Thanks to our Partners, NAPA Auto Care and NAPA TRACS

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In this episode, Jeff Rudnick of Pit Crew Loyalty explores the powerful shift from transactional business models to relationship-driven customer loyalty in the automotive repair industry. He challenges shop owners to rethink marketing and branding through the lens of real human connection—introducing the idea that “software has to imitate life.” In other words, technology should support the natural, community-minded instincts of great owners by automating “white glove” service at scale.

The conversation dives into the behavioral science behind loyalty through Self-Determination Theory, which shows that customers, like employees, stay committed when they feel competent, autonomous, and part of something bigger than themselves. Rudnick backs this up with industry data, noting that the average “one-and-done” rate for first-time customers is 54%, but can be reduced to nearly 30% through intentional, relationship-based loyalty programs that make customers feel valued from day one.

Listeners will learn practical strategies for creating meaningful customer experiences, including:

• The Confirmation Moment:Treating first-time calls as opportunities to confirm the shop can solve the customer’s problem, not simply close a sale.

• Throwing a Party:Using automation to identify new customers so teams can celebrate and welcome them, increasing the likelihood of repeat visits.

• Cross-Pollination:Partnering with other local businesses to build community networks that benefit everyone involved.

• The Easy Button:Leveraging systems that automate complex marketing tasks like fundraisers, digital gift cards, referral programs, and social media graphics.

Rudnick also explains how loyalty rewards software can simplify community fundraising, referrals, and cross-business promotion, making high-level marketing accessible even for busy shop owners. Rather than relying on discounts, he emphasizes building strong brands through personalized rewards, authentic leadership, and genuine community involvement.

Ultimately, this episode demonstrates how combining smart automation with human-centered leadership can dramatically reduce customer churn, strengthen local relationships, and drive long-term profitability for independent repair shops.

Jeff Rudnick, Pit Crew Loyalty

Thanks to our Partners, NAPA Auto Care and NAPA TRACS

Learn more about NAPA Auto Care and the benefits of being part of the NAPA family by visiting https://www.napaonline.com/en/auto-care

NAPA TRACS will move your shop into the SMS fast lane with onsite training and six days a week of support and local representation. Find NAPA TRACS on the Web at http://napatracs.com/

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– Special episode collections: https://remarkableresults.biz/collections

– The Automotive Repair Podcast Network: https://automotiverepairpodcastnetwork.com/

– Remarkable Results Radio Podcast with Carm Capriotto: Advancing the Aftermarket by Facilitating Wisdom Through Story Telling and Open Discussion. https://remarkableresults.biz/

– Diagnosing the Aftermarket A to Z with Matt Fanslow: From Diagnostics to Metallica and Mental Health, Matt Fanslow is Lifting the Hood on Life. https://mattfanslow.captivate.fm/

– Business by the Numbers with Hunt Demarest: Understand the Numbers of Your Business with CPA Hunt Demarest. https://huntdemarest.captivate.fm/

– The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast with Kim and Brian Walker: Marketing Experts Brian & Kim Walker Work with Shop Owners to Take it to the Next Level. https://autorepairmarketing.captivate.fm/

– The Weekly Blitz with Chris Cotton: Weekly Inspiration with Business Coach Chris Cotton from AutoFix – Auto Shop Coaching. https://chriscotton.captivate.fm/

– Speak Up! Effective Communication with Craig O’Neill: Develop Interpersonal and Professional Communication Skills when Speaking to Audiences of Any Size. https://craigoneill.captivate.fm

Jeff  Rudnick has been involved in the Automotive Industry since 1993. He spent 9 years as a Manufacturer’s Representative selling Automotive Parts and Accessories to clients in the Pacific Northwest. During that time, he worked directly with dozens of Manufacturers and Importers of Parts and Accessories to find distribution across all levels of the Automotive Industry.

Jeff founded The Rudnick Group in 2002 calling directly on Automotive Repair Facilities to serve their marketing needs. Initially, The Rudnick Group focused on Reminder Mailers utilizing CustomerLink’s services; this relationship continued until CustomerLink sold to Intuit. Quickly, The Rudnick Group added Brand Development, Website Design and Management, Web Marketing Services and a comprehensive Direct Mail offering. The Rudnick Group became Pit Crew Marketing in 2006 when eWardMe Auto Shop Rewards was launched.

Jeff is an avid skier, backpacker, mountain biker and traveler. Jeff’s home base is currently The Big Island of Hawaii just outside Hilo. Listen to Jeff’s other episodes HERE.

Key Talking Points:

• Marketing is one of the most important jobs in the business
• Marketing helps build relationships
• Most look for marketing solutions rather than implementing and tracking results- accountability
• Communication gap with owner and employees- everyone needs to be on board and aware
  • Does your team know what type of reminders or how often reminder cards are going out   
• Measurements of specific campaigns are not being done
• A bonus structure can include marketing milestones, gross margin, rewards cards, reviews among others 
• Shop owners are governed by the ‘laws’ of retail 
  • Have to educate customers with any programs/offers- all customers treated equally
  • Do not judge your customers especially the “one and done’s”
• Loyalty cards can reduce one and done’s and improve household spend 
• Need to have a brand. Own your brand and logo
• Must have a strong web presence
• Your customer database is valuable. Secure it and use it

Resources:

• Thanks to Jeff Rudnik for his contribution to the aftermarket’s premier podcast.
• Link to the ‘BOOKS‘ page highlighting all books discussed in the podcast library HERE. Leaders are readers.
• Leave me an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one of them.

Be socially involved and in touch with the show:
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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. With 2,500 exhibiting companies, you’ll see the latest products, parts, and technologies for your business. As a result, the event also offers advanced training for shop owners, technicians, warehouse distributors (WDs) and auto parts retailers, as well as networking opportunities to grow your business. AAPEX 2019 will take place Tuesday, Nov. 5 through Thursday, Nov. 7, at the Sands Expo in Las Vegas. Therefore, more than 48,000 targeted buyers are expected to attend, and approximately 162,000 automotive aftermarket professionals. They will be from 135 countries which are projected to be in Las Vegas during AAPEX 2019. For information, visit aapexshow.com

Jeff has been involved in the Automotive Industry since 1993. He spent 9 years as a Manufacturer’s Representative selling Automotive Parts and Accessories to clients in the Pacific Northwest. During that time, he worked directly with dozens of Manufacturers and Importers of Parts and Accessories to find distribution across all levels of the Automotive Industry.

Jeff founded The Rudnick Group in 2002 calling directly on Automotive Repair Facilities to serve their marketing needs. Initially, The Rudnick Group focused on Reminder Mailers utilizing CustomerLink’s services; this relationship continued until CustomerLink sold to Intuit. Quickly, The Rudnick Group added Brand Development, Website Design and Management, Web Marketing Services and a comprehensive Direct Mail offering. The Rudnick Group became Pit Crew Marketing in 2006 when eWardMe Auto Shop Rewards was launched.

Jeff is an avid skier, backpacker, mountain biker and traveler. Jeff’s home base is currently The Big Island of Hawaii just outside Hilo.

Key Talking Points

• Disruptors and challenges going on right now
• Shop owner s do not know of the opportunity they have
• Shop owners are not harnessing their buying power or intellectual property
• We need to be lean and mean and manage our costs
• Why don’t things get less expensive when there is an economy of scale
• When you grow branches is the industry getting economy of scale on subscriptions
• Own your brand and control your own marketing

• A special thanks to Jeff Rudnick for his contribution to the aftermarket.
• Books mentioned in the content library HERE
• Leave me an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one of them.
• Email Carm HERE.

Be socially involved and in touch with the show:
Facebook   Twitter   Linked In   Email    Events   Instagram   Speaking

This episode is brought to you by FlexCheck Auto Digital Vehicle Inspection Software.

Savvy shop owners use vehicle inspections to find additional work on a vehicle that the vehicle owner may not know is needed. The most successful shop owners fully inspect every car, every time. It benefits the vehicle owner more than the shop because most vehicle owners want their autos to be reliable.

FlexCheck Auto takes the power of a shop’s inspection process and puts it in the palm of your technician’s hand so that pictures, video, and vehicle specific notes about a vehicle’s condition can be shared quickly with vehicle owners. It improves technician efficiency in the bays, service writer efficiency at the counter, increases average repair order and builds trust with vehicle owners.

Today’s vehicle owners want to receive their vehicles health status electronically, this makes FlexCheck Auto the most transparent way to do sell auto repair. Try it for free for 30 days! Go to FlexCheckAuto.com to learn more.



Brian Bates, AAM  is the owner of three Eagle Automotive in the Southwest Denver area. He began his career in 1996 working as a technician in a local dealership.  Brian is an ASE L1 Master Technician. He earned a BA Degree in Business Management in 2000, and bought his 1st shop in 2004. Look for Brian’s other episodes HERE.

Vinnie Lucido has had his hands in the automotive industry since 1996, starting in High school as a CSR at one of the last 76 Full-Service Gas stations in Reno. He found a passion for helping people through their most prized possessions, their automobile. Vinnie and his brother Anthony partnered together & opened CoAuto in 2014 and have been nothing but success in their new undertaking. Vinnie is ASE certified and has operated in every capacity of the automotive repair field. Throughout his career, he has been a customer service representative, a service writer, a technician, a manager and now an owner. Ultimately, he finds he is happiest when he is in communication with his clients and gets the opportunity to get to know his guests. Vinnie spends his time building relationships and networking and in turn, the shop continues to grow. Listen to Vinnie’s previous episodes HERE.

Jeff  Rudnick has been involved in the Automotive Industry since 1993. He spent 9 years as a Manufacturer’s Representative selling Automotive Parts and Accessories to clients in the Pacific Northwest. During that time, he worked directly with dozens of Manufacturers and Importers of Parts and Accessories to find distribution across all levels of the Automotive Industry.

Jeff founded The Rudnick Group in 2002 calling directly on Automotive Repair Facilities to serve their marketing needs. Initially, The Rudnick Group focused on Reminder Mailers utilizing CustomerLink’s services; this relationship continued until CustomerLink sold to Intuit. Quickly, The Rudnick Group added Brand Development, Website Design and Management, Web Marketing Services and a comprehensive Direct Mail offering. The Rudnick Group became Pit Crew Marketing in 2006 when eWardMe Auto Shop Rewards was launched.

Jeff is an avid skier, backpacker, mountain biker and traveler. Jeff’s home base is currently The Big Island of Hawaii just outside Hilo.

Key Talking Points:

• A client loyalty program will not fix broken systems, processes and a weak selling system
• What is the end game? What are you trying to do?
  • Recruiting
  • Retention
  • Bring in declined work
  • Community fundraising
  • Rewards to drive down the cost of repair
• Many clients are loyal. These programs wrap your arms around them.
• Find every competitive edge to build a relationship with your client
• What is loyalty?
  • People who trust you and you trust them
• Ideas from this episode:
  • Christmas cards to ‘best’ clients.
    • Best is relevant to your situation
  • Christmas poem is created with a staff picture with ‘cash’ coupons
    • Vinnie sent out $160,000 in Co-Auto Cash. Good toward labor only
    • Different version every year to see how long they’ve collected
  • Co-Auto works with:
    • Military
    • Hippies
    • Art
    • Education
    • Women
    • He partners with a restaurant for $20gift cards for a referral program
    • Veterans car giveaway each year. For Vinnie and his brother, it is about how it makes them feel rather than the publicity he receives
• A rewards program does not replace doing quality work. Don’t include a loyalty program if you don’t have great processes and system that are producing quality repairs.
• We are hyperlocal businesses and you need to consider that your rewards program can have a flair of supporting the local community
• Talking about your charitable programs must be talked about at the counter
• People do business with people
• Design your program to make a real connection
• Data collection on your loyalty program is important to find out what is working and is you are getting a return
• 90% of Brians customers have his loyalty card
  • Reward for loyalty and include charitable programs in his community
  • Allows him to reach out to his customers through this program when he is slow
• There are stakeholders that include your team members, your customer, and the business.
  • Team members should be involved in deciding what community organizations you will support
  • Involve your people to make connections with the groups you work with. Let them lead
  • Ask your customers what charities are they close to or involved with
  • Create a spirit committee among your team and decide your company events and what you community involvement will be
• Customers must be reminded of their loyalty program earnings to make this effective
• Research found that when a one and done customer became involved in a loyalty program they came back to the shop for a second and third time
• Create a containerize loyalty program. Rewarding for taking care of their vehicle. Explain in detail how it works and benefits them.
• Careful not to increase discounts or create expanding discount and not increase loyalty.
• Loyalty is about giving as little as possible to get the best possible result
  • Do not get too complicated
• This is no replacement if you don’t have a good selling system
• Brian started to discover why some customers don’t come back
  • Called them. He discovered:
    • Bought new cars
    • Moved out of the area
• Vinnie is texting to customers if they have not been back
  • He also likes to send surveys. People one on one may not tell you exactly how they feel so he believes a survey get close to the truth.
• Why should someone be loyal to you?
  • A client loyalty program means nothing if they don’t have trust and a relationship
  • A program will not necessarily create loyalty on its own

Resources:

• A special thanks to Brian Bates, Vinnie Lucido, and Jeff Rudnik for their contribution to the aftermarket.
• Books Page HERE
• Leave me an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one of them.