2023 Issue 3 | GearedUp

60

was talking to an auto repair shop

After I hung up from our call , I found that I was passionate about his passion ! I was charged up to get things done for MY clients . All from a 30-minute conversation about a potentially mundane subject like auto repair and maintenance . Well , things are as mundane or as exciting as we make them . This owner had obviously made the decision long ago that he was in an exciting business – it didn ’ t matter what anyone else thought . And it clearly works for him because the reason the conference organizers sent me his way is because his car counts and revenue are off the charts compared to other , larger repair centers .

So how does his passion shine through ?

How He Talks About His Customers

He clearly loves his customers . His repair center has a “ whatever it takes ” attitude toward making customers happy . He talked about “ meeting customers where they are ” and trying as hard as possible to make things right for them . He spoke of one customer who was insistent on this repair center doing the job even though his broken-down car was several miles away and a closer option would have been much cheaper . His trust was in THIS repair center .

How He Talks About His Employees

He clearly loves his 30 employees . He ’ s proud of the fact that he has four employees who have worked at the repair center for over 30 years , and he ’ s just as proud of his newer employees who bring new ideas to the operation . He spoke of how he thinks of his people as family , and while this can sometimes sound like a cliché , I could tell in this case it was genuine .

How He Talks About His Leadership Skills

He spoke honestly about a recent employee survey he conducted and how he was surprised by some of the results . There were areas of his performance he thought were strengths , but his people thought could be improved . He outlined to me exactly what he ’ s doing to make those improvements . I have no doubt he ’ s making great strides at this very moment .

How He Focuses on Continuous Improvement

While improvement has always been a focus for him , it went into overdrive when COVID-19 hit . Suddenly , he had to worry about things like touchless car drop-offs , touchless pay options , etc . He worked with his team in coming up with no-touch car drop-offs via a podium set up in front of the center , ways to pick up and drop off cars at customers ’ homes , no-touch payment options and other ways to delight customers and keep them coming back even during a tough time . They ’ ve also instituted scheduling the next maintenance at the conclusion of the current service ,

much like a dentist office . That sure helps when it comes to predicting future revenue .

He also spoke about how he discusses best practices with other by Dennis Snow independent auto repair shops and industry experts so he can keep moving forward . He even has a coach to keep him focused and hold him accountable .

I hope you can see why I was charged up after our call . Nothing about it was fake – his sincerity and passion were consistently on display throughout our call . My guess is that he could write a very good book about his business if he chose to , and that book could apply to just about any organization .

Here ’ s something to think about : If I were talking with you about your business , would your passion shine through in such a way that it would be contagious ? G

Dennis Snow is a business author , speaker and consultant who helps organizations develop world-class customer service . He is the author of two books , “ Lessons From the Mouse : A Guide for Applying Disney World ’ s Secrets of Success to Your Organization , Your Career , and Your Life ” and “ Unleashing Excellence : The Complete Guide to Ultimate Customer Service .” Snow can be reached at https :// snowassociates . com /.