The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast

Thanks to our Partners, Shop Boss and AppFueled Have you ever looked at a customer who spent thousands with you, loved your shop, left great reviews... and then just disappeared? You know- that head-scratching moment. We’re going to unpack it for you today! Kim Walker explores the real reasons loyal customers disappear after what seemed like a great visit and shares seven practical insights to hel...

Thanks to our Partners, Shop Boss and AppFueled This week, Caroline Legrand and Hallie Wasinger take over the mic to break down one of Meta's biggest changes for businesses in years: Meta One . They explain what this new subscription service is, how it differs from Meta Verified, and what it could mean for auto repair shop owners who rely on Facebook and Instagram for marketing. From enhanced acco...

Thanks to our Partners, Shop Boss and AppFueled Today, we're tackling a challenge that almost every shop owner faces. You know social media is important. You know your marketing performs better when it's authentic and showcases your people, your culture, and the incredible work happening inside your shop every day. But somewhere between the excitement of getting started and the reality of running...

Thanks to our Partners, Shop Boss and AppFueled AI is moving fast, but most shop owners are still trying to figure out where it actually fits into their business. Joe Schindler has gone far beyond experimenting with ChatGPT and is putting AI to work in ways that save time, improve processes, and create better experiences for both customers and employees. In this conversation, Joe joins Brian Walke...

Thanks to our Partners, Shop Boss and AppFueled Some shops sponsor a Little League team and call it community involvement. Others build their entire business around serving people. Patrick Weidman and Jean Bradley have spent decades creating a culture where giving back is simply part of how they do business. From Ladies’ Night educational events and teen driver workshops to supporting local food p...

Thanks to our Partners, Shop Boss and AppFueled Let’s be real. Your team probably needs a break more than they need another meeting. Brian and Kim Walker talk about their fifth annual team retreat, why they intentionally do almost no work during it, and how getting away together has helped their remote team reconnect, rest, laugh, and build real culture. Whether you take your shop team to the beac...

Thanks to our Partners, Shop Boss and AppFueled AI isn’t just changing SEO. It’s changing the way people choose an auto repair shop. Brian Walker sits down with Michelle Travis to talk through what shop owners need to understand about AI-first SEO, zero-click search, brand trust, reviews, content depth, and why website traffic may go down while lead quality goes up. They also dig into why the old...

Thanks to our Partners, Shop Boss and AppFueled AI is no longer something that’s “coming.” It’s already changing the way auto repair shops get discovered, build trust, and attract high-value clients. In this conversation, Brian Walker sits down with Doug DeLucca and Chris Luoma to talk about what happens when an auto repair shop embraces an AI-first SEO strategy and starts creating the kind of con...

Thanks to our Partners, Shop Boss and AppFueled Let’s be real, nothing feels better than when your marketing is firing on all cylinders. Phones ringing, bays full, your team moving fast. And then… it just stops. No warning. No clear reason. Same budget, same ads, same strategy but the results? Gone. In this episode, Kim Walker breaks down exactly why that happens and, more importantly, what to do...

Thanks to our Partners, Shop Boss and AppFueled Most shop owners are out here making big decisions based on gut feelings, a few loud customer opinions, or whatever seems like a good idea in the moment. And sometimes that works… but a lot of times, it doesn’t. What if you had a way to pressure test your ideas before rolling them out? What if you could hear directly from the people you actually want...

Thanks to our Partners, Shop Boss and AppFueled Leadership isn’t always about learning how to manage other people. Sometimes it’s about getting uncomfortable enough to finally lead yourself. In this episode, Brian talks with J.R. Portman about his experience at Bold Advanced Leadership, a training that pushed him physically, mentally, and emotionally. They talk about enthusiasm, honesty, trust, ge...

Thanks to our Partners, Shop Boss and AppFueled You got the customer. You did the work. You got paid…and then they disappear. That’s not normal, and it’s costing you way more than you think. Kim Walker digs into the loyalty gap that keeps auto repair shops stuck in a transactional cycle and shows why customer loyalty is built in the space between visits, not just at the counter. From follow-up and...

Thanks to our Partners, Shop Boss and AppFueled Two hundred episodes in, and a lot has changed. In this milestone conversation, Brian and Kim, look back at the biggest shifts in auto repair marketing since episode one, from the rise of AI and Local Service Ads to the growing importance of your Google Business Profile, reviews, trust signals, automation, influencers, and short-form video. It’s a re...

Thanks to our Partners, Shop Boss and AppFueled From learning automotive repair beside his father in the Republic of Congo to building a successful shop and YouTube channel in Maryland, Deo Kitoko’s story is a powerful reminder of what hard work, humility, and persistence can build. In this conversation, he shares how he taught himself advanced diagnostics through books and YouTube, why he started...

Thanks to our Partners, Shop Boss and AppFueled If your shop looks and sounds like every other shop in town, you’re just another option in the sea of sameness. In this episode, Brian Walker sits down with Rick White of 180BIZ to talk about what it really takes to differentiate your shop, attract the right clients, and stop competing on price alone. They dig into market, message, and medium, and ex...

Thanks to our Partners, Shop Boss and AppFueled Big goals require big standards, and that is exactly what Brian Walker and Parker Branch dig into in this conversation from VISION. Parker shares why he refuses to accept playing small, how coaching helped shape his growth, and what it looks like to push yourself, your team, and your vendors without burning relationships. They also get into financial...

Thanks to our Partners, Shop Boss and AppFueled Training is expensive, and too many shop owners treat conferences like a reward instead of a real investment in the future of their business. In this conversation with Matt Wagg at VISION 2026, we get into how smart shop owners can build a true talent pipeline by aligning training with business goals, creating development plans for their team, and ma...

Thanks to our Partners, Shop Boss and AppFueled Sometimes the problem isn’t the conference. It’s the mindset you brought with you. Brian Walker takes on the chatter that came out of the VISION Conference and makes the case that seasoned shop owners may be expecting the wrong thing. When you’re new, every class feels like a breakthrough. But as you grow, your role has to shift from taker to giver,...

Thanks to our Partners, Shop Boss and AppFueled Brand building doesn’t always come from ads, funnels, or traditional marketing; it often comes from bold decisions, authenticity, and doing things differently. Zeb Beard of Stroker’s Diesel and Automotive shares how sponsoring a professional fisherman, building a massive and unforgettable shop, and leaning into unconventional branding strategies have...

Thanks to our Partners, Shop Boss and AppFueled Most shops say they “do the right thing.” Mark Lowe from Yeck's Auto Repair went out and proved it by earning the BBB Torch Award for Ethics. In this conversation, we dig into what the award actually measures (hint: it’s way more than reviews), what the application process revealed about their business, and how the recognition boosted team pride and...

Thanks to our Partners, Shop Boss and AppFueled What would happen if someone walked into your shop tomorrow and took over your marketing for the next 90 days? No theory. No fluff. No “someday” ideas. Just a step-by-step execution plan designed to fill bays, tighten up your processes, and position your shop as the obvious choice in your market. In this episode, Brian lays out exactly what he would...

Thanks to our Partners, Shop Boss and AppFueled Meta Verified isn’t just for celebrities anymore, and no, it’s not just about that little blue checkmark either. In this episode, Hallie Wasinger and Caroline LeGrand from Shop Marketing Pros dig into five solid reasons why your auto repair shop might want to seriously consider Meta Verification. We’re talking real-world protection from impersonators...

Thanks to our Partners, Shop Boss and AppFueled December 16th, Shop Marketing Pros’ Google Ads MCC was hacked — and what should’ve been a quick fix turned into an eight-day nightmare of lost access, fraudulent campaigns, and even attempted $500,000 account “preload” charges. Brian Walker and Hallie Wasinger lay out the full timeline (warts and all): what the hackers changed, why leaving them “view...

Thanks to our Partners, Shop Boss and AppFueled You might be tracking average repair order, car count, even gross profit, but are you looking at your average estimate? In this episode, Brian Walker sits down with coach and shop owner Chris Cotton to dig into what may be the most underutilized KPI in the auto repair industry. Chris lays out real numbers, explains why average estimate is a crystal b...

Thanks to our Partners, Shop Boss and AppFueled You joined the Chamber of Commerce - great move. But now what? This episode pulls back the curtain on why just paying your dues and slapping a sticker on your window doesn’t cut it. The chamber isn’t a vending machine where you drop in money and business pops out, it’s a networking powerhouse if you actually use it. We dig into how to evaluate your l...