The Human Side of Auto Repair: Emotional Intelligence, Mentorship, and Leadership [THA 506]

We’re great at fixing cars. But how good are we at understanding and communicating with people?

Matt Fanslow, host of Automotive Field Theory, and Margaret Light, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist at Equilibrium Therapy Services, explore the human side of auto repair, focusing on emotional intelligence, effective communication, mentorship, and the leadership skills needed to build healthier shop cultures.

Recorded at ASTA 2026 in Raleigh, this conversation challenges traditional attitudes about workplace emotions and communication. Discover how developing emotional intelligence, understanding different perspectives, and replacing quick reactions with thoughtful responses can strengthen relationships, improve mentorship, and help leaders create a more supportive auto repair industry.

What You’ll Learn:

The Field of Fixers: Why auto repair professionals naturally jump into problem-solving mode and how that instinct can prevent meaningful communication and human connection.

Listening Before Fixing: Why effective communication begins with understanding, not immediately offering solutions, and how slowing down and asking thoughtful questions builds trust.

Emotional Intelligence in the Shop: How recognizing emotions, managing personal reactions, and understanding the feelings of others can improve everyday interactions and workplace relationships.

Communication vs. Connection: Why talking to someone isn’t necessarily connecting with them, and how empathy, active listening, and genuine curiosity create stronger relationships.

Moving Beyond Tough Love: Why shame-based management and the traditional “grow thicker skin” mentality can undermine trust, discourage open communication, and weaken shop culture.

The Power of Mentorship: How emotional awareness, constructive feedback, and genuine mentorship build confidence, competence, resilience, and stronger relationships between experienced professionals and the next generation.

Leading the Next Generation: Why understanding Gen Z’s perspectives, values, and communication expectations can help leaders develop and retain future specialists.

Great shop leadership goes beyond managing production, measuring performance, and solving technical challenges. It requires emotional intelligence, intentional communication, and the ability to understand people before attempting to solve their problems.

The auto repair industry has invested heavily in teaching people how to fix vehicles. It’s time to give equal attention to helping them communicate, connect, mentor, and lead. Because building a remarkable shop starts with building remarkable people.

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AAPEX 2026: What to See, Learn, and Experience [RR 1112]

What should be on your must-see list at AAPEX 2026?

Mark Bogdansky, Vice President of Meetings and Events at the Auto Care Association, shares what attendees can expect from a redesigned AAPEX 2026 experience, including a new home for Joe’s Garage, a more focused education schedule, expanded hands-on experiences, networking opportunities, competitions, special guests, and plenty of surprises.

One of the biggest changes is designed to help attendees get more from both education and the show floor. Paid training will take place in the morning, leaving afternoons open to explore exhibits, build relationships, discover new products, and experience everything AAPEX has to offer. Joe’s Garage is also moving to Level 1, directly above the classroom training, making the transition from learning to hands-on exploration even easier.

What You’ll Learn

Why AAPEX redesigned the education schedule to give attendees more time on the show floor
What’s new at Joe’s Garage, including live vehicle training and expanded experiences
How to approach AAPEX with a plan and bring actionable ideas back to your business
What attendees will find at the AAPEX Forum, including Roadside Attractions, demonstrations, giveaways, and interactive experiences
How the expanded Student V8 Engine Competition is showcasing the next generation of automotive professionals
Opportunities to connect directly with manufacturers, industry leaders, exhibitors, and fellow automotive professionals
Special appearances and experiences featuring Coach K, Mark Wahlberg, Jimmie Johnson, Barry Sanders, Mia Hamm and more

Don’t just attend AAPEX. Have a plan to experience it. Choose your education before you arrive. Explore the show floor with purpose. Ask questions. Make connections. Discover what’s changing in the industry. And if you bring your team, challenge them to return with actionable ideas they can share and implement.

AAPEX 2026 isn’t just about seeing what’s new. It’s an opportunity to learn, connect, experience, and bring something valuable back to your business.

AAPEX, November 3-5, 2026, The Venetian Expo and AAPEX Forum https://www.aapexshow.com/

remarkableresults.biz/e1112

How to Turn Call Recordings Into Coaching, Conversions, and Customers [THA 505]

What if the phone is ringing, but your team is unknowingly turning customers away?

David Boyd, owner of Call Inbound, and Rich Oppitz, Director of Operations at Telle Tire, overseeing 95 stores, explore how call recording and AI analysis can uncover missed opportunities at the service counter and turn everyday customer conversations into powerful coaching moments.

The challenge isn’t always getting the phone to ring. It’s understanding what happens after someone answers it.

Rich shares how Telle Tire discovered that service advisors weren’t intentionally turning business away, but their language sometimes communicated “no” without actually saying the word. By establishing clear expectations, analyzing calls, and consistently coaching the team, their appointment capture score improved from approximately 58% to 72% in just three to four months. 

What You’ll Learn

Why a car count problem may actually be a call conversion problem
How service advisors can unintentionally communicate “no” by focusing on what the shop can’t do
Why communicating what you CAN do can change the customer conversation
How AI analysis can uncover coaching opportunities across thousands of calls
Why expectations need to be established before calls are graded
How “Champion Calls” and “Coachable Calls” create continuous learning
Why call reviews should be positioned as coaching, not punishment
How self-assessment can help service advisors recognize their own opportunities for improvement
Why empathy, courtesy, personalization, patience, tone, and follow-up matter to the customer experience
How a focused call review can become a valuable coaching conversation in only 5 to 7 minutes 

Don’t just record the call. Learn from it.

Call recordings give shop leaders the opportunity to replace assumptions with actual conversations. When those conversations become part of consistent coaching, the goal isn’t to catch someone doing something wrong. It’s to help the team communicate better, ask for the appointment, improve the customer experience, and convert more of the opportunities already coming into the shop.

Before spending more money making the phone ring, listen to what happens when it does.

remarkableresults.biz/a505