The Institute’s Leading Edge Podcast

institutesleadingedgepodcast

The Institute’s Leading Edge Podcast is where forward-thinking Automotive Service and Repair Shop Owners come to sharpen their skills, expand their knowledge, and gain an edge in today’s competitive market. Hosted by The Institute’s team of seasoned consultants and leaders with decades of real-world experience, you’ll get direct, actionable advice tailored to the unique challenges of running and growing an auto repair business. Each episode feels like a one-on-one coaching session. Whether it’s improving profitability, building stronger leadership skills, mastering marketing, developing your team, or planning for long-term success, you’ll find strategies you can implement right away. Have a question about your shop? Send it in, and we’ll answer it on the show.

  1. Oct 20

    Content Starts Inside Your Shop: What's Worth Sharing?

    224 - Content Starts Inside Your Shop: What's Worth Sharing? October 20th, 2026 - 00:58:03 Show Summary: Great marketing starts with the everyday moments happening inside your auto repair shop. Melissa “Birdie” Patterson shares how authentic photos and videos can build customer trust and strengthen your shop's reputation. Discover how customer interactions and technician accomplishments can become engaging social media content. Learn how to involve your entire team in capturing meaningful stories that attract customers and showcase what makes your business unique.   Host(s): Jimmy Lea, VP of Business Development   Guest(s): Melissa Patterson, Automotive Trainer & Shop Growth Strategist Show Highlights:   [00:04:00] – Discover why effective marketing starts inside your own shop. [00:09:40] – Everyday repairs and customer interactions create valuable marketing opportunities. [00:12:30] – Turn digital vehicle inspections into months of social media content. [00:14:30] – Learn why videos create stronger engagement than photos alone. [00:18:45] – Focus your marketing on your most profitable automotive services. [00:22:00] – Authentic team photos help customers feel comfortable before visiting. [00:28:00] – Community involvement builds recognition and strengthens local customer relationships. [00:33:00] – Customer experiences and team accomplishments create compelling marketing stories. [00:42:30] – Adding context transforms ordinary shop photos into meaningful content. [00:49:00] – Empower your entire team to capture stories worth sharing.   In every business journey, there are defining moments or challenges that build resilience and milestones that fuel growth. We’d love to hear about yours! What lessons, breakthroughs, or pivotal experiences have shaped your path in the automotive industry? Share your story with us at info@wearetheinstitute.com, and you might be featured in an upcoming episode. 👉 Unlock the full experience - watch the full webinar on YouTube: https://youtu.be/CpK22rm1TQc   Don’t miss exclusive insights, expert takeaways, and real talk you won’t hear anywhere else. Hit Subscribe, drop a comment, and share it with someone who needs to hear this!   Links & Resources:  Want to learn more? Click Here Want a complimentary business health report? Click Here See The Institute's events list: Click Here Want access to our online classes? Click Here ________________________________________ Episode Transcript Disclaimer This transcript was generated using artificial intelligence and may contain errors. If you notice any inaccuracies, please contact us at marketing@wearetheinstitute.com.   Episode Transcript: Jimmy Lea: Hello, friends. Good to be here with you. Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, or good night, depending on when and where you're joining us from today. No matter where you're joining us from today, my name is Jimmie Lee, and I'm with the Institute for Automotive Business Excellence. Here with the Leading Edge podcast, as we're going to discuss some of those things that help you as a shop owner to make your business bigger and better and more awesome. Jimmy Lea: We're gonna lock arms together, and in this presentation, we're gonna talk about things that are gonna help you as a shop owner. It may be things that you need to hire out, it may be things that you can do yourself. Either way, it's really important that we pay attention to where our clients are, where our customers are. Jimmy Lea: So be part of that. If you're joining us live, we are live streaming on StreamYard, as well as Facebook and YouTube. Thank you for being here with us today, and my guest today is Bertie. Melissa Bertie Patterson. Peterson or Patterson? Melissa Patterson: It's Patterson. Jimmy Lea: Bertie Patterson. She is flying high. She's getting her pilot's license. Jimmy Lea: Congratulations on that. How's that going? Melissa Patterson: Oh, it's coming along, slow but surely, step by step. Next month I'm working on it real hard. Jimmy Lea: Oh, that's awesome. Yeah. Congratulations. How many hours have you clocked so far? Melissa Patterson: I currently have 17 hours, and hopefully I'll be in my mid-20s to 30s, and I'm starting ground school in October. Jimmy Lea: Ni- we in, are in October. Melissa Patterson: Oh, November. Jimmy Lea: So that'll probably be after Apex SEMA. Are you headed out for Apex SEMA in Las Vegas? Melissa Patterson: I totally missed that with my calendar. I don't get to attend this year. But I'm gonna spend a lot of quality time with my family, and I need to do that, so- There you go Melissa Patterson: that's my priority in November. Jimmy Lea: There you go. That's important. That's important. Melissa Patterson: FOMO. Jimmy Lea: Yep, yep. We will... You will be experiencing high levels of AKIMO. Forget about the FOMO. This is AKIMO. AKIMO is actually knowing you are missing out. Melissa Patterson: Ah, I like that. Yes, this is an intentional choice. Jimmy Lea: Yes. And- and good for you. Jimmy Lea: That's awesome. Congratulations. Spend time with the family. Be there with them. Have a really good time, because that's absolutely important. And to our presentation today, to our information today, as we lock arms as shop owners in this industry that we love, the automotive aftermarket, social media is where your clients are spending a tremendous amount of their time. Jimmy Lea: If you've ever wondered, check out your children, check out your spouse, check out your neighbors, your friends, and ask them to pull up in their cellphone and show how much time they spend screen time on their cellphone. Many times it's six, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11 hours screen time on their smartphones. Jimmy Lea: So where are they spending that time? Chances are it has to do with social media. And Birdie, that's why you're here, sister. Thank you very much. I'm excited for this information. And for our audience, Melissa is going to share a lot of information, so if you've got questions, type them into the questions box. Jimmy Lea: I'll be the voice for you. I'll ask those questions as, as we're going through. So if you have a question, let's ask it immediately. Don't wait till the very end- ... 'cause you'll forget. Ask it as it's happening, and I'll be the voice for you so we can ask these questions of Birdie. So with that, Birdie, let's go to your presentation, and let's hear this information you've got to share with us in anticipation of the Mars X- m- the Mars intensive that we're doing at, in Ogden. Melissa Patterson: I'm very excited about upcoming Mars class, and so I created a spinoff presentation about content that starts inside your shop. So yes, I'm Melissa. Most people call me Birdie, and of course there's a story behind that. But let's just go with that I've had this nickname since the day that I was born. I have spent the last 30 years inside the automotive industry working alongside shop owners, and I specialize in organic marketing. Melissa Patterson: I help shops get found, build trust, and become the shop that customers choose and recommend without relying heavily on Paid advertising. There's a time and a place for it, and I think it's important to use it, but I really do believe that this organic marketing and showing who you are as a shop matters. Melissa Patterson: So one of the things that I learned over the years is that marketing never s- stands alone. Everything inside your shop is connected. It's interactive. And the experience that your customers have, the way that your team is working together, the systems that are supporting your business, and really that's the culture that you're creating. Melissa Patterson: Ultimately, it's the kind of shop you're building for the future, which is a big part of my goal of growing shops. I want independent shop owners to have these practical resources. You don't have to feel like you have to figure it out alone. You have this huge supportive team, the Institute, thank you. We're all here for you. Melissa Patterson: So that is really the lens that I'm bringing into every class that I teach. It's practical, real world, and built for what is happening inside your busy shop. Which brings us to this class, because when we're talking about marketing, one of the very first places that I think we need to look is not somewhere outside of the shop, it is right here inside your base, at the front counter, at the conversations, these interesting repairs, the people, the team, and those are completely ordinary moments to you that are happening every single day. Melissa Patterson: So that's where I wanna start because the content does, it starts inside your shop Hey, Jimmy, before we get into it, w- I'd like to know who's with us. Jimmy Lea: I can tell you from the quick comments that are coming through, John Firm, Buckin Buckaroo Bob out of Fort Worth, Texas. He is here with us. Owner, Melissa Patterson: right? Jimmy Lea: Yep. Melissa Patterson: Shop owner. Jimmy Lea: Great. He is a shop owner. He does a lot of fleet business. Now, he does have a question, so we'll come to his question here in a second. We also have... Yeah, you can't put that up yet. Yeah. We also have AutoFlow. AutoFlow is here with us, and that is Craig O'Neill- Yay, Craig ... with AutoFlow joining us from from back east. Jimmy Lea: I- Wonderful ... believe Craig is in Michigan, if I'm- Yeah ... remembering Melissa Patterson: oh, Tanika. Hey, Jimmy Lea: girl. Tanika is here. Hey. Hey, girl. Auntie Tanika is in the house. Thank you for joining us, Tanika, and as we support Birdie here in, in this presentation, talking about social media, and the new queen for social media is definitely Tanika, talking about her 3:00 AM how do I turn my brain off at 3:00 AM post. Jimmy Lea: Did you see that this morning? I'm Melissa Patterson: so stinking proud of you, Tanika. Jimmy Lea: Oh, tha

  2. Oct 14

    223 - Retention Is Not a Roll of the Dice: What Actually Brings Customers Back

    223 - Retention Is Not a Roll of the Dice: What Actually Brings Customers Back October 14th, 2026 - 00:41:20 Show Summary: Customer retention is built through meaningful relationships rather than discounts. Marta Fuentes of Pitcrew Loyalty shares how automotive repair shops can increase customer loyalty through rewards programs and community involvement. Learn how personalized incentives encourage repeat visits while supporting local charities and strengthening customer relationships. Discover practical strategies for improving retention and increasing car count while protecting profitability.   Host(s): Jimmy Lea, VP of Business Development   Guest(s): Marta Fuentes, Director of Customer Development & Strategy Show Highlights:   [00:02:49] – Loyalty rewards encourage repeat visits without reducing service value. [00:04:35] – Community partnerships turn customer rewards into meaningful local connections. [00:06:35] – Charitable giving strengthens relationships and encourages greater customer spending. [00:11:15] – Customizable rewards programs encourage customers to return for future services. [00:13:20] – Proper financial planning protects profitability when implementing loyalty programs. [00:16:45] – Special rewards tiers recognize local heroes and strengthen community loyalty. [00:20:05] – Convenience often drives loyal customers toward competing repair shops. [00:22:00] – Easy appointment scheduling and transparent rewards improve customer retention. [00:30:15] – Starting small makes customer loyalty programs easier to implement successfully. [00:36:25] – Referral incentives help struggling shops attract new customers and increase car count.   In every business journey, there are defining moments or challenges that build resilience and milestones that fuel growth. We’d love to hear about yours! What lessons, breakthroughs, or pivotal experiences have shaped your path in the automotive industry? Share your story with us at info@wearetheinstitute.com, and you might be featured in an upcoming episode. 👉 Unlock the full experience - watch the full webinar on YouTube: https://youtu.be/IES8tCiqZvg   Don’t miss exclusive insights, expert takeaways, and real talk you won’t hear anywhere else. Hit Subscribe, drop a comment, and share it with someone who needs to hear this!   Links & Resources:  Want to learn more? Click Here Want a complimentary business health report? Click Here See The Institute's events list: Click Here Want access to our online classes? Click Here ________________________________________ Episode Transcript Disclaimer This transcript was generated using artificial intelligence and may contain errors. If you notice any inaccuracies, please contact us at marketing@wearetheinstitute.com.   Episode Transcript:  Jimmy Lea: Hello, friends. Super excited to be here with you again. Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, or good night, depending on when and where you're joining us from today on this live podcast. We are streaming across StreamYard as well as Facebook and YouTube. Super excited for us to have this conversation that we're gonna have here today. Jimmy Lea: It is live. I will be the voice for the audience. If you have questions, comments, concerns, put them into the comments section or the chat section of the whatever browsing device that you're watching this from. And to make sure that you know how to do that, those who are here live, go into those comments, type in your city, state, and the name of your shop. Jimmy Lea: Love to give you a shout-out for those who are here for the live event. Because today, joining us for this conversation, as we are going to be talking about customer loyalty And what is new in the customer loyalty realm, we've got Pitcrew Loyalty joining us here today. And joining is Marta. Marta, thank you for being here. Jimmy Lea: How are you? Marta Fuentes: Hello. Thank you for having me. I'm doing great. Excited to be here. Jimmy Lea: Good. Good. Good. I'm so excited that you are coming back again as we celebrate the demise and the death and the RIP of discounts. Was this- May they- This will be the, Rest in peace. May they rest in peace. Is this the second or third anniversary of that celebration? Marta Fuentes: This officially with the Mars community, it's the first- Second ... anniversary, so second time. Jimmy Lea: Yeah, second event that you're attending, and this will be the one-year anniversary that we announced that. The RIP is still in Cecil's office. He absolutely loves that, death of the discount. Yeah. Super excited that you guys did that at the Mars conference, which is happening. Jimmy Lea: Mars conference, October 26, 27, 28. Scan the QR code there, and let's get you to this conference. It is amazing. It's a conference where you as a shop owner can come in with your marketing department, or maybe you are the marketing department. Let's sit down and talk about your shop, your needs. We've got two days of instruction followed by a third day of workshop, intense workshop that we're sitting down and planning out an entire year of marketing for you, for your shop. Jimmy Lea: And because we sit down and we take time and we plan this out, it is in easy chunks, easy for you to do. And Marta will be there as well. So we're excited for you to join us in Ogden, Utah. So let's talk about that. Marta, you're coming to Mars. You're coming with Pitcrew Loyalty. What is new in the customer loyalty world? Marta Fuentes: So as we know, loyalty programs work. I've recently started joking that we're the Kohl's Cash of auto repair, right? And if you've ever used Kohl's Cash, you know you love it. So part of what is very cool about loyalty rewards is that they are earned. By the customer. And even though that's a very obvious statement about loyalty rewards, it's really powerful because there's a big difference in the perception of why you are getting what you're getting. Marta Fuentes: And it doesn't take the value of what you are doing and change that value every day and make it into this variable affected by the season, and what you received in the mail, or what you were able to capture on the internet. But instead it's about, hey, no, this is what you earned, and also we are rewarding you for being a great car owner. Marta Fuentes: Because at the end of the day, when people are taking care of their cars in the community, things are just better. We have fewer broken down cars on the side of the road. We're getting the kids to school on time. We're getting ourselves to work on time. Things look better. The air is cleaner. And so rewarding people for being a great car owner is such a different notion than discounting to earn their business. Marta Fuentes: And with this in mind, with s- this community lens, one of the things that we look at is how else can we involve the community and maybe make it a little bit fun? Because let's face it, nobody goes to the auto repair shop because they're ready to have a really good time, right? We unfortunately Jimmy Lea: have- Not usually. Jimmy Lea: They may show up for the good coffee and the great conversation, but for the good time? Marta Fuentes: So what we are doing with our loyalty program is we're also creating opportunities for people to engage in the community and make it a little bit fun, right? So there's things like let's involve ourselves in doing something good together, like a charity, right? Marta Fuentes: Yeah. So your shop picks out a charity, and then you can donate your rewards to the charity. Now you're doing something good. Now you're engaging with your repair shop, with your community. You're effectively donating somebody else's money. But you have choices of what to do with your rewards, and that's a really big part, actually, of a rewards program that's successful. Marta Fuentes: Are you giving people autonomy to make choices about what they wanna do? Do you want to apply this to your own RO? Do you wanna donate it to charity? Do you need to transfer it to that college student nephew that needs brakes? And giving people these choices creates a better sense of trust and loyalty, and also fun. Marta Fuentes: We help people have inside the community relationships with other locally owned businesses so that as a rewards holder at Bob's Garage, I all of a sudden also get a free cup of coffee every time I buy a cookie at Brenda's Cookies, and this is all because I'm a part of that loyalty rewards program. Marta Fuentes: So it takes it away from the transactional and brings it into relationships, into the community, and into a little bit of fun. Jimmy Lea: Oh my gosh. So you're talking- It's just great ... about such great things as community involvement. I love the community involvement side of it, whether we're supporting a, a homeless shelter or the animal shelter or domestic violence, victims of domestic violence and families that are broken. Jimmy Lea: What is your community? Where are your people? So I have a bunch of ideas running through my brain. So as clients come in and they purchase, what is the dollar amount that goes into their loyalty rewards program, a- and at what point do you say, "Okay this is $1,000 that we're gonna give to the Dove Center, and of that $1,000, you contributed, and you contributed. Jimmy Lea: You need to be there for this event because you're, this is your contribution making this happen"? Talk us through how does that work? Marta Fuentes: So it is... So what we see, first of all, is that a person who chooses to use their rewards for good through you by donating it to a local charity, they go on to spend 24% more than those who don't. Marta Fuentes: So this is good creating good, creating community. Now, the way that the whole thing works is as a shop owner, you are in control of how you're going to do this. How much do you want to raise? And what we also know is that it's

  3. Oct 7

    222 - Ask Me Anything: Do Successful Shops Market Differently?

    222 - Ask Me Anything: Do Successful Shops Market Differently? October 7, 2026 - 00:56:52 Show Summary: Successful shops create steady car count through consistent marketing and strong customer relationships. Growth comes from combining digital visibility with community involvement and proactive follow up. Shop data helps identify the right customers while measuring which marketing efforts actually work. Strong service advisors turn those opportunities into appointments by clearly communicating value. Long term success depends on attracting loyal customers instead of relying on discounts or loss leaders. A diverse customer base also protects the business from losing too much revenue when one major account disappears.   Host(s): Lucas Underwood, Shop Owner of L&N Performance Auto Repair and Changing the Industry Podcast Cecil Bullard, Founder of The Institute   Show Highlights: [00:03:00] – Successful shops use multiple marketing strategies to maintain consistent car count. [00:10:00] – Existing clients can provide immediate opportunities when business gets slow. [00:16:00] – Proactive service reminders help customers stay ahead of needed maintenance. [00:23:00] – Small shops can compete through personal service and trusted relationships. [00:28:00] – Marketing investment should support growth and produce measurable returns. [00:33:00] – Long scheduling delays can waste marketing and drive customers elsewhere. [00:39:00] – Service advisors must believe in the process and communicate its value. [00:44:00] – Loss leaders attract price driven customers instead of loyal relationships. [00:49:00] – Use shop data to prepare marketing before predictable slow periods. [00:53:00] – Never let one customer become a dangerous share of revenue.   In every business journey, there are defining moments or challenges that build resilience and milestones that fuel growth. We’d love to hear about yours! What lessons, breakthroughs, or pivotal experiences have shaped your path in the automotive industry? Share your story with us at info@wearetheinstitute.com, and you might be featured in an upcoming episode.   👉 Unlock the full experience - watch the full webinar on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ARmPzbVnvKw   Don’t miss exclusive insights, expert takeaways, and real talk you won’t hear anywhere else. Hit Subscribe, drop a comment, and share it with someone who needs to hear this!   Links & Resources:  Want to learn more? Click Here Want a complimentary business health report? Click Here See The Institute's events list: Click Here Want access to our online classes? Click Here ________________________________________ Episode Transcript Disclaimer This transcript was generated using artificial intelligence and may contain errors. If you notice any inaccuracies, please contact us at marketing@wearetheinstitute.com.   Episode Transcript: Lucas Underwood: Good afternoon, everybody. My name's Lucas Underwood. I own L&M Performance in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, a little itty bitty auto repair shop. I'm also one of the hosts of the Changing the Industry podcast. Today, Cecil Bullard and I are gonna be doing an ask me anything. We're gonna kick it off with marketing, but as you guys know, Cecil and I, we kinda ramble and go all over the place. Lucas Underwood: So it doesn't just have to be a marketing question. If you have a question about shop ownership, jump in in the comment section and ask your questions. Cecil, good afternoon. How are you, sir? Cecil Bullard: I am fantastic. If I, if I was any better, I'd have to be twins. Lucas Underwood: Oh my goodness. I don't think the world is ready for that. Cecil Bullard: No, it's not. Lucas Underwood: At least most of the people at the institute are like, "Oh no, not that." Cecil Bullard: Not that. Lucas Underwood: Oh, man. Cecil Bullard: Um- Probably most of my clients too, so. Lucas Underwood: Yeah. Yeah. I, I... Listen, I don't need any more butt chewyns than I get right now. Um, I, I don't need two of you at the same time- Yeah ... coming and, uh, and ripping my shop apart. Lucas Underwood: So, um- Cecil Bullard: Oh, I don't- Lucas Underwood: Cecil? ... Cecil Bullard: your shop apart. Come on now. You do that yourself. Lucas Underwood: I know, right? Hush. Um- Cecil Bullard: Shut your mouth, boy. Lucas Underwood: That's it. Yeah. That's it. Hey, so let's talk marketing here a little bit, and, and I think where we wanna go with this is let's talk about what differentiates a successful shop from, I don't wanna say an unsuccessful shop, but a shop that may not be as successful. Lucas Underwood: Is, is there something that you're seeing in the marketing? When we're looking at, at how they're marketing their shops, the things that they're doing, is there a tell? And, and here's why I think this is a, such a important topic, such an important question, is Cecil, you see these shops differently than everybody else does. Lucas Underwood: You kinda see them, um, in, in the worst of the worst way. You get to see what's broken, and you get to be part of what fixes it. And so you're able to see so many shops with that very, very precise macro, uh, lens where we can see the inner workings of the shop, and I'm just wondering, do you see trends? Do you see things that are like, "Hey, I keep seeing this in successful shops and I don't see it in unsuccessful shops"? Cecil Bullard: It's funny too c- 'cause this, I just had a conversation with a, with a client, um, who is struggling at this point a bit, and, uh, they were like, "Hey, is everybody else struggling right now?" Yeah. You know, we got an election coming up, et cetera. And- Lucas Underwood: Yeah ... Cecil Bullard: there are... Everything's on a bell curve. Like, all data is kind of thrown on a bell curve and kinda analyzed that way. Cecil Bullard: Yeah. Probably the top 10 or 15% of the shops that are on the curve- Mm-hmm ... are literally the same top 10 or 15%, give or take one or two shops. So you have shops that will move in there and stay in there. You'll have shops that move in and out a little bit. Um, there's a bottom 10% or so, and then there's the rest in the middle. Cecil Bullard: Yeah. And there is a difference, right? Lucas Underwood: Okay. Cecil Bullard: And, and, and let's, we're gonna, I'm gonna try to keep it on marketing, but I wanna make a statement here 'cause somebody is gonna come online, uh, one of the trolls is gonna say, "Well, we don't market our shop. We're busy," and all of that. And I'm gonna say- Yeah, I Lucas Underwood: don't need marketing Cecil Bullard: yeah, I'm gonna say, "God bless you," right? Yeah. You must be doing something right. Lucas Underwood: Yep. Cecil Bullard: And, uh, I will say that the shops that are consistently consistent, meaning I've got the kinda car count I want, give or take, um, they are doing multiple things in their marketing. So- Lucas Underwood: Yeah ... Cecil Bullard: it's not just one thing, right? Cecil Bullard: When you, when you talk about marketing, you know, uh, I don't know, go back 15 years, "Oh, I need a website." And, and if you had a website, you were ahead of anybody else no matter how bad or how good the website was. You were just ahead. Right. Right? And then it's, um, well, now Google, uh, is looking at keywords on the site, and there are things that Google likes and things that Google doesn't like, and so I need to understand what those are. Cecil Bullard: And, um, you know, kinda probably at that point, you know, having my brother-in-law do my site or having, you know, me doing it, um, got out of, out of our range. Yeah. Right? Um, and so we have shops that have these sites that are six, eight, 10 years old. The brother-in-law originally did it, the mother-in-law, whatever, and, um, it's no longer kind of valid, right? Cecil Bullard: Yeah. It's, it's not- Lucas Underwood: It's not effective in today's market ... Cecil Bullard: it's, yeah, the, the, the algorithm changes, uh, I don't know, last year 300 times or something. Yeah. And there were eight or 10 major changes. Major means, you know, minor is we made a little bump here and we decided that one keyword wasn't what this keyword is. Cecil Bullard: Yeah. Major is we're gonna completely almost restructure this and think about this differently. So, you know, you kinda move in and all of a sudden, uh, Google Maps has become probably the most important thing, and that's say, four years ago, maybe five years ago. Uh, I need to be on Google Maps, so I need a website. Cecil Bullard: I need, uh, I need to have the right keywords and keyword phrases, and I know that we've changed language a little bit, but we're, i- in a way, we're still talking about keywords and keyword phrases. Whether it's on my, on my website, on our reviews, on my replies to my reviews, on the blog that I have on YouTube or, or Facebook or on my site- Wherever and everywhere Cecil Bullard: and everywhere else or all of that, we're still in a way talking about keywords and key phrases that Google likes. And, uh, then, then all of a sudden it was kind of important that if I was on Google Maps and someone was recommended to my shop by Google, and that person came into my shop and then went on and, and, uh, did a review and did a good review with the right, you know, good keywords in it, blah, blah, blah, uh, that carried more weight, right? Cecil Bullard: And, and the way I, I look at this whole thing, marketing, even just running the shop in, in marketing You know, he who has the most toys wins, you know? Mm-hmm. Uh, when I was a kid, it's like, oh, if you have motorcycles and boats and, you know, money in the bank and a big house, and then you won. But in marketing for any business, whether it's shops or anything else, if you have the most, uh, keywords, if you have the most, um, reviews, if you have the- Yeah Cecil Bullard: best r

  4. Oct 1

    221 - AI Search Is Here: Is Your Auto Repair Shop Showing Up?

    221 - AI Search Is Here: Is Your Auto Repair Shop Showing Up? September 30th, 2026 - 00:55:13 Show Summary: AI is changing how drivers search for automotive repair and Yelp is becoming part of that discovery process. Shop owners can improve their visibility by claiming their Yelp page and keeping business information accurate. Photos services reviews and messaging provide valuable context that can help customers find the right shop. A strong digital presence across Yelp and other platforms creates more opportunities to reach customers wherever they search.   Host(s): Jimmy Lea, VP of Business Development   Guest(s):   Melissa Underwager, Owner/Co-founder, Merrick Marketing Alexandra Goldie, Partner Account Director, Yelp Inc Show Highlights:   [00:08:00] – Yelp explains how its review system treats businesses equally. [00:13:00] – Yelp data can help inform local searches through ChatGPT. [00:18:00] – Claiming your Yelp page creates the foundation for visibility. [00:21:00] – Authentic shop photos help customers understand your business. [00:27:00] – Yelp visibility extends beyond people visiting Yelp directly. [00:34:00] – Faster lead responses can improve opportunities to book customers. [00:38:00] – Negative reviews can demonstrate how your shop handles problems. [00:43:00] – Accurate profiles help shops strengthen their AI search presence. [00:51:00] – Consistent business listings strengthen your overall marketing presence.   In every business journey, there are defining moments or challenges that build resilience and milestones that fuel growth. We’d love to hear about yours! What lessons, breakthroughs, or pivotal experiences have shaped your path in the automotive industry? Share your story with us at info@wearetheinstitute.com, and you might be featured in an upcoming episode. 👉 Unlock the full experience - watch the full webinar on YouTube: https://youtu.be/kq1nrxFwW3M   Don’t miss exclusive insights, expert takeaways, and real talk you won’t hear anywhere else. Hit Subscribe, drop a comment, and share it with someone who needs to hear this!   Links & Resources:  Want to learn more? Click Here Want a complimentary business health report? Click Here See The Institute's events list: Click Here Want access to our online classes? Click Here ________________________________________ Episode Transcript Disclaimer This transcript was generated using artificial intelligence and may contain errors. If you notice any inaccuracies, please contact us at marketing@wearetheinstitute.com.   Episode Transcript: Jimmy Lea: Hello, friend. It's so good to be here with you for our conversation and our discussion today. We have some amazing guests that are gonna have some awesome conversations. And hopefully, by the end of this, love it or hate it, but hopefully by the end of this, you fall in love with some new technology, some new information that is changing us, changing our industry, changing the way people find your shop today. Jimmy Lea: My name is Jimmy Lea. I'm with the Institute for Automotive Business Excellence, and you are lead- you are listening to the Leading Edge podcast. I am so excited to be here with you. For those that are here, type into the comments your shop, your city, your state. Would love to give you a shout-out. For those who are here for the live event, and for those who are listening to the recording, this is in every Wednesday at 1:00 PM Eastern, 10:00 AM Pacific, we are putting up with the Leading Edge podcast. Jimmy Lea: So if you are out there, I will be the voice for you. Type in your questions into the comment section now that you know where that comment section is. We're live streaming on Facebook, on YouTube, and here in StreamYard. So excited for our conversation. Today we are speaking with digital footprints and we are speaking with Yelp. Jimmy Lea: So this is gonna be phenomenal. My guest is from Merrick Marketing, Melissa. Melissa is joining us from Merrick Marketing. Melissa, thank you for being here. Good afternoon. How are you? Melissa Underwager: Good afternoon. Great. Excited to be here. Jimmy Lea: Oh, good. Melissa Underwager: First time, Jimmy Lea: I'm quite excited as well. Yeah. This is gonna be so much fun. Jimmy Lea: For so many years we talk about the digital footprint, and these shops, there's things that they can do themselves, there's things that they can do with some assistance, and then there's things that they need to hire a company to do- ... for them. And Melissa, I am so glad that you're here so we can have this conversation talking about marketing and all these things that help shops in- Melissa Underwager: Yeah Jimmy Lea: their local- Our Melissa Underwager: goal today is it's very educational. So- Yes ... they can have takeaways they can do themselves. Jimmy Lea: Perfect. Perfect. This, that's exactly where we wanna be. And joining us from Yelp is Alexandra. She is joining us as the partner for account director. Thank you, Alexandra, for joining us. So excited that you're here. Alexandra Goldie: Thanks for having me, Jimmy. Super excited to be here. Jimmy Lea: Nice. And Melissa, just like we were talking, this is things that shops can do themselves. And Alexandra, thanks for joining us and having this conversation, because there is a history between the automotive industry and Yelp that hasn't been pretty. Jimmy Lea: So hopefully with recent events and recent things that have been happening, hopefully we can now have a better understanding and fall in love with the new technology. So with that, Alexandra and Melissa, I'm gonna turn it over to you. Melissa Underwager: Great. Thank you. We are gonna address some of your concerns or things we've heard, as we- Yeah Melissa Underwager: have been out there in this industry. And, we've been a big part of educating, which helps change people's minds and see it a little differently. And and Yelp is a leader right now in, paid and organic AI. And we're excited to have Alexandra here. She's a partner. She's our partner at Yelp, and she helps us navigate it. Melissa Underwager: So she's the expert, so we're gonna let her do most of the talking. Alexandra Goldie: Nice. That's- Thanks, Melissa Melissa Underwager: Yeah. Alexandra Goldie: Good afternoon, everyone. Super excited to be here. As Jimmy mentioned, I'm a partner account director at Yelp. I work on the partner team, specifically with agency partners like Merrick Marketing to help local businesses grow, and I'm super excited to be here today with you all. Alexandra Goldie: We're gonna discuss AI's impact on local search broadly, what that means for the auto repair industry, and how you can take action on Yelp to best position your business. Please ask questions, interact in the comments. We wanna hear you. Jimmy will be moderating the comments. So to kick things off here I wanna make sure everyone can see my screen first of all. Jimmy Lea: It's coming up. It's coming up. There it is, buffering. Alexandra Goldie: Awesome. Igniting Jimmy Lea: AI's ground truth. Alexandra Goldie: Awesome. All righty. To kick things off, I wanna have a really brief video intro to Yelp for anyone who might not be familiar. So here we go. Alexandra Goldie: Highlights, Yelp is everywhere. Whether you need an oil change, an AC installed, a lawyer, or a place to grab lunch. But the way people are searching both on and off Yelp has shifted. Over 50% of consumers now use AI to discover local businesses, which is especially exciting for auto repair because drivers are often on the road when they realize that they need a service. Alexandra Goldie: In the past, if my check engine light went on, I'd likely wait until I got home to do retr- research and probably take a really good amount of time searching, reviewing, and contacting businesses before making a decision. Where now, I can simply ask my dashboard or ask ChatGPT while I'm driving, so I can focus on my safety while AI does the research for me Jimmy Lea: So I have a question. Yeah. Is there a, a deeper relationship with Yelp and AI that... 'Cause usually I'm not pulling up chat to search for something while I'm driving, but I might ask Siri, "Hey, Siri, find me something." Alexandra Goldie: That is a fantastic question. So Yelp has a many faceted layers of different relationships. Alexandra Goldie: So you mentioned Siri. We have partnerships with Siri, Alexa, Apple Maps. For more broadly, we also will get into this in just a little bit, but we've recently entered into a official partnership with ChatGPT, and then we also are featured in Dash, so in the navigation systems of several large car brands, as well as in Garmin. Alexandra Goldie: So especially relevant here for auto, and we'll touch on that in a bit. But I think broadly and what this slide here really conveys is how the AI models are trained. They don't actually know if an auto re- repair shop is reliable. Their results come from how that how that training is implemented into their system. Alexandra Goldie: Yelp has over 20 years of user-rich content, which is why Yelp has been so naturally prevalent in AI results over the past year. Yelp brings the human experiences that AI models do trust, and that is why largely we're taking that step back to talk about AI because no matter what AI you're using, no matter what large learning model, Yelp has been the most cited source pretty overwhelmingly this year. Jimmy Lea: Oh, interesting. That's fascinating. Alexandra Goldie: And while there are over one billion weekly users on, say, ChatGPT alone, many consumers haven't trusted AI. So while the adoption's rising, a lot of folks haven't trusted, especially early on. And so while these models are certainly impressive, like I said, they don't really know that th- it's reliable. They don't know where this comes from. Alexandra Goldie: And so some business owners, like many o

  5. Sep 23

    220 - Your Marketing Worked. Don’t Lose Them on the Phone.

    220 - Your Marketing Worked. Don’t Lose Them on the Phone. September 23, 2026 - 00:50:41 Show Summary: Strong marketing gets the phone ringing but the customer experience determines what happens next. Every inbound call is an opportunity to build trust and turn customer needs into appointments. Shops can improve results by answering consistently and following a clear call flow that keeps the advisor focused on solutions. Tracking missed calls and appointment conversions reveals where revenue is being lost. Regular coaching supported by call data and AI analysis can strengthen advisor performance. Better phone habits can increase car count and revenue while building lasting customer relationships.   Host(s): Wayne Marshall, CEO & Industry Coach Guest(s): David Boyd, Founder & CEO of Callinbound Show Highlights: [00:02:00] – The phone serves as the front door to your shop. [00:05:00] – Fast callbacks can recover missed customer opportunities. [00:08:00] – Answering more calls can dramatically increase car count. [00:12:00] – Learn the customer’s name and guide them toward an appointment. [00:16:00] – A call flow creates structure without sounding robotic. [00:22:00] – Clear expectations and regular measurement improve advisor performance. [00:25:00] – Assume the appointment and offer customers specific scheduling options. [00:30:00] – Track call volume sources response times and appointment opportunities. [00:36:00] – Ten additional appointments can create significant annual revenue. [00:40:00] – Consistent coaching turns phone calls into stronger customer relationships.   In every business journey, there are defining moments or challenges that build resilience and milestones that fuel growth. We’d love to hear about yours! What lessons, breakthroughs, or pivotal experiences have shaped your path in the automotive industry? Share your story with us at info@wearetheinstitute.com, and you might be featured in an upcoming episode.   👉 Unlock the full experience - watch the full webinar on YouTube: https://youtu.be/GemSNtnPXuc   Don’t miss exclusive insights, expert takeaways, and real talk you won’t hear anywhere else. Hit Subscribe, drop a comment, and share it with someone who needs to hear this!   Links & Resources:  Want to learn more? Click Here Want a complimentary business health report? Click Here See The Institute's events list: Click Here Want access to our online classes? Click Here ________________________________________ Episode Transcript Disclaimer This transcript was generated using artificial intelligence and may contain errors. If you notice any inaccuracies, please contact us at marketing@wearetheinstitute.com.   Episode Transcript: Wayne Marshall: Welcome. Glad to have you here today for this podcast that we've put together. Today we're gonna be talking about your marketing work, so let's not lose 'em on the phone. Today we wanna welcome in David Boyd, who is the owner of Call Inbound, who is gonna be with us as we talk a little bit about some of the things that we need to be mindful of when we're dealing with those inbound calls, setting those appointments, some best practices. Wayne Marshall: And also, as we will do and what their company does, is taking advantage of some of that technology, and the things that are going on that can and make us more effective when it comes to the phone calls. David, welcome to our podcast today. David Boyd: Thank you, Wayne. Always great to see you. I realize this as you're introducing here, I'm jealous of your studio. David Boyd: I think I need to up my game. So I I appreciate the institute. Of course we go way back and I, I love what you guys do. It's great to be a part of it. Wayne Marshall: Today we're just gonna kick it off because we know as many shops and many owners out there, and managers of, we work hard. Work really hard to have good marketing. Wayne Marshall: We want our name to be recognized, we want people to see us, think about us, be top of mind, so that when that service is needed, obviously they call us first before they call anybody else. But we also know that with that process, and before anybody can have the great customer experience that as shop owners everybody wants to deliver, we gotta answer the phone. Wayne Marshall: We gotta get the appointment. So I'm gonna jump right in, and you talk about it. I know in your business when you talk to many people who are clients, customers of Call Inbound, you start off with the importance of why people even call. And what are some of the reasons or what are some of the things that happen on those first calls that come in, and your front desk people, service advisor, or might even be a receptionist, are answering the phone. Wayne Marshall: So let's just set the stage. Why is this important? What are we doing? David Boyd: Wayne it's a great question and I don't know that we talk about that with owners often enough. The, the phone is your front door in at least 80% of your interactions with customers. So what is, what does your welcome mat look like? David Boyd: And the way that we deal with customers on the phone says a lot about our business, our trustworthiness, our credibility, and how are we building trust and confidence with that customer to really set the stage for not just that particular moment that they're calling about a need with their vehicle, but for the next visit and the visit after that. Wayne Marshall: Very true. With that, and that phone rings- ... Wayne Marshall: What are some of the things that you've seen? 'Cause again, I know with your company a lot of calls are recorded. You, along with owners, listen to some of those, recordings or what those calls are g- or what's happening with them. What's one of the biggest common mistakes that you see that happens when that phone rings for the first time? David Boyd: The biggest thing that, that really catches my attention immediately is distractedness by the service advisor or the call handler. Maybe it's the manager, maybe it's the, the customer service rep if you have one of those in your shop. Maybe it's the service advisor. But the, the distractedness is the most obvious thing. David Boyd: Distractedness comes through on the other end of the phone and speaks loudly about what's going on in the shop. So distractedness sounds like they, the, the, the phone gets, it's picked up and I'm still finishing- Yeah ... a conversation somewhere else, and then it's "Oh, yeah. A- ABC Auto." And that distractedness is overwhelming in many cases and can really be off-putting for the customer Wayne Marshall: Yeah, I know. Wayne Marshall: I have my own pet peeve, and I know what... And it could be any service industry that we work within. And we've all called different people, and they answer, they identify who they are. "Thank you for calling. Will you hold please?" And before I can say yes, no, or anything else, it's, you hear yourself going on hold. Wayne Marshall: Bam. And I'm like wait a minute. And that hold, I don't know if that's gonna be a few minutes or I shouldn't say minutes. I don't know if that's gonna be 20, 30 seconds or that's gonna be two or three minutes. David Boyd: Yeah. Wayne Marshall: And you know what it feels like. Two, three minutes can feel like an eternity anymore because we're so used to that instant gratification. Wayne Marshall: And you're right. And the other thing that we see when we coach and talk to people is if you can't answer the phone, obviously it's gonna go to a voicemail. How do you manage those voicemails? How do you... What's the timeliness of? What are some things that you're seeing when it comes to that and how people are responding? David Boyd: We do at Call Inbound we do a fair amount with voicemail to try to drive efficiency and effective contact points back to the customer. One, being aware that a call was missed is super important. So we may we may flag or trigger that to the team at the shop and say, "Hey, there was a missed call." David Boyd: And because the other thing that happens often that can be pretty detrimental to our car count and our cash flow is customers that don't leave a message. Overwhelmingly, customers won't leave a message, so we need to know that they have called and identify that a call was missed, and then proactively notify the team. David Boyd: That gives us a good opportunity to contact them back. Typically, if we have the ability to get back to a customer within 5 to 15 minutes, we can we can salvage that, so to speak. If we are not aware and and/or responsive to a voicemail message, then we're likely to lose that customer, which is important. David Boyd: Even if they're a return or a repeat customer, if we're not responding- Yes ... to them it's true that we can't always answer every call. And when I talk to an owner that says we answer the phone every time." Do you? Wayne Marshall: Yeah. David Boyd: We answer the phone every time that I'm aware we answer the phone. David Boyd: The, the fact of the matter is we do miss calls. It happens. And while it might not happen very often, we wanna be aware that the call occurred, we wanna be aware that the call is missed. If the customer left a message understand that message. So what we do is we'll send that out to you as an email with an audio file and a transcription. David Boyd: What I find is driving, the efficiency and effectiveness for customer communication in the shop is when we send that email message with the voicemail the service advisor can read through it or the owner can see it and that's- Yep ... also used after hours. They... You can see it, scan through the transcript really quick and make a determination, what do I need to do with this, right? David Boyd: So we can manage workflow Wayne Marshall: Yeah, I, we had I, and it's always nice to be able to share stories and examples. But we had a coaching

  6. Sep 23

    219 - Turning Shop Phone Calls Into Customers for Life

    219 - Turning Shop Phone Calls Into Customers for Life September 16th, 2026 - 00:50:47 Show Summary: Every phone call is an opportunity to earn trust and build a lasting customer relationship. A clear call process gives service advisors the confidence to connect with customers and secure appointments. Call recording and AI analysis make it easier to identify coaching opportunities and reinforce strong habits. Consistent communication and proactive updates create a better customer experience that keeps people coming back.   Host(s): Jimmy Lea, VP of Business Development   Guest(s): Jeannie Light, Owner of Lighthouse Automotive   David Boyd, Founder & CEO of Callinbound   Show Highlights:   [00:03:00] – Understand what happens when customers call your shop. [00:06:00] – Use real calls and AI to strengthen advisor training. [00:09:00] – Build confidence then guide callers toward an appointment. [00:13:00] – AI finds coaching opportunities without hours of call reviews. [00:17:00] – Reinforce strong behaviors instead of focusing only on mistakes. [00:25:00] – Status calls can expose broken communication processes. [00:29:00] – Proactive updates keep customers informed and reduce uncertainty. [00:34:00] – Advisors need a moment to reset before answering calls. [00:42:00] – Focus on what your shop can do for customers. [00:46:00] – Consistent call reviews create stronger habits and better service.   In every business journey, there are defining moments or challenges that build resilience and milestones that fuel growth. We’d love to hear about yours! What lessons, breakthroughs, or pivotal experiences have shaped your path in the automotive industry? Share your story with us at info@wearetheinstitute.com, and you might be featured in an upcoming episode. 👉 Unlock the full experience - watch the full webinar on YouTube: https://youtu.be/5TRFwwOYABE   Don’t miss exclusive insights, expert takeaways, and real talk you won’t hear anywhere else. Hit Subscribe, drop a comment, and share it with someone who needs to hear this!   Links & Resources:  Want to learn more? Click Here Want a complimentary business health report? Click Here See The Institute's events list: Click Here Want access to our online classes? Click Here ________________________________________ Episode Transcript Disclaimer This transcript was generated using artificial intelligence and may contain errors. If you notice any inaccuracies, please contact us at marketing@wearetheinstitute.com.   Episode Transcript: Jimmy Lea: Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, or good night, depending on when and where you're joining us from today. You can choose your greeting. Hello, friend, it's good to be here with you. We are gonna have a great conversation here today as we talk about communication. Isn't it... It's so important. It's so important that we communicate. Jimmy Lea: So excited to be here with you. Those of you who are here with us live, go ahead and drop in the comment section where it is you're joining us from. Give us your shop name and a city and state. Love to give you a shout-out and say hello. Joining us today as our panel of experts is David Boyd. David is with Call Inbound. Jimmy Lea: I was waiting for the Call Inbound. I was like, "Wait, no, he's got a logo." Is that a new logo? David Boyd: It's Jimmy Lea: good. David Boyd: Thanks, Jimmy. Yeah, great to be here. You know, I love your, uh, your intro, your greeting. Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, or good night. It's kinda like, uh, the, uh, the Choose Your Adventure books we used to read as kids, right? David Boyd: Yeah, yep. And it's, it- it's very much in line with what we're gonna talk about today with, uh, phone calls and training. It's very much, uh, choose your adventure. I'm looking forward to our time today. Jimmy Lea: Yeah, it's gonna be fun. Uh, e- 'cause, you know, we spend so much money on our marketing. We spend so much money to get the phone to ring. David Boyd: Right. Jimmy Lea: Man, we gotta make sure we optimize that phone and make sure we're taking care of business. TCB, Elvis Presley, taking care of business. And joining us today as our, uh, boots on the ground, our owner with, uh, the most, uh, is Jeannie Light. Jeannie owns a couple of shops out in North Carolina in the Outer Banks, Light House Automotive. Jimmy Lea: She is at the second floor on the original OG location. Jeannie, th- thank you for joining. Glad you're here. Jeannie Light: Thank you for having me. Jimmy Lea: Oh, super awesome. I, I was able to do a webinar once upon a time from Jeannie's HQ there- Yeah ... at the home office. That was super fun. Jeannie Light: You sat right here where I'm sitting right now. Jimmy Lea: Yeah. Uh, and I probably used that same microphone, the Yeti. Pro- Jeannie Light: yep. Jimmy Lea: Oh, so much fun. So if ever you are in North Carolina and you are out in the Outer Banks, y- uh, y- if you've seen the show, you'll know that it wasn't filmed there in North Carolina. It was filmed somewhere else, right, Jeannie? Was it in Virginia or something like that? Jeannie Light: Which one? Jimmy Lea: The Outer Banks show. Jeannie Light: Oh, yeah, yeah. Jeannie Light: The OG. It's filmed in South Carolina. Jimmy Lea: South Carolina. Yes. Well, go there. Visit Jeannie at her two different shops, and she'll take you to the OGs of all of those original Fisher fisherman boats and, uh, ex- Expedition people. Uh, my, my son still has a sweater. Um, and in fact- ... I need to get another one from you here this next time. Jimmy Lea: So we'll talk about that in a minute. Jeannie Light: Yep. Jimmy Lea: Super excited that you're here. Thank you, Jeannie. Thank you, David. And, and let's talk about communication. Let's talk about what we can do to help answer that phone and be better on the phone. What do we wanna talk about first here, David, with communication? David Boyd: Yeah, I think so, I mean, you, you, you bring up a good point. David Boyd: I, you know, how, how do we answer the phone? Do we know if we're answering the phone? There's so much that goes along, you know, it... Running a shop anymore isn't so much about, uh, just making the phone ring. The phone rings a lot. And I think, you know, Jeannie and I have had conversations about what's going on in the shop, what do we know about what's going on, do I have any line of sight to whether we're answering the phone. David Boyd: So, you know, most owners are spending a lot of time and energy to make the phone ring. And if, if it gets to s- be slow, the, then, you know, owners, uh, Jeannie, I'm sure you've never done this, but, you know, if it gets to be, like, a slow week, it's always, it's always introspection. Like, what am I doing wrong? Am I over pricing? David Boyd: Am I marketing properly? Am I doing all this stuff? So what do I even know about my call activity? And I think- Yep ... you know, one of the things that is important is to have line of sight to that, uh, to understand, um, you know, how, how many calls are we getting? Are we answering the phone? If we're not answering the phone, what's happening with those? David Boyd: What kind of technology can we use? And Jeannie, I'd love to hear your perspective about some of the things that are important to you as a shop owner. Um- Jeannie Light: Yeah, I mean- Go for it ... I think the cust- I mean, the, um, service advisor answering that call with the right greetings, using the customer's name, you know, that's the most important thing we can do, is really respect the customer and their time and just, you know, get through it as quickly as we can. David Boyd: How difficult would you say it is for you to know what is happening on the front line? If we talk about what's going on in the front office, how historically, maybe not so much now, 'cause I know some of the technology you're using through, through Call Inbound, but how, you know, what, how hard is it to know, uh, what's happening on the front line, those points that you made? David Boyd: Are we answering the phone? Are we using the customer's name? Are we asking for the appointment is another big one. How hard is that? Jeannie Light: It, if you don't, I will say, if you don't have the right equipment and the right provider, whatever, whatever you wanna call it, the right equipment, if your phone calls are not recorded, I think you don't know. Jeannie Light: You don't have a clue. Jimmy Lea: I- I- even more to that, Jeannie, uh, with coaching and training, when it comes to finding a phone call, even if your calls are recorded I can spend two to three hours trying to find a phone call that is coachable. So having it recorded is certainly half the battle, but the other 90% is finding that phone call. Jimmy Lea: Mm-hmm. And I, this isn't a commercial for Inbound, but let me tell you what, Inbound is what we use at the institute. I know it's what you're using as well, Jeannie. Yep. A- and the, the, the ability to have these calls sorted by missed opportunities, these are your really good calls, this is an angry or upset customer. Jimmy Lea: Oh my gosh, it makes it so much quicker and easier- Jeannie Light: Yeah ... Jimmy Lea: to get to those coachable calls. Are you... What do you do as a, a team with your service advisors in coaching phone calls with them, Jeannie? Jeannie Light: Well, we have, um, we have phone scripts. And actually, I sat down with, um, AI and there's, I know there's been a lot of talk about AI in the news lately, you know, it's gonna kill us all, but, um, Jimmy Lea: We have three years. Jimmy Lea: Three David Boyd: years down the road. Jeannie Light: Yeah. Three. Jimmy Lea: Three years, Terminator. Three years. Jeannie Light: Yeah. Jimmy Lea: Nine years according to iRobot, but carry on. Jeannie Light: But anyway, um, no, I, you can take those calls, you can take a

  7. Sep 9

    218 - What Your Opt-Outs Reveal: Your CRM Isn't Broken. It's Being Misused

    218 - What Your Opt-Outs Reveal: Your CRM Isn't Broken. It's Being Misused September 9th, 2026 - 00:55:22 Show Summary: Most CRM systems are capable of producing results but the way shops use them can weaken customer relationships. Mass messages often focus on filling bays instead of delivering value customers actually want. Strong retention starts by understanding communication preferences and earning permission before sending messages. Shops can build stronger relationships by creating meaningful reasons for customers to stay connected. Automation can support that process but it should never replace genuine human communication. Returning customers should become a primary measure of success because lifetime value matters far more than a single repair order. A retention focused culture can create steadier car count and stronger long term growth.   Host(s): Jimmy Lea, VP of Business Development   Guest(s): Craig O'Neill, VP of Training Autoflow   Show Highlights:   [00:02:45] – CRM systems work but shops often misuse their capabilities. [00:06:32] – Mass text blasts can create opt outs instead of appointments. [00:12:10] – Effective communication must focus on what matters to customers. [00:18:18] – Customer retention should create meaningful relationships built on trust. [00:21:08] – Customers should understand why your messages provide real value. [00:27:36] – Promotional mass texts require proper permission before being sent. [00:33:28] – Retention should become a goal across the entire organization. [00:35:02] – Returning customers can reveal more than traditional sales metrics. [00:41:12] – Give customers a compelling reason to return after every visit. [00:45:35] – Safe reliable vehicles provide a powerful purpose for follow up.   In every business journey, there are defining moments or challenges that build resilience and milestones that fuel growth. We’d love to hear about yours! What lessons, breakthroughs, or pivotal experiences have shaped your path in the automotive industry? Share your story with us at info@wearetheinstitute.com, and you might be featured in an upcoming episode. 👉 Unlock the full experience - watch the full webinar on YouTube: https://youtu.be/10RC8L1nKhM   Don’t miss exclusive insights, expert takeaways, and real talk you won’t hear anywhere else. Hit Subscribe, drop a comment, and share it with someone who needs to hear this!   Links & Resources:  Want to learn more? Click Here Want a complimentary business health report? Click Here See The Institute's events list: Click Here Want access to our online classes? Click Here ________________________________________ Episode Transcript Disclaimer This transcript was generated using artificial intelligence and may contain errors. If you notice any inaccuracies, please contact us at marketing@wearetheinstitute.com.   Episode Transcript: Jimmy Lea: Hello, welcome. Glad to be with you today. It is Wednesday, so excited for Webinar Wednesday. Coming to you live from the road. I'm in Eugene, Oregon, here at Brian Slater's shop in Eugene, Oregon. This is the North Eugene Auto Repair in in Eugene, and so coming to you from the road. Thank you, Brian. Jimmy Lea: Appreciate you letting me use your office today as we're out and about visiting shops. It's just an awesome, gorgeous weather here in northern U- northern... no. I was gonna say northern Utah. I'm not in northern Utah. I'm in Eugene, Oregon, and this is not northern Utah, but it is gorgeous weather. Jimmy Lea: So if you don't have gorgeous weather where you are, you wish you were here. We're gonna have a great conversation today. Those of you who have comments, questions, comments, put them into the chat section. That chat section comments allows us to have this conversation back and forth. I will be the voice for You've got questions, comments, concerns for our guest, want to make sure that those are voiced for you, put them in the comments section. Jimmy Lea: My guest with us today is ever-present, ever-linguist, Mr. Craig O'Neill of AutoFlow. Craig, how the heck are you, brother? Craig O'Neill: I'm really good, Jimmy. Really good. I was actually thinking northern Utah, as you mentioned Utah, even though it was Oregon. Both places are beautiful. I can't blame you for the distinction issue there. Craig O'Neill: That was- that's all right. Jimmy Lea: Yeah. Yeah. No it is absolutely gorgeous up here. Now, I will tell you that there is a large lack of mountains in Eugene, Oregon- ... Jimmy Lea: That northern Utah does have, is bounteous mountains. Craig O'Neill: Yeah. A lot of them. Yeah. I can't wait. Ogden, a couple, next month. Next month now is October. Jimmy Lea: Yes. October for the Mars Conference. Craig O'Neill: Yep. Jimmy Lea: Yes. Yes. Speaking of Mars Conferences we're gonna put up a QR code for the Mars Conference. If you scan this QR code, it will get you right onto our registration page, and those sticking around to the very end, there is this very special, very unique offer for anybody who wants to attend the Mars Conference. Jimmy Lea: So stick around, scan the QR code. Save that in your smartphones. We are gonna have a great conversation about marketing. Craig is one of our presenters at the Mars Conference, and super excited for Craig to be here. Craig and I have known each other for a couple of years now, and worked together at a couple of companies, and- Jimmy Lea: glad that we are able to still be friends here in this wonderful industry that we call home. Craig, what are we talking about today? Craig O'Neill: Jimmy, this is the, one of my favorite topics to go into. We're talking about CRM systems, of course. Now I have some opinions about CRM systems. Both of us come from a background that deals in these systems. Craig O'Neill: You have opinions as well, and you have some observations, and my observation is simply this: the systems themselves are capable of some pretty cool things- Jimmy Lea: Yeah ... Craig O'Neill: but we aren't using them very well. The it's not broken, they're being misused, is the title of our conversation today. Your CRM isn't broken, it's being misused. Craig O'Neill: And I don't like to walk into a conversation with "Oh, you're doing something wrong", or on the opposite side of it, I don't like to walk into a conversation as you guys are doing it right. You're just fine, but other people are doing it..." Like I, I've used stuff wrong. I've made mistakes in how I leverage the different systems and tools that are available, and I just believe, and I hope you just go along with us today, there might be a better way than our way that we're approaching it now. Craig O'Neill: Be open to that. Jimmy Lea: Yeah. Be open to it, because what they're, what you as a shop may be doing today is working. Craig O'Neill: Yeah. It's not even a debate. It is getting results of a certain level and type that are appearing to be adequate. Jimmy Lea: Adequate for today. And hopefully with this conversation that you and I are gonna have as we talk about the customer relationship management software Hopefully there's something we can expose shops to that might say, "Hey, maybe there is a different way of doing this." Craig O'Neill: Yeah. Jimmy Lea: So what are these ways? What are the five mistakes that shops make the most, or not the mistakes. What, how can we help these shops improve? Sure. I would call Craig O'Neill: them hurdles that we have to get over, right? Jimmy Lea: Yeah. Yeah. This one it's an opportunity for us to make it better. It's an opportunity to make it better. Jimmy Lea: This is what it is. It's not a mistake. You're not doing it wrong. Consider this. Craig O'Neill: Yeah. We're gonna talk about a lot of things on this, and I think before we even get into those hurdles, let's talk about the nature of communication today. Yeah. People's attention span today, because I think that there's a couple of different things that we need to understand. Craig O'Neill: And first off, let's talk about why we even wanna leverage a CRM system. And for many shops, you might have a sustainable s- sort of automatic practice here, but when you're a busy shop, you feel very successful, and then all of a sudden things are not as busy as they are. This happens to all of us. All the time. Craig O'Neill: We've ... shop, Jimmy, our transmission shop, family business that I came up, down into grew up in, and like we never had a slow spell. The shops around us always had those little slow spells, and we're like, "Yeah, we don't." And that was a good feeling until it happened to us, too. So we're all vulnerable to it, and the knee-jerk reaction that I see is this. Craig O'Neill: People as eventually hit that slow spell. They check, see if other people are experiencing it, too. We comfort ourselves with the fact that others are doing it, defining it as a, a market-wide symptom of broader events that we have no control over. And so then we can just comfort ourselves with another idea. Craig O'Neill: It's like, "Ah, it'll come back around." And I heard this over, and over again from my family who is owner of the business, my, my dad and my grandpa, because that has been the experience. It always comes back around. Why would we ever be okay with the fact that a slow spell also technically always comes back around? Craig O'Neill: And if our knee-jerk reaction to those moments is then to go into a, a degree of marketing or a degree of follow-up or a mass blast text strategy, like I see a lot of people fall into is like, "Huh, the work needs to be drummed up. We'll turn to our CRM system. We'll construct the perfect message and send it out, and then people will make appointments and fill our bays." Craig O'Neill: Sound familiar? Jimmy Lea: Oh, it does. It does. And if we know those, those times are gonna come back around because it's cyclical, what are we doing? We..

  8. Sep 3

    217 - AMA: How the Best Shops are Confident in their Pricing

    217 - AMA: How the Best Shops are Confident in their Pricing September 3, 2026 - 01:03:32 Show Summary: Profitable auto repair shops build pricing around financial data instead of fear or competitor rates. Rising technician pay and rapidly advancing vehicle technology make strong margins essential for investing in people training and equipment. Confidence comes from understanding the true cost of doing business and recognizing the value a skilled independent shop provides. Customers are often willing to pay more when they trust the quality and experience behind the service. Strong systems and productive teams also give owners the foundation needed to grow without sacrificing profitability. Long term success requires clean financials clear value and the willingness to charge what the business needs to thrive.   Host(s): Lucas Underwood, Shop Owner of L&N Performance Auto Repair and Changing the Industry Podcast Cecil Bullard, Founder of The Institute   Show Highlights: [00:01:00] – Rising technician pay makes accurate pricing more important than ever. [00:07:00] – Setting prices based on competitors leaves shop owners flying blind. [00:12:00] – Great technicians use diagnostic data but often ignore business data. [00:19:00] – Confidence means explaining why quality automotive repair costs more. [00:27:00] – Low prices can actually make customers question service quality. [00:31:00] – Build operating reserves before expanding into another shop. [00:37:00] – Create a shared vision to earn staff support for pricing changes. [00:44:00] – Automotive pricing has failed to keep pace with rising costs. [00:53:00] – Independent technicians bring valuable diagnostic skills to complex repairs. [00:59:00] – Clean financials create confidence in what your shop must charge.   In every business journey, there are defining moments or challenges that build resilience and milestones that fuel growth. We’d love to hear about yours! What lessons, breakthroughs, or pivotal experiences have shaped your path in the automotive industry? Share your story with us at info@wearetheinstitute.com, and you might be featured in an upcoming episode.   👉 Unlock the full experience - watch the full webinar on YouTube: https://youtu.be/bk5g3FjpoEo   Don’t miss exclusive insights, expert takeaways, and real talk you won’t hear anywhere else. Hit Subscribe, drop a comment, and share it with someone who needs to hear this!   Links & Resources:  Want to learn more? Click Here Want a complimentary business health report? Click Here See The Institute's events list: Click Here Want access to our online classes? Click Here ________________________________________ Episode Transcript Disclaimer This transcript was generated using artificial intelligence and may contain errors. If you notice any inaccuracies, please contact us at marketing@wearetheinstitute.com.   Episode Transcript: Lucas Underwood: Good afternoon, everybody. My name is Lucas Underwood from Changing the Industry podcast. I'm a shop owner here in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, own LNN Performance Automotive Repair, and today I have the honor to be joined by Cecil J. Bullard, and we are talking pricing here, uh, on today's show, and we're talking about confidence in pricing. Cecil, buddy, how are you? Cecil Bullard: I'm great. I'm Lucas Underwood: great. You're not a has-been yet? Cecil Bullard: Not yet, brother. I'm a still-was, I think, or maybe never was. I don't know, man. Lucas Underwood: I'm a something, right? Cecil Bullard: I'm something. Somebody knows who I am. Lucas Underwood: Man, I love it, and, and listen, we're talking pricing today, and it's really interesting. I'm, I'm headed up to Kentucky, uh, for the Survive or Thrive Thoroughbred Diesel event in October, and I was working on a presentation for them, and it's really about my story as a shop owner. And for those who don't know, I, I started in diesel performance. I was selling diesel performance parts, and one of the things that we faced in the diesel performance world is they had these MAP prices, and all of these online vendors were selling their parts for MAP prices, and I thought I had to compete with that. And one of the biggest challenges I ever faced as a shop owner was overcoming that fear of charging what I needed to charge. So Cecil, how do we get these shop owners who are listening, these shop owners who are gonna view this later, to the place that they're confident in their pricing? Cecil Bullard: It, it's, it's a, a combination of multiple things obviously. I mean, we, uh, I think if you understand, um ... So let's ... See, this is gonna jump around like it always does. Uh, you keep me on focus. Um- Bet. I'll Lucas Underwood: do what I can. No promises. Cecil Bullard: Right, right now we, we have this, this, uh, techs coming in. Uh, had one yesterday, uh, you know, uh, one of my clients is interviewing a tech, and the guy's saying, "I want 100 grand guaranteed." And, uh, you know, I would tell you two years ago that was probably 65 or 70 maybe. Yeah. And so now it's 100,000. And so we have this, um, uh, you know, the, the, the shortage, right? Lucas Underwood: Yeah. Cecil Bullard: And, uh, we have a demand, and we have, uh, a necessity of probably paying more. So if I understand, you know, what I'm paying and why I'm paying it and what I need to pay, then I also have to relate that to my pricing. Because- Yeah ... um, if I don't charge enough, I don't get paid enough to pay the person that I need to enough to buy the equipment, to buy the training. And y- you know, when I, uh, was, was working as a tech, which is a long time ago, um- Lucas Underwood: Yeah ... Cecil Bullard: and, and people will go, "Oh, wow, did the cars have wooden tires?" Yeah. "Or were they rubber?" I was Lucas Underwood: gonna say, I, I Cecil Bullard: can't believe- They, they were rubber, man ... we had Lucas Underwood: cars that long ago, you Cecil Bullard: know? They were, they were rubber, yeah. But, but, um, you know, classes were, uh, few and far between frankly. Mm-hmm. Uh, mainly manufacturers had classes. We didn't have a lot of the aftermarket stuff like Asta that's coming up where we could get great tech training there or- Yeah you know, great management training. Um, and it wasn't ... But it also was very inexpensive in comparison maybe to what training is today. And the cars, of course, were a lot simpler. So there's this idea that, okay, what I'm doing ... Uh, and I think this might be one of the core problems we have with shop owners. They do not understand the value of what they do- For sure ... their knowledge, right? Yeah. Most of them, you know, uh, we still have a, probably a higher percentage of people in our industry that were not ... You know, they don't have a college degree. They didn't, uh, you know, have a master's degree in, in automotive technology or- Yeah or, you know, engineering or whatever that is. Um, and many of these guys, I had a, again, a conversation, uh, Sunday with one of the clients that, um, you know, he's like, "I, I didn't even graduate high school," right? "I, I, uh, I got into drugs. I went to, I went to prison. Uh, I got out of prison. I started to be a mechanic 'cause I, that's, I could do that." And now he owns a shop, and a pretty successful shop. Now he owns a couple pieces of property. And, but- Lucas Underwood: Yeah ... Cecil Bullard: I think if we don't value what we do- Or we don't see the value in what we do. And I also think that, that we have blinders on as, uh- Mm ... shop owners because all we really see, uh, we, and, and how we interpret what we see is probably, uh, very limited. So I drive down- Lucas Underwood: Yeah, through our lens. Yeah ... Cecil Bullard: I drive down these five streets to get to work, and there are three shops, and I drive by, you know, Billy Bob's shop, who is the cheapest guy in town, and I know that, and man, he's got a lot of cars parked outside that shop. He's always got a lot of cars. And then my phone doesn't seem to be ringing, and it's- Yeah a real, it's a natural leap to go, "Well, my price must be too high," right? Lucas Underwood: For sure. For Cecil Bullard: sure. Uh, as opposed, uh, as opposed to, number one, I don't know what Billy Bob's costs are. Yeah. I don't know if Billy Bob, uh, is paying rent, you know, how much rent. Uh, I don't know what Billy Bob's- Yeah ... paying his technicians. Don't Lucas Underwood: even know if he's doing any marketing. Right? And frankly- Those could all be comebacks, right? Yeah, and, and- Like, we don't know Cecil Bullard: Yeah, and frankly, I don't even know if he's making any money at all, right? He might be losing three grand a month, and- Lucas Underwood: That, that's a- But- That's a great point, right? Because I, I've been- Right there, done that, right? Because I, I, I was the guy riding by the other shops, looking at the other shops saying, "Oh, look how busy they are. Look at what they've got going on," not realizing that some of those cars had been sitting there for weeks. They hadn't- Yeah, for months ... got anything done. Yeah. Right. And, and a, as I dug in and I started talking to these guys, I'm going and talking to them, I'm realizing, hey, listen, they're doing twice the amount of work for the same amount of money. I'd rather have an empty parking lot and make the amount of money I'm making as I would- Cecil Bullard: Oh, yeah, yeah. If I'm not gonna make any money, I'd rather not work. I mean- Lucas Underwood: Exactly ... holy smokes, right? Exactly, and look, here, here's what I keep seeing, and I talk to shop owner after shop owner, and this- You know, David gets frustrated because we keep having this discussion over and over again. And he said- Yeah ... "Why do we keep having this discussion?" I said, "Because all of these techs leave shops and decide to star

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About

The Institute’s Leading Edge Podcast is where forward-thinking Automotive Service and Repair Shop Owners come to sharpen their skills, expand their knowledge, and gain an edge in today’s competitive market. Hosted by The Institute’s team of seasoned consultants and leaders with decades of real-world experience, you’ll get direct, actionable advice tailored to the unique challenges of running and growing an auto repair business. Each episode feels like a one-on-one coaching session. Whether it’s improving profitability, building stronger leadership skills, mastering marketing, developing your team, or planning for long-term success, you’ll find strategies you can implement right away. Have a question about your shop? Send it in, and we’ll answer it on the show.

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