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 Auto Fix Advisory Cast with your host, Michael Dougherty. And hopefully everybody's feeling good, staying healthy. Gosh, August is almost over, so come on, cooler weather, let's go. Right, that'd be nice. Heading there, getting there, hopefully nationally for everybody. Right? But one thing I want to talk about Service Advisor Nation today was, you know, I don't know if you know it or not, but you have the decision to make from the mindset and the actions that you do on a daily basis.

Michael Doherty [00:00:49]:
As a service Advisor, you have a decision to make. Do you want to be average or do you want to go to elite status? And there are some other levels in between there. But what we're talking about today is one of the most important decisions that you'll make in your career. Again, what level do you want to play at? And here's the kicker. Getting to elite is a choice. It starts with your mindset. So let's break it down. Where do you feel that you fall on the performance scale? And do you want to elevate your Service Advisor game and take it to the next level? You know, do you find yourself coasting through the day, doing just what's expected, or are you actively working to push yourself to new heights and new goals? So I feel there are five levels of performance you can choose from in this business.

Michael Doherty [00:01:40]:
And this pertains to front end, back end, shop entirely, right? Service advisors, technicians, anybody in between. But here are the levels. So first off, below average, you're doing the bare minimum, you're not fully invested. Number two, average. You're doing just enough to get by. Three, good, you're meeting expectations, but not consistently standing out. Four, excellent, you're going above and beyond and customers are noticing. And five, elite.

Michael Doherty [00:02:18]:
You're the best at what you do. You're constantly improving, you're setting trends and your customers just don't like you. They trust you. So here's the big question. How do you get to the elite level? Well, Eric Thomas, a very well known motivational speaker, says that when you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you'll be successful. That right there is the mentality we need to adopt. The elite mindset is one that is relentlessly focused on self improvement, being better and showing up with that, you know, I'm gonna crush it today attitude every single day. And how do we develop that elite mindset? Right? So the journey to elite status should you choose to want to be in the elite status isn't about working harder.

Michael Doherty [00:03:15]:
It's about working smarter and with more purpose. To go from average to elite, you need to cultivate a mindset that's built for growth. And not only as a service advisor, but anybody in the shop that you're working with, that you're connected to. This applies to really anybody in the shop. And I'm just mentioning it from a service advisor perspective because that's what I did most of my career. Doesn't mean that somebody else in a different automotive field or has a different title can't get there either. Yes, you definitely can. And it starts with mindset, right? It starts with self improvement, really giving yourself.

Michael Doherty [00:03:55]:
I will call it a fact check, right? Looking in the mirror, you know, looking in the mirror and telling yourself, I know I can do better for myself, my family, my clients, and wanting to set yourself up for success. And that's going to require personal growth. It's going to require you going to probably some classes in the industry. It's going to require maybe you getting a personal coach, you know, that you meet with maybe once every two weeks or once a month. Role playing, right? With your coworkers, you know, especially if you got more than one service advisor. Because I think talking to yourself is a little weird, but role playing, right, Again with another service advisor. You know, areas of growth, right? But again, you know, a lot of that is mind mindset shift. And number one, I think it starts with taking ownership, your success, right? Elite service advisors don't wait for opportunities.

Michael Doherty [00:05:00]:
We create them. We don't make excuses when things go wrong. We take full responsibility and find solutions. Relentless focus on improvement. Every single day. Ask yourself, what can I do better today? This could be improving communication, learning a new technique or a skill, or working on your listening skills and many other things as well. Embrace discomfort and failure. Elite performers don't shy away from challenges or failure.

Michael Doherty [00:05:34]:
They lean into it. They understand that growth happens when you push past your limits. Again, the growth, right? If you're not trying, if you're not failing, you're not trying. And they say that modestly, right? If you're not failing, you're not trying. And it's important to push past what you've been used to, what you've maybe got complacent with, and shoot for the moon. Why not, right? Constant learning. Never stop learning. Whether it's reading, attending workshops, webinars, getting feedback from customers and colleagues, classes.

Michael Doherty [00:06:17]:
Again, coaches, elite advisors are always looking for ways to improve again Eric Thomas, really great motivational speaker, says you can't be average and be a champion. You have to do the little things that people don't want to do. That's the key difference. If you want to be elite, you've got to be willing to put in that extra effort. Especially when. When no one's watching. Absolutely right. And what does that mean sometimes, when no one's watching? It means that you might be the only person at work.

Michael Doherty [00:06:51]:
You might be getting there early, you might be staying late, you may come in on a weekend if the shop isn't opened, you may be checking an email or the emails after hours. Again, you know, there's so much that goes into the job, right, as a service advisor. And if you're just clocking in and clocking out to get a paycheck, yeah, that's, that works. But again, if you're looking for growth, if you're looking to get to that elite status, you know, it's not a 40 hour work week. You know, in the back of your mind you're like, hey, I probably should check those emails over the weekend. Not saying work all the time, but yeah, you've got a choice to make, right? Don't want to put on Netflix or do I want to do self improvement, you know, do I want to go see that movie in the theater? Or don't work on an area of growth. Right. We've all got choices.

Michael Doherty [00:07:45]:
We all get 24 hours in the day just like everybody else. And what you choose to do with that time is what's going to separate yourself from the pack. So again, if you're looking to just work the 40 hours, well, maybe not as a service Advisor, maybe it's 50 in all actuality, but I think you know what I'm saying, you've gotta, you've gotta put the effort and you've gotta put the time in, you know, to really hone your craft, to get better, to discipline yourself, to maybe come in earlier than you open. And what I mean by that is a half hour more than you open, you know, come in an hour early sometimes. I used to get there 6am on a Monday morning because I knew that people were dropping off cars over the weekend. On Saturday and Sunday, there were gonna be night drops that were expected for Monday's business day. There were gonna be night traps that weren't expected. There were gonna be toe ins, there were gonna be voicemails, there were gonna be emails.

Michael Doherty [00:08:40]:
And I absolutely hated the feeling of being rushed. And I always felt like if I come in 20 minutes before we open, 10 minutes before we open, there is no way I'm gonna be able to catch things up in a timely manner and do it the right way and then open the doors and start taking people in. It's just. And then you're constantly behind the rest of the day. Again, you know, I mean, you know how your shop works, right? You know, typically how the week is set up, how the weekends go, you know, what to expect or what to look out for. So, again, you know, I mean, go in a little bit earlier to get those things knocked out when no one else is there because you don't have the distractions. You know, the phones probably aren't ringing at that time in the morning, et cetera. And yeah, if you need to take an extra half hour for lunch, so be it.

Michael Doherty [00:09:32]:
You got your work done, right? I mean, there shouldn't be any problem with that on a management level. Again, you're coming in to get the success set up for the day. So, you know, again, you know, you gotta be willing to put in that extra effort, especially when nobody's watching Eric Thomas again, I just. If you haven't seen his videos, I really recommend that you watch them on YouTube. Just a fantastic motivational speaker. And I used to put on Eric Thomas, Les Brown, Jim Rohn in the morning. He had good quotes, but his. His voice just wasn't resonating.

Michael Doherty [00:10:13]:
It didn't have the excitement level that I needed. It's in the morning on the way to work, and I found myself kind of, you know, yawning, listening to Jim Rohn, maybe on the way home or something like that. But again, find somebody, find a speaker that's on YouTube that's got videos. And I'm not saying watch a video while you drive the work. It's not what I'm saying. The audio, that's what's important, right? The. The. The videos that are out there, the audio on YouTube where you can listen to motivational speaker, again, Eric Thomas, Les Brown, somebody like that, where it just.

Michael Doherty [00:10:45]:
It gets you pumped up for the day, gets you charged up. What's the other guy's name? Jocko. Jocko Willnick. You know, former Navy seal, I believe he was. And I mean, gosh, that guy is very. Just when you hear him, I mean, his words, like, really pierce your soul. Like, it really makes you think about the type of human that you are and what you could do, right? So, again, get that motivation on the way to work. Like, get that going, you know, how do we make the jump from good to elite.

Michael Doherty [00:11:16]:
You know, let's, let, let's dive into, you know, I mean, what, what, what we can do for that, you know, actionable tips. So be a problem solver, not just a problem reporter. When a customer has an issue, don't just rely on the problem. Don't just, don't. Don't just relay the problem to the technician is what I meant to say. So again, when a customer has an issue, don't just relay the problem to the technician. Take the initiative to find a solution. Be proactive in addressing concerns and offer alternatives.

Michael Doherty [00:11:47]:
Master the art of communication. Elite advisors are exceptional communicators. They don't just explain what's happening with the car. They explain why it matters to the customer. They listen deeply to the customer's needs and, and make sure their messages are clear and effective. Create and follow a standard of excellence. The elite don't settle for good enough. They set the bar high and make sure they meet it consistently day in and day out.

Michael Doherty [00:12:19]:
Right. Again, personal accountability markers. Yeah, I've had that RO where I'm like, man, there's just so much stuff on here to write up. Do I really need to write all this up? They're probably not going to buy everything. If you go into that, if you go into that RO with that mindset, you've already lost, you're not going to give it your best effort because you already told yourself they're probably not going to purchase the LD items that are on that list. You never know. And again, it's practice, right? When you're making that RO before you present it to a customer, take your time. Don't pencil whip it, you know, keyboard smash it.

Michael Doherty [00:12:56]:
I mean, take a moment and actually really, you know, put your effort into it and make it your own. Take accountability, don't just rush through it. And also go with a mindset that, hey, I need to tell this customer about these extra items on their vehicle. Past their primary concern, going to break it down with safety, reliability and maintenance. And we're going to help them out. They're going to do some work, they're going to be happy, we're going to be happy. Everybody's going to win, right? But again, it's the mindset, right? And, you know, I think also, you know, it's, you know, the road to Elite status as a service advisor is tough. It requires discipline, focus, sacrifice.

Michael Doherty [00:13:48]:
But when you make it to the top, when you've given it everything, the rewards are worth every ounce of effort. It's true, it's true. I can honestly say humbly that I was a six figure service advisor. I got to that status making six figures a year and it wasn't by putting in just 40 hours or sometimes 50 hours a week. It was nights, weekends, sometimes early mornings. But the more, you know, the byproduct is what it made me, you know, the money was a bonus, literally. But it's what I, what I became in the process and that was disciplined, self motivating, communication expert and just all around good person. And you know, when you've got a great company culture also and if you don't have a great company culture, that's something you need to work on too with management, get that fixed, you know, it's very important for your mental health as well.

Michael Doherty [00:14:53]:
So great company culture comes along with that. But again, you know, you're, it's who you become in the process to go from average to elite. And no, it's not going to happen in six months, it's not going to happen in a year. It's years and years and years of perfecting your craft. But if you want it, you will get there and there are resources to help you. There's coaching companies highly recommend. Chris Cotton's company, Autofix worldpac has classes for service advisors as well. A lot of the automotive events that are around the nation, Vision, Asta, the Rolepack Expo, they have service advisor classes.

Michael Doherty [00:15:40]:
And you know, there's also things you can just look up on YouTube too, you know, to watch and learn from other people. But again, it's there for the taking. You know, it's a personal challenge and again, if you want it, go get it. Who's stopping you? Nobody but yourself. But if you just think about it, if you could become 1% better every day, think of what you would become in a year, two years, three years. Yeah, it's possible. And I can honestly tell you that because I got there. Again, as humbly as I'm saying it, I am not a cocky person.

Michael Doherty [00:16:20]:
I have a very big heart and that has hurt me more than it's helped me. But you know, again, what I became in the process of chasing that elite status, of getting there is going to make you a better person. It's going to make you serve your customers better. You're going to feel better about yourself and saying that you got there. Service Advisor Nation, I really appreciate you. Thank you for tuning into another episode of the Autofix Advisor cast and I'll see you next episode. 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.

Michael Doherty [00:17:04]:
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.