Are You A Victim Of Your Business?

Are You A Victim Of Your Business?

By

Eric M. Twiggs

  

“99% of all failures come from people who have a habit of making excuses.”  George Washington Carver

In chapter two of their book Extreme Ownership, former Navy Seals Jocko Willink and Leif Babin wrote about their experience initiating Navy Seal officer candidates.  The final week of testing was referred to as “hell week”.   They observed an interesting trend during one of the hell week sessions. 

As part of their initiation, the candidates were divided into six, seven-man boat crews that competed in a series of races against each other.  Out of the six teams, boat crew #2 won every race in the series while crew #6 finished dead last each time.  The leader of crew #6 blamed his crew members and his crew members blamed each other. 

He believed that the winning leader was lucky, because he inherited a better team which gave him an unfair advantage.  To resolve this debate, Babin swapped boat leaders sending the leader of crew #2 to boat #6 and vice versa.   After making the change they resumed the races.  What do you think happened next?

You guessed it, with the new leader in place, the losing boat crews luck suddenly changed!  Boat crew #6 went from worst to first by winning the rest of their races, with crew #2 finishing second. Why did such a small change make a big difference? The winning leader took full responsibility for everything that happened on his boat.  The leader of the losing boat pointed the finger at his people as the reason for his failure.   

Here’s the big takeaway: You won’t feel accountable for your results until you become responsible for your reasons.   What “reasons” are holding you back from success?   Here are the most common examples that I hear: “The vendors say that all the shops in my area are slow.” “There aren’t any good technicians in my market.”  “Eric, you need to visit me, so you can see that my customers are different.”

During my career as a district manager, I would replace a shop manager who made one of these statements with a new leader, and suddenly the losing location would start winning.    Since they embraced their reasons, both the boat leader and shop manager were playing the role of the victim.

Are you a victim of your business?  Stay with me to learn two strategies that can help you move from victim to victor.   

Practice “My Fault Management”

I was speaking with a shop owner recently who was complaining about the state of his business.  He went on for twenty minutes telling me all about the mild winter, his bad local economy, and the industry shortage on technicians.   I asked him to tell me one thing he had done in the past week to improve business and the line went silent! 

Before I could hang up and dial 911, he admitted that he hadn’t done anything to improve his business. And, why would he?    Since he didn’t believe he was responsible, he didn’t feel accountable.  He was a victim of his business.   

The solution is to assume that everything that happens in your business is your fault.  This is what’s known as “my fault management.”  Phones not ringing? Your fault!  Now that your responsible, you will be motivated to adjust your marketing efforts.  Customers declining your estimates? Your fault!  Now that you’ve taken the blame, you will be more likely to start practicing the sales process.

Don’t have the right techs?  Your fault!  Now that its your fault, you will be more inclined to post a hiring banner and commit to the minimum number of interviews you will conduct each month.  The sooner you take the blame, the faster you’ll experience the gain. 

Establish a Winning Culture

After reading about the boats, I was left with the following question: How was boat crew #2 still able to finish in second place, even after losing their great leader?  And then it hit me.  It was because the leader had established a winning culture.  A sure sign of a winning culture is that people do the right things whether the leader is present or not.

When a winning behavior is ingrained in your culture, it becomes a natural part of what you do.  For example, the Les Schwab Tire Company has been a consistent winner in the automotive industry when comes to customer satisfaction Index scores. 

The service advisors have been trained to run out to the car to greet the customer in the parking lot.   This behavior has been talked about so much during their meetings and training sessions, that it happens whether the boss is watching or not.  Everyone understands, that if you want to work for Les Schwab, you run to the car.   It’s what they do. 

As you attempt to build a winning culture, keep in mind that what you do speaks louder than what you say.  The losing boat leader played the blame game and so did his people.   This makes practicing my fault management critical to establishing a winning culture.

Summary

So, there you have it.  Practicing my fault management and establishing a winning culture will help you to move from victim to victor.    If you aren’t taking extreme ownership, you’re missing the boat. 

Eric M. Twiggs

The Accountability Coach

www.autotraining.net

PS.  Looking to establish a winning culture, but don’t know where to start?  Email etwiggs@autotraining.net to receive the five keys to a winning culture. 

The One Critical Skill You Need To Succeed

 The One Critical Skill You Need To Succeed

By

Eric M. Twiggs

“Familiarity doesn’t breed contempt.  It breeds comfort.”  Howard Tullman

What is your picture of success?  In his book Originals: How Non-Conformists Move The World, Adam Grant uses the photo as a metaphor to answer this question.  On page seventy-seven, he communicates an interesting comparison between regular and inverted photos.

An inverted photo image is the same image you would see of yourself if you were looking in the mirror.  Tests were done with a group of people who were asked to look at both regular and inverted pictures of themselves and their friends.

They were then asked to choose which pictures they preferred.  The participants were required to pick at least one photo of themselves and one of their friends. 

When it came to their friends, people chose the regular images, but when selecting their own pictures, they chose the inverted/ mirror image every time!  So why did this happen and what does this have to do with you?

Well, this experiment proved that people tend to develop a preference for something merely because its familiar to them.  

The participants preferred their own mirror image while choosing the regular image of their friends because both represent what they saw the most.   This is known as the exposure effect. 

This applies whether you’re choosing photography or communicating your philosophy.     Since people prefer what they are familiar with, constantly repeating your message to the listener will increase their level of familiarity with your ideas. 

So, here’s the one critical skill you need:  The skill of finding different ways to say the same thing.  Stay with me to learn how this applies to both your people and your patrons. 

Your People

It’s no coincidence that I started with your people.  I agree with billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson when he says that your people come before your customers because if you take care of people, they in turn will take care of the customer. 

Constantly repeating your customer service philosophy, will increase the likelihood that your employees will execute the mission.

As I mentioned earlier, the key is to find different ways to say the same thing. Let’s say your goal is to communicate the fact that exceptional customer service is your top priority.

You can start with your monthly meeting where you publicly recognize those who go above and beyond to exceed expectations.  Since you tend to get more of whatever behavior you reward, recognizing exceptional customer service will inspire others to go the extra mile.  

Next, you schedule weekly one on ones where you review CSI scores and discuss strengths and improvement opportunities.  From there,conduct daily morning huddle meetings where you recognize the top performers from the previous day and set expectations for the current day. 

The combination of the daily, weekly and monthly meetings, and your formal recognition program, have given you several different ways to say the same thing.  It’s easier for your people to execute when they are familiar with the message. 

Your Patrons

Studies show that the average consumer is getting inundated with over 3500 marketing messages a day.   TV commercials, radio spots, email newsletters, billboard signs, text message promos, and your oil change mailer, are all competing for your customer’s attention. 

Patrons with an overwhelming number of choices, will default to the familiar option.  Therefore, it’s critical to “touch” them a minimum of nine to twelve times throughout the year with marketing messages to avoid being lost in the fog. 

Calling Mrs. Jones with the Honda twelve times in the next twelve days may lead to you getting served with a restraining order! 

 This makes finding different ways to send the same message important.  Always calling may feel excessive, but a “thank you” call, Facebook post, email blast, text reminder, and blog post, will keep you top of mind and keep you from looking like a stalker.

These different modes of marketing allow you to communicate your philosophy, and for your patrons to become familiar with your offerings.   When they have a service need, they will be more likely to choose you.

Conclusion

In the book, I mentioned earlier, Adam Grant points out that people need to be exposed to an idea anywhere from ten to twenty times before they like it.

This makes finding different ways to say the same things to your people and patrons the one critical skill you need to succeed. 

When I did the above-mentioned picture experiment, I chose my inverted photo and the regular picture of you becoming a Top Shop!

Sincerely,

Eric M. Twiggs

The Accountability Coach

www.autotraining.net

PS.  Struggling to find different ways to say the same things to your patrons?  Email etwiggs@autotraining.net to receive my PowerPoint presentation titled: “Mastering The Fundamentals of Car Count.”

How To Maintain Your Momentum

How To Maintain Your Momentum

By

Eric M. Twiggs

“Nothing fails like success. Because when you are at the top, it’s so easy to stop doing the very things that brought you to the top” Robin Sharma

Imagine for a moment that you’re a NASA astronaut.  Just being selected makes you a success, considering they only pick one person for every six hundred applications received.  The years of study, service, and sacrifice have finally paid off, and now it’s time for your mission. 

You strap into your seat, adjust your gauges and prepare for take-off.   In your headset, you hear “five, four, three, two, one, liftoff!”

The rocket shoots in the air and you are headed for the skies!   Before you reach outer space, you make a fateful decision.   You decide to take your finger off the jets and start coasting, believing you have already made it to the next level. 

Sadly, your miscalculation of the how much momentum you needed, would cause you to come crashing back to earth.   You may be thinking: “Cute story Coach, but what does this have to do with me?”

Like the astronaut, you’ve invested years of study, service and sacrifice, to get where you are.  You have profit in your pocket, and making payroll is no longer a problem. 

According to a recent Forbes Magazine study, 67% of small business owners are either breaking even or losing money so like the astronaut, you’ve beaten the odds.    As a shop owner, you are flying higher than you ever thought possible.  

Here’s the big takeaway from the rocket illustration:  You’re either pressing forward or plunging backwards.  Therefore, bad things happen when you take your finger off the jets.  So, what can you do to maintain your momentum?  Don’t take-off before I explain! 

Play The “What If” Game

Back when I was a district manager, I recall experiencing a period of success that caused me to ease up.   I was winning awards because of our KPI rankings, and was fully staffed in each location. Since I had the right people in place, I put my habits of running ads and visiting competitors on hold.

But everything changed when my best manager, who was running my most difficult location, handed me his resignation letter.   Since I had stopped searching and sourcing, it took six months to find a qualified replacement. 

Thus, I had to spend more time at this location, which caused me to lose focus on the bigger picture.  Since I stopped pressing forward, the district started plunging backwards.  This experience taught me to always play “the what if” game.

On a weekly basis, I asked myself the following question: “What if I lost my best manager tomorrow? Answering this question every week, kept me from getting comfortable and forced me to prepare for the worst-case scenario. 

Here are some “what if” questions for you: “What if your best technician never comes back from his lunch break today?” “What if you experienced an emergency that forced you to be away from your shop for thirty days?” “What if you lost your best and biggest fleet account?” 

Playing the weekly "what if" game will motivate you to keep your finger on the jets!

Set 90 Day Stretch Goals

We use the benchmarks in the ATI portal to establish stretch goals. Every 90 days we review your performance in comparison to these benchmarks.  I once had a client named “Kim” and every quarter, she was either meeting or exceeding her sales target. 

I would suggest that we increase the goal, and she would always push back, saying the new target was too aggressive.  After five minutes of debate, she would give in and I would “raise the bar.” 

We engaged in this healthy debate every quarter for two years until one day we realized she had doubled her weekly sales volume!  The debates ended as she looked at her completely green portal screen.    Having the stretch goal motivated Kim to keep reaching for the next level. 

What are you reaching for?  I challenge you to establish at least three specific & measurable goals you expect to accomplish within the next 90 days.   If you’re struggling to come up with goals, try beginning with the end in mind. 

Here’s how it works: Imagine that it’s February 16^th 2017, and you’re bragging about having the best quarter in the history of your business.  What three things would need to happen for you to feel this way?

Summary

So, there you have it.  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that playing the what if game, and setting 90 day stretch goals will help you to maintain your momentum.      I challenge you to keep reaching for the next level.  You may not get to the moon, but you will be surrounded by stars!

Sincerely,

Eric M. Twiggs

The Accountability Coach

www.autotraining.net

PS. Looking to set 90 day goals but don’t know where to begin?  Email etwiggs@autotraining.net and I will send you a goal setting tool to help you analyze the eight key areas of your life. 

Are You Focused On Your Sweet Spot?

Are You Focused On Your Sweet Spot?

By

Eric M. Twiggs

“To compete on a world class level, you need to accentuate your strengths. Focus on the things you're good at and let someone else do the rest.”  Robert Herjavec

Watching the second game of the NBA Finals on Sunday, reminded me of an interview that was done with basketball coaching legend John Wooden.   Coach Wooden is considered to be the greatest coach of all time in any sport.  His UCLA Bruin teams won ten national championships in twelve years and he was named national coach of the year six times. 

Typically, when a player goes up in levels of competition, his shooting percentage goes down.  For example, if someone makes 50% of his shots at the high school level, he evolves into a 45% shooter in college.  The combination of higher stakes and better defenders tends to lower his success rate.  This however was not the case when it came to the players Wooden coached.

On average, his people shot a higher percentage with him at the college level than they did in high school!  How was he able to buck the trend?  The answer was revealed in the interview.

In his book The 5 Levels of Leadership, John Maxwell recalls the interview he conducted with the legendary coach.   Wooden mentioned that many of his players were average shooters when they entered the program.

He knew each of them had a specific spot on the floor where they shot the best, and designed plays for them accordingly.   Anyone who shot outside of their spot on the floor earned a seat next to him on the bench!   In other words, he focused on their sweet spot.

You have earned your seat next to me on the bench if you can relate to any of the following scenarios:

• You’re trying to convert your diagnostic technician, who doesn’t get along with anyone, into your next service writer. 
• You can’t understand why your bookkeeper, who doesn’t like people, isn’t following through with making follow up calls.
• You still have a flip phone, but have designated yourself as “the social media guru” for your shop!

Read on and you will learn two strategies to help you focus on the sweet spot, so that you get yourself back in the game.   

Bird Based Hiring

According to research conducted by Dr. Gary Couture, everyone fits into one of four personality types named after the following birds: Eagle, Peacock, Owl, and Dove.    The eagle is driven, thrives on confrontation, and focuses more on results than relationships.  The peacock is people oriented, assertive, and lacks concern for the details.

The owl is analytical, detail oriented, and prefers projects over people.  The dove is sensitive, caring, and wants to avoid confrontation whenever possible.  Bird based hiring will allow you to place people in their sweet spot.

Hiring an owl to be your service writer would be like coach Wooden asking his best inside player to be an outside shooter. On the other hand, hiring the peacock as your service writer would put him in his sweet spot, since peacocks tend to be people oriented. 

A dove may not be the best fit for the general manager role.  Their high levels of sensitivity would make it hard to maintain accountability. The eagle would be the better choice because they have an easier time with making unpopular decisions, as a result of their desire to win at all costs. 

This is why I recommend having all hiring prospects take the wonderlic personality test beforehand. Matching the bird with the role, will help you fly towards your goal. 

Blind Spot Awareness

If reading this has brought you to the realization that you’re in the wrong role, don’t panic.   A key to your success is becoming aware of your shortcomings. The good news is that once you become aware of your blind spots, you can make the necessary adjustments.

If you are an “owl” shop owner, who is writing service, replacing yourself with a peacock will free you up to focus on the analysis you enjoy.   If you’re a dove, who’s currently in the general manager role, having an eagle as your second in command, can give you more time to operate in your sweet spot of customer service management. 

 Knowing your weaknesses also gives you the opportunity to adjust your behavior to suit the requirements of the role.  If behaving outside of your normal tendencies doesn’t work for you, then finding a role that’s a natural fit is the solution. 

Just taking the personality profile test, doesn’t make you aware of your blind spots.  Reviewing the results and working through the next steps is critical and will bring you to the following fork in the road:  Either change your behaviors or find a role that’s in tune with your natural sweet spot. 

Conclusion

So there you have it.    If you want to get better as you go to the next level, finding your sweet spot is the key.   Bird based hiring and blind spot awareness will give you the best shot!  Are you focused on your sweet spot?

Eric M. Twiggs

The Accountability Coach

www.autotraining.net

PS.  Having trouble finding your sweet spot?  Email etwiggs@autotraining.net and I will send you my four birds checklist.

The Accountability Myth

The Accountability Myth

By

Eric M. Twiggs

"Accountability is the glue that ties commitment to the result" Bob Proctor

John Wooden was the legendary coach of the UCLA Bruins.  His basketball teams won 88 games in a row and 10 national championships!  Bill Walton was the best player on the team and one of the best in the country.  Wooden had a rule in place where he didn’t allow his players to grow a beard. 

Everyone around the program knew “the no beard rule" was considered to be a non-negotiable.  Unfortunately, Bill Walton didn't get the memo!  The story is told that he showed up to practice one day, after a two-week break sporting a beard.    Let's peek into the practice session to see what happens next.   

"Now Bill, did you forget something?"  Walton replied: " Coach, if you're talking about my beard; I grew it, I like it, and I plan to keep it!"  "Bill, is that something you feel strongly about?"  " Yes it is coach!" Wooden then asks:  "Is this something you truly believe in?"  "Yes, it's my right to have it!" said Bill with a loud voice.

Coach Wooden's next response gives us a hint as to why he's a legend:  "Bill, I respect people who stand up for what they believe in. I admire your conviction.   And Bill, the team is really going to miss you." 

At that moment, Walton went to the locker room, shaved his beard, and went back to practice with the rest of the players.  John Wooden recognized the following truth, that applies to your shop:  What you allow is what will continue. 

Even though Wooden never used profane language or yelled at his players, he was known for his ability to hold people accountable.  His story pokes holes in "the accountability myth."

I often speak with shop leaders who feel they can’t hold people to task because they lack an aggressive personality. "I need to be like George Zeeks" is what they say.   Here's the definition of the accountability myth:   It's the incorrect belief that holding someone accountable means you have to yell, scream, and act like a tyrant to get results.

Accountability is the byproduct of consistency, not tyranny.   So how can you use this to hold your people accountable?  Keep reading and you will learn two keys that will help you to maximize the power of consistency.

Consistent Time

Having your meetings on the same day & time creates accountability.  Imagine having a weekly one on one every Tuesday at 7am, where you review how many exit appointments were scheduled.   At the end of the meeting you ask your writer how many appointments she will have scheduled and what she will do to improve by next week.

Even if you never raised your voice, she would leave the session feeling accountable for her results. Bill Walton didn’t make the necessary change until he realized that there were consequences for deciding not to comply.   The consistent day and time creates the consequence of having an uncomfortable conversation with you.      

Consistency Tool

Written documents are a great consistency tool to keep everyone accountable.  Earlier in my career, I would have a shop meeting where I would explain to the technicians how to perform a courtesy check.  At the end of the meeting, they would nod their heads telling me they understood.

Later in the week, I would review tickets and find that a particular technician wasn't on the program.  When I asked him why, he would claim to be unclear on what I was looking for.  To resolve this, I implemented the "I know it" coupon. 

Here's how it worked: At the end of my training meeting, everyone would sign a pre written document stating that they were trained on the topic and agreed to comply.  It was noted on the document that the failure to comply in the future carried the consequence of further disciplinary actions.   The coupon sent a consistent message, keeping everyone on the same page. 

Conclusion

So there you have it.  Having your meeting on the same day and time, and using consistency tools, will help you to hold people accountable. 

By being willing to part company with his best player, Coach Wooden sent a message to the rest of the team that consequences would be applied consistently.  What consequences do you have in place, if someone decides to dribble down the lane of non-compliance?

Sincerely,

Eric M. Twiggs

The Accountability Coach

www.autotraining.net

 

PS.  Looking for a consistency tool to keep your people accountable?   Email etwiggs@autotrainging.net and I will send you a copy of my NEW Average Repair Order(ARO) Coaching Form.  

50 Ways To Blame “Another”

50 Ways To Blame “Another”

By

Eric M. Twiggs

"Nothing happens to you. It happens because of you" Grant Cardone

"It's not my fault, it's the area;" said Matt, a service manager who worked for me back in 2001. “We can't find good people because of the low unemployment rate and high median income."

This shop had a history of being understaffed on tire technicians and mechanics.  Matt was the third manager in the last twelve months, and the two previous mangers had the same explanation for being shorthanded. 

Maybe his shop was different from the rest of my locations.  I was starting to believe Matt, and I too blamed our failures on the area.   Matt and I had 50 ways to blame another! 

Then something happened that forever changed my perspective. Matt resigned, and I was forced to bring in a new manager from a different location named Roger.  Three weeks later, he had the shop fully staffed!  Roger hired two mechanics and three tire techs, who each became top producers in the market.

This experience taught me the following reality:  There's always a "Roger" out there who can get the result that I'm struggling with.  In other words, I should always be open to the possibility that it’s my fault!

Remember your customer who "didn't have the money?" There's a Roger out there who would have made the sale.  Can't find technicians because of your area?  Roger could come in and find that "A" tech you’ve been looking for.

Do you have a habit of blaming external factors for your failures?  If so, you have 50 ways to blame “another.”  It’s always another person, place, or thing that’s responsible instead of you. 

The key is to shift from playing the blame game, to taking ownership.  As you read on, you will learn two questions to ask that will change your perspective.

      Who?

Who is the "Roger "in your market or 20 group that’s getting the results you're struggling with, while dealing with the same obstacles?  Back in 2010, a shop owner told me about how he couldn't maintain strong margins because he was in a college town and the students didn’t have any money. 

 He was forced to change his perspective when I introduced him to my client Dave Mays, who is in the same town and has been very successful.  They still talk to this day and Dave has given him several best practices to improve his business. 

      What?

What is your Roger doing to achieve the desired outcome?  In the college town example, Dave shifted his marketing focus from the students, to the college faculty, who were more stable and had a higher income.  He also hired a service manager who possessed the right attitude and personality to go with years of successful selling experience.

I agree with Tony Robbins who says to model someone who is already successful because success leaves clues. Asking the "what" question will lead you to those clues. 

Summary

You won't fix what you don't believe to be your fault.   Asking the "who" and "what" questions will help you to start owning the problem instead of blaming another person, pace, or thing. 

Sincerely,

Eric M. Twiggs

www.autotraining.net

PS.  Does someone working for you have 50 ways to blame another?  Email etwiggs@autotraining.net to receive a list of 5 questions you can ask that will put an end to the "blame game". 

2 Disciplines That Will Determine Your Destiny

2 Disciplines That Will Determine Your Destiny

By

Eric M. Twiggs

"Take your downtime and turn it into prime time" Dave Anderson

The year was 1998 and the Indianapolis Colts had a tough decision to make.  The National Football league (NFL) draft was weeks away and they had the first pick.  The Colts needed a quarterback, and there were two great college players to choose from. 

Ryan Leaf hailed from Washington State and was the best athlete.  He had a "million dollar arm" along with excellent speed.  Peyton Manning starred at the University of Tennessee, and was known for his intelligence and work ethic.  Although many of the experts ranked Leaf as the better overall talent, both were considered to be future NFL legends.

The Colts organization was undecided on who to select.  Bill Polian, the general manager, called them into his office for private interviews in an effort to break the tie.  He asked them both the following question: "How would you react to being selected as the #1 pick in the draft?"

Based on their answers, Bill decided to draft Peyton Manning and the rest is history! Today, Manning is regarded as one of the greatest to ever play the game.  Ryan Leaf on the other hand, is viewed as one of the biggest disappointments of all time.  He is no longer playing and currently serving a prison sentence.

How was the general manager able to predict their future based on the answer to one question?  Well, Manning answered Bill's question as follows: “If you drafted me with the first pick, I would meet with my coach to review the playbook and start practicing."     Leaf responded: “I would fly to Vegas and have a celebration party!"  Bill was able to predict their future once he knew their habits.   

Do your daily habits line up with your weekly goals?   Keep reading and you will learn about the two disciplines that will determine your destiny.  

1. Planning

My client Marlin, owner of Marlins Auto Diagnostics, has a habit known as “Five swings a day."  Here's how it works:  Every evening, he makes of list of his top five priorities for the next day. The following day, he carries a 3x5 index card with him, and places a check mark next to each "swing" once he accomplishes the task.  

Doing the ATI homework, conducting repair order audits, preparing his Google Plus posts, updating his marketing calendar, and reviewing resumes, are examples of a typical day's priorities.   The fact that he’s a successful alumni client, who’s been in the program since 2009, is no coincidence.  

 His success was predictable because of his planning habit!

2. Practicing

According to author Malcolm Gladwell, it takes 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to master any skill.  Deliberate practice is involves practicing a behavior, receiving corrective feedback, and then practicing again the correct way. 

Josh, the general manager of the Colorado based Family Tire & Auto locations, has a habit of video recording his role play sessions with his service managers.  He picks a specific maintenance service, and has his managers role play the sales process.

 Afterwards, they watch the recording together and agree on the positives and the improvement opportunities.  Then, they practice the sale again the correct way.     

Summary

Studies show that the average professional football player invests two hours of planning and practice time for every minute of actual game time.  Sadly, most shops practice on the customer and use the loss of business as corrective feedback! 

If you commit to planning and practicing, I predict great things for your future.  Your habits will make you the #1 pick with you customers every time. 

Sincerely,

Eric M. Twiggs

www.autotraining.net

PS.  Email etwiggs@autotraining.net  to receive a list of the 5 skills you should role play with your service writers.

How to Get Out Of Your Box

How to Get Out Of Your Box

By

Eric Twiggs

“Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.” –Jim Rohn 

I was having a bad day!  I made my first coaching call in the morning to "Joe" who says he can't find an "A" Technician. I asked him: “What are you doing to find a tech?" Joe replied:  "I am doing everything I can to find help.  I ran an ad on craigslist but nobody responded! " 

Next I called "Linda", who is averaging five cars a week:  "Linda, what are you doing to improve your car count?"   "Eric, you told me to start posting on Google +,  so I just did a post  five minutes ago because I knew you were calling today! "

Disappointed, but still optimistic, I call "Rick" my next client.  "Rick what are you doing to improve technician productivity?"  "Eric, you suggested having daily huddle meetings with the techs, so I had one last Thursday.  My guys still aren't producing!   Joe, Linda, and Rick, were stuck in the box.  How did they get there and what does this have to do with you?

The fastest way to get stuck is to have a quick fix mentality.  Joe, Rick, and Linda were looking for "the magic pill" by only trying one idea.  The problem with only doing one thing is that you will default to what you’ve always done. 

For example, what's the first idea that pops into your head when you think of finding employees?  I'll bet you answered "run an ad."  If you believe in the quick fix, running the ad will be the only step you take, because this is what has worked in the past.

If you had to come up with four additional strategies to find help, at least two of your ideas would be things you haven't tried before.   The solution to getting out of your box is to implement The Rule of 5. 

Here's how The Rule of 5 works:  For any major business goal, pick at least 5 things you can do this week to make it happen.    Below are two examples:

Hiring an A Tech

1.             Run an Ad on IATN (https://iatn.net/careers)
2.        .    Place a Career Opportunities Link on your Website
3.        .    Offer Up to $1,000 referral bonus for employees & vendors
4.            Do a Tool Raffle with your local tool vendor
5.        .    Follow up with past applicants that declined because of a counter offer.

         Improving Productivity

1.           Post a productivity white board
2.          Use my productivity coaching form with each tech
3.           Put everyone on a performance based comp plan
4.          Have daily morning huddle meetings
5.         Have an individual or team based productivity contest 

Chances are, you just picked up an idea you haven't used before.   This is the power of the rule.  It forces you to step outside of what you would normally do. 

What is your biggest business challenge?  Before you say "I can't…..” tell me about the 5 things you can do to achieve your goal.   Today is a great day to use the rule of 5, to get out of your box! 

Sincerely,

Eric Twiggs
www.autotraining.net

PS.  Do you need more cars?   I have a list of the 5 rules of marketing that can be used as a checklist for any marketing communication you send out.  Email etwiggs@autotraining.net if you would like a copy. 

Are You Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places?

Are You Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places?

By

Eric Twiggs

"Leaders don't flock. You have to find them one at a time." Ross Perot

"Steve"was in big trouble.  His best technician just told him he was leaving to work for the competitor.   Steve never embraced my idea of "always be looking", so he began his talent search without any leads.  He started by posting ads on the typical internet job boards, which resulted in him being flooded with resumes from experienced fork lift drivers!

Out of desperation, Steve ran ads with the local unemployment office with hopes of filling the void.  To his surprise, he got an immediate response from a master certified technician named "Joe", with over twenty five years of experience. 

Steve called Joe in for an interview.  Everything was going as planned until he asked him why he left his most recent job.  Joe's response was classic: "We had a difference of opinion.  The owner was of the opinion that I shouldn’t smoke marijuana in the bays!"  Based on the job board and unemployment office results, it's clear that Steve was looking for love in all the wrong places!

If you limit your search to only the "active" job seekers, you may end up like Steve.   According to a recent Linked IN study, candidates who are actively searching for a new position make up 25% of the job market. 

In other words, 75% of the people you want to hire aren't looking!  So how do you stop looking for love in all the wrong places? You may not be a country singer, but the following  three ideas will change your tune:

•  Enhance the Referral bonus -- What's in it for your current "A" players, vendors, and BNI members to refer you to the good people they know?   I recommend you offer an "up to $1,000 referral bonus" to anyone that refers you a candidate.  You can pay out $250 per quarter for up to four quarters.  The referred employee has to be employed and meeting expectations for the referring individual to be eligible for the payout.  

•  Go Fishing -- "Fishing" is when you ask the applicant you're interviewing about the good people they have worked with.  Once you hire the candidate, you can offer the referral bonus to get that service writer to recruit the great tech she mentioned in the interview.   If you decide not to hire her, you still have the name and shop information of the good person she spoke of. 

• Use Facebook -- According to a recent online survey, 73% of millennial’s reported finding their last job through social media.  Facebook ads are very effective because they allow you to target your ideal candidate based on work history, education, interests, and other relevant criteria.  They also expose your openings to the "passive" job seeker who’s not posting her resume on the job boards.

It‘s possible find a great person on sites like CareerBuilder, Craigslist, and Indeed.  I get it.  Having this as a PART of your hiring strategy isn't a bad thing.   Just keep in mind that only 25% of your candidate pool is posting resume's on job boards.  

Enhancing the referral bonus, going fishing, and using Facebook, will give you access to the passive job market, and keep you from looking for love in all the wrong places!   

Sincerely,

Eric Twiggs

www.autotraining.net

PS.  I have a step by step hiring process outline to help you find that "A" player.  Email etwiggs@autotraining.net if you would like a copy. 

Are You Running a Reverse Car Wash?

Are You Running a Reverse Car Wash?

By 

Eric Twiggs

“Many business problems are personal problems in disguise."  Michael Port

“Eric, you don't understand, it's hard to find good people in my area."  Said Ray, a former client.   He just lost his best technician to a competitor and didn't know what to do next.  During the eighteen months that I had been coaching him, his shop had been a revolving door for techs and he was on his third writer. 

”What is the morale like at the shop?" I asked.  "Eric, the morale isn't the issue, my area is less populated than your other ATI shops, and my competition is able to pay more than I can.  My shop is different"    

I decided to conduct an exit interview with the technician named Jack who was leaving.   Jack went on for twenty minutes about how Ray belittles him and the staff, never recognizes anything positive that he does, and refuses to get any of the equipment fixed.  He then told me that the rest of the staff is looking for other work as well.  As it turns out RAY was the problem, NOT his area. 

If I were to interview one of your employees, what would they say about working for you?  If you don't know or don't want to know, chances are you have a culture problem.   Think about it, if you were the best technician in the market with several offers on the table, would you work for Ray?

 Bad culture corrupts good people.  It's like a reverse car wash, they come in clean and leave dirty!   So how do you establish the right culture and avoid the reverse car wash syndrome?  Keep reading and you will learn the three types of meetings that will drastically improve your shop culture. 

Daily Morning Huddle Meetings

The morning huddle meeting should last between five and fifteen minutes and is conducted before the shop opens.  It gives you a chance to celebrate your wins, and address what went wrong from the previous day.    It also provides a platform to communicate individual goals along with the game plan to accomplish them.

 A recent University of California study concluded that a person who communicates their goal to a coach or mentor is 33% more likely to achieve it in comparison to someone who doesn’t.  People support what they help to create.  Having your employees tell you their goals will improve their morale and increase your bottom line. 

Weekly One on Ones

This style of meeting is typically done with the owner and the second in command.  The one on one should last between fifteen and thirty minutes.  Quite often, the owner and second in command are like two ships passing in the night and are not on the same page. 

As a result, problems go unresolved which negatively impacts the morale.  The weekly one on one opens up the lines of communication and keeps both parties accountable.

Monthly Team meetings

 Having scheduled monthly meetings gives your employees the opportunity to voice their concerns about how the business is running, and be a part of the solution for improvement.  Bad news doesn’t get better with age.  Having a regular day and time set aside where issues can be addressed, keeps the small fires from becoming big ones.  

When I ran shops, I always had the monthly meeting on a day that I was scheduled to be off.  When my people saw me coming in on my off day, it sent a message that it was important and took away any excuses for them not being able to attend. 

So there you have it.  If you commit to implementing the three meeting types, you will attract good people that can develop into great ones and pull the plug on your reverse car wash. 

Sincerely,

Eric Twiggs

www.autotraining.net 

301 575 9120  

PS.   I have a list of morale improvement best practices that you can use at your meetings.  Email me at etwiggs@autotraining.net if you would like a copy.

How To Lose Your Good Customers Over Price

How To Lose Your Good Customers Over Price

By

Eric Twiggs

"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.

As suspected, he got feedback stating that he was too expensive.  Four previously loyal customers mentioned finding another shop with lower prices.  Which seller do you think had the most complaints?

If you guessed Steve, guess again! None of his patrons mentioned the price.  They had good things to say about him and the service.  All of the complaints came from Chris’ customers. 

Why would Chris’ clientele complain even though Steve was charging more?  Keep reading and you will learn two ways to lose your good customers over price.

•  Only mention what’s wrong -- Chris would only to talk about what needed to be repaired on the vehicle.  Steve began his presentations by mentioning the positive findings from the courtesy check.  Steve’s people felt their vehicle was worth investing in while Chris often heard the following: “I’m getting rid of the car, so why spend the money.” If the buyer feels the value, they will pay the price!  They have to value your service and their vehicle.   

• Don’t do show and tell -- Steve did a vehicle walk around with everyone, which enabled him to show the worn tires and wiper blades.  He experienced less resistance because he and the customer had the evidence in front of them.   Chris didn’t have time to go out to the car.  Besides, “his customers” didn’t like going back outside. 

If you only mention what’s wrong, and refuse to do show and tell, you will end up with the same results as Chris!

Several weeks later, Rich terminated Chris, replacing him with a restaurant industry veteran.  As a result, the price complaints decreased and the margins increased!   

Have you been hearing more price objections lately?  Pay close attention to how your writer is communicating the value of both your service and the vehicles.

Sincerely,

Eric Twiggs

PS.  Tired of losing your good customers over price?  Visit us at http://www.autotraining.net/ to get the details on becoming an ATI client.