Chris Cotton Weekly Blitz

We’re talking Exit interviews. Some shop owners do them religiously. Some don’t want to face the music. Some don’t know what to do in an exit interview. Is it a smart time not to burn a bridge? Is there a format to follow? We are going to attempt to answer these questions and more in today’s Town Hall Academy. You can learn a lot about yourself and your company in exit interviews.Watch the Episode on YouTube

Matt Fanslow, lead diagnostician and shop manager, Riverside Automotive, Red Wing, MN. Matt’s previous episodes HEREMatt Fanslow Podcast: Diagnosing the Aftermarket A to Z

• Chris Cotton, AutoFix Auto Shop Coaching and the Chris Cotton Weekly Blitz PodcastKey Talking Points
• Think of it as information gathering.  We think nothing of gathering information to go about repairing a vehicle, be it a customer interview, service information search, or data collection via a scan tool or scope, or meter.  It's getting more and more common to ask clients for reviews.  We want good reviews on our sites, or on Google or Facebook and we want bad reviews to go to us immediately so they can be rectified and hopefully earn a "good" review.
• 
  
• 
  
• People leave people, not companies
• 
  
• 
  
• Winning sports team- winning is a salve for everything
• 
  
• 
  
• If a soon-to-be or former employee just doesn't want to talk to you about their time with you, it may be a sign that your "open door policy" isn't nearly as open as you thought.
• 
  
• 
  
• Your role in an exit interview, as the owner or manager, is to shut up and listen.  Ask questions.  The only statements you really should be making is maybe clearing up real misunderstandings, earnestly asking questions, and thanking them for their time with you working AND talking to you. 
• 
  
• 
  
• Take the information and try very hard to look at it purely at face value, and then after a day or two or a week, come back to it and try to put yourself in their shoes/boots and read between the lines.  Don't let your imagination get too crazy, but with those two perspectives, you should be able to extract information that is true and applicable to improving your business and work environment.
• 
  
• 
  
• There are not enough exit interviews done
• 
  
• 
  
• We value customer reviews why not employees on an exit interview
• 
  
• 
  
• The company should have a formal policy regarding exit interviewing. Must have a policy and or procedure. The same list of questions for all departing employees etc....
• 
  
• 
  
• Not emotional.....hard part about smaller businesses is that the direct report usually does the interview, if at all possible have a neutral party conduct the interview, you can even outsource it if it fits in your budget to do so 
• 
  
• 
  
• if you think of this in marketing terms this is a retention tool, not an acquisition tool. You need to listen to the employees as they leave and then think about your current employees, how can you use the information gathered in order to keep the employees you have
• 
  
• 
  
• top 2 reasons for leaving repair shops is lack of accountability and employee not knowing what their future holds/training plan or lack of one.
• 
  

Connect with the Podcast

Aftermarket Radio Network

Subscribe on YouTube

Visit us on the Web

Follow on Facebook

Become an Insider

Buy me a coffee

Important Books

Check out today's partners:

More Time. More Profit. Shop-Ware Shop Management getshopware.com

Are You Coachable

AutoLeap Link: https://bit.ly/3n5qW2M

8 Point Check on Your Coachability . . Which of these are true and to what extent?

1. I usually allow my manager and others to complete their sentences before responding.

2. When I’m given feedback/ criticism, I usually think about it before responding, waiting

just a bit.

3. When I’m given feedback/ criticism, I rarely find myself defending a position or action immediately.

4. When I’m given feedback/ criticism, I ask questions about it in order to try to better

understand it. (A good sign.)

5. I feel my work’s purpose is to serve my external customers.

6. I feel my work’s purpose is to serve my internal customers (managers, colleagues, other

departments).

7. I’ve changed/ revised my position/ approach because of the advice of another individual.

8. My manager invests time in my professional development (If s/he doesn’t, it might be

because of a perception that you’re uncoachable).

Coach Chris Cotton

AutoFix-Auto Shop Coaching

Visit Auto Shop Coaching website HERE.

940-400-1008

Email Chris: [email protected]

Please take a minute to check out our sponsor, AutoLeap: https://bit.ly/3n5qW2M

Leadership Gold, Chapter Two; The Toughest Person to Lead is Yourself!

1. Judging Yourself:

a. We don't see ourselves as we see others.

b. We are harder on others than we are on oursleves.

2. Keys to Leading Yourself

a. Learn Followership

b. Develop Self Discipline

c. Practice Patience

d. Seek Accountability

Accountability Exercises:

1. How Clearly do you see yourself?

2. Where do you need to grow?

3. How well do you take advice?

Mentoring Moment:

Conversations with your employees.

Coach Chris Cotton

AutoFix-Auto Shop Coaching

Visit Auto Shop Coaching website HERE.

940-400-1008

Email Chris: [email protected]

Leadership Gold - Chapter One - Chris Cotton Weekly Blitz

Please go to: https://bit.ly/3n5qW2M to check out our sponsor, AutoLeap!

1. Loneliness is NOT a leadership issue!

2. No one ever got to the top alone!

3. Avoid positional thinking.

4. Understand that you are in the people business.

5. Application Exercises:

6. Mentoring Moment

Coach Chris Cotton

AutoFix-Auto Shop Coaching

Visit Auto Shop Coaching website HERE.

940-400-1008

Email Chris: [email protected]

Click Here for more information from our sponsor: https://bit.ly/3n5qW2M

1. Dirty Parking Lot, Weeds, No Striping, where do your employees, trash can??

2. Lighting and signage

3. Building needs painted, updated, benches, signage for after hours drop off etc…

4. Windows washed, door clean, no handprints

5. Information on the door correct (google my business information correct)

6. Contact us…………

7. Bathroom, public, clean, if you have a specific one for ladies do they have a place to hang up a purse and coat.

8. Stand up when people come into the business, for crying out loud look up and acknowledge the people

9. Telephone on hold…………ask and then wait for an answer.

10. Waiting area nice and neat, wifi code correct and noticeable

11. No nasty signs: short staffed signs…stop,

12. Smile be nice………..

13. A shop environment that your daughter/wife/mother would go into and feel comfortable

Coach Chris Cotton

Email Chris: [email protected]

AutoFix-Auto Shop Coaching

Visit Auto Shop Coaching website HERE.

940-400-1008

Click the link to visit AutoLeaps site: https://bit.ly/3n5qW2M

Here are the bullet points of what we are going to talk about this morning:

• The importance of having a strong organizational culture.
• The shop owners' role in fostering a high-performance culture.
• Definitions of organizational culture.
• Factors that shape an organization's culture.
• Considerations in creating and managing organizational culture.
• Practices to ensure the continuity and success of an organization's culture.
• Communications, metrics, for your repair shop'sCoach Chris Cotton

AutoFix-Auto Shop Coaching

Visit Auto Shop Coaching website HERE.

940-400-1008

• Email Chris: [email protected] success

10 Steps to Auto Repair Shop Business Evaluation

Please click our sponsor link from AutoLeap to learn more information about their great shop management system: https://bit.ly/3n5qW2M

1. Reputation of Shop–Google My Business, Interview Vendors that they use, Website……..Mystery Shop

2. What role is the owner currently performing in the business? What about a spouse in the business?

3. Website, Social Media, advertising

4. What do the business financials look like?

5. What type of POS do they use? Do they have one?

6. Are they using current technology? DVI’s, Cloud-based POS,

7. What does their equipment look like? Do they have an updated list? Items that are supposed to be inspected–have they been done and is it up to date? Do they have an accurate inventory?

8. Processes and Procedures…..

9. What does their cash flow look like?

10. What is the quality of their current employees?

11. Accounts Receivable vs. Accounts Payable

Coach Chris Cotton

AutoFix-Auto Shop Coaching

Visit Auto Shop Coaching website HERE.

940-400-1008

Email Chris: [email protected]

Catching up with Shop Marketing Pros - Kim and Brian Walker

Sponsored by: Click here to check out AutoLeap: https://bit.ly/3n5qW2M

Coach Chris Cotton

AutoFix-Auto Shop Coaching

Visit Auto Shop Coaching website HERE.

940-400-1008

Email Chris: [email protected]

Please check out AutoLeap: https://bit.ly/3n5qW2M

1. Get your finances in order! Make them readable and learn what the business’s numbers are telling you.

2. Separate your business money from your personal money.

3. Income statement/ p or l—generate one!

4. Stop making paper invoices! Get a cloud based POS system.

5. Set Goals

6. Hold employees accountable!

7. Align your car count with business needs.

8. DVI’s are a must!

9. Pay Plans

10. Align for Profits! Make sure the business can generate what it needs in order to be successful!

Coach Chris Cotton

AutoFix-Auto Shop Coaching

Visit Auto Shop Coaching website HERE.

940-400-1008

Email Chris: [email protected]

AutoLeap Link: https://bit.ly/3n5qW2M

1. 8,000 miles driven so far this year!

2. Shop Visits in: Tucson, Plano, Albuquerque

3. Big Bend National Park

4. Service Center Scholars Meeting in Tucson

5. WorldPac STX 2022 in Orlando

6. ServiceUP Repair Cloud

7. Weekly Blitz Podcast

8. #grindpositivity

Coach Chris Cotton

AutoFix-Auto Shop Coaching

Visit Auto Shop Coaching website HERE.

940-400-1008

Email Chris: [email protected]