Ever wondered why some customers seem to jump at a deal while others take more convincing than a cat in a bathtub? Well, it might all boil down to something called “buying personalities.” Yep, you heard it right! These personalities can be game-changers in the world of sales. Let’s break it down into bite-sized pieces,…
Have you ever felt like a pinball in a machine, constantly bouncing off distractions and obstacles as you aim for your goals? Managing your focus can be a real challenge, but with the right strategies, you can recover from those “bumpers” and stay on target. In this blog, we’ll explore ways to keep your focus…
Are you a service manager who dreams of taking the wheel and becoming the proud owner of your own shop? While the journey may seem daunting, there are some surprising secrets that can make this transition smoother than you might expect. First, let’s explore why managers might want to shift to becoming an owner. Ownership…
“I can’t raise my labor rate to that!” This is a common phrase ATI’s coaches hear from members after calculating where the labor rate needs to be relative to labor costs. The disconnect is that we’re already committed to our labor COG (cost of goods) because we already incurred labor expenses like technician wages, benefit…
As we discussed in Close the Back Door now, the back door refers to the people leaving us — both customers and employees. They leave for a variety of reasons, but a lot of those reasons are in your control to overcome. Just like customers, you spend a lot of time on job postings, recruitment,…
The auto repair and maintenance industry had a tremendous year in 2022. We saw increases over pre-covid levels. Most of the shops I talk to had record-breaking sales in the first half of the year, and indications are it will continue. As predicted, however, 2023 has seen a slowdown in that demand. What does that mean…
Where are you on your journey toward success with 2023’s budget? Have you done the work to put an action plan in place for the remainder of the year? Now is a great time to audit where you are against your budget, goals, and objectives. Performing a mid-year review as an auto repair shop owner is…
In November I wrote a post on how to avoid the slow slump season during the winter months. Now, we’re at the time of year when car count starts to ramp up regardless of what geographical area we’re in. This will be due to college kids coming back home, winterized classic and sports cars coming out of…
Giving discounts properly in your auto shop is essential for attracting and retaining customers, building a positive reputation, and managing finances. Every shop management software system has a procedure to reduce customer repair order totals or, in other words, apply discounts. How we discount in those SMS systems can give us much-needed data or mask…
Often, there can be a disconnect between the techs and service advisors, also considered the front and the back of shops. Service advisors and techs, at times, do not speak the same language and may have differing ideas on what their roles are in providing an outstanding customer experience. They tend to work in silos…