Auto Repair in the Decade of the Eighties [THA 194]
Auto Repair in the Decade of the Eighties [THA 194]
Welcome to another trip down memory lane and a flashback to the decade of the 1980s. My guests recall that the new tech that came out in the decade was learned through trial by fire and carburetors could be diagnosed with your ears. A fun time where the music was made by hair groups…. what was your favorite group?
This was an era too where the Chrysler Caravan, Fiero and the IROC-Z debuted. When the phone rang during this period, they said that 80 percent of the time that caller would-be customers and 12 D Cell Batteries to make the Boom Box work. And of course, the mullet was the hair cut of choice. If you don’t remember because you are too young, then listen to what your brethren, who came before you, remember about the decade of the eighties. BTW There are pictures of the entire panel from the 1980s in the show notes
The panel, Kevin Eckler, along with wife Lisa own Foreign Car Specialists, in Poughkeepsie, NY, Paul Marquardt, Northwoods Auto Techs, Rhinelander, WI was the National NAPA ASE Tech of the Year for 2010 and is a NAPA Autotech Trainer
Rich Falco, Instructor at CTI (Carquest Technical Institute) and John Bridgwater, Wright’s Automotive Service, San Leandro, CA. The show notes at remarkableresults.biz/a194 where you’ll find pictures and links to my panel’s previous episodes.
Incentive Plans [THA 191]
Incentive Pay – THA 191
We are talking about Incentive Pay. You will conclude from this episode that there is no silver bullet to this answer. There are a lot of moving parts to create compensation plans unique to your business culture for the results you, your employee, and team need to have to best serve your customer and to create financial rewards.
I invited a great panel to discuss incentive pay: // Seth Thorson, from EuroTech Auto Service, based in New Brighton, MN and also the owner of LMV Bavarian a BMW tech support company. Bryan Kelley is here from Valley Auto Electric, Covington, WA, Active and chairman of ASA Northwest and Bill Haas, Haas Performance Consulting, and Business Manager of NACAT, the North American Automotive Teachers
The detailed key talking points can be found at remarkableresults.biz/a191 along with Bryan’s chart on 23 motivators of people. Remember you can use them to help create your own plan or meeting agenda.
Succession Planning: With an Internal Candidate [THA 190]
THA 190 Succession with an Internal Candidate
In keeping with my goal to keep the succession theme burning as we face the reality that many of you need to retire and sell your business and many of you would like to become business owners.
This episode reveals a transaction with two internal non-family successors. Bob Ward anchors this episode as he helped orchestrate this transaction.
I’m with business owner Steve LaFleur from Prescott Import Car Service and one of the internal co-buyers, Dave Mendez. Dave has worked for Steve for 10 years.
This very candid conversation will help move your succession plans forward and you can get all the key talking points from this episode at remarkableresults.biz/a190. These key talking points will make for a great planning agenda.
Assessments: Hire Engaged, and Productive Employees Who Find a Home [RR 572]
Assessments: Hire Engaged, and Productive Employees Who Find a Home [RR 572]
There is a need in supporting businesses in enhancing their organizational eco-system through it’s single most important asset… The PEOPLE! The lifeline of a healthy business culture can be done at the tip of your fingertips
My guests today are; Carlo Sabucco, Mark Simons, David & Bonnie Schedin. They will be enlightening us with the value and importance of assessments. Assessments can identify people who have the highest probability of being successful in a role and provide practical recommendations for maximizing their performance.
learn the importance of two different assessments and how hiring with this knowledge will help your businesses leverage and streamline your hiring process and find a great match to enhance your team
The key talking points and important links found at remarkableresults.biz/e572/
Industry Terminology: It’s Time to Change it. Can You Get Behind This? [RR 571]
Industry Terminology: It’s Time to Change it. Can You Get Behind This? [RR 571]
The Panel: Chris Cloutier is co-owner of Golden Rule Auto Care in Dallas Texas and CEO of Auto Text Me. He spent many years in the software industry developing solutions for companies, and Bob Greenwood is President and C.E.O. of Automotive Aftermarket E-Learning Centre Ltd. (AAEC) a company focused on providing Business Management Resources and Development for the Independent Sector of the aftermarket industry.
Welcome to a fun and fast-paced show for you all about the language of our beloved aftermarket. Chris and Bob are providing provocative ideas for change in the language we use. They believe that many of the words we use don’t have the same meaning today that they did years ago.
Some of the language they feel we need to remove is training, customer, and business owner to name just a few. We’ve taken great notes for you so you can use as an agenda in your next team or networking meetings, Go to the show notes page at remarkableresults.biz/e571 . Also, find Chris and Bob’s bios and links to their previous episodes.
Margaret Palango – 20 Questions in 30 Minutes [RR 570]
Margaret Palango – 20 Questions in 30 Minutes [RR 570]
Margaret is the Executive Vice President at Autoshop Solutions in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina Area. She shares some great and applicable advice on grit and positive thinking while emphasizing on the importance of building trust and building better teamwork.
Margaret Palango also talks about how she relies on her intuition whenever there is a difficult decision to make. She never regrets listening to her intuition. She made her intuition stronger in her professional life.
Find the key talking points, Margaret Palango’s bio and links to his previous episodes at remarkableresults.biz/e570
Electrical Engineers Become Shop Owners Growing to Seven Stores – John and Karen Manelas [RR 569]
Electrical Engineers Become Shop Owners Growing to Seven Stores – John and Karen Manelas [RR 569]
John and Karen Manelas attended the same school, took the same degree and became successful at their careers for 15 years as electrical engineers. They decided to take a huge life change and pay cut to start their own shop. They took on the challenge and the uncertainties. With low capital, they grew their shop from one in 2004 to an amazing 7 shops in 2019.
Growth is an amazing thing when you do it the right way. Prepare yourself mentally to put a lot of work into each location, hiring, training, and preparing the right staff.
Find the key talking points, John and Karen Manelas’ bio and links to their previous episodes at remarkableresults.biz/e569
The Women Stereotype: Creates Friction, Insecurity, and Gender Issues [RR 567]
The Women Stereotype: Creates Friction, Insecurity, and Gender Issues [RR 567]
My guest today is Emily Chung. She owns and operates AutoNiche, a family-friendly auto repair shop in Markham, Ontario, Canada. She is a licensed Automotive Service Technician, and Automotive Writer for various publications. She also teaches in the Automotive Business School of Canada at Georgian College.
We are going to talk about gender stereotyping. I want you to listen to this episode in its entirety and let me know what you took away. I believe it will help you understand some of the reasons we do what we do as it relates to hiring and leading our team.
When it comes to gender biases, Emily makes very strong points. No doubt you can put yourself in many of the situations Emily speaks about. So we get this on the table here in episode 567 and I welcome Emily back to keep the dialogue going. Please recall another episode recently where we had a female shop owner, technician and service adviser discuss the Female Impact in the aftermarket. It is episode RR 549
Find the key talking points, Emily Chung’s bio and links to her previous episodes at remarkableresults.biz/e567
Mike Tatich – 20 Questions in 30 Minutes [RR 566]
Mike Tatich – 20 Questions in 30 Minutes [RR 566]
Listen to shop owner Mike Tatich from TMT Complete Auto Service Center answer 20 questions on life and business. He shares some great advice he got from family and friends. He talks about how important people are in business and how important your networks are in case all else fails.
Mike Tatich also talks about reading more and networking to other shop owners. Mike has become a John Maxwell Leadership Certified business coach. He has a story of letting go, a perfectionist control freak, a helicopter dad, and he needs to get busier doing other stuff.
Find the key talking points, Mike Tatich’s bio and links to his previous episodes at remarkableresults.biz/e566
Live at the Grill with Chris Della Bella [THA 186]
THA 186 Live at the Grill with Chris Della Bella
Welcome friend to a first for the Town Hall Academy. I attempted to pull off a live cooking show with my friend Chris Della Bella, the Director of Market Development, Northern US for Advance/Carquest. We had some tech glitches, but we created a short and fun episode that accomplished our goal.
You know food is a universal language and breaking bread with people is one of the most intimate and fun relationship builder.
Imagine a cooking show in audio format. Our industry is known to hold cookouts for the team and with that idea in mind, we held a live cooking show. Sure you can listen to the podcast or go to the show notes page or my Youtube channel to watch Chris in action. remarkableresults.biz/a186
I hope you have plans this week to cook out for your team and your family while practicing social distancing.
Giving Back: His Calling to Expose the Automotive to High School Students [RR 565]
Giving Back: His Calling to Expose the Automotive to High School Students [RR 563]
My guest today demonstrates paying it forward. Luke Walker from Columbus, OH shares his 10-year success path from a one-bay shop into a 16 bay, $4M business.
He credits great people, coaching and a strong culture. A fascinating part of Luke’s story is his giving back to the community. As you listen, think about how you can help impress the automotive industry on the young people in your community. He is leading and supporting an after school program that unwraps automotive systems to students that may show technical/mechanical gifting and encourage them to our industry.
Talk to me at carm@remarkableresults.biz Thanks!!!! for sharing your thoughts. Find the key talking points, Patrick’s bio and links to his previous episodes at remarkableresults.biz/e565
Six Shops in Eleven Years: The Story Behind This Explosive Growth [RR 557]
Six Shops in Eleven Years: The Story Behind This Explosive Growth [RR 557]
I’m with Matt Lachowitzer, a 6 location shop owner. Matt had aspirations to become a lawyer, but a fork in the road led him to be a technician and now shop owner; 6 shop locations in under 11 years. That is an amazing feat but it required a lot of work, a strong culture, pure process disciplines, and a total focus on the customer experience. Matt also has a body shop and an ADAS calibration center.
On his way to owning 6 locations, Matt Lachowitzer dropped out of school and started working In a local GM dealership. Matt shares how he grew and transformed his business with a top culture, an incredibly strong community presence, the Teddy Bear treasure, and the Girl Scout Cookie campaign that supports local food pantries and our veterans.
Learn all about these programs and more along with how he has integrated a lottery system in training and engaged his technicians to own and teach their in house training program.
Matt’s full bio and the key talking points can be found on the website at remarkableresults.biz/e557
Female Impact: Getting Through [RR 549]
Ashley McCabe – McCabe’s Automotive Specialist, University Place, WA. In 2015, Ashley took over her father’s decades-old automotive business. She might not have known much about cars when she started, but she sure did know about customers. Ashley started at the front counter, and her father said he could tell that she understood customer service and…
Financial Help For Your Team [THA 177]
THA 177 Financial Help For Your Team
This is an episode I’ve wanted to do for some time. This living paycheck to paycheck syndrome can be corrected. Many spend beyond what they make and they get a raise and the differential is also gone. It is usually a spending problem, not an earning problem.
My panel that includes Danielle Bohlmann, Owner, HWY 7 Service Center, Newell, IA, Dave Martin, Owner, Martin’s Auto Repair, Phoenix, AZ, Frank Scandura, Owner, Frank’s European Service, Las Vegas, NV and Drew Horton, Technician, HWY 7 Service Center, Newell, IA
A bunch of great insights here and you can find them on the show notes page at remarkableresults.biz/a177. These key talking points will make for a great meeting agenda.
Embracing Change with David Martin [RR 543]
Dave Martin is the Owner and President of Martin’s Auto Repair in Phoenix, AZ. His automotive career began pulling weeds on the shop property then as he got older Dave moved into a station helper and gas attendant. Dave then became the shop manager before taking over the family business from his father in 2006.…
Adapt or Die – A Look Ahead [THA 174]
Carolyn Coquillette of Luscious Garage, San Francisco, CA chairs the ASCCA Connected Cars Committee, serves on the ASCCA Board of Directors and is active in her local San Francisco chapter. She’s also the Founder and CEO of Shop-Ware. Look for Carolyn’s other episodes HERE. Scott Brown is an ASE Master Certified Automobile Technician with over three and a half…
Businesses Grow when Owners Grow – Maryann Croce [RR 542]
Maryann Croce from SmallBusinessvantge.com. She and her husband Tony also own Croce Transmission in Norwalk, CT. As a business owner, she can chalk up many a mistake that has turned into wisdom. She has been there and done that and shares 5 key principles to help a startup business person get ahead of the game. She is speaking…
From Technician to Service Advisor to Operations Manager – Phil Carpenter [RR 540 ]
Phil Carpenter has been in the automotive industry since 2002 however his passion for Automotive started much earlier. He bought his first vehicle at 14 years old and still has it, a 1959 Chevy Pickup. He has spent time as an Audi Certified Technician, Service Advisor, Parts Specialist, Service Manager, General Manager and currently, is…
Bright Light Shines from this Business Coaches Round-Table [RR 531]
Bob Greenwood, AMAM (Accredited Master Automotive Manager) is President and C.E.O. of Automotive Aftermarket E-Learning Centre Ltd. (AAEC). AAEC is a company focused on providing Business Management Resources and Development for the Independent Sector of the aftermarket industry. AAEC content and technology is recognized as part of the curriculum of the Fixed Operations Diploma and the…
Success Stories from the Coaching Front-lines [THA 167]
Bill Haas, AAM, is the owner of Haas performance consulting LLC, with 40 years of experience in the automotive service and repair industry. Clients have access to Bill’s solution-based focus, expertise, unique perspectives and in-depth knowledge of the industry. Bill began his career working part-time at a full-service gasoline station in Appleton, Wisconsin. His career…
Do You Understand Your Role? [RR 527]
Philip Christensen started his automotive career in 1997 with the world’s largest independently owned tire company. From there he worked his way through there apprenticeship, and management programs. In 2012 Phil joined BG Automotive which was a 4 person operation at the time. Today he has helped grow it to 3 dentations and 28 team…
Are you a Shop Owner or a Business Owner [RR 525]
Guest Ron Tinner from Sparks Tire and Auto, St. Charles, MO a NAPA CarCare Center Key Talking Points: Best advice you ever received- Get off the counterOnce you start delegating responsibilities you realize what you could’ve been doing better all along Many struggles are self-inflicted Owner of business instead of the owner of the…
Surviving an Economic Downturn [THA 165]
Ron Ipach, co-founder or Repair Shop Coach, has helped over 5536 auto repair shop owners to get and keep all the top-quality customers they can handle. Marketing auto repair services are all he does. He lives, eats, and breathes it every day. He has seen, heard, and tested practically every kind of marketing there is out…
Are You Paying for Training? The Right Thing To Do [THA 162]
Keith Williamson is the owner of Williamson’s Repair and Tire in Bondurant, IA for over 20 years. He is a member of MWACA where he leads the Shop Owner Support Group (an amazing group of shops) in Iowa. He and his team focus on the customer experience, as well as Hybrid, Electric and emerging vehicle…
Kim Aurenheimer – Fall In Love With Your Business, Again [FTR 086]
Kim Auernheimer, AAM is the Co-Owner & Business Manager of CS Automotive in Brentwood, Tennessee. CS Automotive was opened in October of 2006 in the back of a warehouse and now they call a 6,400 square foot, 10-bay shop home. Prior to joining her husband Rob in the business on a full-time basis, Kim had a career…