THA 163 Make Your Competitor Your Friend We are talking about one of the near and dear to my topics. Getting to know your competitor. We cover all the bases in this discussion. Do me a favor. After you listen. Get in your vehicle drive to a local shop you don’t know. Go in. Introduce yourself and start a dialogue with the owner. If they don’t get what you are there for tell them about this Town Hall Academy Episode 163. Ask them to listen then call you. This may just be the start of a great life long friendship while you are helping to elevate the entire aftermarket. On the panel: Brad Pellman, AAM, from Pellman’s Automotive in Boulder, CO An ASE Master Certified. Paul Marquardt, Shop Owner, Northwoods Auto Techs, Rhinelander, WI, NAPA Trainer, was the NAPA ASE Tech of the year in 2010. Peter Foreman, Integra Tire, Langley, BC, Second Generation Shop Owner Show notes: https://remarkableresults.biz/a163/ Write to me when you do this. I want to know. Carm@remarkableresults.biz

If you need to be convinced to pay for your technician training you have come to the perfect episode. My guests today are Tyler Hubbard, Owner, I-70 Auto Service, Kansas City, MO, Keith Williamson, Williamson’s Repair & Tire, Bondurant, IA and John Long, Partner, Schertz Auto Service, Schertz, TX These guys nailed the purpose for training, that they pay for training and that this team has brought their key team to Vision 2020. Learn how they manage their training classes here at Vision. Many close their shops and bring the entire team. Listen to how why and one of my panelists spends 3% of sales on training. Last year that was $90,000. So think about having a $750,000 shop and keeping with the 3% of sales that is$22,500 investment in your people, your productivity, happier customers, team retention and being able to take on just about any job that comes in the door. https://remarkableresuts.biz/a162/ Training should be one of the largest investments in your shop. Catch the fever.

THA 161 Insurance Coverage Review - Part 1 Many don’t understand insurance, some feel they are over-insured, some underinsured. When, it is too late, and you have a claim, that is when you learn about coverages. This episode will go a long way to help you comprehend. I’m with Bambi Crozier, Car Clinic in Lowell, AR, Kim Aurenheimer, CS Automotive, Brentwood, TN and Brad Hazelwonder, Federated Insurance. We are all over insurance. When I owned my business doing an insurance review was never something I looked forward too, HOWEVER, I knew how important it was to me, my people and the business. The show notes are already done for you and could serve as a great meeting outline. Go to remarkbleresults.biz/a161. Copy and paste the talking points and also find my guest’s bios and links to their previous episodes.

THA 160 Shop Owner Forum Part 2 Joining me with this second part Shop Owner Forum an ‘Ask The Shop Owner’ format is Maryann Croce from Maryann Croce, Croce Transmissions, Norwalk, CT and SmallBizVantage.com, Andy Bizub, Midwest Performance Cars, Chicago, Tony Tatich, TMT Complete Auto Service Center, Bremen, IN The team answered questions ranging from sources for new customers, ARO growth, time hacks, loaner cars, adding branch stores, paying for technician training, and employee engagement among others. Find the key talking points, my guests bio’s and links to their previous episodes at remarkableresults.biz/a160.

THA 158 Ask the Shop Owner Get ready to be engaged in this open forum, where anything goes. This panel is answering questions that have been sent in or provided over the Zoom webinar platform or off of Facebook … Keep in mind we record this live Academy and repurpose each Thursday for you. I thank my panel for being ‘on the spot’ in this audio workshop. My Guests are Rachael Wacha, City Auto Repair, Gainsville, FL Kate Jonasee, K-Tech, Sebastopol, CA (MSO) Donnie Hudson, Troy Auto Care, Troy, MI (MSO) Jeremy Winters, Service Manager at Weavers Auto Center, Shawnee, KS Find the talking points at remarkableresults.biz/a158. Questions brought up centered around - business culture, labor rates, comebacks, EVs, succession planning, training among other topics. Getting fresh perspectives on these trending topics gives you a foundation on how to build a better business. So appreciative to the panel as they delivered their A-game with honest and transparent answers so that all in the aftermarket benefit from their perspective.

THA 157 Flat Rate vs Hourly-Bonus Hybrid Pay Plans With me on this Academy is Jeff Matt, Victory Auto Service, and Glass, Minneapolis, MN, Joe Hanson, Gordie’s Garage, Roseville, MI, Mike Maloney, Convenience Auto Service, An Arbor, MI and Corey Evaldi, Olmsted Auto Care, North Ridgeville, OH Find the show notes at remarkableresults.biz/a157. Use them as an outline for yourself or a meeting. There is no right or wrong answer as it relates to how you pay your technician team. If it is a modified flat-rate or hourly/bonus program your best intentions is to keep the focus on taking care of your customer and providing a living wage for quality days work for your team. One mention here that I need to address. If you or anyone on your team is living paycheck to paycheck or even beyond your means, any increase in may will be lost on bad spending habits. You can get help to get out of debt and to create a budget. One great resource is Dave Ramsey.

THA 156 Localize National Training This THA was recorded LIVE while at the ASA Colorado Summit 2020in Denver. We were in the lobby of Lincoln tech. I believe you’ll be able to relate to much of the discussion we had on training. My biggest take-a-way is three words spoken by Phil Carpenter. He said ‘Training Is Maintenance’. Let that sink in. Roll it around … ‘Training is Maintenance’. If that resonates with you or means something to you /// then as you listen to this great audio workshop, make a stronger commitment to training. With me to talk about localizing national training were Bryan Gossel, BG Automotive, Fort Collins CO, Phil Carpenter, Director of Operations, Urban AutoCare and Avalon Motorsports, Judi Haglin and Brad Pellman from Pellman’s Automotive in Boulder, CO

THA 155 Are You Selling Tires Many of you do not do tires. Some do it only if asked by the customer. Some, as two of my guests, have about 50% of their volume in rubber. The goal of this audio workshop is to set up opportunities and challenges for you to re-think your commitment to selling tires. I’ve got two tire professionals, these guys are in the tire business, Jae Malinowski from Faithful Tire and Auto in Saskatoon, SK and Chris Tolleson, 49 Tire, Richland, MS. My third guest Jim Fleischman, from Automotive Alley, Arcade, NY is a typical service center that sells tires but does not promote them. We talk margins, alignments, one-stop shopping, banner programs, and road hazards among other really good discussions. Find the talking points at remarkablersults.biz/a155 They go round and round and maybe tires are the perfect specialty to round out your business for a sales boost in 2020.

THA 154 Cash Is King This audio workshop could just be the best medicine for 2020. Don’t just listen and learn but implement a new discipline around cash flow management. Cash is King and we are going to go wide open on how to generate cash and how to use it to bring stability and grow your business. This episode just may change the course of your business. We are talking about CASH. It is the lifeblood of your business. With it there is nothing you can’t do and without it you are terminal. Many know and understand why cash flow is so important, many do not. How do you feel when you are cash poor and how do you react when the business is generating enough cash to sustain great salaries, new equipment, and even expansion. Greg Bunch from Transformers Institute and Aspen Auto Clinic, Bob Greenwood, CEO of Automotive Aftermarket E-Learning Center and Jeremy O’Neal, Freedom Auto Repair in Hesperia, CA and President of AdvisorFix.

THA 152 - How To Increase Your Labor Rate Without Losing Car Count One of the most important moves you can make right now is to review your labor rate. Sure you can increase it by the cost of living, however, there is more to consider and think about. With me in this very smart and powerful discussion is Devin Kelly, All-Star Automotive, Columbia, MO, David Roman, Done with Care Auto Repair, Merriam, KS and David Johnson, DJ Auto, Provo, UT Together they provided a very strong episode that covered a wide swath of strategies on labor rates including having the confidence to do it, not losing car count, the psychology of the sale, that most shops labor rates are artificially low and stop having the hero syndrome This could be one of the most important podcast episodes of the year. Huge take-a-ways, gems of wisdom that can immediately help your companies profitability and growth

This episode is packed with marketing wisdom. Today if you don’t really concentrate on marketing your business your growth will suffer. Customers leave, die and move away. You always need to nurture new relationships and today that takes a carefully planned and deliberate strategy of social engagement, web presence, and community all wrapped up in real-world organic content. Welcome Sue Morsching, Elysian Auto Service, Elysian, MN, Heather DePriest, American Garage Chinook, Montana and Bryan Gossel, BG Automotive, Fort Collins, C

THA 150 Top Financial Challenges to Overcome: Coaches Perspective The focus in this last month of the year in much of the content library has been to take a deep dive and look introspectively at your profitability. We are pushing dialogue about fixing financial issues, labor rates, training, diagnostic fees, careers, bonuses, growing sales, and quality just to name a few. Do you know someone who is struggling to grow a great automotive service business? Please put them in touch with this podcast. I know they will thank you as they find a treasure of insights, ideas and best practices they can use to make some bold decisions in turning around their business. Send them to remarkableresults.biz/insider or just share this episode This is a strong discussion on Financial Challenges from a coach's perspective. With me is David Justice, Repair Shop of Tomorrow, Cecil Bullard, The Institute for Automotive Business Excellence and Maylan Newton, ESI, Educational Seminars Institute. Last week we tackled the same topic but with three shop owners, from their perspective. These are great bookend episodes that you will enjoy and learn something from. Like the last episode had a very strong key take-a-way. If you do what the coaches say, you’ll have a way better 2020 than 2019.

THA 149Top Financial Challenges to Overcome- An Owners Perspective

We’re serving up a strong discussion on Financial Challenges with me are shop owners John Long, Schertz Automotive, Schertz, TX, Tom Ham, Auto Centric, Grand Rapids, MI and Andy Massoll, Detroit Garage, Farmington, MI

You may not be surprised as to the big take-a-way from this episode. It is only logical and will have a huge impact on your business immediately. The panel agrees that your family needs to be on board with any financial decision you make in the business. You’ll get advice on what to do if you get into financial trouble, also the power of sharing your financial status with your team and if you are in financial trouble, you are not alone.

THA 148 Generating Repeat Business

We are talking marketing, mining and relationships with Kelli Weatherby, Accurate Automotive Mesa, AZ with husband Lee and David Roman from Done With Care - Auto Repair, Merriam, KS

Kelli and David shook the trees as it relates to the all-important follow-up visits, referrals, texting, emails, customer shop tours, mystery shoppers, the importance of using your own organic content for your emails and social posts.

THA 147 Overcoming Debt A big problem for many service professionals is learning how to manage cash flow. The cash in the bank isn’t there for spending. It is generated by sales and the gross margin dollars that are earned on those sales is used to pay expenses. The remainder is profit. If cash is spent before allocations then it is very difficult to pay obligations. In many instances, loans are taken to pay bills and overspending stresses the business and the owner. The panel for this Town Hall Academy includes Kim Walker from Shop Marketing Pros and former shop owner, AJ Nealey from Nealey Auto Service, Edgewater, MD and Tom Lambert owner of Shadetree Automotive. They each have a story on how to manage or eradicate debt, grow sales and scrutinize expenses. Knowing your financial states including Profit or Loss Statement and most importantly your Balance Sheet will help. Knowing what your metrics or tolerances of spending and cash management will lessen your dependence on borrowing and putting your company in harm’s way.

THA 146 - The Value of Twenty Groups

If you are a struggling shop, I’d like to introduce you to three shop owners who were in your position once. They climbed out to find great success. One of the tactics was to join a twenty group.

Keep in mind that so many struggling shops discovered the way out of their situation just in time before they closed the doors. Two of my guests are not bashful to say they were on the brink of failure.
With me on the Academy is: Judi Haglin, Haglin Automotive, Boulder, CO, Lisa Eckler, Foreign Car Specialists, Poughkeepsie, NY, John Eppstein, John’s Automotive Care, San Diego, CA and Keith Williamson, Williamson’s Repair and Tire, Bondurant, IA

Listen to this team as they point out that they didn’t know what they didn’t know and their discovery came by being with their industry colleagues in a twenty group. Many in the group have special strengths, will hold you accountable and can provide you a different view of your pathway to remarkable results than you ever thought of yourself.

THA 145 Shop Tour Part 2

This is our second year in a row to visit a shop in Las Vegas at the end of Industry Week. We were welcomed with open arms at Ted Wien’s Tire and Auto. Our gracious host Jennifer Wiens not only shared her thoughts on the episode but presented a great tour of her facility.

Remember shop tours go both ways. It is good to take them, but also important to host them. You can learn from both. Be open, honest and constructive and benefit from the investment of your time to learn from your peers.

You’ll learn the value of shop tours from these guests,

Our host, Jennifer Wien, Ted Wiens Tire and Auto, Host, Las Vegas, NV
John Long, Shertz Automotive, Shertz, TX
David and Jeanie Light
Eric and Jammie Carlson, Ervine’s Auto Repair and Grand Rapids Hybrid
Frank Scandura, Franks European, Las Vegas
Vic Tarasik, Shop Owner Coach

THA 144 Drug Testing in the New Age of Legalized Cannabis We are talking about Drug Testing in the New Age of Legalized Cannabis. You’ve got to pay attention to your HR policies and procedures as states continue to rule on medicinal cannabis, recreational Marijuana and the decriminalization of pot. As drug testing is something shop owners do, what are the guidelines now with states legalizing Cannabis. What about an accident on a test drive. What type of tests are required? Have you talked to your liability insurance or workman's comp carriers? The panel does their best to sort this out and provide you with plenty to consider. I’m with Judy Zimmerman Walter, attorney Noah Frank, and Frank Scandura.