Speak Up! Effective Communication

You sent the inspection, and the client says nothing came through. You send it again, and still nothing. Chances are the text went out just fine and the client’s phone filed it somewhere they weren’t looking.

In this episode, I covers what iPhones and Android phones do with a first text from a number they don’t recognize, why resending doesn’t fix it, and what service advisors can do at the counter so important messages, and the links inside them, actually reach the client.

It isn’t a carrier problem!

It comes down to the simple act of having clients save your shop contact information and text number in their phone.

In this episode:

• Why delivered is not the same as seen
• What Apple and Google turn on by default
• Why a second text gets sorted the same way as the first
• The numbers behind the need for such filters, from the FBI, FTC and CTIA
• Why link domains matter
• A counter routine: save the number, send a contact card, name the facility, keep the thread going

This all boils down to building a communication strategy a that is based on relevance and trust with clients.

I hope you’ll find this topic immediately helpful so you can avoid cases where clients may not get the message you send them (Which was totally delivered!!!)

Sincerely,

Craig O’Neill

Watch Full Video Episode

Word of the Day: Recognize.

“To Know Again”

Referenced in this episode:

• Apple Support, unknown senders in Messages
• Google Messages Help, spam detection
• FBI, 2025 IC3 Annual Report
• FTC, Top text scams of 2024
• T-Mobile Code of Conduct

Thank You To Our Partners Autoflow, Shop Dog Marketing, InBound, and Advanced Shop Leadership

Your partner in technology, Autoflow consolidates your client interactions - before, during, and after the visit into a single thread. An end-to-end CRM for auto repair shops. https://autoflow.com/

Want to see your auto repair shop thrive? Let Shop Dog Marketing be your guide. Our customer-first approach, combined with AI-driven creative content, ensures top rankings. https://shopdogmarketing.com/

Cover your communication needs and revolutionize your auto repair business with AI-driven call analytics from InBound. https://callinbound.com/

Advanced Shop Leadership's 20 groups are built for motivated shop owners who want more balance, more fulfillment, and the right peers to grow with. ASL is selective. Find out if you qualify at ASL.COACH: https://www.advancedshopleadership.com/

Contact Information

• Email Craig O'Neill: [email protected]
• Join Our Virtual Toastmasters Club: https://remarkableresults.biz/toastmasters

The Automotive Repair Podcast Network: https://automotiverepairpodcastnetwork.com/

Download and Listen on Our Mobile App: https://automotiverepairpodcastnetwork.com/app/

Remarkable Results Radio Podcast with Carm Capriotto: https://remarkableresults.biz/

Automotive Field Theory with Matt Fanslow: https://mattfanslow.captivate.fm/

Business by the Numbers with CPA Hunt Demarest. https://huntdemarest.captivate.fm/

The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast with Brian and Kim Walker: https://autorepairmarketing.captivate.fm/

The Weekly Blitz with Coach Chris Cotton: https://chriscotton.captivate.fm/

Watch Full Video Episode

In our episode today:

Most service advisor training starts at the moment a customer says “that’s too expensive.” Dave Schedin believes that’s often too late. In this episode, I speak with Dave, a former Master Technician, shop owner, and automotive coach, to talk about what often happens in our communication at the counter.

Dave’s new book, Overcoming Customer Objections, makes the case that advisors often create the objections they complain about. If the customer hasn’t understood why the repair is needed, doesn’t trust the person across the counter, or can’t see what the repair actually protects, the price will always feel too high. Dave’s view is that customers don’t buy repairs. They buy confidence, trust, and peace of mind.

This is a conversation about communication more than sales, but we remind you, sales isn’t a dirty word.

We get into how an advisor builds trust with someone and also dig into the harder parts: where establishing value ends and pressure begins, how to handle a customer who truly can’t afford the repair, and whether scripts help or hurt at the front counter.

Word of the day: Candor. Honest, open frankness in speech, and the quality that lets a customer weigh a decision with real information.

If you only take one thing from this episode: The objection is often decided long before the price comes up, so the work starts earlier than most shops think.

Dave's Book: Customer Objections 3.0: Customers do not buy repairs. They buy confidence, trust, and Peace of Mind: Schedin, Mr. Dave: 9798192333822: Amazon.com: Books

Dave's Email: [email protected]

I think after you hear this conversation with Dave, you'll agree that the communication skills we're discussing here go far beyond our role in auto repair and apply to every conversation at all in any context where you are communicating value to others.

This is going to be a fast favorite on my episode list. Enjoy!

Sincerely,

Craig O’Neill

Thank You To Our Partners Autoflow, Shop Dog Marketing, InBound, and Advanced Shop Leadership

Your partner in technology, Autoflow consolidates your client interactions - before, during, and after the visit into a single thread. An end-to-end CRM for auto repair shops. https://autoflow.com/

Want to see your auto repair shop thrive? Let Shop Dog Marketing be your guide. Our customer-first approach, combined with AI-driven creative content, ensures top rankings. https://shopdogmarketing.com/

Cover your communication needs and revolutionize your auto repair business with AI-driven call analytics from InBound. https://callinbound.com/

Advanced Shop Leadership's 20 groups are built for motivated shop owners who want more balance, more fulfillment, and the right peers to grow with. ASL is selective. Find out if you qualify at ASL.COACH: https://www.advancedshopleadership.com/

Contact Information

• Email Craig O'Neill: [email protected]
• Join Our Virtual Toastmasters Club: https://remarkableresults.biz/toastmasters

The Automotive Repair Podcast Network: https://automotiverepairpodcastnetwork.com/

Download and Listen on Our Mobile App: https://automotiverepairpodcastnetwork.com/app/

Remarkable Results Radio Podcast with Carm Capriotto: https://remarkableresults.biz/

Automotive Field Theory with Matt Fanslow: https://mattfanslow.captivate.fm/

Business by the Numbers with CPA Hunt Demarest. https://huntdemarest.captivate.fm/

The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast with Brian and Kim Walker: https://autorepairmarketing.captivate.fm/

The Weekly Blitz with Coach Chris Cotton: https://chriscotton.captivate.fm/

Watch Full Video Episode

In our Episode Today:

ASE certification is voluntary almost everywhere, and it still divides our industry. Some techs love it, some say it doesn't go far enough, and some seem afraid of it. In this episode, I sit down with my friend Dan Aldrich director of Automotive Technical Training for Christian Brothers Automotive, overseeing training across more than 300 franchise locations.

Dan was featured in a July 2026 article by Chris Jones in Vehicle Service Pros, titled From Skeptic to Believer: One Training Leader's ASE Journey, which caused me to reach out to Dan and have this conversation.

Jones, Chris. “From Skeptic to Believer: One Training Leader’s ASE Journey.” Vehicle Service Pros, July 23, 2026.

Link to Article: https://www.vehicleservicepros.com/show-coverage/ase-event-coverage/article/55393047/from-skeptic-to-believerone-training-leaders-ase-journey

In my conversation with Dan we get to hear details of Dan's story, some of the challenges he faced as a young mentor, and how it would eventually lead him to his role with Christian Brothers, and ongoing contributions that benefit our industry broadly.

Word of the day: veracity

Veracity (noun, vuh-RASS-ih-tee) means truthfulness or accuracy, how closely something matches the facts.

The word entered English in the 1600s from Latin veracitas, from verax, meaning truthful, which comes from verus, true. The same root gave us verify (to make true), verdict (a true saying), aver (to declare true), and verity. It's also behind the word very, which once meant true, as in the very thing.

It's a great story of learning the value of not just education and continuing learning, but the value of credentialing and the sense of accomplishment that comes with it.

Sincerely,

Craig O’Neill

Thank You To Our Partners Autoflow, Shop Dog Marketing, InBound, and Advanced Shop Leadership

Your partner in technology, Autoflow consolidates your client interactions - before, during, and after the visit into a single thread. An end-to-end CRM for auto repair shops. https://autoflow.com/

Want to see your auto repair shop thrive? Let Shop Dog Marketing be your guide. Our customer-first approach, combined with AI-driven creative content, ensures top rankings. https://shopdogmarketing.com/

Cover your communication needs and revolutionize your auto repair business with AI-driven call analytics from InBound. https://callinbound.com/

Advanced Shop Leadership's 20 groups are built for motivated shop owners who want more balance, more fulfillment, and the right peers to grow with. ASL is selective. Find out if you qualify at ASL.COACH: https://www.advancedshopleadership.com/

Contact Information

• Email Craig O'Neill: [email protected]
• Join Our Virtual Toastmasters Club: https://remarkableresults.biz/toastmasters

The Automotive Repair Podcast Network: https://automotiverepairpodcastnetwork.com/

Download and Listen on Our Mobile App: https://automotiverepairpodcastnetwork.com/app/

Remarkable Results Radio Podcast with Carm Capriotto: https://remarkableresults.biz/

Automotive Field Theory with Matt Fanslow: https://mattfanslow.captivate.fm/

Business by the Numbers with CPA Hunt Demarest. https://huntdemarest.captivate.fm/

The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast with Brian and Kim Walker: https://autorepairmarketing.captivate.fm/

The Weekly Blitz with Coach Chris Cotton: https://chriscotton.captivate.fm/

Watch Full Video Episode

Is Your Water Clean? The Five Marketing Hurdles Holding Your Business Back

In our episode today, I’m sharing a conversation with my friend and show sponsor Dan Vance of Shop Dog Marketing, recorded as a webinar for Autoflow. It grew out of a few Speak Up episodes, including Episode 14, What Your Opt-Outs Are Telling You, and it looks at the five hurdles that keep shops from holding on to the customers they already have.

We start with a familiar attitude in a slow season, “it’ll come back around,” and why a reactive text blast is usually too late and carries real risk. Then we walk through the hurdles:

1. We’re not communicating about what matters to people.
2. We’re not cultivating a real community.
3. We’re not earning an opt in for the messages we send.
4. We’re sending mass blasts without express written permission.
5. Our whole organization isn’t oriented toward retention.

Along the way, Dan tells the story of Backpack Betty and what real community looks like. I share what CRM was supposed to mean, why automated customer buckets aren’t relationships, and what a birthday message could be if you actually noticed something about your customer. We cover exit scheduling and why retention rate may be the most important number on a service advisor’s scorecard.

I also share something a scene from HBO’s Rome, and the question I would ask every shop about its messaging: Is your water clean? Should I want it? We wrap up with audience questions about waiting room service lists and creating your own shop magazine.

Word of the Day: Cultivate. To prepare and tend something so that it grows, or to build and nurture a relationship over time.

Books mentioned: The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis; Stolen Focus by Johann Hari; How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age by Dale Carnegie & Associates; Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

Sincerely,

Craig O’Neill

What Your Opt-Outs are Really Telling You [E014]: https://craigoneill.captivate.fm/episode/what-your-opt-outs-are-really-telling-you-e014

Thank You To Our Partners Autoflow, Shop Dog Marketing, InBound, and Advanced Shop Leadership

Your partner in technology, Autoflow consolidates your client interactions - before, during, and after the visit into a single thread. An end-to-end CRM for auto repair shops. https://autoflow.com/

Want to see your auto repair shop thrive? Let Shop Dog Marketing be your guide. Our customer-first approach, combined with AI-driven creative content, ensures top rankings. https://shopdogmarketing.com/

Cover your communication needs and revolutionize your auto repair business with AI-driven call analytics from InBound. https://callinbound.com/

Advanced Shop Leadership's 20 groups are built for motivated shop owners who want more balance, more fulfillment, and the right peers to grow with. ASL is selective. Find out if you qualify at ASL.COACH: https://www.advancedshopleadership.com/

Contact Information

• Email Craig O'Neill: [email protected]
• Join Our Virtual Toastmasters Club: https://remarkableresults.biz/toastmasters

The Automotive Repair Podcast Network: https://automotiverepairpodcastnetwork.com/

Download and Listen on Our Mobile App: https://automotiverepairpodcastnetwork.com/app/

Remarkable Results Radio Podcast with Carm Capriotto: https://remarkableresults.biz/

Automotive Field Theory with Matt Fanslow: https://mattfanslow.captivate.fm/

Business by the Numbers with CPA Hunt Demarest. https://huntdemarest.captivate.fm/

The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast with Brian and Kim Walker: https://autorepairmarketing.captivate.fm/

The Weekly Blitz with Coach Chris Cotton: https://chriscotton.captivate.fm/

Watch Full Video Episode

I sat down with my friend and colleague, George Kingman, founder of Advanced Shop Leadership (ASL) and Blue Sky Tire and Auto Service.

I count George among the most positive influences on my career, a steady source of encouragement throughout my time in this industry.

That's the topic of our conversation today, because when you ask George how he's doing, you can expect an immediate, sincere answer: "I'm super fantastic. How about you?"

If you think that's just a canned line, wait until you hear George talk about how he first encountered the idea in a five minute speech by Keith Harrell, and how it's fundamentally changed the way he moves through the world and interacts with others, putting them before himself.

Once you hear George's take on it, you'll walk away with a new appreciation for how he learned to apply that five minute speech to the first five seconds of any conversation, and how those five seconds can change the trajectory of an interaction, and even a life.

Our word of the day is:

Vivify

Verb.

To make lively, to bring to life.

George leaves everyone with an easy assignment: try what he's teaching for one week. He thinks it has the power to change everything.

George’s Book Recommendation: John Maxwell - Attitude 101

Enjoy!

Sincerely,

Craig O’Neill

Thank You To Our Partners Autoflow, Shop Dog Marketing, InBound, and Advanced Shop Leadership

Your partner in technology, Autoflow consolidates your client interactions - before, during, and after the visit into a single thread. An end-to-end CRM for auto repair shops. https://autoflow.com/

Want to see your auto repair shop thrive? Let Shop Dog Marketing be your guide. Our customer-first approach, combined with AI-driven creative content, ensures top rankings. https://shopdogmarketing.com/

Cover your communication needs and revolutionize your auto repair business with AI-driven call analytics from InBound. https://callinbound.com/

Advanced Shop Leadership's 20 groups are built for motivated shop owners who want more balance, more fulfillment, and the right peers to grow with. ASL is selective. Find out if you qualify at ASL.COACH: https://www.advancedshopleadership.com/

Contact Information

• Email Craig O'Neill: [email protected]
• Join Our Virtual Toastmasters Club: https://remarkableresults.biz/toastmasters

The Automotive Repair Podcast Network: https://automotiverepairpodcastnetwork.com/

Download and Listen on Our Mobile App: https://automotiverepairpodcastnetwork.com/app/

Remarkable Results Radio Podcast with Carm Capriotto: https://remarkableresults.biz/

Automotive Field Theory with Matt Fanslow: https://mattfanslow.captivate.fm/

Business by the Numbers with CPA Hunt Demarest. https://huntdemarest.captivate.fm/

The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast with Brian and Kim Walker: https://autorepairmarketing.captivate.fm/

The Weekly Blitz with Coach Chris Cotton: https://chriscotton.captivate.fm/

Watch Full Video Episode

In our episode today,

I am joined by Chrisi Falco, from Auto Ignite Management (AIM), to discuss how we conduct hiring interviews!

Simply stated, many of us were never properly trained or coached on how to have these conversations, but we find ourselves thrust into a position of leadership that, yes, means hiring and firing.

Chrisi has outstanding experience in this area and expertly communicates simple advice you can apply immediately to your next interview!

We begin by reflecting on some rather surprising interview moments and exploring why many job interviews inadvertently feel like interrogations.

• Setting the Tone: Strategies for creating psychological safety so candidates feel comfortable being honest, including how tone, body language, and balancing warmth with professionalism shape the interaction.
• Question Strategies: The limitations of hypothetical questions, best practices for behavioral and scenario-based questions, and methods for getting past rehearsed answers.
• Evaluating True Fit: Uncovering a candidate’s underlying values, motivation, and work style beyond technical skills, while recognizing that the candidate is also evaluating the company.
• Key Takeaways & Real Stories: Identifying one single actionable change to improve interviewing performance immediately, along with memorable interview anecdotes.

Chrisi’s key lesson in this conversation, has to do with how you show up for a conversation with an interview, and specifically for the person conducting the interview, listen to learn what Chrisi means when she suggests that you “bring nothing to the conversation.”

Word of the Day:

Discernment: Noun

The ability to perceive, understand, and judge things clearly.

For our context we invoke some etymology of the word and clarify the meaning as sifting through details to see what lies beneath the surface.

I'm going to suggest that my favorite thing in the conversation was hearing the story about how she once upon a time had to fire the man who eventually became her husband, technical trainer Rich Falco!

Hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

Sincerely,

Craig O’Neill

Auto Ignite Management: https://www.autoignitemanagement.com/

Thank You To Our Partners Autoflow, Shop Dog Marketing, InBound, and Advanced Shop Leadership

Your partner in technology, Autoflow consolidates your client interactions - before, during, and after the visit into a single thread. An end-to-end CRM for auto repair shops. https://autoflow.com/

Want to see your auto repair shop thrive? Let Shop Dog Marketing be your guide. Our customer-first approach, combined with AI-driven creative content, ensures top rankings. https://shopdogmarketing.com/

Cover your communication needs and revolutionize your auto repair business with AI-driven call analytics from InBound. https://callinbound.com/

Advanced Shop Leadership's 20 groups are built for motivated shop owners who want more balance, more fulfillment, and the right peers to grow with. ASL is selective. Find out if you qualify at ASL.COACH: https://www.advancedshopleadership.com/

Contact Information

• Email Craig O'Neill: [email protected]
• Join Our Virtual Toastmasters Club: https://remarkableresults.biz/toastmasters

The Automotive Repair Podcast Network: https://automotiverepairpodcastnetwork.com/

Download and Listen on Our Mobile App: https://automotiverepairpodcastnetwork.com/app/

Remarkable Results Radio Podcast with Carm Capriotto: https://remarkableresults.biz/

Automotive Field Theory with Matt Fanslow: https://mattfanslow.captivate.fm/

Business by the Numbers with CPA Hunt Demarest. https://huntdemarest.captivate.fm/

The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast with Brian and Kim Walker: https://autorepairmarketing.captivate.fm/

The Weekly Blitz with Coach Chris Cotton: https://chriscotton.captivate.fm/

Thank You To Our Partners AutoFlow, Shop Dog Marketing, InBound, Service Advisor Training, and Advanced Shop Leadership

Watch Full Video Episode

In Our Episode Today:

Part two picks up where things get harder. Dylan talks through hitting a dangerously cold current mid swim, the hardest decision of the day, and what it actually feels like to cross a finish line on a challenge you genuinely didn’t know you could complete.

In this episode:

• Why Dylan believes everyone should attempt something each year that represents personal growth
• Recognizing that the courage to try can be its own success, even short of the goal
• Knowing the difference between being uncomfortable and being unwell
• Battling a sudden, dramatic drop in water temperature and the threat of hypothermia mid swim
• Knowing when to keep pushing and when conditions call for stopping, assessing, and asking for help
• Reaching the aid station, warming up, and facing the decision of whether to get back in the water
• How Dylan's kayak support talked him out of quitting when he wanted to walk away
• Why everyone needs someone who can remind them why they started when things get hard
• Continuing forward when you're exhausted and the finish line still isn't in sight
• Why crossing the finish line isn't the end, and why recovery is part of the challenge
• How doing hard things recalibrates your definition of hard and builds resilience for everyday life
• The importance of mentors, coaches, friends, and communities that believe in you before you believe in yourself
• Dylan's closing challenge: do hard things, challenge yourself, and build confidence by attempting what you're not sure you can do

Word of the Day: Misogi

Popularized by Michael Easter in his book "The Comfort Crisis."

He borrowed the spirit of misogi and reshaped it into a personal challenge framework with a few hard rules.

It's once a year, one monumental challenge.

It needs roughly 50/50 odds of success.

The goal isn't to impress anybody else. It's to shatter your own self-limiting beliefs and redefine what you think your personal limits actually are.

This word will need to be well in mind as you listen to this episode. Enjoy.

Sincerely,

Craig O’Neill

Your partner in technology, Autoflow consolidates your client interactions - before, during, and after the visit into a single thread. An end-to-end CRM for auto repair shops. https://autoflow.com/

Want to see your auto repair shop thrive? Let Shop Dog Marketing be your guide. Our customer-first approach, combined with AI-driven creative content, ensures top rankings. https://shopdogmarketing.com/

Cover your communication needs and revolutionize your auto repair business with AI-driven call analytics from InBound. https://callinbound.com/

Want a more profitable shop? Start with your service advisor. They are the face of your business, the voice on the phone, and the key to every approved repair. Download 'Words That Work - The Service Advisor's Complete Phone Scripts Playbook at https://serviceadvisortraining.com/

Advanced Shop Leadership's 20 groups are built for motivated shop owners who want more balance, more fulfillment, and the right peers to grow with. ASL is selective. Find out if you qualify at ASL.COACH: https://www.advancedshopleadership.com/

Contact Information

• Email Craig O'Neill: [email protected]
• Join Our Virtual Toastmasters Club: https://remarkableresults.biz/toastmasters

The Automotive Repair Podcast Network: https://automotiverepairpodcastnetwork.com/

Download and Listen on Our Mobile App: https://automotiverepairpodcastnetwork.com/app/

Remarkable Results Radio Podcast with Carm Capriotto: https://remarkableresults.biz/

Automotive Field Theory with Matt Fanslow: https://mattfanslow.captivate.fm/

Business by the Numbers with CPA Hunt Demarest. https://huntdemarest.captivate.fm/

The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast with Brian and Kim Walker: https://autorepairmarketing.captivate.fm/

The Weekly Blitz with Coach Chris Cotton: https://chriscotton.captivate.fm/

Thank You To Our Partners AutoFlow, Shop Dog Marketing, InBound, Service Advisor Training, and Advanced Shop Leadership

Watch Full Video Episode

In our episode today:

I sit down with my friend and fellow Toastmaster Dylan Jayce to talk through his journey learning to endurance-swim to recently completing an 8.2 mile solo swim around Mackinac Island.

The conversation we have here originally took place while we were on a ruck around Reeds Lake in East Grand Rapids, where Dylan is set to compete in a triathlon!

While we were on that ruck, I kept thinking, "Man, this would make a great conversation on the Podcast!"

Our listeners may remember Dylan way back in episode 33 when we talked about a speech competition!

The parallels from that episode to this more physical challenge are connected to our topic of communication and leadership - and I think that will be apparent as you listen.

In this episode:

• Dylan's path from zero competitive swim skills to taking on a solo swim around Mackinac Island
• Why equanimity, staying balanced through success, failure, pleasure, and discomfort, can matter more than chasing happiness
• The Misogi mindset, choosing a challenge where success isn't guaranteed
• Preparing for what you can control while accepting you can't anticipate everything
• How repetition and experience build the ability to trust yourself when the unexpected happens
• Why staying present matters both in endurance challenges and in everyday communication
• The connection between active listening and adaptability, and learning to stop planning your response
• Experiencing panic in the water and learning to observe the body's reaction before acting on it
• How anger, anxiety, defensiveness, and fear can trigger similar physiological reactions in difficult conversations
• The power of pausing, breathing, assessing, and then responding instead of reacting

The Word of The Day: Equanimity

noun.

Mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in difficult or stressful situations

I hope you enjoy this story as much as I have, Dylan tells it well!

I also hope that this encourages you to find friends near you who consistently inspire you to take on new challenges!

Sincerely,

Craig O’Neill

Your partner in technology, Autoflow consolidates your client interactions - before, during, and after the visit into a single thread. An end-to-end CRM for auto repair shops. https://autoflow.com/

Want to see your auto repair shop thrive? Let Shop Dog Marketing be your guide. Our customer-first approach, combined with AI-driven creative content, ensures top rankings. https://shopdogmarketing.com/

Cover your communication needs and revolutionize your auto repair business with AI-driven call analytics from InBound. https://callinbound.com/

Want a more profitable shop? Start with your service advisor. They are the face of your business, the voice on the phone, and the key to every approved repair. Download 'Words That Work - The Service Advisor's Complete Phone Scripts Playbook at https://serviceadvisortraining.com/

Advanced Shop Leadership's 20 groups are built for motivated shop owners who want more balance, more fulfillment, and the right peers to grow with. ASL is selective. Find out if you qualify at ASL.COACH: https://www.advancedshopleadership.com/

Contact Information

• Email Craig O'Neill: [email protected]
• Join Our Virtual Toastmasters Club: https://remarkableresults.biz/toastmasters

The Automotive Repair Podcast Network: https://automotiverepairpodcastnetwork.com/

Download and Listen on Our Mobile App: https://automotiverepairpodcastnetwork.com/app/

Remarkable Results Radio Podcast with Carm Capriotto: https://remarkableresults.biz/

Automotive Field Theory with Matt Fanslow: https://mattfanslow.captivate.fm/

Business by the Numbers with CPA Hunt Demarest. https://huntdemarest.captivate.fm/

The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast with Brian and Kim Walker: https://autorepairmarketing.captivate.fm/

The Weekly Blitz with Coach Chris Cotton: https://chriscotton.captivate.fm/

Thank You To Our Partners AutoFlow, Shop Dog Marketing, InBound, Service Advisor Training, and Advanced Shop Leadership

Watch Full Video Episode

In our episode today, we continue part two of our conversation with Leigh Anne Best and Skyler Mayne, and we get into the mechanics behind her 90%+ close rate against an industry average that lives in the 40s. We hit on phone call length targets and I also questioned our guests on why longer calls hurt sales, specifically with advisors.

We walk through the systems that make Skyler's results repeatable rather than lucky: scripted expectations. We talk about how a CSR handling the phone frees the Service Advisor to stay present with the client in front of them. And we get into how a single phone call turns into a lifetime client, plus Skyler's own growth path from CSR toward respected trainer.

Today's Word of the Day is:

Conversion

Noun.

Definition: The act or process of changing from one form, state, or use to another; a transformation.

Etymology: From Latin conversio, "a turning around, a revolving," from the verb convertere, built from con- ("with, together") and vertere ("to turn"). The same root that gives us vertex, versatile, and reverse. The core image is a turning, not a straight line from one point to another but a pivot, something changed by being turned toward something else.

A few things we get into:

• What is behind a 90%+ appointment close rate (and what counts to that 90% is the people coming IN the DOOR)
• Systems that make great service repeatable
• Setting up the Service Advisor to stay present with the client
• Turning a one-time caller into a lifetime client
• Skyler's growth path
• The upcoming Service Advisor training summit with Skyler

I do expect that if part 1 wasn’t convincing enough… this part 2 will seal the deal.

You want a CSR.

Thanks for listening!

Sincerely,

Craig O'Neill

The Path to CSR (Client Service Rep) with Skyler Mayne and Leigh Anne Best: Part 1 [E111]: https://craigoneill.captivate.fm/episode/craig111

Your partner in technology, Autoflow consolidates your client interactions - before, during, and after the visit into a single thread. An end-to-end CRM for auto repair shops. https://autoflow.com/

Want to see your auto repair shop thrive? Let Shop Dog Marketing be your guide. Our customer-first approach, combined with AI-driven creative content, ensures top rankings. https://shopdogmarketing.com/

Cover your communication needs and revolutionize your auto repair business with AI-driven call analytics from InBound. https://callinbound.com/

Want a more profitable shop? Start with your service advisor. They are the face of your business, the voice on the phone, and the key to every approved repair. Download 'Words That Work - The Service Advisor's Complete Phone Scripts Playbook at https://serviceadvisortraining.com/

Advanced Shop Leadership's 20 groups are built for motivated shop owners who want more balance, more fulfillment, and the right peers to grow with. ASL is selective. Find out if you qualify at ASL.COACH: https://www.advancedshopleadership.com/

Contact Information

• Email Craig O'Neill: [email protected]
• Join Our Virtual Toastmasters Club: https://remarkableresults.biz/toastmasters

The Automotive Repair Podcast Network: https://automotiverepairpodcastnetwork.com/

Download and Listen on Our Mobile App: https://automotiverepairpodcastnetwork.com/app/

Remarkable Results Radio Podcast with Carm Capriotto: https://remarkableresults.biz/

Automotive Field Theory with Matt Fanslow: https://mattfanslow.captivate.fm/

Business by the Numbers with CPA Hunt Demarest. https://huntdemarest.captivate.fm/

The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast with Brian and Kim Walker: https://autorepairmarketing.captivate.fm/

The Weekly Blitz with Coach Chris Cotton: https://chriscotton.captivate.fm/

Thank You To Our Partners AutoFlow, Shop Dog Marketing, InBound, Service Advisor Training, and Advanced Shop Leadership

Watch Full Video Episode

I sit down with Leigh Anne Best (owner) and Skyler Mayne, a CSR at Mighty Auto Pro in Medina, Ohio. Skyler's story of entering into this industry began nowhere near a service bay. She came from serving tables, at a restaurant Leigh Anne and Bill frequented. That outsider path turned out to be exactly what made her exceptional at the front desk.

We get into what a CSR actually is, and what it isn't. It's not a Service Advisor, and it's not just someone who answers the phone. We talk about the natural communication instincts she walked in with, and the months of patient, deliberate training it took to turn that instinct into a repeatable skill her shop could count on.

Today's Word of the Day is CSR, and we will spend much of this episode and next defining exactly what this acronym is, and what that role in the shop does.

The best definition is delivered by Skyler herself: A CSR is hired to make everyone else's job easier.

A few things we get into:

• How a server becomes the best CSR in the industry
• What a CSR does, and just as important, what a CSR doesn't do
• The ramp up, and why patience in training matters more than talent
• Why this seat sets up everyone else in the shop to succeed

I know you’ll enjoy this conversation as much as I did, and I hope you’ll be getting ready to hear more from Leigh Anne and Skyler on the topic.

Sincerely,

Craig O'Neill

Your partner in technology, Autoflow consolidates your client interactions - before, during, and after the visit into a single thread. An end-to-end CRM for auto repair shops. https://autoflow.com/

Want to see your auto repair shop thrive? Let Shop Dog Marketing be your guide. Our customer-first approach, combined with AI-driven creative content, ensures top rankings. https://shopdogmarketing.com/

Cover your communication needs and revolutionize your auto repair business with AI-driven call analytics from InBound. https://callinbound.com/

Want a more profitable shop? Start with your service advisor. They are the face of your business, the voice on the phone, and the key to every approved repair. Download 'Words That Work - The Service Advisor's Complete Phone Scripts Playbook at https://serviceadvisortraining.com/

Advanced Shop Leadership's 20 groups are built for motivated shop owners who want more balance, more fulfillment, and the right peers to grow with. ASL is selective. Find out if you qualify at ASL.COACH: https://www.advancedshopleadership.com/

Contact Information

• Email Craig O'Neill: [email protected]
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Remarkable Results Radio Podcast with Carm Capriotto: https://remarkableresults.biz/

Automotive Field Theory with Matt Fanslow: https://mattfanslow.captivate.fm/

Business by the Numbers with CPA Hunt Demarest. https://huntdemarest.captivate.fm/

The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast with Brian and Kim Walker: https://autorepairmarketing.captivate.fm/

The Weekly Blitz with Coach Chris Cotton: https://chriscotton.captivate.fm/