Dominate Your Market – Own the Two Mile Zone [THA 151]
The Panel” Bryan Gossel, BG Automotive, Fort Collins, CO Sue Morsching, Elysian Auto Service, Elysian, MN Heather DePriest, American Garage Chinook, Montana Talking Points The CEO’s responsibility is to make the phone ring. You must create a year-long marketing calendar to help prepare (anticipate) for special events, seasons, holidays, etc Compare your numbers from each…
Listen and view episode notesRR 492: YouTube – Benefit or Burden Part 2
RR 492: Youtube – Benefit or Burden Part 2
Welcome to the second installment of Youtube: Benefit or Burden Part 2. As you go through this episode you’ll discover the stimulus for this discussion. There are many passionate people on both sides of the value of YouTube as it relates to auto repair.
The episode’s expert guests include: Paul Danner, ‘Scanner Danner’ fame, Brin Kline, shop owner and member of Trained By Techs, Shop owner and Technician Michael Broccolo, from Rochester, NY Sara Fraser from Hass Performance Consulting and Matt Fanslow shop manager and lead diagnostician Riverside Automotive.
You’ll hear some sparks fly as the passion for training and quality diagnosis was front and center. The debate over the words diagnostic vs testing was prominent and the real facts that many shops are not really diagnosing they are retrieving a fault code and using statistical diagnostics therefore shooting the parts cannon and in many cases not doing right by the customer.
Listen and view episode notesTHA 148: Generating Repeat Business
THA 148 Generating Repeat Business
We are talking marketing, mining and relationships with Kelli Weatherby, Accurate Automotive Mesa, AZ with husband Lee and David Roman from Done With Care – Auto Repair, Merriam, KS
Kelli and David shook the trees as it relates to the all-important follow-up visits, referrals, texting, emails, customer shop tours, mystery shoppers, the importance of using your own organic content for your emails and social posts.
Listen and view episode notesRR 483 – Managing On-Line Reviews – Kim Walker and Mitch Meier
RR 483 – Kim Walker and Mitch Meier – The Importance of Managing On-Line Reviews
Everyone hates to get a negative review. But the worst thing you do is to ignore them or lash back at them.
My panel does an excellent job of putting reviews into perspective and how to deal with them. With me is Kim Walker from Shop Marketing Pros and Mitch Meier from Broadly bring an impressive dialogue on the importance of how we handle reviews.
As aftermarket pros, we always want five-star reviews, but life happens and we get the occasional 1, 2, 3, or 4-star review. What do we do, how do we follow up and what does the consumer think when they see anything less than a five. We look deep into review management.
Listen and view episode notesRR 480: Geek Talk 2.0 Part 5 The Future of Websites. Will They Evolve?
Geek Talk 2.0 Part 5 The Future of Websites. Will They Evolve?
The Geeks are back talking websites, wait until you hear this discussion. This super-smart group creates a pile of ideas, insights, and trends to think about. I must say they were at the top of their game in this episode.
With me for part 5 of Geek Talk is Bill Nalu, Interstate Auto Care, Madison Heights, MI, Chris Cloutier, Golden Rule Auto Care, Dallas TX also CEO of Autotext.me, Greg Buckley, Buckley’s Personalized Auto Care, Wilmington, DE and Karim Morsli, Winkler Automotive, Gaithersburg, MD.
They talk organic content, the impact of social media vs the value of your website, using YouTube, and they wonder if video and chat will become mainstays on websites?
Listen and view episode notesRR 479: Sara Fraser – Important Millennial Buying Habits and Tendencies
RR 479: Sara Fraser – Millennial Buying Habits and Tendencies
Millennials have become the largest generation recorded. So it is with a meticulous and careful analysis that we need to understand what do millennial customers want when it comes to vehicle service and repair. We need to adjust!
Sara Fraser is a millennial with over 15 years of retail management experience. To bring her customer service, marketing, and business knowledge to the automotive industry she has recently joined the team at Haas Performance Consulting.
She shares how millennials demand a level of service, convenience and digital finesse from whoever services their vehicles. Millennial customers can’t live without their smartphone, share great experiences, want fast communications, know how to post reviews and share on social media, and like at Amazon what things quick and fast. How do you adapt?
Listen and view episode notesTHA 134: Market Changes and What I’m Doing About Them
THA 134 – Market Changes and What I’m Doing About Them
We are dropping topics on Hybrid repair and marketing, building technician, avoiding a viral social goof, customer ADAS training, and communication tactics among others.
With me in this episode are three shop owners who really enjoyed sharing their battle scars of success, for that matter they continue to earn their scars as we all do. From Xpertech Auto Repair is Kathleen Jarsik, from Englewood, FL, Kurt Valvis, Co-Owner, Guys Foreign Car Repair, Metairie, La and Brent Robinson, Co-owner with his brother Brian in Snellville Auto Center, Snellville, GA and Loganville Auto Center, in Loganville, GA.
Listen and view episode notesRR 431: Sara Fraser – The Power of Social Media for Automotive Professionals
Sara Fraser – The Power of Social Media for Automotive Professionals
There are a lot of trends happening on social media in the past couple of years. Understanding these trends can give us a competitive advantage and hashtags plays an important role especially on Facebook and Instagram. This episode will help you better understand the power of social media and some of the tricks that will make it work for you.
Sara Fraser has over 15 years of retail management experience, the last 6 of them as an office manager for a used car sales and service center. To bring her customer service, marketing, and business knowledge to the automotive industry she has recently joined the team at Haas Performance Consulting.
Listen and view episode notesFTR 045: Brian Walker – Foundational Marketing Techniques – There Are No Silver Bullets
FTR 045 Brian Walker – Foundational Marketing Techniques – There Are No Silver Bullets
Brian Walker co-owner of Shop Marketing Pros explains that there is no silver bullet to marketing. He shares thirteen Foundational Marketing Tactics and is determined that your marketing is consistent and when business is good, keep marketing and when it is bad, keep marketing. Marketing requires patience. It takes times to build momentum
Listen and view episode notesRR 420: Kim Walker – Building a StoryBrand
Kim Walker – Building a Story Brand
People are bombarded with 3,000 marketing messages every 24 hours. What does your message say?
Catch the power of ‘Story Brand’. Learn about the Guide, the Hero, the problem, and the plan among others. It is a perfect fit for growing your relationship with your client. This is a review of the book ‘Building A Story Brand’ by Donald Miller.
Kim Walker is an official Story Brand Guide and along with her husband, Brian are former shop owners who are taking their personal experience and helping shop owners with their ‘story’. Their company is Shop Marketing Pros and they are helping the service professional bring their story brand to their clients.
Listen and view episode notesTHA 111: Building New Customers
Building New Customers
David Roman from Done with Care – Auto Repair from Merium, KS and Greg Bunch from Aspen Auto Clinic from Colorado Springs and also the founder of Transformers Institute bring their A game to this discussion.
We covered a wide spectrum of strategies on customer growth and trust. We enveloped the marketing side of finding new customers and then how to complete the relationship once your service writer brought them from the phone call and into the shop.
David says that a big deception in opening a business; you think you are going to do what you are good at doing, however, you must be good at marketing; to make the phone ring. The CEO must make the phone ring or you’re going to have to spend money to hire a professional to do it.
Greg says that we must educate new clients on who we are, what we do, and why we do it. Greg wants you to Invite your new customer to talk to the tech and walk them through the findings of the inspections. He says that your customer struggles to find a trustworthy mechanic, so if you want to build a long term customer; earn their trust.
Listen and view episode notesTHA 105: Catering to the Millennial Customer
Catering to the Millennial Customer
We are talking with three millennial aftermarket successors, they are each involved in the family service business. The panel: Lauren Anderson, Victory Auto Service & Glass Minneapolis, MN, Jacquie Hower, from Zimmerman’s Automotive, Mechanicsburg, PA and Carley Paiva, Elite Auto Repair in Warwick, RI
The ladies talk social media, transparency, that millennials have no patience, ‘they should know’, their view on video marketing, and where Instagram fits among other topics.
Listen and view episode notesRR 368: Shop Talk 4. Gaining New Customers Through Marketing Automation.
Gaining New Customers Through Marketing Automation
Shop Talk 4 brings Doug Callaghan from Vic’s Service Centre, David Roman Done With Care Auto Repair, and Bill DeBoer Jr, AAM from DeBoer’s Auto Sales and Service together for an open discussion.
The big storyline here is Gaining New Customers Through Marketing Automation. We’re talking lead generation, email automation, sales funnels and creating fresh organic content. And so much more.
These owners are looking to find their new customers before they need their services. is what propels them to be better at service.
Listen and view episode notesRR 350: Carrie-Lynn Rodenberg on Building Relationships One Transaction at a Time. The Power of CRM.
Building relationships one transaction at a time. The power of CRM.
Carrie-Lynn Rodenberg is the founder of Turnkey Marketing. It is a leading all-in-one marketing system for Auto Repair Shops. It is not just a software platform, but is an entire strategically planned, timed, and executed online and offline system, developed by marketing experts, that removes virtually all of the owner’s stress and time spent on marketing.
She and her team specialize in helping auto repair shops attract new leads, increase car count, and keep customers longer, without the shops having to do any work. She managed to do this by integrating cutting-edge technology with the best digital marketing tactics.
Her valuable tips and advice provide insights on how to build and connect with customers while maintaining healthy marketing content to keep businesses visible. Her strategies also include the most basic form of connecting, the normal conversation and content that revolves around helping customers get over their immediate issues. Appealing to humanize the complicated world of CRM, she enlightens us that the key to loyalty is built one transaction at a time.
Listen and view episode notesRR 337: Mandy Pennington from Net Driven – Influence Your Customer in Their Digital Hangouts
Influence your Customers In Their Digital Hangout.
Mandy Pennington is the Director of Internet Marketing at Net Driven and she brings an array of ideas to improve the influence you have on your customer where they interact with you in their digital world.
The more listening and empathizing you are engaged with your customers the more effective you can make your marketing and experiences. Be your customer’s ‘Day Maker’. Take ownership of your website and your social media channels so you can influence your customer in those micro-moments. Meet them where they are.
We talk SEO, your customer purchase journey, and digital marketing trends for 2018 & beyond. We discuss protecting your online Image and the very big push for having a mobile-friendly website. It will make a difference in your digital marketing.
Listen and view episode notesRR 311: Scott Pelava from Lonsdale Auto Works
Stronger and Better Because of the Challenges He Faced
Scott Pelava a fellow shop owner from Lonsdale, MN has had an interesting road to success; sometimes rocky. Many shop owners can relate to tough times. Scott had the ‘grass was greener syndrome’ that happens to may shop owners and he faced some hard realities that running a business was different than being a tech.
Scott shares a very personal story of almost losing everything because of a plethora of circumstances he faced. Through his story, gain insights to help you prevent financial challenges that can overwhelm your life and business.
Pelava also wanted to share ideas and learn from his industry peers so he started a Facebook group called Automotive Shop Owners Group (ASOG).
Listen and view episode notesRR 303: Jason Soto from Mobilesoft.com
There’s an APP for that!
Ever thought of connecting with your customer with your own APP. Did you know that a smartphone app is a retention strategy?
Ever thought of the challenges with social media to get your message heard? What if you could push a message to a user of your app? Will your customer have a stronger relationship with you if your app is on their phone?
Jason Soto from Mobile Soft Technology talks about the value of having your own smartphone app. Interesting concepts you need to know about. Learn about this tool and how it could work for you in your quest to create customers for life.
Listen and view episode notesTHA 054: Stay Up on Social Media – Facebook Changes and your Marketing Efforts 2018
Stay Up On Social Media. What do the Facebook Changes Mean to Your Marketing Effort?
Facebook announced sweeping changes in early 2018. Our Academy panel provides great advice on becoming 2018 ‘Social Savvy’ and improving and changing your social media strategy.
Key talking points: You are your brand, your brand is you. Build a sales funnel around the assets you own like your website and your mailing list. Put your customer out front. Use Facebook Live because video will get preference from Facebook. And among so many other great insights you need to document instead of create content.
Listen and view episode notesRR 294: Jeff Buckley & Jeff Matt on Social Media
Social Media: A contrast of Two Strategies to Engage your Customer
This is a contrast in social media strategies. Jeff Buckley has his style and methods and Jeff Matt is the opposite. Both great companies, both strategies work.
Jeff Buckley from My Fathers Shop in Midlothian, TX and Jeff Matt from Victory Auto Service a five-branch operation in Minneapolis. MN, share their different approach.
Each of their methods work and they both feel their ROI is worth it. Listen to find out which is your best approach.
Listen and view episode notesRR 292: Technician Round Table – Part 4 – Heipp – Landry – Fanslow – Meyers
Wide Open Discussion from Three Aftermarket Technicians and One Who Left the Industry.
As usual, these guys brought their opinionated selves to the interview, yet spoke from the heart about topics they are passionate about. Some no holds barred discussion points. There are times where there is no sugar coating and that is good to embrace all sides of an issue.
Matt Fanslow, Bob Heipp, Peter Landry and Tom Myers openly discuss some very hot and touchy subjects that affect all aftermarketer’s.
Just a few of the topics we discussed, shops charging for diagnostic time, opinions on social media, a discussion on augmented reality. They discuss that techs need to help the business owner make money, and therefore owners should share in the wealth. We talk about shop owners training their top and best-vested technicians and talk pay and benefits.
Listen and view episode notesRR 291: Bambi Crozier from Car Clinic and ASOG
Changing the Image of the Industry; One Customer at a Time.
Bambi Crozier and her husband Neil own Car Clinic in Lowell, AR. They are dedicated to lifelong customer relationships and are working to change their customer’s image of the industry to that of a profession and not just a trade.
With her background in customer service, she and Neil set out on a mission of change. She started by asking her customer’s a lot of questions about their vehicle. She discovered that her customers wanted the down and dirty truth about their vehicle needs.
Listen to her story of startup and transformation. She knows that the rapid change in technology and the way tech is affecting how business is done today will require a smarter, wiser business owner. She believes in the power of the statement: ‘You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know.’
Listen and view episode notesTHA 023: Social Media – How To Strategies
This Academy Panel says Social Media is the Most Important Marketing Tools at your Disposal.
Carrie-Lynn Rodenberg, Greg Buckley and Ron Haugen discuss their views on the power of social media. They talk about the value of posting, how they do it, the frequency, and where they get content. The panel discusses the long term viability of websites and the growth and power of Facebook and Google into the future.
Greg Buckley shares his five “E’s”: Educate, Engage, Entertain, Entice and Elevate as it relates to Social Media. Ron Haugen shares his inspirations for posts and a sure method to grow your likes.
Listen and view episode notesTHA 014: Customer Retention Strategies
Do you have a customer avatar, a profile of your ideal customer?
Listen to this great lesson on customer retention and marketing from Gene Morrill, Ron Haugen and Maylan Newton as they bring to the forefront, customer marketing budgets and a yearlong plan, social media, special events, car care clinics and digital service reminder.
Many great ideas to jump start or re-invent your customer retention strategy.
Listen and view episode notesRR 237: Rhonda Hiltbrand – News Works Marketing Group
Does Direct Mail Newsletter Marketing Work?
Join Rhonda Hiltbrand for a frank discussion on direct mail marketing. She sees a place for direct mail and especially newsletter marketing for service professionals.
Learn why direct mail is not dead and how it blends with social media. Rhonda talks marketing ROI, the tactics behind newsletters and why we are fighting clutter every day.
She says a newsletter is a platform to talk to your customer and help you stand out among the 6,000 advertising messages we are bombarded with every day.
Listen and view episode notesTHA 011: Your Website – Tactics To Improve
Your Website – Tactics to improve Traffic and other Tech Talk as discussed by two industry experts, Danny Sanchez from Auto Shop Solutions and Todd Westerlund, CEO of Kukui. Along with shop owners Ryan Clo from Dubwerx in Cincinnati, OH and Doug Grills from Autostream in the Greater Baltimore/Washington, DC area.
Great talk on being mobile, Google Analytics, SEO, review marketing being sure your site converts customers, website design, analytics and call tracking, and working with Google Premier Partners.
Listen and view episode notes