How often do you have an outside perspective on your business to offer improvement ideas? What about 35 outside perspectives? Last month Brian Weeks hosted a team of shop owners from his peer group, from around the country, to dig deep into his business. Keep listening to find out what helpful tips and insights they offered and what they learned from each other.

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Brian Weeks, ATC Auto Center, Augusta, GA. Listen to Brian’s previous episodes HERE

Craig Noel, Sun Automotive, Springfield, OR. Listen to Craig’s previous episodes HERE

Gary Pontious Jr, Toledo Auto Care, Toledo, OH. Listen to Gary’s previous episodes HERE

Brett Beachler, Beachler’s Vehicle Care & Repair, Peoria, IL. Listen to Brett’s previous episodes HERE

Key Talking Points

• A few months prior to the meeting Brian opened his books to a small “Advanced Team” (marketing, processes, culture, ROs)
• “Advanced Team” observed for a full day. The second day is implementation and meetings with everyone involved. People are assigned ‘tasks’ (facility, management system etc). 
• Accountability groups for areas that need to be focused on- continual process based on needs
• Coming to help, not to make you feel bad
• Shows the opportunity
• Don’t think you are on an island and doing a good job- build the bridges and have your iron sharpened with the help of others
• Your competitor is the person that is better than you
• Family culture is a testament to Brian’s leadership
• The networking during the dinners, lunches, breaks is just as important as the meetings
• The exposure of your weaknesses/opportunities of your leadership/procedures. Then your ability to grow from it.
• Always walk away learning something

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Important Books

Check out today’s partners:

More Time. More Profit. Shop-Ware Shop Management getshopware.com

See how Broadly can help YOU grow your auto shop. getbroadly.com/chat

Guest host and shop tour with Brian Weeks, ATC Auto Center, Augusta, GA. Brian hosted 36 shop owners that are a part of Elite Pro Services. The group sectioned off into teams to give an in-depth peer review of the shop.

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Key Talking Points

• Elite Pro Service- 90 shops in US and Canada 
• Hosting 36 shop owners for Elite Pro Service’s spring meeting- sections of teams that work in groups
• The more you open up to your peers, they will offer input and suggestions
• Humility is the first part of leadership

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Aftermarket Radio Network

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Visit us on the Web

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Become an Insider

Buy me a coffee

Important Books

Check out today’s partner:

Dorman gives people greater freedom to fix vehicles by constantly developing new repair solutions that put owners and technicians first. Take the Dorman Virtual Tour at www.DormanProducts.com/Tour

Key Talking Points

• Mike Davidson’s Book –  “Wage & Hour Compliance”
• Every business can get audited by a simple phone call from an employee 
• Keeping thorough records with notes, payroll documents, vacation time etc.
• Training pay- specific guidelines for compensation if they are doing something to benefit the business 
• Technicians in dealership vs independent- dealerships have exemptions the independents don’t have
• 7 Day Time record- any activity that contributes to benefiting your business
• 50 cent mistake- could face fine of $62,000 
• Four steps that will help protect you during an audit, written job descriptions, written Compensation Package, regular Rate Calculator, and Seven Day Time Record

Connect with the show:

Aftermarket Radio Network

Subscribe on YouTube

Visit us on the Web

Follow on Facebook

Become an Insider

Buy me a coffee

Important Books

Check out today’s partners:

This episode is brought to you by AAPEX, the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo. AAPEX represents the $740 billion global automotive aftermarket industry and has everything you need to stay ahead of the curve.  AAPEX 2021 is in the record books and lived up to presenting leading-technical and business management training from some of the industry’s best and brightest. Now set your sights on Las Vegas in 2022. Mark your calendar now … November 1-3, 2022, AAPEX – Now more than ever.

This episode is brought to you by Shop-Ware Shop Management. It’s time to run your business at its fullest potential with the industry’s leading technology. Shop-Ware Shop Management will increase your efficiency with lightning-fast workflows, help your staff capture more sales every day, and create very happy customers who promote your business. Shops running Shop-Ware have More Time and generate More Profit—join them! Schedule a free live demonstration and find out how 30 minutes can transform your shop at getshopware.com/carm

Mike Davidson is passionate about growing as a leader and helping others achieve a better life through leadership.  He believes that your growth is the only guarantee for a better tomorrow. Mike began his automotive career in 1984 as a car detailer at a GMC dealership. He started working in independent shops in 1992 and opened Parkway Automotive in 1998. He joined RLO Connor’s Bottom-Line Impact Group in 1999 and graduated from the Automotive Management Institute in 2000.

Mike was voted Arkansas’ NAPA/ASE Technician of the Year from 2001 to 2008,  joined Elite Pro Service Peer Group in 2008, and continues to be an active member. He has been a business coach for Elite Worldwide, a published author, and a presenter at multiple conferences across the United States. He created a live interview seminar called Hiring for Keeps in 2013 and developed an automotive apprentice program approved by the United States Department of Labor in 2016.

As a John Maxwell, certified speaker, trainer, and coach, Mike has developed a training program to assist shop owners to develop leaders within their organization. He is married with four grown children, resides in Alexander, Arkansas, and is a member of The Bible Church of Little Rock, where he has served as an elder, a deacon, and a Children’s Ministry Director. Listen to Mike’s other episodes HERE.

Brian Weeks is a third generation shop owner that teamed up with his brother in 1999 and bought the family transmission business that was owned by his father and two uncles. Growing up in the family business allowed him to gain valuable experience at a very young age. When he was 12 he worked on his first customer’s car for his dad. This experience led to building manual transmissions by the age of 14. Racing has always been his true passion in life and was the reason for seeking an engineering degree. Little did he know after graduating in 1996 from Southern Polytechnic State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and Technology that it would be the key to success with today’s technically advanced vehicles. Brian and his brother Chris took the family owned transmission shop and transformed it into a full service automotive business with two locations.



Talking Points:

• See Part #1. Academy episode # 56 HERE.
• Your team is a customer service workforce that just happens to fix cars.
• The Avatar concept can be tough understand and be accepted.  It will take time to get this concept across to your team. Do not wavier.
• Your team can be a large part of creating your ideal customer. They like working on certain types of customers cars. Their insights can be a big part of your Avatar design.
• Brian Weeks did a rebranding of his business and made their Avatar the centerpiece of their new strategy and created a Customer Trust-Building Journey. (See below outline)
• Think about the customer, not the car. Too many think about the car and not the customer.
• Listen to the customer. Ask the right questions to determine an Avatar match.
• The intrinsic trust in a mechanic has been lost over the years. We are not teaching trust to the customer anymore.
• Customer asks questions about price and we clam up. But the customer is not asking questions about price. Top service advisors are diverting these questions and move to trust.
• A great question to ask a customer: ‘What is really happening here.’
• Every team member must fit into your culture. You must have core values that they all can align with including knowing your ideal customer, your avatar. Your customer can sense your culture like they can the wind.
• Tell people that you are different. Tell them how awesome you are and the special things you do for them.
• You may need to emulate your Avatar in order to really discover more about them.
• Live your own life with value and not always about price. Walk the walk and talk the talk. This can show you how your Avatar will buy.
• Friendships are built over time and it takes trust to get there.
• Avatars can be great advocates of the company and will do your own advertising.
• Don’t get discouraged on the engagement with your team. It takes time. You can measure the success via specific KPIs.
• The little things matter to your Avatar. Even if the repair was extensive they accept the seat to be in the same position, the radio not changed, the clock set right and no smudges. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes because their life was interrupted because of car maintenance or repair.
• Your only as good as the last time the customer walks in the door.
• The customer may not appreciate the depth of the repair and you need to explain to the customer exactly what was done to keep their car in safe running condition.
• You may have the right avatar with the wrong car or wrong timeline. The car may be at the end of their lifecycle. Advise the customer to start over and purchase another 3-year-old car and keep them coming to your shop. Reasons to move forward with a newer vehicle is safety. Side curtains and other safety features in a newer car.
• Get your team to help you create your Avatar instead of pushing it down to them. Pull it up instead of pushing it down.
• The Avatar or cardboard cut out works. When you know your customer and your customer knows you, your business will strive. The challenge is it to get your team to embrace and buy in. You’ll need to train your team to total commitment to your defined ideal customer.

Seven Step Customer Trust Building Journey. (Courtesy of Brian Weeks)

Pre-Purchase

• Step 1 – Connect. Online presence (Social Media/website), involvement in the community, reputation management, testimonials, meet the team
  • Doing
  • Thinking
  • Feeling
• Step 2 – Call. How easy is it to contact us, phone call process (phone script that everyone knows), on hold messaging, FAQ online
  • Doing
  • Thinking
  • Feeling

Purchase

• Step 3 – Arrive. How appealing is our physical presence (building/parking/accessibility), Google maps,
  • Doing
  • Thinking
  • Feeling
• Step 4 – Waiting. Refreshments, comfort, transparency (glass doors and walls)
  • Doing
  • Thinking
  • Feeling
• Step 5 – Deliver. Vehicle delivery process
  • Doing
  • Thinking
  • Feeling

Post purchase

• Step 6 – Follow-up. Next appointment, follow up phone call, Thank You card
  • Doing
  • Thinking
  • Feeling
• Step 7 – Follow-through. Referral Program, Special Events, CRM email
  • Doing
  • Thinking
  • Feeling

We hire people based on their ability to fit into our culture…cater to our Avatar

This episode is brought to you by Jasper Engines & Transmissions. When a car’s engine or transmission fails, it’s not the end of the road. A remanufactured drivetrain product from Jasper Engines & Transmissions will give your car a new lease on life. JASPER has over 2000 Associates, three manufacturing facilities, two distribution centers and 45 branch offices across the country. They’re all working to produce, transport and deliver the perfect product. That’s what they do best… keep customers happy. Visit jasperengines.com

Talking Points:

• Your Avatar or your cardboard cut-out is your ideal customer. It is you defining the very best customers and then focusing on them.
  • They trust you and are advocates for you.
  • Least likely to stray.
  • Most likely to recommend.
• It takes time to cement the logic of your Ideal Customer.
• Ron Inchausti makes a connection to his Avatar with food.
  • When he genuinely has a conversation with this Avatar he loves to talk food.
  • When you have a conversation that is not about the vehicle your relationship goes beyond repair/maintenance.
• To start to find your ideal customer you may have to discover who you do not want to serve.
  • When you are creating a brand and a brand story not everyone will connect.
• Patrick McHugh discovered his Avatar by starting to plot his customers on the map. It allowed him to find a pocket of customer that was 20 miles from his location. He discovered they worked in a business park next to his shop. That was an important profile. It is not where they lived but where they worked.
• Process to find your ideal customer.
  • Look over your records discover the who, what, why and how.
  • You will not alienate your customer. You are looking for the most market share you can get. You are looking for the peak of the bell curve and people who are suited for your business.
  • You need to eliminate your non-customers like; the ones who are dealer only, the techies who are DIYers and know every P-code.
  • When you involve your team, it improves your morale and company culture.
  • Who are you passionate about serving?
• Everything you do from branding, marketing, culture is designed around targeting your ideal customer.
• Looking for your ideal customer opens your eyes in ways you never thought possible.
• Multi-shop owner: you may have slightly different ideal customers by location depending on the affluence in the market. At their core, they are the same people, but their affluence may change.
• Patrick McHugh realized that there are different Avatars with a BMW owner vs a Mini Cooper client.
• Don’t design your Avatar around you. It is about your customer. You will attract who you are if you do not have an ideal customer defined.
• Your best customer will think of you as their ‘mechanic’, their ‘trusted guy’.
• Brian Weeks calls is ideal customer profile P4
  • Profitable – This relationship affords you to be profitable.
  • Point others to us – Word of Mouth.
  • Praise us – Reviews
  • Passion – someone we are passionate to help…it’s what motivates us.
• You are only as good as the last time the customer was in your shop. You must back up your brand promise by what you do.
• Advocate vs Avatar
  • Distinct differences. You can have a customer be an advocate and not be your avatar.
  • Advocates can influence their family and friends to your business but not necessarily be an ideal customer.
• Your Avatar drives your marketing.
  • Distill your ideal customer down to the ‘Nth’ detail.
• Give a name to your Avatar so they become a real person.
  • Listen to your Avatar. Interview them. Understand them.
  • If they have complaints about you or the industry fix them.
    • Customer lounge, bathroom, coffee. Fix it. Make it right. Make it better than right.
  • Some women come in for the first time with their customer. If the husband approves of the environment, he may never come in again. He wants her to be comfortable.
  • Ask and offer them creature comforts, even if they don’t partake, the gesture is what matters. It feels like you are inviting them into your home.
  • What do they value? If they feel valued from your shop, they’ll become a client.
  • You must hold up your end of the deal.
• Don’t let the business determine your Avatar. Let your customer determine your Avatar. Ask them why they come here.
  • Update it every year.
  • Train your people on the value of your Avatar.

This episode is brought to you by Jasper Engines & Transmissions. When a car’s engine or transmission fails, it’s not the end of the road. A remanufactured drivetrain product from Jasper Engines & Transmissions will give your car a new lease on life. JASPER has over 2000 Associates, three manufacturing facilities, two distribution centers and 45 branch offices across the country. They’re all working to produce, transport and deliver the perfect product. That’s what they do best… keep customers happy. Visit jasperengines.com

Brian Weeks is a third generation shop owner that teamed up with his brother Chris in 1999 and bought the family transmission business that was owned by his father and two uncles. Brian and Chris transformed the business into a full service automotive business with two locations.

Growing up in the family business allowed him to gain valuable experience at a very young age.  At the age of 12 he worked on his first customers car for his dad.  This experience led to building manual transmissions by the age of 14.

Chris & Brian Weeks

Racing has always been his true passion and was the reason for seeking an engineering degree.  Brian graduated in 1996 from Southern Polytechnic State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and Technology. He says that the degree continues to pay dividends as vehicle technology advances  at a rapid pace.

Brian and Chris implemented a re-man transmission program in 2004 that allowed them to back away from the bench; building transmissions. This allowed them to concentrate on business growth.

A big move for the business was to re-brand in 2010 from Augusta Transmission Clinic to atc AutoCenter. This allowed Brian and Chris to expand the business to more than just transmissions. Now as a full service repair center they opened their second location in September 2015.

They spent two years on the Jasper Advisory Council in 2012-2013 and was awarded Jasper Engines Top 100 independent shops the past three years. atc AutoCenter was also honored with the Elite Worldwide Ethics award in 2016.

Their second location turned $1MM in sales the first year it opened

Interview highlights:

• Brian grew up with racing at a very early age. His dream was to be a race car driver.
• Once Brian and his brother stopped building transmissions (stepped away from the ‘bench’) they could consider growth and scaling the business.
• They committed to a major ‘re-branding’ strategy for the business because of their desire to grow and include repair in their business model (Augusta Transmission Clinic was too focused on just transmission work)
• Rebranded the business with a new company name and logo. Brian takes us through the process of the selection of their new logo as a new representation of the business going forward.
• He is quick to point out that a ‘true brand’ is how you live your life through your business. You need a true identity that includes a strong culture.
• Created their ideal customer; their ‘Avatar’.
• This industry gets a bad rap from a very few. And the many good shops suffer the consequences from it.
• Brian talks about their mission statement and their ‘Why’.
• They worked at setting themselves apart to be different as an automotive service business.
• Those that are willing to make mistakes are the ones who are successful.
• The tech shortage is real, but they are out there. You must know where to look and ask the right questions. Word of mouth. Turn over every stone.
• Two of their service advisers came from the golf/hospitality industry and one was hired from the restaurant business.
• They now employ an outside sales rep that is going to trade schools and high schools. They are talking up the trades. The position is about building the customer experience and being known and engaged in the community.
• In college Brian would have paid more attention to sociology and psychology because we are in the people business.
• Their second shop did $1MM in its first year of operation.

atc AutoCenter Profile

atc AutoCenter website

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This episode is brought to you by Federal-Mogul Motorparts and Garage Gurus. With brands like Moog, Felpro, Wagner Brake, Champion, Sealed Power, FP Diesel and more, they’re the parts techs trust.  For serious technical training and support – online, onsite and on-demand – Garage Gurus is everything you need to know. Find out more at fmmotorparts.com  and fmgaragegurus.com