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By Joe Marconi in Joe's Blog0 commentsIt always amazes me when I hear about a technician who quits one repair shop to go work at another shop for less money. I know you have heard of this too, and you’ve probably asked yourself, “Can this be true? And Why?” The answer rests within the culture of the company. More specifically, the boss, manager, or a toxic work environment literally pushed the technician out the door.
While money and benefits tend to attract people to a company, it won’t keep them there. When a technician begins to look over the fence for greener grass, that is usually a sign that something is wrong within the workplace. It also means that his or her heart is probably already gone. If the issue is not resolved, no amount of money will keep that technician for the long term. The heart is always the first to leave. The last thing that leaves is the technician’s toolbox.
Shop owners: Focus more on employee retention than acquisition. This is not to say that you should not be constantly recruiting. You should. What it does means is that once you hire someone, your job isn’t over, that’s when it begins. Get to know your technicians. Build strong relationships. Have frequent one-on-ones. Engage in meaningful conversation. Find what truly motivates your technicians. You may be surprised that while money is a motivator, it’s usually not the prime motivator.
One last thing; the cost of technician turnover can be financially devastating. It also affects shop morale. Do all you can to create a workplace where technicians feel they are respected, recognized, and know that their work contributes to the overall success of the company. This will lead to improved morale and team spirit. Remember, when you see a technician’s toolbox rolling out of the bay on its way to another shop, the heart was most likely gone long before that.
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By carmcapriotto
Thanks to our partners, NAPA TRACS and Promotive
Running low on cash? Before panic sets in, it’s time to get strategic. In this episode of Business by the Numbers, Hunt explores practical steps to manage cash flow challenges, cut expenses wisely, and secure financing without sinking your business. Learn what options are available and how to make informed decisions to keep your shop running smoothly.
Understand the root causes of cash flow issues to avoid repeating mistakes. Learn why preserving cash strategically is more effective than slashing every expense. Discover how to leverage credit lines, loans, and alternative financing options safely. Avoid common pitfalls, like cutting critical expenses, that can worsen financial struggles. Develop a plan to stabilize and grow your cash reserves for long-term success.
Thanks to our partner, NAPA TRACS
Did you know that NAPA TRACS has onsite training plus six days a week support?
It all starts when a local representative meets with you to learn about your business and how you run it. After all, it's your shop, so it's your choice.
Let us prove to you that Tracs is the single best shop management system in the business. Find NAPA TRACS on the Web at NAPATRACS.com
Thanks to our partner, Promotive
It’s time to hire a superstar for your business; what a grind you have in front of you. Introducing Promotive, a full-service staffing solution for your shop. Promotive has over 40 years of recruiting and automotive experience. If you need qualified technicians and service advisors and want to offload the heavy lifting, visit www.gopromotive.com.
Paar Melis and Associates – Accountants Specializing in Automotive Repair
Visit us Online: www.paarmelis.com
Email Hunt: [email protected]
Download a Copy of My Books Here:
Wrenches to Write-Offs Your Perfect Shop
The Aftermarket Radio Network: https://aftermarketradionetwork.com/
Remarkable Results Radio Podcast with Carm Capriotto https://remarkableresults.biz/
Diagnosing the Aftermarket A to Z with Matt Fanslow https://mattfanslow.captivate.fm/
Business by the Numbers with Hunt Demarest https://huntdemarest.captivate.fm/
The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast with Kim and Brian Walker https://autorepairmarketing.captivate.fm/
The Weekly Blitz with Chris Cotton https://chriscotton.captivate.fm/
Speak Up! Effective Communication with Craig O'Neill https://craigoneill.captivate.fm/
Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio
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By carmcapriotto
Thanks to our Partners, NAPA TRACS, Auto-Fix Auto Shop Coaching, and Today's Class Discover how neuroscience insights can enhance customer relationships, optimize revenues, and create lasting brand loyalty. Matt Fanslow and Dr. David Weiman explain how marketing stimuli affect the brain, revealing a disconnect between conscious responses and subconscious reactions. Learn practical strategies to apply these concepts in your shop, from setting the right ambiance to creating unforgettable customer experiences. Matt Fanslow, lead diagnostician and shop manager, Riverside Automotive, Red Wing, MN. Matt’s previous episodes HERE Matt Fanslow Podcast: Diagnosing the Aftermarket A to Z Dr. David Weiman is the president of Weiman Consulting, a leadership consulting firm in Philadelphia PA. Listen to David’s previous episodes HERE Show Notes Watch Full Video Episode Introduction to Neuromarketing (00:00:01) Consumer Biases and Truth (00:05:01) Brain Activity and Marketing (00:06:00) Brand Associations (00:09:03) Impact of Visuals in Marketing (00:12:47) Subtle Influences in Marketing (00:13:19) Cheetos Commercial Case Study (00:14:23) The Power of Rhymes (00:18:40) Actions vs. Words (00:19:37) Instincts and Environment (00:24:57) Dopamine and Consumer Behavior (00:27:35) Creating a Safe Environment (00:31:03) First Impressions Matter (00:33:46) Discussion on Shop Improvements (00:36:31) Creating Emotional Attachments (00:39:19) Storytelling in Marketing (00:41:49) Customer Experience Anecdote (00:42:30) Emotional Memory in Marketing (00:44:08) Innovative Customer Engagement (00:45:52) Importance of Community Engagement (00:47:37) Neuromarketing Insights (00:48:39) Closing Thoughts on Customer Care (00:50:13)
Thanks to our Partner, NAPA TRACS 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/ Thanks to our Partner, Auto-Fix Auto Shop Coaching Proven Auto Shop Coaching with Results. Over 61 Million in ROI with an Average ROI of 9x. Find Coach Chris Cotton at AutoFix Auto Shop Coaching on the Web at https://autoshopcoaching.com/ Thanks to our Partner, Today's Class Optimize training with Today's Class: In just 5 minutes daily, boost knowledge retention and improve team performance. Find Today's Class on the web at https://www.todaysclass.com/ Connect with the Podcast: -The Aftermarket Radio Network: https://aftermarketradionetwork.com -Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RemarkableResultsRadioPodcast/ -Join Our Private Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1734687266778976 -Join Our Virtual Toastmasters Club: https://remarkableresults.biz/toastmasters -Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/carmcapriotto -Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmcapriotto/ -Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/remarkableresultsradiopodcast/ -Follow on X: https://twitter.com/RResultsBiz -Visit the Website: https://remarkableresults.biz/ -Join our Insider List: https://remarkableresults.biz/insider -All books mentioned on our podcasts: https://remarkableresults.biz/books -Our Classroom page for personal or team learning: https://remarkableresults.biz/classroom -Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/carm -Special episode collections: https://remarkableresults.biz/collections 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 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/ Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio
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By carmcapriotto
Looking to unlock the true potential of your business? Discover how taking time to think can reveal new opportunities, boost creativity, and tackle challenges head-on. Learn how clarity breaks can help you refine your vision, focus on what truly matters, and transform your marketing strategy for better results.
Get practical tips on clearing distractions, setting the right direction, and making the most of your time away from the daily grind. Ready to take your business to the next level?
Tune in now and see how a little time to think can make all the difference!
Thank you to RepairPal for sponsoring The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast. Learn more about RepairPal at https://repairpal.com/shops
Are you ready to convert clients to members? App Fueled specializes in creating custom apps tailored specifically for professional auto repair businesses. Visit Appfueled.com to get started today. Keep your shop top of mind on the mobile device they love.
Lagniappe (Books, Links, Other Podcasts, etc)
https://shopmarketingpros.com/125
https://www.eosworldwide.com/blog/101893-eos-take-clarity-break - EOS Clarity Break
Clarity Break Starter Questions
Sometimes it is highly effective to have no plan, no questions while sometimes you need some starter questions to get your mind rolling (example questions below)
What would I do if I wasn’t afraid? Today, I am dreaming about…. What’s draining my energy right now? Who do you admire and why? What are they doing that you can do also? How do you practice caring for yourself? What are you most proud of? What can you de-clutter physically or emotionally today/this weekend? What are your self-affirmations? Make a list of statements to remind yourself who you are, what your talents/skills are, and what you believe about yourself.
Show Notes with Timestamps
How To Get In Touch
Group - Auto Repair Marketing Mastermind
Website - shopmarketingpros.com
Facebook - facebook.com/shopmarketingpros
Get the Book - shopmarketingpros.com/book
Instagram - @shopmarketingpros
Questions/Ideas - [email protected]
Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio
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By Joe Marconi
Money Isn’t The Motivator We Think It Is
By Joe Marconi, an Elite Worldwide Blog -
We often hear that most people are money-motivated. However, when it comes to employee motivation, there’s much more than just financial incentives.
According to Gallup, a management consulting company, when people are looking for employment, money may be at the top of their list of considerations, but once hired, no amount of money can motivate someone if they are not happy in their workplace. Additionally, Gallup’s study revealed that money does not create employee motivation and that there is no direct link between salary and workplace happiness.
Understanding employee motivation is crucial for any manager looking to improve productivity and maintain a happy, high-performing workforce. Without understanding what truly motivates employees, high levels of productivity and profits will not be achieved. People are motivated by different reasons. It’s the job of the manager or shop owner to build strong relationships with their employees to find out what truly motivates them. One of the best ways to find out is to simply ask them. You may be surprised by what they say.
Now with that said, let’s address when money is important. Everyone needs to cover the basic needs of life. People need to pay the rent or mortgage, put food on the table, and take care of their families. If someone worries each week that their base pay will not cover their financial needs, they will work from a position of fear. This will eventually cause them to shut down, produce less, and start to look over the fence for greener grass.
Another area when money becomes a factor is when an employee feels that they are not getting the respect they believe they deserve. For example, you hire a top-level, experienced service advisor and pay that person a higher wage than your current top-performing service advisor. No matter what arrangements you make with the new hire, your current service advisor will find out the pay wage for the new hire, and that will not go well. In some cases, this may cause your current service advisor to quit.
Aside from a few exceptions, money is not a prime motivator. In this blog, I will outline five powerful ways to motivate the people in your company, which will also help you create the right culture, ensure long-term success, and help prevent your employees from looking over the fence for greener grass.
Satisfy The Basic Needs of Life and Career
As I mentioned earlier, when an employee worries each week about not earning enough to cover his basic financial needs, he works in a state of fear. In this state, people cannot function. The stress and worry consume them. When people realize that their basic needs will be fulfilled, they become more engaged with their work, will produce more, and are more inclined to grow and advance in your company.
As a shop owner or manager, you need to sit down with your employees. Find out about their goals, both in their career and in their personal life. Another obligation for shop owners is to create pay plans that offer competitive wages, great benefits, and a career path where they feel secure with their future with you. Financial and emotional security is important, not only for the employee but for the employee’s family too.
Create a Culture of Mutual Respect
Everyone craves respect. This is an area that is lacking in so many workplaces. While employees may be at different experience levels and in different positions, everyone wants to know that what they do gets the attention and respect of leadership. As a shop owner, create an environment of shared and mutual respect. Look to those in your company who have leadership qualities and mentor them so that they can mentor others. When your employees share in their talents and efforts as a team, combined with mutual respect for one another, you have created one powerful motivator.
Have Your Employees Compete Against Themselves
In the workplace, employees are at many different skill levels. For example, a typical repair shop may have two technicians with over 20 years of experience and one tech with under 5 years of experience. It makes no sense to have the younger tech compete against the more experienced techs. When you do this, you create winners and losers. What you want are all winners.
Encouraging self-competition is a powerful way to enhance employee motivation by allowing them to see personal progress and achievement. If you do that, each of them can win. Measure each employee’s production, whether it’s billable hours, sales, gross profit, or other metric. Find a baseline for each employee. Establish a minimum level of acceptable performance, the goals for their position, and the individual goals for each person. Provide the training, support, and a pathway for them to improve and succeed.
When people see themselves improving, by measuring their metrics against themselves, they also see themselves winning. They become more engaged, which motivates them to work harder and want to continue to improve.
Remember, create a shop filled with winners.
MBWA – Management By Walking Around
MBWA is a strategy that was written about in a book published in the early 1980s, by Tom Peters, called In Search of Excellence. The strategy is simple but powerful. It requires that managers get out of their offices each day and spend time walking the shop floor. Engage in conversation with your employees. But here’s the key component that makes this strategy so powerful; engage in conversation that helps you to find out more about them, their hobbies, their family, and what they like to do in their time off. In other words, don’t just make the conversation about business, make it personal, about them.
When you find out what’s important to your employees, you will also find how to increase employee motivation. Imagine this scenario: Through your MBWA you find that your superstar service advisor enjoys taking her kids to dinner and a movie, and you surprise her with tickets and a gift card for the entire family for a night out. Tell me that’s not a powerful motivator!
Praise and Recognition
Praise and recognition are perhaps the greatest motivators of all. There’s not a person on this planet who does not want to be recognized and praised for a job well done. Look for reasons to praise your employees. Let the little mistakes slide. If you want your employees to grow and improve, then praise and recognize the behavior you want to see repeated. For example, you speak to an employee about coming in late. If that employee comes in on time for the next three days, praise and recognize that! After all, it’s the behavior you are looking for, right? What happens all too often is nothing is said when the employee comes in on time for a few days but is handed a heavy reprimand when the employee once again arrives late two weeks later. If you only point out when people don’t perform the way they should, that is what you will get; an endless occurrence of people not performing up to expectations.
There’s a phrase from the book The One Minute Manager, but Ken Blanchard, “Find people doing things right!”
Conclusion
At Elite, one of our core values is to never put money ahead of people. We believe true employee motivation comes from fostering a culture where individuals feel valued and respected, rather than relying solely on monetary rewards. When a company focuses on building the right culture and prioritizing employee well-being, great things happen, and success becomes inevitable.
This concept is woven into the fabric of what we preach, teach, and coach. Whether it’s our service advisor Master’s Program, our Top Shop Coaching Programs, or our Pro Service peer groups, we will never abandon what has made Elite the company it will always be… a company that will never put money ahead of people.
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By nptrb
Financial scares in your auto repair business can be far more terrifying than any haunted house or fright fest you’re attending this year – especially when it comes to quarterly taxes.
Unlike annual taxes, quarterly taxes require you to pay estimated taxes throughout the year.
This helps ensure that the IRS receives the full amount of taxes owed by the end of the year. For auto repair businesses, these quarterly payments can be a significant financial burden if not managed properly.
We’re talking hundreds of thousands of dollars. If that’s not a nightmare, we don’t know what is!
The Consequences of Neglecting Quarterly Taxes
Failing to pay quarterly taxes on time or in full can lead to severe consequences that can tarnish your business.
Penalties
When your business pays quarterly taxes late or sends inadequate funds, the IRS imposes substantial penalties.
Interest
If penalties aren’t already enough, you will likely pay interest on unpaid taxes, increasing the total amount that you owe.
Rise of a Potential Audit
If your business is non-compliant with tax laws, it may increase its risk of being audited, which is a time-consuming and costly process.
How to Avoid the Quarterly Tax Nightmare
To prevent getting caught in a financial horror story with quarterly taxes, follow these steps to protect your auto repair business:
Estimate your income accurately. This will help you determine the appropriate quarterly taxes to pay so you don’t incur penalties or interest. Track your finances consistently: Keep detailed records of your yearly income and expenses. This will help you track your tax liability so you know you are paying the correct amount owed. Hire a professional: Consider hiring a professional bookkeeping service to handle your quarterly tax filings. We can help you stay on top of your taxes and ensure that they are paid on time. Why Hiring a Bookkeeper Helps You Stay Compliant
A reputable bookkeeping service can be a valuable asset in avoiding quarterly tax nightmares.
When you work with us, we’ll:
Ensure that your financial records are accurate and up-to-date. Accurately calculate your quarterly tax liability based on your income and expenses. Ensure that your quarterly tax returns are filed on time. Provide personalized guidance on tax planning strategies to minimize your tax liability and help you keep more money in your pocket. Quarterly taxes may seem like a fright, but they can be avoided with proper planning and management. When you understand why you need to pay quarterly taxes, how to estimate your income accurately, and how to track your financial records, your auto repair business will remain financially sound.
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