored.   He knew what to do, (head) why he should do it, (heart) but lacked the right tool to do the job. (hands)   

Here’s the hand question: “Does your employee have the necessary tools and resources to do the job?”  For example, if you are coaching your technician on productivity, and you believe he has a hands issue, a great question to ask is: “what do you need from me to help you improve your productivity?” 

If he says, “I need you to get the lift fixed in bay number three”, you know you have a hands issue.  If your new “B” tech knows what to do, why he’s doing it, has the right tools, but still averages 5 billed hours during a 40-hour work week, you just made a bad hire!   

Summary

So, there you have it.  If every day feels like your employees first day, check the head, heart, and hands before concluding that you’ve made a bad hire.  If you follow this formula, it won’t take 50 first dates to know the difference between Mr. Right and Mr. Right Now!

Eric M. Twiggs

The Accountability Coach

www.autotraining.net

PS.  Email etwiggs@autotraining.net to receive a special head, heart, hands checklist to help you determine if you’ve made the right hiring decision. 

How To Close More Sales At Your Shop

How To Close More Sales At Your Shop

By

Eric M. Twiggs

“In the province of the mind, what one believes to be true either is true or becomes true” John Lilly

There’s a familiar story that is told of a new insurance agent named “Jack” who was struggling to make sales.  He would contact ten leads and come away with ten rejections. 

He believed that business was slow due to the bad economy in his area, and the fact that many of his customers were focused on getting their kids back to school.   I’m sure his insurance vendors told him, “everybody’s slow.”

To change his luck, he scheduled a meeting with “Bill” the leading sales expert in town.    Bill agreed to provide Jack with ten of his most qualified leads on the condition that he contact them immediately and report back to him with the results. 

The following week Jack met Bill at his office to provide the update.  “Bill, those were excellent leads!” said Jack “I sold policies to eight out of the ten referrals you gave me.  Thank you for giving me such great leads. Do you have any more?”     

Bill smiled and replied, “I’m very busy right now, but I’ll be glad to give you my main lead supply source, so you can start calling on your own.”  “Great!” Jack replied. “If they’re your leads, I know they will be good!”

Jack’s facial expressions changed as Bill handed him a big yellow book.  As it turns out, the leads weren’t qualified.   Bill had picked ten random names out of the phone book for Jack to call! 

Here’s the big takeaway: Jack’s results changed once his beliefs changed.  Now you may be thinking, “That’s a cute story Coach, but what does this have to do with me?”   Well, think of a business result that you’re unhappy with.   There’s probably a limiting belief that’s the root cause of your problem.  

Here are some common examples: Car Count: “ I’m in a small town and my customers don’t like to schedule exit appointments.”  Sales: “I’ll lose new customers if I tell them everything I found on the estimate.     Gross Profit: “I’ll lose my good customers if I raise my labor rate.”

I have some good news:  If you change your limiting beliefs, you will close more sales at your shop.  If you plan to change your beliefs, you must change your assumptions.  Keep reading to learn two specific changes that will help you to close more sales. 

Change Your Assumptions About People

Several months ago, a man with worn out clothes and a beggar’s cup sat in front of a church as the members of the congregation were gathering for the Sunday service. 

Although several members greeted him with kind words, their gestures, tone of voice, and body language told a different story.   They looked at him with pity, and made an obvious effort to avoid extended conversation and physical contact.   

Later during the service, The Pastor introduced the guest speaker for the morning, and to everyone’s surprise, it was the same homeless looking man they passed when entering the building!  At the end of the service, the members embraced him, and encouraged him to come back. 

This Minister had a habit of visiting churches in disguise just to see how he would be treated.    He was saddened to realize that his earlier interactions with the congregation were based on their inaccurate assumptions.    

What would happen if a wealthy customer visited your shop wearing worn out clothes, while driving an older vehicle with 200,000 miles on it?   You could say the right things, but your gestures, tone of voice, and body language, would tell a different story. 

It’s possible, that your buyer says he doesn’t have the money because you’re treating him like he doesn’t have the money.    

It’s possible that your customer doesn’t like the exit appointment, because you presented it with the assumption that she doesn’t like the exit appointment. 

I would attribute much of Jack’s sales success to a subtle change in his tone when he assumed the sales leads came from the sales guru.  If you change your assumptions about people, you can change your results as well!

Change Your Assumption About Problems

I recall interviewing a service manager candidate who had worked in three shops in the last three years.  When I asked him why he left the first shop, he said it was because of he had problems with his co-workers.

I asked about the second shop, he said he had a problem with the general manager.  For the third shop he said he had a problem with the owner. 

It was at this point that I felt the need to invoke “The Bob Principle” that was coined by John C Maxwell in his book Winning With People: “When Bob has a problem with everybody, Bob is usually the problem!”

The main reason “Bob” was unemployed, was that he assumed his problems were outside of his control.  If he would have worked on fixing “the man in the mirror”, he would still be working.

The key to closing more sales at your shop, is to assume that all sales problems are your fault.  When it’s the customers fault you can make excuses, but when it’s your fault you can achieve excellence.   

For example, when it’s your fault, you will send more digital pictures.  When it’s your fault you will visit the car with the customer.  When it’s your fault you will spend at least five minutes a day watching a sales training video.  Changing your assumption about problems can change everything!   

Conclusion

So, there you have it. If you commit to changing your assumptions about people and problems, you will close more sales at your shop.  Embracing a belief that doesn’t line up with your goals is just as crazy as looking through the phone book for qualified sales leads!

Sincerely,

Eric M. Twiggs

The Accountability Coach

www.autotraining.net

PS.  Email me at etwiggs@autotraining.net to receive the latest service advisor Standard Operating Procedures, (SOP’s) that will help you close more sales at your shop.