Thank You To Our Partners The Institute, AutoFlow, Shop Dog Marketing, InBound

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In Our Episode Today:

I had some recent conversations that heightened my awareness to a sales approach that, I feel, give me as much discomfort as it does clients in any repair facility.

I wanted to take the time to talk about my most hated experience in the transmission shop - having to call clients with subsequent findings AFTER they had already authorized initial repairs.

My discomfort lately… was hearing about a sale approach that treated that scenario as an ideal, rather than a failure.

My approach I feel is relatively unlabeled - but I would call it a values based client education model. I lay out the core elements of how I see our professional responsibility, how I communicate it, and how I see the most important closing ratio being measured by my own eye-lids when I go to sleep at night.

Our Word of the Day:

ASYMMETRY (noun)

Definition: A lack of equality or balance between two things; when one side has more of something than the other.

Used in a sentence: "Information asymmetry exists in automotive service because shops have expertise and diagnostic capability that customers don't possess—the question is whether you use that asymmetry to serve or to control."

My hope - is that you wont take a “shortcut to yes” but instead you’ll stay on the straight and narrow path of professional responsibility - truly council and advise with all the information you can learn and share - and avoid painful surrpises for your clients.

Sincerely,

Craig O’Neill

Thank You To Our Partners The Institute, AutoFlow, AutoLeap, Shop Dog Marketing, In-Bound

The Institute at WeAreTheInstitute.com. "Stop stressing over your business, you deserve a good night's sleep. The Institute’s coaching helps you achieve success and financial peace.

AutoFlow at AutoFlow.com. Your partner in technology, Autoflow consolidates your client interactions - before, during and after the visit to a single thread. Learn more at Autoflow.com

Shop Dog Marketing at Shop Dog Marketing.com. "Want to see your auto repair shop thrive? Let Shop Dog Marketing be your guide. Our customer-first approach, combined with AI-driven creative content, ensures top rankings.

InBound at CallInBound.com. Cover your communication needs and revolutionize your auto repair business with AI-driven call analytics from InBound.

Contact Information

1. Email Craig O'Neill: speakup@craigoneill.net
2. Join Our Virtual Toastmasters Club: https://remarkableresults.biz/toastmasters

The Aftermarket Radio Network: https://aftermarketradionetwork.com/

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

Thank You To Our Partners The Institute, AutoFlow, Shop Dog Marketing, In-Bound

Watch Full Video Episode

In Our Episode Today

If you're like most service advisors, you get uncomfortable when a first-time customer wants to wait. I get it - the pressure, the packed schedule, the preference for phone control. But that discomfort is costing you something massive: the chance to turn a visitor into a client for life.

I'm going to share why proximity matters more than you think. You'll hear about transmission pans, cramped offices, and why some of my best client relationships started with a five-mile drive. I'll explain what I was taught early on about separating customers from their vehicles to create urgency - and why those shortcuts only create transactions, not loyalty.

You'll learn what waiting should actually accomplish in those first 30-60 minutes, why shops spend thousands on waiting rooms but miss the entire point, and the operational reality you need to face if you want this to work.

Most importantly, you'll understand why our relationship was too often with the car when it should have been with the person.

Sincerely,

Craig O'Neill

Word of the Day: Proximity Noun. Nearness in space, time, or relationship. When a client is physically present at your facility, you have something you can't get over the phone - the ability to build a relationship through shared experience.

Thank You To Our Partners The Institute, AutoFlow, AutoLeap, Shop Dog Marketing, In-Bound

The Institute at WeAreTheInstitute.com. "Stop stressing over your business, you deserve a good night's sleep. The Institute’s coaching helps you achieve success and financial peace.

AutoFlow at AutoFlow.com. Your partner in technology, Autoflow consolidates your client interactions - before, during and after the visit to a single thread. Learn more at Autoflow.com

Shop Dog Marketing at Shop Dog Marketing.com. "Want to see your auto repair shop thrive? Let Shop Dog Marketing be your guide. Our customer-first approach, combined with AI-driven creative content, ensures top rankings.

In-Bound at CallInBound.com. Cover your communication needs and revolutionize your auto repair business with AI-driven call analytics from InBound.

Contact Information

1. Email Craig O'Neill: speakup@craigoneill.net
2. Join Our Virtual Toastmasters Club: https://remarkableresults.biz/toastmasters

The Aftermarket Radio Network: https://aftermarketradionetwork.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...

Thank You To Our Partners The Institute, AutoFlow, Shop Dog Marketing, In-Bound

Watch Full Video Episode

If you've tried to implement a quality control system before and it fell apart, you're not alone. Over 90% of shops I talk to have no documented QC process - and many who start out approached it excited… but then slowly lose momentum and revert back to old habits.

I'm going to discuss why previous QC attempts fall flat. I'll explain why red marks on your inspection forms aren't failures - they're wins - and how documenting catches becomes your most powerful training tool IF we learn to communicate the outcomes constructively.

You'll hear the story of a parking lot problem in Sydney, Australia that completely changed how I think about communicating quality control to clients. I'll share what NASA's 344 single-point failures intrigue me regarding systematic approaches, and why your repair processes will benefit from a quality checkpoint before the point of no return.

Most importantly, you'll understand why clients don't know what you do unless you tell them - and how one simple text message can distinguish you from "their other mechanic."

This is the quality control resolution that actually sticks.

Sincerely,

Craig O'Neill

Word of the Day: Systemic

Adjective. Relating to or affecting an entire system rather than isolated parts; problems or solutions that are fundamental to how something operates as a whole. Quality control issues in our industry aren't random - they're systemic, which means they require systematic solutions.

Blog Referenced:

https://autoflow.com/blog/they-have-systems-for-this/

Link to Curiosity Rover Mission Control “Safe on Mars” Moment: https://youtu.be/34voepoD_8Y?si=wgdTbAgLnuT2snxI&t=3537

Listen … after touchdown is confirmed: “Now we’ll see where our curiosity will take us.”

Thank You To Our Partners The Institute, AutoFlow, AutoLeap, Shop Dog Marketing, In-Bound

The Institute at WeAreTheInstitute.com. "Stop stressing over your business, you deserve a good night's sleep. The Institute’s coaching helps you achieve success and financial peace.

AutoFlow at AutoFlow.com. Your partner in technology, Autoflow consolidates your client interactions - before, during and after the visit to a single thread. Learn more at Autoflow.com

Shop Dog Marketing at Shop Dog Marketing.com. "Want to see your auto repair shop thrive? Let Shop Dog Marketing be your guide. Our customer-first approach, combined with AI-driven creative content, ensures top rankings.

In-Bound at CallInBound.com. Cover your communication needs and revolutionize your auto repair business with AI-driven call analytics from InBound.

Contact Information

1. Email Craig O'Neill: speakup@craigoneill.net
2. Join Our Virtual Toastmasters Club: https://remarkableresults.biz/toastmasters