Archive for December 2017
RR 288: Jorge Antico from eAutoClub.com
Customer Transaction Data is a Powerful Resource for Organic Growth
With a business and computer science education, Jorge Antico identified the aftermarkets need for transactional service-data aggregation. In essence, a family-owned vehicle fleet service management system.
The data that sits on your server contains a treasure of information that can be served up in just the right way. With the right AI software for natural language predictive CRM, you can do a lot with your information. Antico shares the power of growing your business using the data you already own.
This episode will provide much insight, from a tech perspective. There are many strong thinking moments here that will energize your systems and marketing talents and inspire you to grow your business.
Listen and view episode notesTHA 047: Twenty-One TIPS to Get an Edge on the Competition – Part 2
Do you need a quick new idea to implement that will give you an edge?
In this Academy lesson get 21 TIPS (Part 2) to help give you an edge over the competition. These are some very simple ideas that have been collected from successful service professionals in the industry.
Implementation will be the big payoff. If you listen to learn just one thing and do not implement you will not benefit from this listen.
Listen and view episode notesRR 287: Bill Haas – Millennials – How to Lead and Engage This Generation
Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Hiring and Leading Millennials
Every twenty years or so a new generation of workers arrives. For many of us, we raised today’s Millennials or Generation Y. They are made up of the 22-40-year-old’s who number 79 million in the workforce; the largest segment.
If we are to seed our industry with youth and grow our own, we must look at the Millennial Generation. We must understand how to integrate them and nurture them into our workforce.
Each generation has its quirks. Gen Y is no different. Once you learn what moves and motivates them you’ll find it so much easier to accept and keep millennials motivated in your business culture. The lessons here works for all team members, but you’ll learn what really makes the Millennial tick and why they behave like they do.
Listen and view episode notesRR 286: Robert ‘Dutch’ Silverstein from A & M Auto Service
A Formula for Improving Reputation and Customer Trust
Robert ‘Dutch’ Silverstein has owned A & M for 19 years and is passionate about building customers for life. This episode has a strong continuing message of trust and integrity. If you have customers for life, Dutch’s story will solidify your strategy, if you don’t have customers for life, Dutch’s passion will help you understand how you can build a consumer into a customer and then into a client.
This episode showcases many powerful strategies, like customer education, the elimination of technician commissions, the important need to lift our industries image and reputation and that integrity and honesty is the only rule, if not he says, ‘Don’t Operate At All’.
Listen and view episode notesTHA 046: Revving Up Your Business Culture | AMi Credit
Building a strong business culture can be one of the hardest things a business owner can do yet the most rewarding.
It is one of the key principles in the business that you cannot touch. It’s the soft stuff. For many, it is tough to get your hands around it. This academy panel does a great job explaining culture and shows you many ways to implement and lead it.
The power of a strong business culture can be one of your biggest differentiators as a business and a strong reason you attract top talent.
Listen and view episode notesRR 285: Ryan Blair – Blair Automotive
Super Growth rate of 40% Has Its Challenges to Expense Control and Cash Flow.
Ryan Blair of Blair Automotive is a highly honored Audi technician and worked at an Audi dealership for eight years before deciding to start his own Audi/VW specialty shop.
As an independent, he has brought a high level of differentiation and a better than dealer experience to his customer. His new location was a perfect ground zero for his increased sales.
We find Ryan with big growing pains and a huge scale up when he moved into his new 12 bay facility. He has no regrets to get the shop where it is and admits he stretched and has personally guaranteed his expansion. Ryan has the perfect outlook and is building a strong business long into the future.
Listen and view episode notesRR 284: Women In Auto Care Honorees
Women In Auto Care Honor Their Own.
The 2017 Honors for Auto Care Woman of the Year Laura Soave, Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Federal-Mogul Motorparts, Female Shop Owner of the Year, Carolyn Coquillette, owner of Luscious Garage in downtown San Francisco and Auto Care Woman of Excellence, Jill Trotta, the Director of Automotive Group at Repair Pal.
The WIAC connect, empower and mentor women in our auto care industry. In 2017 they provided educational scholarships worth $65,000. More on that inside this fun and inspiring episode.
Listen and view episode notesTHA 045: Installing Customers Parts – A Discussion | AMi Credit
This panel’s perspective is meant to excite a dialogue, to present ideas and concepts to support your decision or to inspire you to take a stand; one way or the other.
This topic is a worthy discussion because of the growth rate of e-commerce part availability, transparency in pricing, and ease of self-diagnosis on the internet.
At risk can be your reputation based on the quality of part being installed. You own the cause of their concern. This panel has not gotten one new great customer from ever installing parts for walk-in customers.
Listen and view episode notesRR 283: Bob Rodriguez – Legacy Industry Trainer
Bob Rodriguez is a legacy aftermarket professional who spent 18 years as a technical training instructor and the training manager at Robert Bosch in Broadview IL. Bob was instrumental in finding better ways to provide training that went beyond the ‘beer and pretzels’ evening offerings by some vendors at the time’.
Bob drops a lot of names and organization he’s worked with and for. He’s worked for a number of well-known Tier 1 and aftermarket companies (including Bosch, Lincoln Technical Institute, ASE, Mopar CAP and others) and has chaired training committees for a wide-ranging group of aftermarket associations.
Listen and view episode notesRR 282: Jennifer Maher from TechForce – Technician Shortage – Solution Update
Moving Forward With a Solution to the Technician Shortage
Jennifer Maher, CEO and Executive Director of Techforce Foundation in her second interview on the podcast brings you the important updates to the Future Tech Success Campaign.
She outlines how you can help and explains the value of the iHUB repository of information, data and resources you will need to help at the grassroots level.
Discover the outcome of the case study done in the Phoenix school system. Learn how due diligence on our education system will make waves for the future technicians that are in the education system now.
All of us who earn our living in the aftermarket must get involved. Find important links to ‘raise your hand’ to help on the show notes page.
Listen and view episode notesTHA 044: The Importance of Back Office Operations – Part 1
The Power Center of your Business is in the Back Office.
In this Part One Amy Mattinat, Jacquie Walter Hower, Maryann Croce and Kim Auernheimer discuss controls, operations and accounting/finance.
Highlights: Cash accountability, bank statements, trust and verify. The three stages of a business and the power of communication. With good systems, you can find where any breakdown occurred. Also discussed is team buy-in, QuickBooks, keeping good records, budgeting and cash flow.
Listen and view episode notesRR 281: Auto Care Impact Award- Four For The Future 2017
Impact Award Honoree’s In 2017 Share Their Aftermarket Story.
The Auto Care Association annually honors four aftermarket professionals, age 40 or younger, who have made remarkable contributions to the auto care industry. The Impact Award: Four for the Future, was created in 2010 and is administered by the Auto Care Association Marketing and Communications Committee.
The 2017 award winners are Sarah Shelstrom from Integrated Supply Network, Katina Wall from STP at Spectrum Brands, Kyle Byrne from the Merrill Company and Chris Pacey from National Performance Warehouse.
We talk about the impact of technology, the elephant in the room, insights, recruiting talent into the industry and the trends they see affecting the aftermarket.
Listen and view episode notesRR 280: Eric Svedberg and Rex Cate from Automotive Specialists
Shop Owner Shares His ‘Grow Your Own’ Technician Training Program
Eric Svedberg from Automotive Specialists in Virginia Beach, VA is in the AAPEX 17 studio with his millennial technician Rex Cate. The conversation gets deep into the recruitment of Rex (he worked at Panara), his training program, his annual review, and how Eric is integrating Rex into his business.
Now four years into the training program there are no regrets on either side. Rex says that there are many millennials like him out there looking for a chance.
Listen and view episode notes