AutoFix AdvisorCast

Michael Doherty [00:00:00]:
This is the autofix Advisor Cast, powered by Worldpac. Hey, service Advisor nation. Thank you for turning into another episode of the autofix Advisor Cast with your host, Michael Dougherty. Hopefully everyone's doing well, staying healthy, exercising some self care, getting those mini breaks, clergy breaks, lunch breaks, whatever breaks you can grab, right? Seriously. Welcome back. And recently went to the Asta Automotive Service Tire Alliance Expo in Raleigh this past weekend. It was started off Thursday, so Thursday, Friday, Saturday of this past week and it was fantastic, fantastic expo, lots of cool stuff. Just being around industry professionals, you know, just being able to talk shop, talk automotive, connecting with new prospects, existing clients, just a fantastic time.

Michael Doherty [00:01:06]:
But having been at that expo and if you've never been, please, I implore you, put it on your 2026 calendar. It's typically the last week of September in, in Raleigh, North Carolina. So I think they still got the website up for the 2025 ASTA Expo. But you know, check it out, get it on your calendar for next year. It's going to be fantastic. And they held it at the Raleigh Convention center, which was just gorgeous. Beautiful facility, safe facility and just, you know, abundance of space. You don't feel claustrophobic, like you're rubbing, you know, shoulders with everybody.

Michael Doherty [00:01:41]:
I mean, it's very open environment. But in any event, one thing, actually a couple things, but one thing became crystal clear to me at this expo. The service advisors who will win in the next five to 10 years are not the fastest, the loudest or the ones who know it all. They're the ones who stay teachable. And here's the truth, ladies and gentlemen. The automotive industry is moving faster than ever. Customer expectations are changing, communication standards are rising. And the role of the service advisor has never been more critical.

Michael Doherty [00:02:21]:
Tony Robbins, great motivational speaker, says, without continual growth in progress, such words as improvement, achievement and success have no meaning. So that's where we're headed today, ladies and gentlemen. Why teachability matters, how to build it and how to use it to communicate better with our customers and our technicians. So the expo was really set up for industry professionals, you know, anything, you know, really independent automotive shops, right? And yes, at the expo we saw, you know, advanced training classes for EVs, ADAs and you know, high tech diagnostics. But for advisors, here's the lesson. If the industry is changing fast, your communication and leadership must evolve just as fast. Customers now walk in after googling everything they've watched. YouTube mechanics who think they know your job better than you.

Michael Doherty [00:03:22]:
They expect fast answers, total transparency and white glove service so if we stop learning, we don't just fall behind in 10 tech knowledge, but we fall behind in how to build trust. For service advisors, that means staying sharp on communication techniques, learning new ways to set expectations and handle objections, getting better at time management so we can juggle the chaos without letting the client feel it. And always asking, how can I serve the customer in my team members better than I did yesterday, Right? I think that's where you know we're talking about Elite. Elite advisor talk, right? Why teachable advisors win over know it alls. So we've seen it all, right? The advisor who brags, I've been doing this 20 plus years, I don't need training. But those are the same folks who get stuck in bad habits, frustrate technicians, coworkers, and push customers away without even realizing it. Here's why. Teachability beats arrogance.

Michael Doherty [00:04:36]:
Customer connection. If you're teachable, you're open to feedback. That means when a customer pushes back, you actively listen instead of getting defensive. Right? Adaptability, you learn new sales techniques, new CRM features, and new ways to keep customers updated and shop leadership. When you're a model, you know, when you model humility, your techs and your co workers respect you. They know that you're in the trenches with them and not just barking orders. So, you know, for a service advisor, again, I really feel it's a quarterback position and we are in a leadership role. And the way that we communicate with our co workers, our team members, our clients, ourselves for that matter, is huge.

Michael Doherty [00:05:34]:
Right? Self talk, I've talked about that previously. Self talk is huge. Right? We got to go in with the Mini, the winning mindset. When that phone rings, we have to clear our head of anything that's going on. And when we answer that phone, answer it with confidence, clarity and being upbeat, right? And having empathy for that client on the other end of the phone. And you know, these classes, not just the ASTA, but just around a lot of different automotive events that are tailored for service advisors. And even if there's not a class that's specific to service advisors, but maybe about communication in general, fantastic course to get involved in as a service advisor because really what are we doing? We're communicating all day long, right? Between the client, the technician, the technician, the client, and everything in between. You know, we are the, we are the glue, the relationship.

Michael Doherty [00:06:31]:
You know, builders that, that keep that fabric going. So you know, Zig Ziglar, fantastic motivational speaker, says if you're not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are Determined to learn. No one can stop you. So again, it starts with us. It starts with us wanting to go to classes. And if you can't go to an event, there's a bunch of different, you know, things that you can do. There's podcasts, there's courses online, things of that nature.

Michael Doherty [00:07:04]:
But really, I mentioned, like going to an event and being in a class because it's just a different atmosphere. It's like, watch, you know, you know, if you like watching hockey, if you like watching football, if you like watching baseball, watching it on TV is totally different than going to the stadium. It's just a different atmosphere. And when you're in that class atmosphere with a bunch of peers, even people you haven't met before, there's just a. There's a different synergy, different collaboration that happens. That's where the magic happens. That's just my take on it. So, you know, definitely look into going to some events or some classes if you've never been before.

Michael Doherty [00:07:44]:
And worldpac also, worldpac always lists classes locally where you know, your state is or your city is or the nearest class to your city and state. And, you know, I'm sure you could find those out@worldpact.com but again, just getting in the mindset of learning, getting out of the comfort zone, sometimes learning new methods, learning new techniques. But let's get specific here. Better advisor and technician communication. Because if there's one area where teachability pays off big, it's communication with our technicians. Advisors and technicians often live in two different worlds. Advisors are on the front lines with customers managing emotions and expectations. And technicians are usually in bays solving puzzles, diagnosing and repairing.

Michael Doherty [00:08:40]:
So when communication breaks down between the two of us, technicians and service advisors, mistakes happen. Customers lose confidence and the shop loses revenue and sometimes clients. So that communication, again, that synergy between technician and service advisor is super important. You know, really having a good relationship with your technicians and vice versa, respecting each other and what you bring to the table. Right, Here are some teachable habits to improve advisor and technician communication. Number one, listen first, don't assume instead of cutting off a tech with I need that car done. Now pause and ask, what's the full picture? What's holding things up? Right, have the conversation. Because again, asking to get the knowledge.

Michael Doherty [00:09:41]:
Translate, don't transfer. Customers speak concerns and technicians speak symptoms. Our job as a service advisor is to learn both languages and connect them. Confirm, don't guess, always repeat back what the technician told you. So you're saying the coolant leak is coming from the water pump, not the hose. Correct. Again, having that clear communication going back to not assuming I've gotten some ros back in my lifetime from a technician where it was not clear based on the way that it was written up and if I wasn't for sure. Because here's the thing, ladies and gentlemen, when you are guessing at what they said and you're writing that estimate, say that customer purchases that work or that job and then you present it to the technician and they go, well, that's not what I need.

Michael Doherty [00:10:35]:
Again, if you're, if you're unsure, time out, go back and have a conversation and the next time ask the technician. Hey, with the similar write up like this, next time, would you mind adding in additional information for me or could you maybe print me out a part diagram of, you know, the area of what I'm looking at? Because again, you know, we're not in each other's minds. So all we can do is communicate, right? Share context. Technicians appreciate knowing why something matters. Instead of just saying rush this job, say the customer's daughter is leaving for college tonight. Can we realistically make this job happen? So again, the communication side of it, instead of going back to the technician and saying, hey, I really need this done by five, man, we got to get this done, we got to get this done. What's the why behind that? Right? And again, you know, the answer you may receive from the technician might be what you want to hear, might not be what you want to hear. But again, having the conversation in the best interest of the customer and the technician needs to understand that as well.

Michael Doherty [00:11:44]:
Not just a service advisor. We're here to do our best we can for our customer. And also doing debriefs daily, right? Even a five minute stand up in the morning saying here's today's hot tickets or here's, here's what's going on today, here's what's waiting on parts, here's what needs prioritizing. Again, the team in general, I think it needs to be more than five minutes. But having those morning meetings, those morning huddles, if you would, to really kind of go over what's the outline or the outlook for the day. And also, you know, as service advisors, learning from customers, not just classes or coaches, here's something we don't talk enough about our customers, our teachers. Also, every frustrated phone call, every tough customer, every complaint, that's a classroom moment. If you stay teachable.

Michael Doherty [00:12:40]:
Instead of thinking this customer is impossible, let's change the mindset to what can I Learn about how to explain things better. How can I manage expectations sooner? How can I handle objections with more empathy? Because again, you know, there's a high probability of what you told them is a reflection of what you heard back. And maybe it wasn't what you wanted to hear from that customer, maybe it was, you know, consider it tough love or frustration. But did you manage the expectation? Did you tell them a timeframe? Did you make a promise you weren't able to commit to? Again, it's all based on communication, you know, and I know it's easy to say, but the huge failure points in this job as a service advisor usually are communication based, whether it's not communicating properly with the technician, your team or a client. So again, you know, classes, self teaching, wanting to get better is really imperative here. But customers are constantly showing us where we can improve. And when you shift your mindset from defensive to teachable, you stop dreading those moments and start using them to sharpen your skills. That is the truth.

Michael Doherty [00:14:01]:
So let's bring it all together. Teachable advisors don't just read about new vehicle systems. They learn new ways to communicate clearly, manage their time and priorities, handle feedback without ego, build trust with customers and technicians, and yes, learn from even the most difficult customers. You're going to have one every once in a while and it's okay. But that's the learning time, right? That's where you apply the knowledge. But find out on a deeper level what's happening with that situation, why are they upset? Is it something that, not that you caused as a service advisor, but if it was avoidable and maybe you could have did a better job. Again, listen to that customer, ask questions, don't be resistant, right? That's how we grow, that's how we learn. And if, you know, for this week especially, you know, pick an area that you know, you've gotten a little stuck in, maybe stuck in your ways.

Michael Doherty [00:15:11]:
Maybe it's how you present an estimate, maybe it's how you update a customer, maybe it's how you communicate with the technicians and you know, ask somebody at the shop that you trust, how can I improve in this area and then commit to practicing that improvement daily for the next two weeks, right? There's so many things that we're tasked with, but find out from somebody that you respect at the shop, maybe considered an area of weakness that you have. We all have them. There's things that we soar above and do fantastic with. And I think there's things that we know internally with ourselves that we maybe scrape by or really could learn more in this area. But again, ask somebody that you trust at the shop, how can I improve this in this area specifically? You know, this weak point. And then commit to practicing that improvement daily for the next two weeks. Because at the end of the day service of Azer Nation, the advisors who will win are the ones who never stop learning. Service Advisor Nation thank you for another episode of the Autofix Advisor Cast.

Michael Doherty [00:16:20]:
I wish you great health, I wish you a great upcoming October and thank you so much. All right, till next time. Have a good one. See you later. 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 [00:16:42]:
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.