RR 289: Tony Adams from Weavers Auto Center

Tony Adams, AAM is the owner and operator of Weaver’s Auto Center Inc., a mechanical and collision repair facility located in Shawnee, KS. In addition to running a thriving business, Tony is also a business coach focusing on helping organizations with culture and leadership development. Tony has developed a culture of collaboration and respect within his business and has also helped other owners and leaders instill these principles within their businesses as well.

In this episode, Tony admits to what all good leaders know; admit your mistakes, learn from them and move forward. It builds strong leadership. He shares his very transparent story. You’ll either relate to it or learn from it.

Talking Points:

  • Mistakes are your greatest learning moments.
    • Self-evaluate them.
    • Put it behind you.
    • Admit and get on with the healing process.
  • Tony holds himself to a high standard of accountability.
  • When he really understood the difference between managing and leading it was an important discovery.
  • Book: One Minute Manager Met the Monkey was a change agent for him.
  • Manager Types:
    • Do for manager. I’ll do your work.
    • Do to manager. I’m not doing this anymore, you do it.
    • Do with manager. Let’s work together.
  • Know your communication style (behavior) so you can learn how to communicate with people who do not share your style. Learn about communication behavior’s HERE.
  • He started to read books on culture. He realized he needed to create a strong culture. The Why.
    • Raving Fans.
    • The New Gold Standard.
    • Gun Ho.
    • Delivering Happiness. Zappo’s.
    • Customers For Life.
  • He went through a personal self-discovery phase.
  • How does fixing cars relate to the greater good of society?
  • Creating culture is an ongoing process that helps build a strong engagement with your customers.
    • Transparency is created with the customer.
    • Who is the customer? She needs us. Everyone has a story.
    • A strong company culture/purpose instinctively connects with your customer.
    • It is a business separator.
  • Tough to find a person that you can just ‘Plug and Play’ into your business.
    • We must grow our own.
    • Keep the grassroots effort with schools growing.
    • Look at career paths within your shop for an apprentice.
    • It takes time to build an A Technician.
    • In the future, there will be less dependency on using your hands and more on needing their smarts.
  • We have a scarcity mentality with customers. This hurts our industry,
    • We think we need to get the most from the customer.
    • We’ll never see them again. We must develop customers for life.
    • He wants $87,500 from a lifetime of repairs from a customer, not a one time ticket.
  • Slow Down, Pause.
    • Every decision does not have to be made immediately.

Weavers Auto Center Website HERE.

Shop Profile
Number of locations: 1
Total square feet of all facilities: 21,000
Years in industry: 27
Years business ownership: 23
Number of technicians: 4 Mechanical – 9 Collision
Number of service advisers: 1
Number of lifts: 6 Service Only
Number of bays: 7 Service Only
Days open: Mon – Fri
Annual estimated volume: $900K Service Only
Mission statement: To Improve The Quality of Lives For the People We Touch
Shop management system (SMS): Mitchel 1
Completely paperless? Yes
Digital Vehicle Inspection: Bolt On
Other marketing software: Social CRM
Supplier marketing program: NAPA Auto Care Center
Industry accreditations: AAM
Primary supplier: Advance/CarQuest
Business coach: Part-Time
Philanthropy: Rotary

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This episode is brought to you by Federal-MogulMotorparts and Garage Gurus. With brands like Moog, Felpro, Wagner Brake, Champion, Sealed Power, FP Diesel and more, they’re the parts techs trust.  For serious technical training and support – online, onsite and on-demand – Garage Gurus is everything you need to know. Find out more at fmmotorparts.com  and fmgaragegurus.com


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About the author, Carm Capriotto, AAP

Carm is the founder and host of the Remarkable Results Radio Podcast and the pioneer of automotive aftermarket podcasts. Carm calls on his years of experience in the aftermarket to bring engaging stories from his guests.

Listen to raw, unfiltered, honest, and sincere stories that include insights, trends, best practices, and expertise. Each interview brings an opportunity to learn one new thing through the stories of personal achievement. Many podcast guests tell their story of transformation from working in their business to working on it.

As host of over 1,000 episodes, Carm uses his enthusiasm and passion for the aftermarket especially the service sector to take his listeners on a journey showcasing successful service professionals’ paths to Remarkable Results. He also enjoys interviews with aftermarket industry thought leaders who bring their industry perspectives to his listener.

Follow the podcast on your favorite podcast listening app and always listen to learn just one thing!