Speak Up! Effective Communication

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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]
• 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 a lot of ways, this episode is a simple story about a regular Tuesday, which is the day I go to my Toastmaster meetings here at home. This happened to be the first Tuesday back since the STX trip, and I touch briefly on that too…

With me on this particular day, I had a phrase in mind that I had read from a C.S. Lewis Substack that I subscribe to. There was this phrase from a commentator on one of C.S. Lewis' works, and the phrase they used stuck out.

The phrase, "The provocation to pay attention." The author was applying this to a character that Lewis writes into one of his narrative poems, and I just loved that phrase, and it's been something I've been sitting with for several weeks now.

I've been waiting for the moment of inspiration where that phrase comes into something that will either inspire a podcast, a blog, or some other blurb that I put out into the world.

That inspiration came on, yes, this recent Tuesday night.

I hope you enjoy this short story.

I hope that you appreciate the reference to the power of prayer and having the right attitude, and how we show up for others is all sprinkled into it, and I hope you feel provoked to pay attention to yourself, and those around you even more than yourself!

And hey, maybe check out Toastmasters in your area? :)

Sincerely,

Craig O’Neill

WOTD:

Provocation. Noun. Defined as an action or occurrence that causes something to happen or to be done, especially a summons or an incitement to act.

It comes from the Latin provocare, a combination of pro, meaning forth or forward, and vocare,

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

Your partner in technology, Autoflow consolidates your client interactions - before, during, and after the visit to 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: Facilitating Wisdom Through Storytelling and Open Discussion. https://remarkableresults.biz/

Automotive Field Theory: From Diagnostics to Metallica and Mental Health, Matt Fanslow is Lifting the Hood on Life. https://mattfanslow.captivate.fm/

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

The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast: Marketing Experts Brian & Kim Walker Work with Shop Owners to Take it to the Next Level. https://autorepairmarketing.captivate.fm/

The Weekly Blitz: Weekly Inspiration with Business Coach Chris Cotton from AutoFix – Auto Shop Coaching. 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

We close out our three-part checklist series with the Verbal Inspection Protocol in practice.

I share a real verbal inspection I found myself in the middle of today, as the scribe during a home walkthrough! We then get into what the Inspector and Scribe roles actually look like on the shop floor, how the apprentice model makes it easy to start training tomorrow, and why the Scribe's authority to hold a technician accountable matters as much as the notes they take.

We talk through what a structured call actually sounds like, how zones give the whole process rhythm, and why saying the good news out loud is often harder than reporting a problem. We also get into flags, severity, and a simple torque verification protocol worth running in every shop as a final quality control check.

All throughout, this is my favorite topic because it combines the power of our voice and gets us SPEAKING UP in the inspection processes, which I spend so much time consulting on.

All my favorite things here. I hope you enjoy and will reach out to me at [email protected] with any questions!

I would love to connect with you individually and help you implement the things we’re talking about in your shop!

Our Word of the Day is:

Protocol, noun. An official or established procedure, a set of rules governing how something is done correctly and consistently, especially in situations where precision and accountability matter.

I think you'll agree, this is one of those areas that matter.

Sincerely,

Craig O'Neill

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

Your partner in technology, Autoflow consolidates your client interactions - before, during, and after the visit to 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: Facilitating Wisdom Through Storytelling and Open Discussion. https://remarkableresults.biz/

Automotive Field Theory: From Diagnostics to Metallica and Mental Health, Matt Fanslow is Lifting the Hood on Life. https://mattfanslow.captivate.fm/

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

The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast: Marketing Experts Brian & Kim Walker Work with Shop Owners to Take it to the Next Level. https://autorepairmarketing.captivate.fm/

The Weekly Blitz: Weekly Inspiration with Business Coach Chris Cotton from AutoFix – Auto Shop Coaching. 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:

Joining me is a guest and friend, Darrin Barney from Elite Worldwide.

Darrin and I both share a passion in the topic of communication and leadership, which makes this a fun discussion.

We dive into topics on leadership and touch on a few of the items he'll be discussing in his upcoming classes at WorldPacs STX 2026 near Washington, DC.

My favorite thing about this conversation is how it touches on the hard reality many of us face when we begin to recognize where authority isn’t as effective as influence. The simple reality is, the best lessons on leadership we can share, is about the journey we on and continue to be on.

Darrin is well versed in DISC and touches on the importance of communicating from where others are at.

We round out the discussion by talking about “The Speakers Checklist” which will merit some further discussion… but DID yield, quite organically, that Darrin has also read and absorbed the lessons of a book we’ve been discussion here, “The Checklist Manifesto.”

I do love it when I meet people speaking a similar language from reading the same books!

Darrin Barney, Elite Worldwide, [email protected]

From Boeing to the Service Bay: The Power of Checklists [E103]: https://craigoneill.captivate.fm/episode/craig103

We Have the Checklist. We Do Not Have the Communication [E105]: https://craigoneill.captivate.fm/episode/craig105

We have a WOTD:

Rapport - Noun

Rapport (noun) — a close, harmonious relationship in which the people or groups involved understand each other's feelings or ideas and communicate well.

Rapport comes from French, from the verb rapporter, which literally means "to carry back." Originally, it described something being brought back and forth between two parties. Over time it came to mean a relationship of mutual trust and understanding, the kind where communication flows easily in both directions.

That's really the heart of it. Rapport isn't something one person creates and hands to another. It's carried back and forth. It only exists between people, built one exchange at a time.

I hope you enjoy this conversation!

Sincerely,

Craig O’Neill

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

Your partner in technology, Autoflow consolidates your client interactions - before, during, and after the visit to 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: Facilitating Wisdom Through Storytelling and Open Discussion. https://remarkableresults.biz/

Automotive Field Theory: From Diagnostics to Quantum Physics and Mental Health, Matt Fanslow is Lifting the Hood on Life. https://mattfanslow.captivate.fm/

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

The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast: Marketing Experts Brian & Kim Walker Work with Shop Owners to Take it to the Next Level. https://autorepairmarketing.captivate.fm/

The Weekly Blitz: Weekly Inspiration with Business Coach Chris Cotton from AutoFix – Auto Shop Coaching. https://chriscotton.captivate.fm/