The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast

We recently had the pleasure of attending a customer appreciation event put on by Tim Chakarian of Bommer PHD in Pasadena, CA. Tim did such an amazing job with this event that we had to have him on to talk about it. Listen in to get inspired, and take plenty of notes for your own event!Talking PointsWhat made you want to host this event? This was not your first one.How to plan for an event - compare this event to your previous ones. Moving shop aroundGo visit another shop’s event - take ideas awayWho to connect with to pull off a great eventPartners?Vendors?Chambers?Professionals? (Renting tables/chairs, photographer, DJ, food, etc)Marketing the eventFliersEmailsSocial postsFB EventChamberWhat to do while you are at the event hostingDelegate and let others do their thingWhen folks arrive - orient them to what is going onIntroduction - what do you say?Prizes, Entertainment, Bounce HouseAnnouncements - what are you saying?Mingling - close conversations by introducing someone to someone else & thank them for comingIntroducing othersCleanup and reorganizationFollow-up - what to do after the event?Debriefing, review notesAnything you’d change/do differently?What’s your next event?How To Get In Touch with Cinch CRMWebsite - https://cinch.io/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/cinchplatform/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/CinchPlatform/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@CinchPlatform How To Get In Touch with Shop Marketing ProsGroup - Auto Repair Marketing MastermindWebsite - shopmarketingpros.com Facebook - facebook.com/shopmarketingpros Thanks to our partner, RepairPal. Visit the Web HERE

More and more privately owned businesses have been the victims of ADA Title III compliance lawsuits than ever before, and a growing number of these lawsuits are due to lack of compliance on the business’ website.It’s more important than ever that your auto repair shop’s website is compliant.Join Brian in this episode to talk about what it means for shop’s website to be ADA compliant.Talking PointsI am not a lawyer and this is not legal adviceJust like your office door needs a ramp and bathroom needs handrails, your website needs to be able to be viewed by those with vision and hearing impairmentsThis is not just total blindness and deafness but any impairments including colorblindness, poor vision, and hard of hearing.There are 2 main reasons you need your website to be ADA compliantThe number of lawsuits happeningIt’s the right thing to doWhat makes a website ADA compliant?Over 100 factorsMost important factors are:Skip navImage alt textProper heading structureLabels on form fieldsContrasting colorsClear, easy to read fontsDescriptive link textSubtitles on videosWe use a free plugin with some nice featuresI won’t guarantee a website ADA compliantDo the basics and you’re probably good to go. Remember, I am not an attorney.Where to start - wave.webaim.org How To Get In Touch with Cinch CRMWebsite - https://cinch.io/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/cinchplatform/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/CinchPlatform/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@CinchPlatform How To Get In Touch with Shop Marketing ProsGroup - Auto Repair Marketing MastermindWebsite - shopmarketingpros.com Facebook - facebook.com/shopmarketingpros Thanks to our partner, RepairPal. Visit the Web HERE

Hey friends! Welcome to our newest episode of the Auto Repair Marketing Podcast. Thank you to our friends at RepairPal for providing you this episode. RepairPal is the key that unlocks more business for your repair shop. Learn More at RepairPal.com/shops.Talking PointsThis recent trip out west - taught me some things about being connectedOur own story of feeling like we were “on an island”Shop Owners are disconnected and feel the same wayIt doesn’t have to be that wayConversations that pointed me to the movie “Cast Away” We were not created or designed to be alone. We need community. Chuck Noland (in Cast Away) found a companion in “Wilson”. Who is your tribe?Other Shop OwnersFacebook Groups20 GroupsMastermindsWhat resources do you have? What do you have to give?CoachesIndustry groups/associationsIndustry EventsYou find what you’re looking for. So, look for connections. Take action. As we visited shop owner after shop owner, we found ourselves having similar conversations about this ‘island’. Now we’ve connected our shop clients to the industry, other shop owners, and resources.Be a giver, a connector, a helperHow To Get In Touch with Shop Marketing ProsGroup - Auto Repair Marketing MastermindWebsite - shopmarketingpros.com Facebook - facebook.com/shopmarketingpros Thanks to our partner, RepairPal. Visit the Web HERE

One of our listeners emailed in with the following question.I Always wondered why, when we have another marketing company review and grade our website, it always come out pretty crappy on the scorecard? From loading speed, to keywords, SEO, overall performance etc. I have used Lighthouse and some other things to gauge the performance, but the numbers never seem to match what the other party produces. I feel like some marketing companies use smoke and mirrors for selling their websites that really may not be any better than what we already have. I’m sure this is an issue for others too.We answer that question in this episode.Talking PointsThere’s a big difference between a solicited audit and an unsolicited auditThere are no standards in placeMuch of what is done in marketing is based on opinion or an internal belief systemTrust your “BS meter”How To Get In Touch with Shop Marketing ProsGroup - Auto Repair Marketing MastermindWebsite - shopmarketingpros.com Facebook - facebook.com/shopmarketingpros Thanks to our partner, RepairPal. Visit the Web HERE

One of the biggest complaints we hear from shop owners is they don’t trust the numbers from their CRM. They have good reason for this. In the world of marketing, we refer to the connection of dollars earned to the marketing channels that produced those dollars as “attribution”. This week we talk to Justin Rae, founder of Cinch CRM.  Justin talks with us about attribution and his passion for creating accurate numbers that the shop owner can trust.Talking PointsAttribution defined, and Justin’s history with creating trustworthy attributionHow long revenue be attributed to a single marketing actionMulti-channel attributionThe types of marketing actions can you give attribution to with a CRMHow To Get In Touch with Cinch CRMWebsite - https://cinch.io/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/cinchplatform/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/CinchPlatform/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@CinchPlatform How To Get In Touch with Shop Marketing ProsGroup - Auto Repair Marketing MastermindWebsite - shopmarketingpros.com Facebook - facebook.com/shopmarketingpros Thanks to our partner, RepairPal. Visit the Web HERE

Marketing can do a lot to bring new leads to your auto repair shop, but it’s up to the people answering the phones to turn them into customers. We’ve seen quite a few times where one of our clients says their marketing isn’t working, but the numbers don’t lie. Their marketing was working but their phone skills were just plain bad. Good marketing with poor phone skills equals wasted money. Our guest today is Cecil Bullard from the Institute for Automotive Business Excellence. Cecil teaches phone skills to service advisors that make a tremendous positive impact on the shops they serve. Cecil shares some of his knowledge of how to turn shoppers into clients for life.Talking PointsThere is a point where marketing is handed off to salesHow to you set the tone for the phone callWhat to do when someone calls asking for a priceHow to handle callers who think they are calling the dealership or another shop?What to do with price shoppersHow to handle it when you’re on a call and get another callWhat to do when you’re on a call and you get a walk-inWhat information you should get from a callerHow to ask for the appointmentHow To Get In Touch with The InstituteWebsite - https://www.wearetheinstitute.com/ Online training - https://www.gearforshops.com/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Iforabe How To Get In Touch with Shop Marketing ProsGroup - Auto Repair Marketing MastermindWebsite - shopmarketingpros.com Facebook - facebook.com/shopmarketingpros Get the Book - shopmarketingpros.com/bookInstagram - @shopmarketingpros Questions/Ideas - podcast@shopmarketingpros.com Thanks to our partner, RepairPal. Visit the Web HERE

If you know Kim and Brian, you know we run the wheels off of our motorhome. In usual fashion, we have another big trip coming up, and this time we’re headed to California. In this episode, we don’t even mention marketing. We talk about auto repair shops, but nothing that will help you in your business. This is simply a peek into one of our trips, what we’re doing, and a bit about how we plan our travels and stays. We hope you’ll listen in and get to know us a little better. Who knows… we may stop in at your shop during one of our upcoming travels!Thanks to our partner, RepairPal. Visit the Web HEREHow To Get In TouchGroup - Auto Repair Marketing MastermindWebsite - shopmarketingpros.com Facebook - facebook.com/shopmarketingpros Get the Book - shopmarketingpros.com/bookInstagram - @shopmarketingpros Questions/Ideas - podcast@shopmarketingpros.com

In this world of cancel culture and tech giants that have more money than god, and literally don’t need you - it’s more important than ever to build marketing assets on platforms that you own. In this episode we give examples of ways people have lost marketing opportunities to this real problem, including us, and places you should be investing so that you always have marketing options that will work for you.How To Get In TouchGroup - Auto Repair Marketing MastermindWebsite - shopmarketingpros.com Facebook - facebook.com/shopmarketingpros Get the Book - shopmarketingpros.com/bookInstagram - @shopmarketingpros Questions/Ideas - podcast@shopmarketingpros.comThanks to our partner, RepairPal. Visit the Web HERE

Incorporating gifting with radical generosity into your auto repair shop can not only create a great relationship with employees and potential customers but also nurture those relationships. Kim is a gifter at heart and in this episode she shares the best and unusual times to gift as well as how to implement gifting into your auto repair shop.Talking PointsEmployee GiftsRandom DoorDashChristmasNew Baby/Home/MarriageJust becausePartner/Industry Friend GiftsDream 25 (clients + industry partners)After meeting at eventStaying in touchSeeing something on social prompts the giftSpecial Occasion GiftsHolidaysEmployee AppreciationClient GiftsNew clientsClient upgradesSpecial OccasionFavorite VendorsThe Basketry - personalized/customizedHoltz LeatherSmallwoodsDoorDashAmazonWe are just one of many podcasts a part of the Aftermarket Radio Network. You can find those at AftermarketRadioNetwork.com - go and give them a listen!Until next time - go fill those bays!THREELagniappe (Books, Links, Other Podcasts, etc)Giftology BookThe Basketry - personalized/customizedHoltz LeatherSmallwoodsHow To Get In TouchGroup - Auto Repair Marketing MastermindWebsite - shopmarketingpros.com Facebook - facebook.com/shopmarketingpros Get the Book - shopmarketingpros.com/bookInstagram - @shopmarketingpros Questions/Ideas - podcast@shopmarketingpros.com Thanks to our partner, RepairPal. Visit the Web HERE

You’re growing -a lot, but concerned about losing the company culture you’ve spent so much time, energy, effort, and money on building. In this episode, Kim Walker shares her thoughts, ideas, and strategies being implemented to be super intentional about maintaining company culture.Talking PointsWorked hard to define core values, build a team, processesYou’re getting great resultsYou’re growingBut fearful of losing momentum, culture, pace, etcKeep Core Values front & center. What we do:Hiring, onboardingFiring relates backIn the middle - reward + recognizeMake decisionsProcessDocumentedPracticed by allAppreciated + UnderstoodOnboarding. How do you do it? Is it documented? Can it be duplicated easily?Hire Slow, Fire FastGamesKim Games (Slack)JR’s Dad Jokes + PunsPlayfulness, laughter, joy. Happiness is a core value for us. Contests.SurprisesLetters to familyDoor DashTravel together/retreatTrainingMeaningfulEasily found for future referenceMentoringDay to Day ConnectionsSlackHuddlesProject Management software communicationHow To Get In TouchGroup - Auto Repair Marketing MastermindWebsite - shopmarketingpros.com Facebook - facebook.com/shopmarketingpros Get the Book - shopmarketingpros.com/bookInstagram - @shopmarketingpros Questions/Ideas - podcast@shopmarketingpros.com