Frequently Asked Questions

What Makes ATI’s Shop Owner Events Unique?

ATI is a coaching company, not a training company! Our mission is to help our members increase profit and live the lives of their dreams! That is why our shop owner event attendees see an immediate increase of $25,000 to $150,000 in additional profit just from attending this one-day shop owner event.

ATI shop owner events are much more than the usual stream of presented information. At ATI, we go beyond just giving information; we help you understand and implement positive changes immediately!

  • ATI shop owner events are a mix of industry-relevant, hard-hitting, up-to-date material mixed with hands-on activities that will show you how your business can be taken to the next level to achieve your dreams.
  • During the one-day shop owner events, we help shop owners identify which areas of the business are important to focus on and which stand in the way of success. At the end of the day, you clearly understand how to get what you want out of your business.
  • ATI coaches you on how to get measurable results. We identify Key Performance Indicators that help you fine-tune what you are already doing well and show areas of opportunity. We give you concrete ideas that can be implemented immediately to increase your bottom line.
  • As part of the one-day event process, you will be assigned a personal consultant. Your consultant will work with you after the event to help build your Road Map To Success. During this complimentary one-on-one session, we will compare your newly established Key Performance Indicators with the national averages of the more than 3,000 shops we have already coached and weigh them against our best practices model!

How is a Collision Repair event different from an Auto Repair event?

Many of the skills in our events encompass best business practices for either auto repair or collision repair shops. However, in the Collision version of the one-day shop owner event, our team of collision experts incorporates a specific focus on the growing needs of the collision repairer for:

  1. Insurance company negotiations
  2. Estimatics for profit
  3. Marketing strategies specifically for collision repair
  4. How you pay your staff

Getting Ready for Event Success

When preparing for an ATI one-day shop owner event, shop assessment, or re-engineering program, sometimes questions come up regarding the financial information we need to understand your business and the metrics we use to build success plans.

What information do you need from me?

We need your Profit or Loss Statement representing a long enough and current enough period to reflect the current operating status of your business. Twelve months ending within the last two months is ideal. In addition, we will ask a few questions and help you figure out the answers. “What is your average monthly car count?” is a good example.

How can I be sure my information will be kept confidential?

Your privacy is a top priority. ATI employees sign a legally binding confidentiality agreement so that the information you share is protected. We do not sell information about attendees to third parties, and no one other than our business analyst will see your financial information.

What if I don’t have any current financial information?

Within some practical limits, we can work with you to create a profile of your shop, particularly if you use reasonably modern Shop Management software. If you don’t use shop management software and don’t have financial information about your operating history then you may not be ready for an ATI one-day shop owner event.

My shop is too new to have financial information. Can you still help me?

No problem. We love “greenfield projects.” As a new shop, you may not have a financial history but you also don’t have a lot of deeply ingrained bad habits and “off-target” systems. In your case, we’ll work with you to create a business plan with target numbers to reach. Instead of “how to get from Point A to Point B,” we’ll figure out a Road Map to get you to a prosperous Point A.

Can you talk to my accountant, bookkeeper, or spouse?

Absolutely! Just give them permission to share your information with us and tell us how to contact them. We will still need information from you that are not usually a part of standard financials (that car count example is a good one).

What is a Key Performance Indicator?

Percentages, or Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) as we call them, give you the ability to measure and manage your business, manage the integrity of pricing strategies, and manage by each profit center. For example, using profit margin percentages, not dollars, to measure parts, labor, and sublet profits, allows you to compare results to your expected profit margin. Then, if you’re not meeting the expectation, you can dig into each profit center and diagnose where and how you lost gross profit dollars. And, skilled service advisors, when building estimates, track profit on parts and labor per job by profit margin percentages.

What is the Road Map to Success?

As part of the one-day shop owner event process, you will be assigned a personal consultant. Your consultant works with you after the one-day event to help build your Road Map to Success. This included one-on-one shop assessment session compares your newly established Key Performance Indicators with the national averages of the more than 3,000 shops we have already coached and weighs them against our best practices model!

How can I optimize the effectiveness of the one-day shop owner event for my shop and myself?

If you get your information to us quickly and work with us for accuracy and completeness, you will enjoy better results when you implement the process changes outlined in the Road Map.