AutoFix AdvisorCast

Michael Doherty [00:00:00]:
This is the autofix Advisor Cast, powered by WorldPac. Hey, Service Advisor Nation. Thank you for tuning into another episode of the autofix Advisor Cast with your host, Michael Dougherty. Hope everyone's doing well, hope everyone's enjoying the fall weather wherever you are and just, you know, gosh, last quarter of the year, right? If you think about that, put that into perspective. 2026 is on the horizon. But today a couple things I wanted to talk to Service Advisor Nation about, in no particular order, but I recently had a podcast with Kim Walker of Shop Marketing Pros actually yesterday and she was asking some questions about some service advisor things and you know, how those relate to different shops nationwide and whatnot and you know, got thinking about, you know, the kind of a lot of different stuff just in that conversation. So this episode is going to be a little bit scattered with different topics, but I'm still, I think it'll beneficial and things that need to be talked about. So thank you in advance.

Michael Doherty [00:01:17]:
But number one, starting off with the voice inside your head matters. We're talking about positive self talk and how positive self talk is the foundation of a healthy mindset. And no, I'm not saying go around and just talk to yourself out loud. I think we all have the capability of that inner monologue, right? I remember sometimes on my way to work in the morning, you know, when I was going to the shop doing service advising stuff, you know, I think I would just in the car, you know, on the way, kind of getting, you know, the last, we'll call it 2 miles mile there to work before you're pulling the parking lot, you know, kind of turn the radio down and just, you know, just talking, just saying, hey, you know, it's going to be a good day. I'm going to help some people today. I'm going to help my team company is going to make some money, I'm going to make some money and you know, we're going to take care of our clients, take care of our co workers. But I'm capable, I'm able and let's make this happen, right? And it sounds weird to say stuff like that, but it really transforms your mindset, you know, before you walk into that door. And again, I know it's not for everybody, but give it a shot, right? It's, it's basically self affirmation, if you would.

Michael Doherty [00:02:36]:
But again, positive self talk is the foundation for a healthy mindset and also, you know, especially for service advisors, you know, the, the way you speak to yourself affects your confidence, patience and ability to ultimately take care of others. And that's what we do. So, you know, if your internal dialogue is negative, it shows, it shows in your tone, your energy and your decision making process, especially when customers are challenging and the workload is high. So, you know, again, just positive self talk. And you know, when a customer will say complains or repair goes wrong, your mind automatically kind of defaults to, man, I can't catch a break. You know, we need to reframe our mindset to, you know, this is tough, but you know, I've got a handle on this. I can do this, we can figure this out. And again, just that, that shift, that shift in mindset, positive self talk.

Michael Doherty [00:03:37]:
And great quote from Henry Ford around this. Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right. So you know, your mindset really is the standard. You can't pour confidence into others like customers or teammates if your own cup is empty. So I will refrain from that talking further about, you know, that the positive self talk because again, it seems weird to people, but it really does work. It changes your mindset. Give it a shot. You know, we can't take care of others.

Michael Doherty [00:04:15]:
And what I mean by that is, you know, our co workers, ourselves, our clients, if, you know, we're running on an empty tank. And the importance, right, of rest, hydration and recharging during the day. I really feel like service advisors run on adrenaline most of the time. I mean, right? Calls, customers, estimates, updates. But if we never stop to recharge, burnout hits fast. And an effect of that is performance drops and it drops quietly. So, you know, if the weather's okay, step outside for a couple minutes. I can't emphasize this enough.

Michael Doherty [00:04:59]:
Stay hydrated, right? I know some people, 10K. I'm inside, it's the AC. Why do I have to stay hydrated? I mean, your body's made up of so much water and staying hydrated will keep you from having those mental blocks, having that, I call it brain fog. If anybody can relate to that. It's just kind of that weird feeling. You don't really have a headache. It's not like a tension headache. It's just kind of like you're just kind of, you're having a hard time, really kind of put the puzzle pieces together.

Michael Doherty [00:05:28]:
So again, you know, every hour, you know, keep drinking water, stay hydrated, you know, stretch, take a deep breath. I mean, that's huge. Sometimes you get that shocking phone call from a client or a co worker, hits you with some not great news about something. About a car, you know, at the shop and you know, just a quick, just really, just deep inhale, you know, hold it and then exhale, right? That really can help you. I've been there before. And you know, with these things that I'm mentioning, you know, you're not wasting your time during the day. You're resetting your system to be able to perform better. And you know, small acts of self care throughout the day create clarity that keep us calm, they keep us composed.

Michael Doherty [00:06:18]:
And those three things customers subconsciously, I think, trust the most. Right. And again, we're delivering that experience to the client and we don't want to seem stressed out or uncom or uncomposed. And again, I think when we don't take care of ourselves during the day, that is going to affect how we deliver that experience to them. And speaking of that, it's okay, it's okay to not be 100% every day. Just give 100% of what you have available, right? So I mean, we're talking about just being human. Not every day is going to feel like you're hitting a home run or a grand slam and that's okay. But what matters the most is effort and integrity.

Michael Doherty [00:07:13]:
Some days, you know, you might only have 70% to give, but that 70% is your 100%, right? I mean, we're not always going to feel great. We may have some external factor that, that comes into our lives and yes, we still need to go to work and do our job, but you know, again, we don't always have to operate at 100. It's virtually impossible. But the percentage that you're at for the day, you know, you showing up, I mean, that's it right there. I mean, that's effort. And you know, if you're only at 60 for the day, if you're only at 70 to the day, for the day, if you're at 80 for the day, that percentage technically is your 100%. But again, wrap self care around that and you know, showing up anyways on those tough days, that's where, you know, discipline builds character. And you know, when you're tired or you're stressed, you might not have that extra spark.

Michael Doherty [00:08:09]:
You know, you can still listen, right? You can still care, you can still follow through. And I genuinely believe that customers feel the authenticity more than perfection. Right? Great quote by Eleanor or not Eleanor, Theodore Roosevelt. Do what you can with what you have, where you are. And I think that really sums up that particular topic. Right. Again, you know, it's okay to not be 100, just give 100 of what you have and again, do what you can with what you have, where you are. And you know, again, you know, your best fluctuates day to day.

Michael Doherty [00:08:52]:
What counts is consistency, not perfection. And you know, consistency, since we're talking about that, consistency kind of looks boring until everything changes. And the hidden power of your daily routine is in discipline, right? Consistency often feels like nothing is happening until suddenly, again, everything changes. You start seeing smoother mornings, happier customers, stronger confidence when you're talking to your clients and co workers. It's kind of like the invisible ink, right? And that, you know, it's becomes more to life, if you would. We want to do our best, but again, to do that we have to be consistent. And you know, for instance, a daily habit, right? Calling customers back before they call you again, I think that's being proactive, right? It feels routine, but one day you realize that doing that consistently is the reason why your customers keep trusting you and coming back. You know, again, you gotta think about the mindset behind it.

Michael Doherty [00:10:11]:
Why are we doing this? It's not just because we're going through the motions. We want to do it because we want to build and maintain client relationships. And great quote by Robert Collier. He says that the success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out. So, you know, don't underestimate the compound effect of steady effort. Growth hides in the boring stuff. But again, you know, tailor it around the customer. You know, what can we do more for our customer to really build that trust and also, you know, protecting, you know, our mindset.

Michael Doherty [00:10:55]:
Protect, right. So keeping our mindset tuned and serviced just like a car, our brain collects junk, stress, negativity, frustration. And if we don't clear it out, our performance suffers. Right? So we need to tune our mind into daily gratitude, you know, breathing again, stay hydrated, do something positive for yourself. Listen to a song. Make that phone call to a friend that makes you laugh or tells you a joke every time you call him or her. And you know, starting the morning off with at least one positive affirmation, right? I'm capable. I'm composed.

Michael Doherty [00:11:39]:
I'm going to help people today. I think that's just a great simple affirmation, right? I'm capable, I'm composed. I'm going to help people today. And from a service advisor's perspective, really, that's, that's what we do and that's really important. And again, you know, self care isn't selfish. It's really a strategy. Taking care of ourself improves how we can care for others in customer service. You know, we are the emotional thermostat.

Michael Doherty [00:12:09]:
If you would, you know, if we're calm, if we're centered, if the shop feels it right, you know, the shop's gonna feel that again. We're calmer, centered. If we're stressed out, if we're short, you know, if our energy shifts, you know, I mean, the shop's gonna feel that too, as well as the customer. So self care isn't indulgence, it's performance maintenance really. And you know, make time, make time. Take those lunch breaks. That's why we have them. And I get it, sometimes we're not always able to, but we have to try and make time, right? If you weren't able to take your lunch break for some reason, then take that time and chop it up during the day.

Michael Doherty [00:12:48]:
Take a 15 minute break here, take a 15 minute break there. But again, you know, we need to step away from the front desk, from the environment for a little bit and recharge. It's super important. And you know, staying well rested, right? Getting our sleep at night, which is really healthy, staying hydrated and being emotionally aware is going to be able to allow us to give a really exceptional customer experience. And also a healthy mindset inspires excellence. A healthy, positive mindset will constantly inspire you to do your best. Even on tough days when your thoughts are aligned with growth and gratitude, your confidence and influence expand. Positive self talk not only changes how you feel, it changes how customers respond.

Michael Doherty [00:13:44]:
Think about that, right? If we're upbeat, if we're communicating, if we're joking a little bit, if we're really showing the customer that we're actively listening and that we care, right? We're going to get a better response. And also, you know, tying to that optimism is contagious. And customers trust advisors who radiate calm confidence. So really, you know, it all comes down to mindset, positive self talk, taking care of ourselves. And I feel like, you know, like the last part of the year especially that's, you know, when typically people start not feeling well, getting sick, things of that nature. And I hope everybody's staying healthy. My family, earlier actually at the end of last week, a couple family members weren't feeling so great. And then I found out my mom wasn't feeling so good.

Michael Doherty [00:14:35]:
So there's just, you know, bugs going around and things of that nature. So again, you know, protect, protect your health, take care of yourself, you know, do what you can with what you have. And again, you know, every day is not going to be 100% day. Some days you might feel like 110%, and that's fantastic. But again, give what you have as far as effort while you're there and also communicate, right? Communicate with your team. Don't always feel that it's just all on you. I used to feel that way a lot. Even though I had people saying, hey, you know, is there something I can help you with? Is there something I can do for you? I'm one of those people who just.

Michael Doherty [00:15:14]:
I really don't want to ask for help. I'd rather just figure it out. But there's times where I need to. And, you know, there are people around me that are smarter and I need to gain more knowledge in doing things better or more efficiently. But, you know, ultimately keep. If you keep taking it on, if you keep taking it on and don't get help, you know, you're, you're. You're going to implode, and that is going to affect your mindset and how you feel, and that may come across negative to customers. You don't think.

Michael Doherty [00:15:46]:
Think you're talking to them in a bad way. And I'm not saying you're using bad words, but, you know, you've really got to have a clear mind when you're speaking with a customer. And I know it's hard, right? Service advisors, when you're on that front counter, the phone's ringing, you got a technician that needs something from you. You got the email, you know, you check your inbox, there's, you know, 20, 30 emails. You got to get to all that stuff. But again, when you're speaking with that customer in front of you or on the phone, clear your mind, and that is the most important thing you're doing at that time, right? And then when you get off that phone call or you're done talking with that customer in person, just kind of reprioritize what's the next most important thing I've got to do and kind of tackle it like that, right? Don't get. It's. It's hard to say.

Michael Doherty [00:16:35]:
Don't get stressed out, because I used to get stressed out. But it's how you handle the stress, right? And again, I think those action items I talked about in the beginning, right, Staying hydrated, some breathing exercises here and there, getting out of the building even, it's for a couple minutes, you know, just refocus, right? It's important for us to do that, to be able to deliver the experience we want to our clients. But service Advisor Nation. I really appreciate you for tuning in to another episode of the Autofix Advisor Cast. And I wish you well. I wish you health and I wish you a fantastic fall. And hopefully you and your family got some things planned. I don't know, maybe a haunted hayride or, you know, taking your family to just, you know, a farm that, you know, there's maybe apple cider and pick some apples or kids events or whatever you got going on.

Michael Doherty [00:17:28]:
But it's beautiful out, get out there, enjoy the fall weather and thank you for tuning in to another episode of the Autofix Advisor Cast. All right, appreciate y'. All. Have a good one. Bye.

Michael Doherty [00:17:40]:
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.

Michael Doherty [00:17:58]:
Oh, subscribe.

Michael Doherty [00:17:58]:
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