Latest Blog

Is It Time to Retire the Word Technician? or One More Reason Why Language Matters!

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | Oct 25, 2026

What we call ourselves matters. What our clients call us matters even more. If you know me, you know I’ve been pushing hard for an industry-wide language shift. If you’ve read my declaration, experienced my keynote, or heard me pontificate about The Rise of the Specialist, you know how passionate…

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All Articles and Blog Posts

Brining Attention To Sometimes Invisible Thoughts or Issues

Power of the Room

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 07/06/2026

Stop Flying Solo: The Brutal Truth About the “Power of the Room” Recently, Aaron Woods dropped a phrase on…

Go Silent

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 06/29/2026

Do you have an app that silences your phone for a set period of time? I do. Whenever I…

DTI – Can You Imagine?

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 06/22/2026

Here is another analogy to the dental industry that I think you’ll appreciate. If you are like me, we…

Our Pitiful Roads and Your Clients’ Cars

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 06/15/2026

I’ve always said you’ve got to know when to stop digging when you’re in deep trouble. That’s the rule…

Words Matter: Why ‘Installer’ Doesn’t Define Our Profession

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 06/08/2026

Another critical shift we must champion is retiring the term installer when referring to professional automotive service. We do…

Are You Professional Enough?

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 06/01/2026

“I’m a professional.” That’s very easy to say. I own a business. I make money. I have customers. I…

Reboot Your Business

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 05/26/2026

There is nothing like a refresh, a reboot. As we move deep into Spring, at least up North, we…

Debriefing

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 05/17/2026

Debriefing isn’t a dramatic, optional ritual—it’s a discipline. And disciplines are what separate shops that drift from shops that…

People Support What They Help Create

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 05/11/2026

There’s a lot of talk about culture. It’s often treated like an enigma, something you can’t touch, hard to…

Really… a Certified Financial Planner?

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 05/04/2026

You’ve probably been bombarded lately with ads reminding you to trust only a Certified Financial Planner with your investments…

Digital Detox

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 04/27/2026

On the way home from a conference, I sat in the airport thinking about all the conversations I’d just…

Attention Client Advocates: Stop Sounding Like a Technician: Translate, Don’t Transfer

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 04/20/2026

There’s a difference between sharing information and creating understanding—and too often, we confuse the two. Service advisors hear the…

Every Repair Order Has 3 Stories—Which One Are You Telling?

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 04/13/2026

As an industry, we are working hard to improve what appears on the repair order. I’ve sat through repair…

Continuing the Language Shift – BTW Don’t Skip This!

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 04/06/2026

The language shift in business isn’t coming—it’s already here. More and more, I find validation in the evolving job…

A Brainiac Celebration

By Carm Capriotto, AAP | 03/30/2026

Working in the professional automotive repair industry requires intelligence, creativity, and problem-solving. Every day in our shops there are…

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