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.

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 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.

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 Keep Your Shop From Stressing You Out

 “There is never a right time to do the wrong thing.” Lou Holtz

“Nobody can do it like Eric!” This was my motto during much of my career as a district manager.  My ideal picture of an effective leader was someone with an authoritative approach who had all the answers. 

Since I had all the answers, my people would contact me with all their questions regarding how to deal with unhappy customers, without first attempting to resolve the issues themselves. 

The Starting Point of Your Success As A Shop Owner

The Starting Point of Your Success As A Shop Owner

By

Eric M. Twiggs

“If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.” Lewis Carroll

What’s the starting point of your success as a shop owner?  As I ponder this question, I’m reminded of a video series, I watched recently,  that was done by  Dr. Rhadi Ferguson,  who wrote the book, Coffee With Rhadi, Herculean Conversations with an Olympian.     

In one of his videos, he tells the story of his quest to make it to the Olympic Games in the sport of Judo.  Every day, he would look in the mirror and say to himself, “I’m going to the Olympics”.  He would take out a 3 X 5 card and write, “I’m going to the Olympics.” 

He created a poster with a picture of the Olympic circles and written under the caption were the following words: “I’m going to the Olympics.”

Several months later, his wish came true.  He went to the 2000 Olympic games!  There was one small problem.  He went to the games as a spectator, NOT as a competitor!  Since he didn’t make the team, he had to purchase a ticket and pay his own way!    

Where did he go wrong?   Why didn’t he get what he really wanted?    The one thing that held him back may be the one thing that’s keeping you from getting what you REALLY want.  His goal lacked clarity.

Get Clear & Specific

Clarity is the starting point of your success as a shop owner.  Setting a vague goal will leave you with vague results.  For example, setting a goal, “to hire a technician by June 1st” sounds like a good idea, right?

But how good would it be if your new hire, refuses to do courtesy checks, never completes jobs ahead of book time, and has more comebacks than Brett Favre?    

We learned from Dr. Ferguson’s story that going and competing in the Olympics are two different things.  Just going to the Olympics is a vague goal, while competing in the games is clear and specific.   

Likewise, just “hiring a technician” is a vague goal.   Hiring an ‘A’ technician who is ASE master certified, and 100% efficient is clear and specific. 

Setting a goal to “improve net profit” is vague.  Completing the win # drill, and then setting a goal to average $3,000 per week in net profit, is clear and specific. 

If hiring the right people and generating enough profit are your problems, then developing clear and specific solutions should be your priority.

Always Begin With The End In Mind 

Imagine if a lost stranger stopped by your shop today to ask for directions.  He says, “I’m lost and need directions.”   You respond with,” No problem, where are you trying to go?” Picture him replying with the following response, “I’m not sure exactly, but I want to go somewhere that’s better!”

I speak with many shop owners who are like the lost stranger.  They want to do better, but they haven’t defined where “better” is or what "better" looks like.  The solution is to always begin your business-related interactions, with a specific end in mind.  

Before you attend your next meeting, ask yourself the following question, “What is my desired outcome?

For example, asking this question before you go to the next Super Conference may result in you doing business with a specific digital tablet vendor.  Asking this question before your next 20 group meeting, may result in you coming back with specific strategies to hire your replacement. 

Asking this question before your upcoming Chamber of Commerce meeting, may result in you getting a new customer with the specific fleet of vehicles, that you like to service.   

It’s ok to have more than one desired outcome in mind.  The key is for each outcome to be clear and specific. 

Conclusion

Dr. Ferguson’s story has a happy ending.  He set the specific goal of competing in the Olympics, and in 2004 he represented Team USA in the games that were held in Athens, Greece.  

If you get clear and specific, and always begin with the end in mind, you will position yourself to compete at the highest levels.   Your story has a better chance of having a happy ending, if you visualize the specific outcome from the beginning!

Sincerely,

Eric M. Twiggs

The Accountability Coach

www.autotraining.net

PS.  Email etwiggs@autotraining.net to receive a special goal setting worksheet that will help you set clear and specific goals. 

The Biggest Mistake That Shop Owners Make

 The Biggest Mistake That Shop Owners Make

By

Eric M. Twiggs

“The root cause of all anxiety is the unmade decision.” Kain Ramsey

“Mike" is a shop owner who works IN instead of ON his business.  His business has him in bondage to the point, that when he needs to consult with his ‘A’ tech, he doesn’t look out in the bays, he looks in the mirror!

I suggested that he contact a certain “head hunter” recruitment company that sources, screens, and selects, technician prospects for the owner to interview and consider for hire. 

He loved the idea of having someone find technicians for him.  He loved the fact that the technicians would be prescreened before he interviewed them.  He lost that loving feeling, when I told him that the total fee for this service was $1,500. 

“But Eric, $1,500 is a lot of money!” Mike said. I responded with the following question: “How much money is your current strategy costing you?”

Suddenly, there was the sound of awkward silence.  As I was reaching for my cell phone to call Verizon to complain about the phone line, he interrupted the silence with the following words: “It’s costing me more than $1500 a day!” 

Joe had made the biggest mistake that shop owners make:  He failed to account for the hidden cost of inaction.  In other words, he didn’t factor in the opportunity cost.

Dictionary.com defines opportunity cost as the loss of potential gain from other alternatives when one alternative is chosen.  Initially Joe believed that he would save himself $1500 by not taking the recommended alternative of using the head hunter service.

Based on the ATI technician efficiency model, bringing on a good technician to an understaffed shop can add an additional 15 cars a week to that location. 

If Mike maintains a $400 average repair order on the 15 additional cars, he would gross an extra $6,000 per week in sales. ($400 X 15 =$6,000) The alternative of inaction is costing Mike at least $6,000 per week.

The right technician would free him up to attend networking events and build relationships with fleet accounts, so his failure to act could be costing him more than calculated!  

How much is your failure to act costing you?   Keep reading to learn what you can do to avoid the biggest mistake that shop owners make.

Think Like A Master

If I were to go to the park and challenge a chess grand master to a game, I would be at a disadvantage, because he and I would be looking at the same board in a different way. Since I’m a novice, I would be focused on which chess piece to use and what the next move would be.

 The master would win, because he would be thinking two to three moves ahead.   When it comes to playing the game of automotive service, are you a novice or a master?  

The novice in the automotive service game is only focused on fixing the cars in the bay that day.  The master is focused on scheduling the next appointment for 90 days later.

The novice stops recruiting once the position has been filled.  The master is always recruiting regardless of the current staffing levels.

The novice blames low car count on the winter season.  The master completed a marketing calendar, and has a winter special that has already launched. 

The master doesn’t have to pay the opportunity cost since she’s anticipated her needs before they became needs.   If you commit to thinking like a master, you can avoid the hidden cost that comes with inaction.  

Ask The Hard Questions

In his book To Sell Is Human, The Surprising Truth About Moving Others, Daniel Pink explains the difference between positive & interrogative self-talk.  Pink points out that the purpose of positive self-talk is to encourage yourself.  “You can do it!”, would be an example of a positive statement you could make to yourself.

Interrogative self-talk happens when you ask yourself questions.  An example of this would be, “Can I do it?”  Positive self-talk is good, but interrogative self-talk is better because it helps you to plan and prepare.  The key is to ask yourself the hard questions. 

When you talk to yourself today, ask the following questions: 

1. What would happen to my business if I were involved in an accident and suddenly became unavailable to work IN it every day?”  2. How much business would I lose if my best technician quit tomorrow.  3. How much business am I losing because I don’t have enough bays to satisfy the increasing demand for my service? 

Your direction is determined by the answer to the questions you ask yourself.  Asking the hard questions can keep you moving in the direction of becoming the master of avoiding opportunity costs!

Conclusion

So, there you have it.  Mike's story has a happy ending.  He is taking action by using the head hunter service, and has several promising prospects to choose from.  If you think like a master and ask the hard questions, your story can have a happy ending as well!  

   

 Sincerely,

Eric M. Twiggs

www.autotraining.net

PS.  Email etwiggs@autotraining.net to receive a succession depth chart to help you plan for worst case staffing scenarios.

Take the Headache Out of Hiring Your Next Service Manager

 Take the Headache Out of Hiring Your Next Service Manager

By

Eric M. Twiggs

“The closest anyone ever comes to perfection is how they present themselves on their resume.” Stanley J Randall

Are you sick and tired of working IN instead of On your business?  Well, so was “Rachel” a shop owner in the Midwest, who asked me to do a phone interview with “Ann”, a local service manager prospect. 

According to Rachel, Ann, was “the cat’s meow”, “the greatest thing since sliced bread”, and any other metaphor you would use to describe a high potential prospect.  

Rachel desperately wanted to replace herself on the counter and believed Ann was the missing link that would free her up to focus on the bigger picture.   

There was one small problem.  I wasn’t impressed after interviewing Ann.  I now look back on that time as twenty minutes of my life that I will never get back!

Ann spent most of the twenty minutes telling me how bad things were at her current job at the local parts supply store, where she had worked for the past six months.  She said that the main source of the problems was her boss and her unethical co-workers. 

Prior to working at the parts store she worked at the local auto repair competitor in town, but was laid off due to “the area being slow after the election.”  She had been out of work for two years prior to working at the parts store, which she attributed to “the economic downturn during that time.” 

I conducted a virtual call with Rachel where I shared my concerns and I could see her frown as if she had a headache.  “But Eric, I have this gut feeling about Ann that I can’t explain.”  She said.  

We were at an impasse. To break the tie, I suggested that she call Ann’s former supervisor at the auto repair shop and do a reference check.   

The following week Rachel and I spoke and here is what she found out: “Well, Eric, I spoke with Bill her former boss and he told me that Ann was let go, because she struggled to generate sales and because she blamed everyone except herself for her results!”

Sometimes, the decision NOT to hire, is the best hiring decision you can make.  Recognizing this reality can help to take the headache out of hiring. 

A bad hire can cost a business anywhere from six to twelve times the salary of the employee, when you factor in pay, benefits, training, lost customers and lost opportunities. 

If Rachel paid Ann $50,000 per year and Ann cost the business six times her salary, Rachel just avoided a $300,000 hit by deciding not to hire.

Are you still feeling the hit from your last hire?  Stay with me to learn two strategies to help you take the headache out of hiring your next service manager. 

Avoid The “Same Bird Syndrome”

The four personality types are described as the following four birds: The eagle, peacock, owl, and dove.  The eagle is the “type A” personality who is competitive and results driven. The peacock is assertive, outgoing, and dislikes the details.

The owl tends to be introverted, analytical, and more process than people oriented.  The dove is sensitive, likeable, and prefers to avoid conflict.  Which bird are you?  This is an important question to answer, if you want to avoid “the same bird syndrome.”

The same bird syndrome occurs when you are attracted to employment prospects because they are the same “bird” as you.   

Think about your most recent trip to the beach.  You probably didn’t see ducks and seagulls mixing in the same group. The ducks were with the ducks and the seagulls were with the seagulls proving that It’s natural to want to seek out similar “birds.”

The problem is that looking for “the same bird” can cause you to make a bad hire, if the personality isn’t a natural fit for the role.  For example, both Rachel and Ann are “owl” personalities.  Rachel felt a connection because they had the same personality type. 

As mentioned earlier, owls tend to be introverted, and can struggle to connect with customers.  Over the years, I have found that peacocks and eagles are the most natural personality fits for the service manager role.   Matching the bird with the role can help you avoid the same bird syndrome. 

Do A Ride Along

The familiar story is told of a candidate who was interviewing for a high paying, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) position with a Fortune 500 firm. He would be responsible for twenty-five million dollars in annual revenue, and had just completed an interview in the office of the firm’s president, which he passed with flying colors.

The president decided to take the CFO prospect down to the cafeteria for lunch, to work through the details of the offer.   While in line to purchase their food, he noticed something interesting about his candidate.

The cafeteria charged an additional twenty-five cent fee for butter.  He watched as the candidate hid the butter behind his cup so the cashier wouldn’t notice it, saving himself twenty-five cents.  Based on this observation, he decided not to hire him.

After all, how could he trust him with twenty-five million dollars if he couldn’t be trusted with twenty-five cents?  Witnessing him outside of the interview environment gave the president the information he needed to make an accurate decision.

Dong “a ride along interview” with your candidates will give you additional information that can help with your decision making as well.

A ride along is when you allow the prospect to spend part of their day at your location, shadowing you to observe “a day in the life.”  This gives you the opportunity to see the individual outside of the formal interview.  Does she pick up trash on the floor, or just keep walking?

Does she greet your customers, or is she more introverted?  How does she interact and engage with your employees?  The ride along will provide you with information you need and help take the heading out of hiring.

Summary

Several weeks later, I interviewed an excellent service manager candidate with a peacock personality for Rachel.    She had him spend the morning at the shop observing “a day in the life.”  I conducted a virtual call with her and noticed that she was smiling. 

And then it hit me: By avoiding the same bird syndrome, and doing the ride along, she had taken the headache out of hiring her next service manager. 

Sincerely,

Eric M. Twiggs

The Accountability Coach

www.autotraining.net

PS.  Email etwiggs@autotraining.net and I will send you my "Four Birds Cheat Sheet" to help you avoid the same bird syndrome with your next service manager hire. 

The Uncomfortable Truth About Hiring

The Uncomfortable Truth About Hiring

 

By

 

Eric M. Twiggs

 

 

 

“Every experience in your life is being orchestrated to teach you something you need to know to move forward.” –Brian Tracy

 

“Jeff”, a shop owner in Southern California, was stuck working IN the business.  Since HE was the service manager, He couldn’t attend his son’s soccer games.  It was so bad, that when his wife would take little Jeff Jr.to the games, men were asking her out on dates. 

They thought she was a single parent, because Jeff was never with her!  But everything was about to change because he had finally found “Bob” the service manager candidate he had been looking for. 

Bob had responded to Jeff’s craigslist ad and passed the face to face interview with flying colors. He arrived on time wearing a sharp suit.   Bob took the wonderlic personality test, and scored as an ideal fit for the role. 

Bob even took the time to write Jeff a hand written thank you note, thanking him for the opportunity to interview.  The final step of the process was for Jeff to check Bob’s references.  Based on how things were going, Jeff saw this as a mere formality.  

Jeff called   Bob’s former Boss and here’s how the call went: {Jeff} “So Bob worked for you from January of 2008 to May of 2012?” {Boss}:” YES”  {Jeff} “Good! Bob tells me that he was your service manager for that entire time.” {Boss} Yes. {Jeff} “Great! Knowing what you know today, would you rehire Bob?”  {Boss} ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! 

He went on for the next fifteen minutes talking about all the customer complaints he had to clean up after Bob left him without giving notice.   How was Jeff so wrong about Bob?  It’s because he ignored the uncomfortable truth about hiring.

And here it is: When evaluating a candidate, their past performance is the strongest predictor of future behavior.  I have found this to be true based on having conducted more than one thousand interviews over the past twenty years. 

During that time, I have noticed that most of the “job hoppers” I hired, ended up hopping jobs on me.   The candidates who said bad things about their former bosses, eventually said bad things about me.  By asking better questions, both Jeff and I would have made better decisions. 

So, what questions can you ask during the interview to get to the uncomfortable truth?  I will explain as you read on.

 

 

 

Tell Me More?

 

I was recently interviewing a candidate who told me that he left his most recent shop because there was a change in ownership.  I replied: Tell me more?  He then told me that the owner wanted to bring in someone younger to work with the customers.  I replied: tell me more? Next, he did what Bryan Stasch refers to as turning states evidence!  

He said the new owner terminated him for failing to meet his sales quotas, but he felt the real reason was his age!   By asking for more information, we moved from “a change in ownership” to the uncomfortable truth about his performance.    

During the interview, you will get to the truth faster if you commit to talking 20% of the time and allowing the candidate to talk 80%.  Low performers tend to talk in generalities, with the goal of hiding previous performance issues.  When you ask: “tell me more?”, they will feel compelled to provide the specifics you are seeking. 
 
  

What Will She Say WHEN I Ask?

 

In their book Who, The A Method of Hiring, Geoff Smart and Randy Street mention that the average hiring mistake can costs a company up to 12 times the salary of the individual, when you factor in the following costs:  Compensation, benefits, training, severance pay, lost customers, and lost opportunities. 

To help overcome this expensive mistake, Smart and Street provide a listing of excellent interview questions to help the reader.   There is one question that is very effective.

They recommend asking the candidate about their previous supervisor’s opinion of their performance as follows:  First, you ask the candidate for the name of their previous supervisor.  Let’s say her name is “Lisa.” Next, you would ask: “WHEN (not if) I call Lisa, what will she say WHEN I ask her to rate your overall performance on a scale of 1-10?” 

Adding the word WHEN sends the message that you’re going to check the reference. Knowing that you will verify whatever they say, can motivate them to provide an honest response.   The 1-10 question will get you a specific answer regarding their past performance.

According to Smart and Street, scores below an 8 should be considered as red flags.  Asking this question about multiple references will give you a clearer picture of the prospect.

  

Summary

 I am happy to report that Jeff learned from this experience, and started using the earlier mentioned questions during his interviews.  He eventually hired a strong service manager, who has freed him up to attend his sons Soccer games. 

If you commit to asking the right questions, listening to the answers, and hiring the right people, will you be STUCK working IN your business?  ABSOLUTELY NOT!   

  

Eric M. Twiggs

The Accountability Coach

www.autotraining.net

 

PS.  For a complete list of the latest interview questions that will get you to the uncomfortable truth, email etwiggs@autotraining.net and I will send them. 

 

How To Avoid Your Default Future

How To Avoid Your Default Future

By

Eric M. Twiggs

“If you want something you have never had, you must be willing to do something you have never done.”

“Bill, why are we running these employment ads?” Asked “Susan”.  “We are fully staffed with a great crew. This is a waste of time and money.”  Susan posed a valid question since their shop has a reputation of retaining great people, and is known for being the place to purchase automotive service in their town. 

Bill is the owner and Susan, his wife, handles the administrative functions of their thriving location.  If you Googled the term “Top Shop” a picture of Bill and Susan would appear!   Susan couldn’t understand why Bill would always interview a minimum of six people per month, when he didn’t have any open positions. 

One fateful week in April, everything changed.  They decided to terminate “Mark” their ‘B’ Technician, because of several comebacks and his recent attendance issues.   “Jane”, their service writer, gave notice because her husband accepted a job out of state and they were relocating.

“Jack”, the ‘A’ technician, told Bill he was leaving to pursue his dream of become a full-time day trader.  So, in a seven-day time span, Bill lost three out of his seven employees! 

How would your business be impacted if you lost three people in seven days?   Bill’s story teaches us that even the best of the best can experience unexpected turnover.   Not being prepared for this possibility can lead you to your default future. 

I can’t imagine that a shop owner would write a vision statement for their business that reads: “My vision is to have a business where the profits depend on my presence.”  NO!  This is the future that is arrived at by default. 

The default future is the place you end up when you decide not to make the necessary changes in a specific area.   For example, deciding not to invest in proactive recruiting efforts can cause you to end up working IN the business instead of On your dreams. 

So, what can you do to avoid this default future?   Stay with me and I will explain.

Establish A Monthly Interview Goal

One of our members was telling me about an exercise that was done during his recent 20 Group meeting.   The shop owners were divided into five groups and asked to describe the most pressing issue in their business and what they were doing to address it. 

Each subgroup would report their findings back to the main group.  There was only one issue, that came up in all five groups:  Finding and hiring good people.  Here is the big takeaway:  If finding people is the biggest problem, then looking for prospects, should be your biggest priority. 

I recommend establishing the minimum number of candidates that you will interview each month regardless of your staffing levels. Setting a goal for the number of interviews will force you to put the necessary number of feelers out, so that you have candidates to talk to.  

Let’s say you set a goal to interview three candidates every month.  You will be inspired to refresh your ad, when you notice that you are struggling to find three people to interview.

I conducted and informal survey of a sampling of my members, asking them how many candidates they interviewed during the month of April.  Three shop owners reported interviewing four or more people.  All three also reported hiring at least one ‘A’ player during this time frame.  Establishing a monthly interview goal makes a difference!

Tweak Your Approach

I was speaking with a shop owner named “Ronald” who told me that he had an ad running for a technician that wasn’t getting any responses.  He ran the same ad week after week until finally he decided to change things up. 

He changed the title of the ad while leaving the rest of the copy the same.  The new title was changed to read as follows: “Automotive Technician with pay up to $30.00 per hour.”   This ad generated seven responses and resulted in him hiring a great technician.  Ronald changed his result by tweaking his approach.

What are you doing to tweak your approach?  If you are running an ad that’s not getting responses, it’s time to change the ad.  If prospective employees are ignoring your “Now Hiring” sign, that’s a sign that it’s time to change the sign! 

If the internet hiring sites (craigslist, indeed, zip recruiter, etc.) aren’t generating candidates for you, it’s time to utilize social media.  If none of the previously mentioned ideas are working, it may be time to consider investing in a professional recruiting service.

It’s been said that continuing to do the same things and expecting different results will lead to a default future! (OK, I’m the one who said it!)  Tweaking your approach will get you to the future you have designed for yourself.

Conclusion

I am happy to report that Bill avoided the default future.  Since he was always hiring anyway, he could fill all three openings with candidates he had already interviewed. 

Since he established a minimum interview goal and tweaked his approach, he can work ON instead of IN his business.  If you take these steps, you will arrive at the destination you planned for instead of ending up in the default future!

Sincerely,

Eric M. Twiggs

The Accountability Coach

www.autotraining.net

PS.  Looking to tweak your ad but don’t know where to begin?  Email etwiggs@autotraining.net and I will send you two hiring ads that have been attracting ‘A’ players!

How To Retain The "A" Players You Recruit

 How To Retain The "A" Players You Recruit

By

Eric M. Twiggs

“The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated.”  William James

What can you do to keep “A” players from leaving you?   As I ponder this question, I’m reminded of an experience I had back in December here at ATI.  Our office is in a suburb of Baltimore MD.  Thus, my fellow coaches and colleagues root for the Baltimore Ravens football team.

Our office could be considered “Ravens Nation”, because of all the cups, computers, and cubicles that are loaded with the team’s paraphernalia.  

Everyone supports the local team.  Everyone except for me.   I happen to be a Washington Redskins Fan.  As you prepare your jokes,please know that my choice of football teams is a topic for another day!

One morning, right before the Christmas holiday, I noticed that my co-workers each had a gift-wrapped package from upper management on their desk.  Inside the containers were calendars for the 2017 year.

Now these weren’t your ordinary calendars.  They had calendars with the Baltimore Ravens helmets and logos on the front.  There was a gift on my desk as well. 

As I opened it, I was shocked to see that mine was different from the others.   I received a calendar as a Christmas gift.   But mine was a Washington Redskins calendar.  Later, I found out that one of my fellow coaches who is an avid hunter, received a calendar with a hunting rifle on it!   So, what does this have to do with you keeping “A” players?

Here’s the big takeaway: Recognition that is personal, is also memorable.   Someone took the time to consider my personal interests, and thus, I’m still talking about it three months later! 

Have you taken the time to consider the personal interests of your people?   Keep reading to learn two strategies to keep your “A” players from leaving you. 

Recognize The Power Of Vision

Back in June, I was speaking with a shop owner named “Trish.”  She mentioned that she had a goal for her shop to be recognized as the ATI Shop of the year at the next Super Conference. 

When I told her that I planned to attend, she made the following statement: “I will see you on the victory stage.”  She had a vision of where she wanted to be. 

Nine months later, Trish Cleveland, and her husband Eddie, owners of Robe Mans Auto, were recognized on the victory stage as the Shop of The Year at the Super Conference!   This encounter confirmed the fact that you must recognize the power of vision.  In other words, if you can view it, you can do it!

What is the vision that your employees have for themselves? Getting them do a vision board, is a great way to find out. If your people have visibility to their personal goals, it increases the likelihood of achievement.  

I recommend having them use one the free vision board apps that can be downloaded to a smart phone or tablet. 

They can download and label pictures that represent what they want out of life.  Their vision boards will give you insight to their personal interests.   You will then be positioned to tailor your recognition program according to what THEY want, instead of what you always do.

Review Their Vision Boards

To show that you recognize the power of vision, you've conducted a team meeting, telling everyone to do a vision board.  The following week, you had a second meeting and confirmed that everyone did their vision board like you asked.   Your job is done, and you can check that box, right?  Not so fast!

Following up with your people, on their progress is the step that’s often missed.  According to a study that was reported in Forbes Magazine, people who merely thought about their goals and how to achieve them succeeded less than 50% of the time. 

Those who communicated regular progress updates to another person, reported succeeding 75% of the time.   In other words, your people are more likely to achieve their rewards, if you review their vision boards.

The late Zig Ziglar said best when he said, “You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”  

Want to keep your great general manager?  Keep asking her how she’s doing with her goal to buy that home.  Want your best technician to stay?  Stay focused on asking him about the muscle car he has pictured on his poster.

Imagine if you worked for someone who checked in with you every 30 days and asked you about your goals.  Then, because of their follow-up, you achieved a major life accomplishment that was on your vision board. 

How likely would you be to leave them to work for their competitor?   Your employees would feel the same way about you if you helped them. 

Summary

So, there you have it.  Recognizing the power of vision and reviewing their vision boards, can keep your “A” players from leaving you.   Hopefully, the upper management of my favorite football team has pictures of the end zone and of the Super Bowl on their vision boards!

Sincerely,

Eric M. Twiggs

The Accountability Coach

www.autotraining.net

Looking to motivate your “A” players, but don’t know where to start?  Email etwiggs@autotraining.net to receive the 26 Reasons That People Buy Anything.  (Including your message)