Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Power does not always come from pushing harder. Sometimes in life and in business, the smartest move is to slow down so you can move forward with control, clarity, and intention. Just like a great driver, growth means looking ahead, preparing for the climb, and knowing when it is time to change gears.
Tonnika Haynes [00:00:00]:
I think shop owners just have to learn how to lead better. Get the technicians and the service advisors to buy in. But that all starts from the top. It should not take an act of congress for your employees to do what you ask them to do. And that's my soapbox. I'll stand on that. Welcome to Downshift with my sis, Tanika Haynes. We all know as shop owners, sometimes
Josh Oberlander [00:00:22]:
you gotta slow down in order to speed up.
Tonnika Haynes [00:00:25]:
And that's what this podcast is all about.
Josh Oberlander [00:00:28]:
It's time to downshift.
Tonnika Haynes [00:00:35]:
Why training is so important. Like, there's so many shop owners that just don't get that they need it. Like, they already think they know everything and they don't understand that just a free education could change it for you. Like, you don't know everything. You might be the best technician in the universe, but running a business is way different. Doing a DVI is not attacking a customer. For the technicians that think doing a DVI is a waste of their time. I'd rather have five good cars in my shop if I was a tech, that I got some good hours on some good work instead of racking 10 to 15 cars a day.
Tonnika Haynes [00:01:17]:
Imagine racking only three to five cars a day and getting all the work out of those three to five cars instead of having to do a quick oil change on 10 to 15 cars. Knees and backs hurt. Racking a car is annoying. That is less work on the technician. If the technician just buys into, I need to do this dvi. I need to check this car for maintenance. And the service advisor is already started, you know, with Detect Auto, of course. And let me go through this car, let me present everything, and maybe I can get my whole day's worth out of one car.
Tonnika Haynes [00:01:53]:
But no, they don't see it as an investment. No, I'm not even thinking about the. The shop owner. No, no, I'm thinking I don't think. Yeah, yeah. And even like we said earlier, it's maybe it's a no for now, but when that car comes back, that's your car. Or if you know, if that's how your shop runs, that's your car. And you've got an estimate.
Tonnika Haynes [00:02:16]:
You've got 10 hours on this one car and you got to wreck one car. You get your podcast going and your music going and you're good on one day. On one car, it's doing less for more. Slowing down, downshifting, slowing it down, slowing the car. Count down, focusing on the dvi. Focus on increasing your aro. Getting that sales advisor service Advisor to do their job and present what the technician is finding. Increasing the hours per ro.
Tonnika Haynes [00:02:46]:
That's how the things happen. And that was one of the hardest lessons I learned because I used to think I was a quick loop place and I would just say yes to everybody because they wanted something real quick. And I did not want to disappoint, but I didn't take the time. And the more I learned to take the time and get my team to buy in. Let's do the dvi. Let's get the pictures. Let's make this happen. The car count is down.
Tonnika Haynes [00:03:07]:
It's scary to look at my stats. And my car count is down. Aro is killing it. Net profit is killing it. Everything is killing. The only thing is red is car count. And that's basically by design.
Josh Oberlander [00:03:23]:
The interesting thing for me, spending a little bit more time taking those photos, how does that not automatically get seen as a better sales tactic for the customer? A more trusting information from him?
Ashley Kaplan [00:03:34]:
No, it does. I did it with my shop. Our average photo per DVI was 17 photos. And I challenged them to get it over 30. When we got it over 30, our close ratio grew by 10%. Our gross profit grew. Everything grew. Because more photos was more trust.
Tonnika Haynes [00:03:52]:
Yeah, I tracked that on the whiteboard for the technicians. This is your average picture through through RO3DV.
Ashley Kaplan [00:03:59]:
It's just dumb. It's transparency and it like. Are they clicking every picture?
Tonnika Haynes [00:04:03]:
No, no.
Ashley Kaplan [00:04:04]:
But they also want to see the good stuff. Take a picture of the good shocks. It's also going back to liability. Take a picture of the good stuff, too. That way you can CYA later if you know in 10,000 miles, the shock's leaking. Hey, why don't you tell me? You can show them. Hey. So last time, actually, they were in great shape.
Ashley Kaplan [00:04:22]:
So this just started. And it helps build more trust as well.
Tonnika Haynes [00:04:28]:
And the shops that are not going to coach and the shops that are not showing up at training. Like you said earlier, we were just talking off camera. Josh, you're saying that you're going to these conferences and now you're going to all of the conferences. Cause there's your job and. But you're seeing the same people. But those are the, like top 10%, the people that want to keep growing, the people that want to make sure that I didn't miss something in that last presentation. What else is new? What else does Josh have? What else did. What's new? What else can I do to grow my business? We are the people that are there and trying to continuously Learn.
Tonnika Haynes [00:05:01]:
But then you've got the other shops that are so busy in the shop, but they're so broke at the same time that don't understand if they took those two days off and slowed everything down and actually took an inventory of what they've got going on, they realize they have organized chaos. A hot ghetto mess.
Josh Oberlander [00:05:22]:
It's the picking your head up out of the weeds. I got to do it as well. But you're so locked in on the day to day. Everything's frantic, everything's reactionary. And picking your, picking your head up and looking above the chaos is, is great. And I think a conference and meeting people and networking and letting people pick apart your business is exactly how you do that.
Ashley Kaplan [00:05:43]:
Yeah.
Tonnika Haynes [00:05:43]:
I remember when I first started because Benji's last said it still my average repair order. My allergies are killing me. I think my average repair order was less than 200. Oh, my car cramp was crazy. Yes, brother.
Ashley Kaplan [00:05:54]:
Ouch.
Tonnika Haynes [00:05:55]:
Sister was broke. I didn't even know I was broke. I just had. I was just recycling money and I was wearing myself out. And we were saying yes to everything. We were saying yes to lawnmower tires. Can you fix? Yeah, I'll do that. I'll do that, I'll do that, I'll do that.
Tonnika Haynes [00:06:10]:
And we were killing it, but we were not. And it was the hardest thing for my coach to get me to understand that if you don't slow your silly butt down and learn to say no for now, say, hey, yes, we are very busy, we've been very blessed. But I cannot get to your quick oil change right now because you know what that oil change. And he's not going to do anything. And you know that because their close ratio is 10%. Okay. And then you see somebody else's oil change sticker in the car. It's not a loyal customer.
Tonnika Haynes [00:06:41]:
An oil change is almost never an emergency. Imagine. Yeah, that's not your problem.
Josh Oberlander [00:06:50]:
So I got a question for you.
Tonnika Haynes [00:06:52]:
Yeah.
Josh Oberlander [00:06:53]:
How to coach your team? So like let's say, you know, we just said taking photos is going to increase your conversion rates. It's going to build more trust. It takes more time for the technician. And they will complain about. Even though they're going to get more work from it, they might get the work they want from it. They're going to complain. I've seen it all the time. How would you confront your team and get them past that and bought in on this new process?
Tonnika Haynes [00:07:20]:
I have a friend who's in my 20 group. He has a shop down the street. And he's going to have to go through that. And he did present me with that question. And what I said was I would do it as a challenge. I am really blessed that my team buys in easily like I've got. Sometimes there's a little pushback, but they'll get it. They'll see where I'm trying to go.
Tonnika Haynes [00:07:42]:
Because I'm saying, look, this is what we're trying to do. This is not more work for you. Yes, I'm paying you for this dvi. I know it's aggravating, I know it is. But what I need you to do is work smarter, not harder. So what I told him to do, because I believe that he's going to get a lot of pushback because he has a lot of old heads and this, that, whatever. And he just bought the shop about a year ago. And I said, gamify it.
Tonnika Haynes [00:08:04]:
Put the numbers on the board. Put the average pictures per ro up there. Make it a contest for a little bit. See if they'll buy in once they can see the numbers. Because what, what did I say, Ash? What about numbers? People lie. Numbers don't. Once they can see that the average repair order hours are increasing and they are spending more time on less cars. Meaning, yes, you're still at work for 10 to 12 hours, but you're not racking 15 cars a day.
Tonnika Haynes [00:08:36]:
Your stress level goes down, you feel in control and then they'll start to see the win and then they'll buy in. You're going to have to get them to buy in, but first they've got to trust you as a leader, as the owner, and that what you're doing is just not about your pocketbook, it's about the whole process.
Ashley Kaplan [00:08:52]:
Yeah. Like, even, like they have the numbers, they have to.
Tonnika Haynes [00:08:56]:
They're going to have to see the numbers. So I would literally put the numbers on the whiteboard, the aro, the average hours per repair order, the pictures and watch it grow, watch the change and show them that change. If not weekly, monthly, I would show them that and get them to buy in. But I don't think you can just say, well, just. Cause we're going to do it because I said so that's not going to work.
Ashley Kaplan [00:09:17]:
But also try it for more than a week. Please try it for more than a week.
Tonnika Haynes [00:09:20]:
Yeah, I would say this is our 60 day challenge. Or this is a 90 day challenge.
Ashley Kaplan [00:09:25]:
90 day.
Tonnika Haynes [00:09:25]:
And this is the, this is the, this is the gift at the end. Let's see how.
Ashley Kaplan [00:09:30]:
Because that average RO hours going from 2 to 21 to 22 doesn't immediately impact their paycheck. But if they see it growing, they go, okay. So when I do more pictures, we do make more money. Okay, all right. Yeah.
Tonnika Haynes [00:09:44]:
But I don't even think it's about the paycheck because my guys are hourly. Plus bonus. It's about the amount of work. It's about the amount of work. I mean, when's the last time you wrecked the car? I watched them wreck cars and I'm like, where's your pad for your knee? Getting down on the floor, pulling.
Ashley Kaplan [00:10:00]:
I hate. I love working on cars. I hate. I used to have people in the car for me.
Tonnika Haynes [00:10:05]:
Yeah. So pulling a car in all of that stuff, all of those little things will make a big difference. And I think that's the easiest way for a shop to get them to
Josh Oberlander [00:10:13]:
buy in now, you know, taking photos. I think lots of shops can improve there at some. A lot of them have started doing that from what I've seen. Especially these ones I'm meeting at conferences. But a lot of them haven't transitioned to video yet. So I wanted to hear you guys opinion on video. Not videos on maybe everything. But I see dealerships all the time do videos and again it's just a next level.
Josh Oberlander [00:10:35]:
Maybe again building trust and visibility. And I know that's my car and I can see that, you know, the wheel is definitely shaking and my ball joint is loose or whatever it is like it. What is your guys videos for?
Ashley Kaplan [00:10:49]:
Things like that are definitely important. I think diagnostic showing how something failed. If you can take a 30 second clip of. Okay, so when I test it, notice this. This is confirming it's failed. Ball joints have played. Let me show you. Yes.
Ashley Kaplan [00:11:03]:
Not everything needs a video, but especially the big trust factor issues that customers can't see. They can't. They can't see that their ball joint has play. They can see the oil leak. They can't see that that sensor has failed. So those things. Videos do help.
Tonnika Haynes [00:11:19]:
Videos definitely help. But what my guys tend to do is, well, the younger one, aj, he'll do his own video. But the older text, they'll say, hey, I need to come get a video of this. And I have no problem with it. They'll grab the service advisor or someone say hey, come get a video of this while they're shaking. Take the video and attach it. So yeah, but that's like a lot
Ashley Kaplan [00:11:37]:
of shops are getting.
Tonnika Haynes [00:11:40]:
That is cool.
Ashley Kaplan [00:11:41]:
I'm going to the glasses for text is cool.
Tonnika Haynes [00:11:44]:
I'm get some for me. Just because I want them. Now, I have had the DVI from the dealership with the whole video, and listening to the technician blabber through that video got on my nerves.
Ashley Kaplan [00:11:57]:
No, I agree with you. The. I am so and so. I'm your technician. I don't know. I don't know.
Tonnika Haynes [00:12:02]:
Yeah, yeah. I think it was just him because he couldn't pronounce, like, certain parts of the car, and I thought that was very sweet.
Ashley Kaplan [00:12:08]:
Well, technicians are not actors, and I think that's also a key part, like,
Tonnika Haynes [00:12:11]:
kind of putting them on the spot.
Ashley Kaplan [00:12:13]:
They don't like to talk to customers. That's why they work on cars.
Tonnika Haynes [00:12:15]:
Yeah, that's why. That's why they're in the back. So. But there's a lot of growth associated with a dvi. Like, if you can just increase each ticket by one hour, just one, then
Ashley Kaplan [00:12:30]:
they get excited to do them. Like, if they don't see the DVI on their own, they're like, hey, where's the dvi?
Tonnika Haynes [00:12:36]:
So I think shop owners just have to learn how to lead better. Get the technicians and the service advisors to buy in. But that all starts from the top. It all starts from the top because they. It should not take an act of congress for your employees to do what you ask them to do. So that starts from the top. And that's my soapbox. I'll stand on that.
Tonnika Haynes [00:13:05]:
Imagine you telling your staff, Josh, that, hey, this is what we're going to try to work on now. This is the new software that we've come up with. Now we've got to push it out. I don't know how you work it. And they're like, oh, I don't like that.
Josh Oberlander [00:13:18]:
It's a. It's a cultural thing for us. We call disagree and commit. So I want my team to be open, and when I come to them with a solution that we will be implementing, we talk about it first. And if you disagree with it, I want to hear your opinion.
Tonnika Haynes [00:13:34]:
Right.
Josh Oberlander [00:13:35]:
And we will discuss what, you know, path potentially that we will move forward at. But once we agree on the path that we are moving forward on, you must commit.
Tonnika Haynes [00:13:45]:
Let's get it.
Josh Oberlander [00:13:46]:
Don't commit now. It's, you know, you being a diva,
Ashley Kaplan [00:13:48]:
and I love that.
Josh Oberlander [00:13:49]:
Creating problems with the team.
Tonnika Haynes [00:13:51]:
Right.
Josh Oberlander [00:13:51]:
We call it disagree and commit.
Tonnika Haynes [00:13:53]:
I like that. I really like it. Disagree. Implement that, y'. All.
Ashley Kaplan [00:13:57]:
Yeah, that just influenced me.
Tonnika Haynes [00:13:59]:
Well, because, for example, if you got this product or I've got this idea, and it's all the happiest thing, I just came from a conference and, oh, this is going to work. And I walk in the shop and like, this is going to work. They're like. And everybody says, Ms. Tanika, that is not going to work. If I say, yes, it will. Cause I said so then am I leading them? No. Now if they.
Tonnika Haynes [00:14:20]:
I say, well, why don't you think it's going to work? Well, A, B, C and D. I'm like, I can see it from a different perspective. And we can pivot and reinvent that will and say, okay, what about this? How do you feel about this? Okay, let's do that one, Ms. Tanika. All right, let's go get it. 110%.
Josh Oberlander [00:14:37]:
And I see this with maintenance all the time. I see, like, when I'm building a maintenance program with a team, the owner gets way more buy in if they discuss it with the team. Hey, here's our plan. Here's what we're doing. Do we want to adjust anything? What do you think of these numbers? Do we want to do it this way instead of just implementing a whole system? Now, I know if you have like multiple shops and you're scaling and stuff, like, there's situations where that's maybe not applicable. But if you can get your team to buy in as well and they have a say, they're going to feel more part of it and they're going to, you know, want to complete it.
Tonnika Haynes [00:15:08]:
Here's the crazy thing about buy in. When you get your team to buy in, they'll buy in with or without you being there. The Monday morning meetings, I think I've said this before. I was so excited. We had snow. I came in late, but my team got there on time. And we start our Mondays at 6:45. It starts with a meeting.
Tonnika Haynes [00:15:29]:
It was Tuesday when we went back to work. So this is not even Monday. I'm running late. I walk in the office and they are sitting there waiting for the Monday morning meeting. Okay, that was a win for me. And I was so tickled on the inside. But this is another one. When I came to my service advisors with the goal for this year, and I said, this goal for this year is going to be up by 20.
Tonnika Haynes [00:15:53]:
I want 1.1875. And Stuart looks at me, he said, oh, so we need to do 2 million. Yes, we do need 2 million.
Ashley Kaplan [00:16:03]:
Love that. And it just.
Tonnika Haynes [00:16:06]:
Those are the little things that, you know, that your team buys in that you're leading appropriately. And that's something that I have to consistently work on. It's the leadership. I tell you, I didn't buy into that mess before you do it, because I said so. No, at the end of the day, I do have the last say, but all of their input matters to me. Santana came home the other day. He's like, hey, mom, we moved some stuff in the office, and we moved this picture, and we did that, and I attacked. I was like, who.
Tonnika Haynes [00:16:30]:
Who told you to move? Who. Who? Don't you move nothing in my office? He said, well, mom, the racks were here, and it's easier for them to get to the racks as I'm sitting there. And I was like, I don't like it. But I had to catch myself because everybody came together and I don't work in the front office. But I was going to tell you where to put the racks for all the ros. Because I said, so. What kind of leadership is that? So I was like, don't you move anything else. And then I got.
Tonnika Haynes [00:16:56]:
And I said, okay, it looks nice. You were right.
Josh Oberlander [00:17:01]:
Yeah. You gotta get your team involved, stimulate them. You gotta, like, even with me, you know, being open with all of our numbers. My team knows our revenue numbers. They know scary turn. Yeah, they. They know the ins and outs, and they know their impact on it.
Ashley Kaplan [00:17:17]:
Yeah.
Josh Oberlander [00:17:18]:
You know, we're. We're a team here trying to achieve something, so.
Tonnika Haynes [00:17:21]:
Yep. Yep. All right, guys. I love it. That last 15 minutes, we're going to use that some kind of way. Ain't that right, Braxton? Yes, Ms. Tanika, we are. Alrighty.
Tonnika Haynes [00:17:28]:
I'm gonna go because it's 1:23. I have not had anything but tea, and I'm gonna go and enjoy some Mexican food and my mortgage, and I want you guys to have a really, really good day, and we will talk to you again, Josh. Okay?
Josh Oberlander [00:17:42]:
Awesome. Pleasure. Really.
Tonnika Haynes [00:17:43]:
All right, thank you. Take care. Downshift with Tanika is where we slow down long enough to have real conversations. Hosted by myself, second generation shop owner Tanika Haynes. This goes beyond your car count, your KPIs. We want to talk about leadership, legacy, mindset, and the messy, beautiful journey of building something that lasts. You will hear stories from shop owners, technicians, and other industry leaders who are figuring it all out by themselves in real time. This is a space for growth, tough love, laughter, and leveling up.