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Register for Elite Worldwide's Ignite 2026 Conference January 30-31 - Remember to use this code: CONFESSIONS

In this special Christmas Coaching Call, Mike Allen and Matt Lofton talk about goal setting for the New Year. They did into the details of how to properly project technician hour capacity and slow and busy seasons. They also discuss the importance of a strategic marketing budget, saying that marketing should generate opportunity—not just sales—and how matching tactics to team strengths is crucial for success.

Timestamps:
00:00 Farmer Analogy for Shop Owners: Understanding Harvest Seasons
00:20 Why Bad October & August Can Sink Your Year
01:00 Navigating Health Insurance Options for Your Team
03:05 Payroll Mistakes = Free Health Insurance?!
04:20 Christmas Episode Intro & Why Shop Goal Setting Matters
05:19 Goal Setting Philosophy: The “Elite Pro Service” Approach
06:53 Grounding Goals in Math, Not Hope
07:54 Calculating Real Shop Capacity with Tech Hours
09:01 Factoring Satellite Locations into Your Planning
10:02 Breaking Down Staff Roles & Realistic Productivity
13:01 Training & Growing Technician Skillsets
15:00 Risks & Rewards of Upskilling Your GS
18:24 Effective Labor Rate & Parts-to-Labor Ratio Explained
20:15 The Monthly Capacity Game & Avoiding Average Traps
26:36 Why August & October Are Your Make-or-Break Months
28:02 Adapting Your Monthly Goals to Holidays & Vacation
29:02 Getting Your Team Singing from the Same Goal Sheet
30:00 Coaching Your Team: The Basketball Analogy
32:09 Communicating Daily Goals for Technicians & Advisors
36:59 Tracking Approvals, Car Count, and Setting Realistic Targets
40:29 Translating Manager Math into Daily Team Wins
42:38 Setting Your Marketing Budget (3-5% or Up to 10%?)
44:08 Google Ads vs. Direct Mail: What Works for New Shops?
47:30 The Myth of Bad Customers—Fixing the Real Problems
54:21 Community Events, Brand Building, and Consistency
55:36 Wrapping Up: Getting Linked Up With Elite & Your Shop’s Growth
55:37 Christmas Family Fun Gone Wrong! Elf on the Shelf Stories