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A favorite of many members – short, to-the-point management tips. New tips are added regularly. Premium Membership is required for access.

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#363 You Might Want to Double Check That

You hear someone make a statement. You know they are wrong. But are you 100% sure? If not, be quiet. Later, when you get a chance, recheck the facts. You...

Updated

August 20, 2023

#362 Fixing One Hundred Leaks at Your Shop

Your list is enormous. Probably more extensive than some shops, but probably smaller than many others! Fix a leak. Just one leak repair that saves a few dollars. Next week,...

Updated

July 31, 2023

#361 Who is Your Fussiest Employee?

Give him or her a new task. Make sure they receive every marketing email, text, or mailer of any kind from your shop. Tell them you want these to be...

Updated

June 12, 2023

#360 Quit Minding Your Own Business

Everyone has a lot of things going on in their life, including your employees. Be politely nosey. Maybe they have good news or bad news they’d like to share with...

Updated

May 26, 2023

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#359 Move That Phone!

You can’t pick it up if it’s not there. You’ve hired people to answer the phone. Create a telephone answering policy that does not involve you. When you need to...

Updated

May 21, 2023

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#358 An Experienced Tech Should Bill 50 Hours

An average of 50 or more in a 40-hour week is a reasonable goal in most independent shop settings. The technician brings his ability, and the shop owner must do...

Updated

April 21, 2023

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#357 I Don’t Know How to Do That

Virtually everything you can do today – every accomplishment, talent, skill – would have been accurately preceded by: “I don’t know how to do that.” Then, you learned how to...

Updated

April 11, 2023

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#356 Photo Surprises!

Your website, social sites, and other places on the internet probably have photos of your shop—sometimes from two, five, ten, and even twenty years ago. The odds are many of...

Updated

April 6, 2023

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#355 The Primary Reason Shops Grow

Auto repair shop growth is typically proportional to how much a business is willing to spend (wisely) on employees. Low spenders tend to stay small even if they do everything...

Updated

March 27, 2023

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#354 Add this Photo to Every RO

On the way to gathering the initial vehicle information, stop at the car's front corner and take a photo large enough to include the whole car. Including this photo on...

Updated

March 19, 2023

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#353 Vacations and Days Off

Once each week, post on your shop communication system (Slack, etc.) all the days and weeks employees will be off during the year. Posting the schedule will reduce questions and...

Updated

March 13, 2023

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#352 Comeback Consciousness

While we don’t want to constantly beat up on the staff about comebacks (some shops call them rechecks), we also don’t want awareness to be too distant. Once a month,...

Updated

March 6, 2023

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#351 Unconfuse Your Employees

Where do the ideas come from initially when you add policies and procedures (SOPs)? Situations? Classes? You? Those are all good, but what about your employees? How often do you...

Updated

February 27, 2023

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#350 Hiring; Do You Perform this Simple Step?

Reviews are a frequent hot topic. But how many shops look at online reviews written by potential employees? How do they view the world? How do they critique businesses and...

Updated

February 12, 2023

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#349 What did They Expect?

Nearly every time a customer is unhappy, it's because what they got is not what they expected. To them, it was not crystal clear. Make sure it is crystal clear....

Updated

February 5, 2023

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#348 Aim for Better – Not for Perfect

It’s easy to spend a lot of time and effort trying to perfect something. Here’s why that is often not the best choice. 1: The goal you are after rarely...

Updated

January 30, 2023

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#347 Automated Behavior Change

The next time an employee does something contrary to how you want it handled, ask yourself if you can fix it without trying to get him to remember to change...

Updated

January 23, 2023

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#346 Spread it Out for Greater Impact

It’s a never-ending list of equipment, tools, improvements, upgrades, and updates. You likely have a list, and you’ve probably set priorities. Now, pick a recurring day once every week or...

Updated

January 15, 2023

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#345 It Never Happened

When you are asked for information and know that you already handled it, and the person already received it, pretend the first time never happened whenever possible. Now, if it...

Updated

January 8, 2023

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#344 Onboarding 101 – How to Get Started

Make this Step One in your onboarding process. Hand your new team member a blank legal pad and a pen. For one week, have them follow the person or persons...

Updated

January 2, 2023

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#343 Swapping Tasks

Several employees. Lots of tasks to do. Which jobs are liked by which employee? Which tasks are disliked by which employee? You could ask them. Chances are the answer will...

Updated

December 27, 2022

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#342 First Impressions of Bad Situations

Our first impression is usually wrong when something goes sideways with a customer, an employee, or a vendor. We have maybe five or ten percent of the story. Our conclusion...

Updated

December 19, 2022

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#341 Clocks

Install oversized, bright digital clocks with seconds. Everywhere in the building. Add enough of them so a glance is all one ever needs to know the time. Clocks don’t hurry anyone, but...

Updated

December 8, 2022

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#340 Take the Offer

The map lady says, “I found a faster route.” Did you take it? Too often, we do not. Not just route options but all sorts of better, yet different, options...

Updated

November 30, 2022

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#339 Cleaning Up Your To-Do List

When adding anything to your to-do list, always include the date. The simplest way to do this is with six digits. November 20, 2022, becomes 112022. After a set time,...

Updated

November 20, 2022

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