AutoFix AdvisorCast

Michael Doherty [00:00:00]:
This is the autofix Advisor Cast, powered by worldpac. Hey, Service Advisor Nation, thank you for tuning in to another episode of the autofix Advisor Cast. I hope everyone is staying healthy and taking care of one another as always and keeping those bays full. Earlier this week, I had the distinct pleasure of joining a webinar with arena from Empowered Advisor and Kim Walker from Shop Marketing Pros. And I was asked to join that webinar to discuss Service Advisor stuff. And the topic was how to create raving fans at the front counter. And a lot of the conversation really boiled down to, and Raina put it in very good words, you know, service advisors, you know, kind of going back to basics. And I kind of thought about that after the episode.

Michael Doherty [00:01:01]:
You know, I know a lot of times when we go to coaching events, class events, things like that, we're always talking about going back to Service Advisor basics. And it's not a bad thing, you know, it's a reset, right? We need to get back to basics and the simple way of doing things, which, again, you know, transparency with our clients, how we approach estimates, how we are, you know, thinking about what we're going to say to the client before we pick up the phone and start talking about that estimate, right? Get the game plan in our head. Rana had a very good thought about, you know, talking about the, you know, finding out from the client the life cycle of the vehicle, right? Knowing what the lifecycle of the vehicle is going to be for that client, which I really never thought of before. So, you know, being around people that are smarter than me is a good thing. So, you know, when she said that find out, you know, the life cycle of the vehicle, I kind of was like, what do you mean? You know, she was saying that, you know, find out from the client when they make the appointment or they come in to drop off the vehicle. Like, what does that vehicle mean to them, right? And how long do they plan on keeping it? Because that's going to determine how you basically, you know, project or deliver the estimate to them, right? If they're just, you know, gonna have the vehicle, if it's just a, you know, back and forth to work car or, you know, a daily or not a daily driver, things like that, you might approach the estimate differently rather than telling about all these different things, you know, just kind of format it in a way that suits the lifestyle or the lifespan, the life cycle of the vehicle for them. But again, you know, really, we're all talking about getting back to Service Advisor basics and kind of this episode for me is going to be the opposite of that. And a quote that I saw the other day that I thought kind of crank started this episode for me, if you would.

Michael Doherty [00:02:51]:
It says, don't watch the clock, do what it does, keep going. Again, don't watch the clock, do what it does, keep going. So, you know, one thing I thought about talking about today that was going to be really important was, you know, I would like to throw out a Service Advisor challenge for the next two weeks, actually starting on Monday, August 4th, for a full two weeks. Whether it's if you work four day work week, 40 hours and four days, you know, work week. If you do five, you know, five business days, six business days, seven business days. Yes. Some shops are open seven days a week. Why? Because they're hungry and they want to serve better for their clients.

Michael Doherty [00:03:33]:
So this episode is again, we're talking about. I'd like to talk about Service Advisor Challenge. So here's what I've got for you guys, you know, again, to kind of shake it up a little bit, get things into game changing mode. Really. I want to have the service advisors out there basically look at this and listen to this as it's time to level up, right? So for the next two weeks, again, starting on August 4th, when that phone rings, if it's a service that you offer and a vehicle that you work on, the answer is yes. And yes means taking the vehicle in same day for drop off. No hesitation, no excuses, just pure action and focus. Holy crap.

Michael Doherty [00:04:16]:
How are we going to do that? Well, I've got a strategy for you guys, but again, you know, I really want to. We got to level up, right? We got to level up. So I know what you're thinking. Whoa, that sounds like a lot, but hear me out. So we've got. We've all gotten a little too comfortable. Maybe we've fallen into a routine. The one where, you know, we say no because we're not sure if we can, if the shop can handle it.

Michael Doherty [00:04:38]:
Maybe we're just a little too tired of squeezing those extra hours. But if we want to truly level up, we've got to challenge ourselves. So let's do this. Let's kick things into high gear and make the next two weeks. We'll call it a victory lap, right? Efficiency, strategy and growth. Let's do this. So here's where we start. The power of saying yes, right? The motivation and changing the mindset, right? The challenge of changing our mindset.

Michael Doherty [00:05:04]:
So think about this, right? Growth doesn't happen in our comfort zone. The Best way to grow your business and yourself is to push the boundaries. When you say yes, you open up possibilities. Yes to the service you offer. Yes to the customer who's counting on you. Yes to the opportunity to make things happen and set the tone for future growth. Tony Robbins, awesome, awesome. Motivational speaker says, the only limit to your impact is your imagination and commitment.

Michael Doherty [00:05:35]:
Again, the only limit to your impact is your imagination and commitment. So when you decide to say yes, you break the chains of complacency, right? And you unlock the potential for future greatness. So again, service Advisor nation for the next two weeks, starting on Monday, August 4th, when that phone rings, if it's a service that you offer, if it's a vehicle that you work on, the answer is yes, right? So here's the second part of it, right? The strategy behind the challenge. You know, how do we manage and execute this challenge? Not just, okay, episode's over. Go do it. So, all right, you've got your challenge. The phone rings, the answer is yes. And you're taking that car in that day.

Michael Doherty [00:06:14]:
But here's the key. We need to strategize this because simply saying yes just isn't enough. We have to squeeze, again, I say squeeze, every ounce of efficiency out of the shop that you're working at. Your organization, your process, your teamwork, it all needs to be on point. Here's how we approach it and approach it together, right? First thing, we're going to prioritize the day. Start the morning by identifying the key tasks that we need or you need to tackle. What cars are already booked, what can we rearrange to make room for drop offs that day? Right? That's number one. Number two, clear communication.

Michael Doherty [00:06:53]:
Communicate with your team to know that this is a high priority challenge. Communication is key to staying on top of things, from the technician to the purse department and the front desk. And again, as service advisors, if you're cradle to grave service advisors, you're kind of sprinkled in mixed into a little bit of all of that. But again, communicate with the team. And this is why, again, I'm recommending we start this challenge on August 4th. Monday, August 4th, because we still have tomorrow, Friday, we've got the weekend to talk about it, right? Think about it, get mentally prepared. Number three, we need to optimize time management. If the customer is asking for a same day service and it's realistic, and it's a realistic ask, we need to streamline everything.

Michael Doherty [00:07:35]:
Diagnostics, parts, ordering, labor. If we don't have the parts as our local supplier, who can get them to us quickly. Again, not going for perfection here, going for shaking it up. We need to level up, get out of that complacency zone. Right. Number four, we need to squeeze every bit of efficiency, maximize every minute. That means quick turnarounds with quality work, focused work, and no wasted time on unnecessary distractions. So again, squeeze every bit of efficiency, maximize every minute.

Michael Doherty [00:08:07]:
That means quick turnarounds with quality work, focused work, and no wasted time on unnecessary distractions. Remember, this is all about staying focused and executing with precision. All right? That's how we need to think about this. It's like a sports team on a game day, right? Everyone needs to be in sync, giving their best effort to win. So really, it's not just us in the front end. This is a company thing. But as a service advisor, right, we're in that quarterback position. We really need to emphasize to the team, look, let's shake it up.

Michael Doherty [00:08:38]:
Let's do this, let's figure it out. Let's strategize, let's make this happen. So if we just take this on as a service advisor and don't communicate with the shop, it's not going to work. The shop's going to go, hey, what's going on here? Are, you know, do we need to do a random drug test on you? So, again, right, Big communication. Next section. Right. Handling the pressure. Because there's going to be pressure.

Michael Doherty [00:09:03]:
And again, that's where we expand. That's where we grow. That's where we get out of our comfort zone. I mean, could you imagine realistically. Yeah. Every time that phone rings, it's a service that you offer. It's a vehicle that you work on. You're saying, yeah, drop it off.

Michael Doherty [00:09:16]:
Yes, drop it off. Yes, drop it off. Yes, drop it off. I know it sounds overwhelming, but, I mean, choke it out. It's possible. Just open up your mind, go to a different mindset. Right? But handling the pressure. Let's talk about pressure for a second.

Michael Doherty [00:09:30]:
If you're going to take on this challenge, you're going to feel it. There's no doubt about it. Pressure to perform, pressure to deliver and to get that car in and out quickly and efficiently. But guess what? Pressure is a sign of growth. And Grant Cardone, another motivational speaker, says that comfort is a slow death. Again, comfort is a slow death. You can't grow if you're always sitting in your comfort zone. And I'm not calling out service advisors.

Michael Doherty [00:09:58]:
I'm not saying you're not doing a good job. I'm not Saying that you are complacent. What I'm saying is I doubt somebody has tried to energize you to talk to your team to put a challenge on like this for two weeks. When I originally went into this episode, I was going to ask you guys for a month. I'm not trying to kill anybody, but, yeah, I'm energized about this. I mean, this is totally doable. Shake things up, level up again. I thought about it.

Michael Doherty [00:10:23]:
I think a month kind of going, we'll call it foot on the gas, right? Foot to, you know, throttle down for a month is going to be a little excessive, but two weeks, yeah, we can do two weeks, definitely. And I'm not saying it's going to be easy, far from it. But you're going to have to push yourself and your team, respectfully, professionally. But again, got to be the Kickstarter for this. You got to be the, the, you know, the match that ignites this, right? You're the gasoline on the fire for this challenge. You're getting the team amped up. We can do this. Let's make it happen.

Michael Doherty [00:10:55]:
Right? But when you come through that pressure, when you see the success and the impact of your hard work and the team's hard work, it's going to feel like a win. It's not going to feel like a win. It's going to be a win. And that's energy, what we need for the shop to level up. So, again, this is starting with the front end. This is starting with the service advisors to really kind of put this down and make this happen. Right? And also, right, we want to focus on results. This isn't just a challenge to say we did it right.

Michael Doherty [00:11:23]:
We want to know metrics. We want to track metrics like, you know, again, push each other. But this is going to require a lot of focus and you really pairing, if you're doing dispatch, pairing the right vehicles with the right technicians at the right time, constantly going back there looking for nooks and crannies to squeeze another car in for a diagnostic, an oil service, digital vehicle inspection, whatever it may be. Again, you're going to have to be on it, but again, focus on results, right? So again, you know, we've got the team aligned. You guys are crushing the challenge. Again, visualize this. Visualizing this is massive. Not just saying to yourself, I, I, I don't know if I can do this.

Michael Doherty [00:12:02]:
You have to want to do it. You have to visualize what this is going to look like and plot it out in your head. It's a strategy, right? But again, you know, you've got the team aligned. You guys are crushing the challenge. But now how do we measure the results? Track everything like you normally would. You're just adding a lot more to the mix. You know, at the end of the two weeks, how many cars did you guys take in? How did the workflow go? Were there any roadblocks that you didn't anticipate? And how did your team respond under pressure? That is where you find out where the greatness is. Right? We're not looking to break people here.

Michael Doherty [00:12:38]:
We're not looking to make people upset at you. Service advisors and the back technicians, co workers, whatever. Again, this is, this is to get the best out of everybody. I feel that everybody's always got more to give. You know, another at least 20, 25% really come in motivated. Just, just get down to business and let's do it right. So this is about creating a winning week that extends into winning months and ultimately winning years. Could you imagine if you did this for two weeks and the results were massive? It's going to be a massive success or it's going to be a learning lesson, not a failure.

Michael Doherty [00:13:12]:
You're not going to fail at doing this. You're going to learn something by doing this and by learning, you're growing. That's how this works, right? I mean, when you first started off as a service advisor, did you know everything? No. Do you still know everything? No. How do you learn? You make mistakes. You have to try different things. So I implore you, take on this challenge again. Two week challenge starting Monday, August 4th.

Michael Doherty [00:13:38]:
The phone rings and it's a service that you offer, it's a vehicle that you work on. The answer is yes, take it in and figure it out. But come up with a strategy. If there's no strategy, it's not going to work. Again, come up with a strategy and just, just do it. Just do it. Right. But again, you know, this is setting you up for winning weeks that extend into winning months and ultimately winning years.

Michael Doherty [00:14:01]:
The more you embrace this challenge, the better you'll get at managing the pressure and finding solutions. Again, there may be things that you're not aware of yet that your team hasn't encountered by taking on this type of challenge. And maybe you guys are just a well oiled machine and you're like, hey, my, like d, we got this, we'll figure this out. Or he might be going, man, I just, I don't know the people that are just, I don't know about this. Those are the ones that need to take this on. The ones that think that they just got it. Take it on, see what happens. Again, you're not going to lose.

Michael Doherty [00:14:33]:
You're going to win or you're going to win and you're going to learn some things along the way. So again, you embrace the challenge. You know, no excuses. Ladies and gentlemen, you're leveling up one drop off at a time. So what do you say? I can't hear you. Yes, that's right. The phone's ringing. Yes.

Michael Doherty [00:14:54]:
Let's do this. All right. Service Advisor Nation, thank you for tuning in to another episode of the Autofix Advisory Cast. I'm pumped up about the Service Advisor challenge that I'm throwing out there and I'd love to hear some results. You know, I really would at the end of two weeks how this went for you guys. And again, I promise you, take it on. You're not going to lose. You're going to win.

Michael Doherty [00:15:15]:
You're going to win big or you're going to win. And you're going to learn some lessons along the way. But it's going to promote team growth, it's going to get you motivated and it's going to show you what you guys can really do as a team, right? And, and, and cram every bit of efficiency. Again, just go back there and play Tetris in your head. When you're looking at back at the shop, right? Where can you fit in the next piece of the puzzle? You know, again, that puzzle is coming down Tetris, right? I think everybody's probably played the game Tetris. Maybe heard of the game Tetris. As the pieces are falling, you have to kind of move them so they fill the spot before that wall builds up and game is over. So again, look at it as playing a game of Tetris, right? You're trying to get all those moving pieces fit into the proper spots.

Michael Doherty [00:15:57]:
And again, it's going to require some strategy, but I know you got this, so I'm excited. I'm excited to hear about this and how it goes. And again, remember, you're leveling up one drop off at a time. Service Advisor Nation. Love you guys. And thank you for tuning into another episode of the Auto Fix Advisor Cast. All right, stay healthy, take care of one another. Go get it.

Michael Doherty [00:16:18]:
All right, guys. Hey, thanks for listening to the Autofix Advisor Cast. If you're ready to take your shop to the next level, check out our sponsor, WorldPAC and the WorldPAC Training Institute. WTI. Big thanks to them for their sponsorship. Follow the podcast on social media for more insights and subscribe so you never miss an episode. Oh, and tell your friends we want to help the industry grow and help advisors love their jobs again. See you on the next autofix Advisor Cast.