The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast

Get to know Darrin Barney, the family man, Jeep Enthusiast, multi-business owner, and friend to many. Take away some helpful tips, but a ton of inspiration from the owner of Barney Brothers Off Road and Repair and Elite Worldwide. Thank you to RepairPal for sponsoring The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast. Learn more about RepairPal at https://repairpal.com/shops Show Notes Outdoor Adventures and Fami...

Our first auto repair shop was named “Behind the Star.” That may make you want to stop listening right now as we clearly had no idea what we were doing. But if we learn from our mistakes, we have a more comprehensive education than most! Through the years as we’ve worked with many different clients, we’ve seen just about every problem a business could have with a name. In this episode, we share so...

One topic we rarely talk about is radio, yet we have a story of very successfully using radio advertising to market our own auto repair shop. Radio was different back then, but our strategy can still work, and the idea works across all mediums. We hope you’ll listen in to the story of Jack Boston, Bill LuMaye, and Peak Automotive. Thank you to RepairPal for sponsoring The Auto Repair Marketing Pod...

In a world where so many great lessons come from failing, people are afraid of failure. We see this a lot, especially when it comes to marketing. Every time you learn something that doesn’t work, it puts you closer to finding something that does. So why do people give up on marketing so early and build belief systems that certain types of marketing “don’t work” when the evidence points to the cont...

In this episode, Kim and Brian talk about the conferences and other events they will be attending and teaching at in 2024. These conferences are great opportunities to network with other shop owners and auto repair professionals, as well as “sharpening the saw” and become a better business person. Thank you to RepairPal for sponsoring The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast. Learn more about RepairPal a...

As we approach the end of the year there have been many discussions and questions about annual marketing planning. In this episode, Kim chats with shop owners Matt Wagg and LauraLee Schmidt about their successful planning and execution of their shop’s annual marketing planning. We dissect what’s needed to prepare to plan, how to plan, and how to monitor and adjust. Show Notes with Timestamps Annua...

2023 was a great year for The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast. There were 52 new episodes for you to learn from and be inspired by. As the hosts of the podcast, we love them all, but for you, we each went through the list and picked our 5 favorite episodes. If you haven’t listened to these, we’re sure you’ll enjoy them and pull some nuggets of wisdom to make your business and life better. Thank you...

In this podcast episode, Brian and Kim welcome guest Caroline Legrande to discuss the concept of adopting an annual theme for business. They explore how a theme can shape marketing strategies and internal culture, reflecting on their own "slingshot" theme's positive influence on their goals and team dynamics. The episode also touches on the creative and fun aspects of integrating the theme into ma...

In this episode of the Auto Repair Marketing Podcast, hosts Kim and Brian Walker discuss the topic of bankruptcy with industry coaches Rick White and Cecil Bullard. Each guest shares their personal experiences with bankruptcy, providing insights into the emotional and financial struggles they faced. They discuss the importance of learning from past mistakes, seeking professional advice, and mainta...

In this episode of the Auto Repair Marketing Podcast, hosts Brian and Kim Walker discuss the negative impacts of fragmented marketing on a brand. They stress the importance of a cohesive marketing strategy, consistent branding, and the role of a brand style guide. They share their experiences and the lessons they've learned in marketing their auto repair shop. The hosts also discuss the changing l...

In this podcast episode, Brian Walker and Kim discuss the importance of being ready for marketing in the context of auto repair businesses. They highlight four signs that a business may not be ready for marketing, including a high comeback rate, poor phone skills of service advisors, low Average Repair Order (ARO), and low or no profits. They stress the need to address these issues before focusing...

In this episode of the Auto Repair Marketing Podcast, host Brian Walker talks with Caroline Lagrand, Senior Messaging Strategist at Shop Marketing Pros. They discuss the importance of retention marketing in the auto repair industry, emphasizing the need to focus on existing customers rather than just acquiring new ones. Caroline shares insights on how to use social media, email marketing, CRM foll...

In this episode, Kim interviews two young ladies who have taken over the marketing roles in their families’ auto repair shops. Calla Bourdeau of Rowes Garage and Callie Grace Burris of Frog Pond Performance talk about their roles, the challenges they face, and what it’s like to be young marketers in the world of auto repair. They also give advice to other young professionals who may be considering...

In this episode of the Auto Repair Marketing Podcast, host Kim Walker and her team at Shop Marketing Pros discuss the importance of marketing security. They provide tips on securing marketing assets, managing passwords, verifying identities on platforms like Facebook and Google, and identifying spam and scams. They also emphasize the importance of knowing who has access to your accounts and regula...

Recorded Live at AAPEX 2023, Carm is joined in studio with Aftermarket Radio Network hosts Brian Walker and Matt Fanslow for milestone episode 900. Carm discusses the process of creating the podcast, the journey to expand to the Aftermarket Radio Network and how his daughter Tracy became a crucial part of the team, starting as an editor and eventually working full-time with him. Carm also reflects...

In this episode of The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast my guest is Hallie Wassinger, Digital Ads Manager for Shop Marketing Pros. Hallie talks about the first 90 days for a new Google Ads campaign and how important it is to have patience during that time period of machine learning and manual optimization. Thank you to RepairPal for sponsoring The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast. Learn more about Repai...

Inspiring story of a shop owner Kendall Warnock who went from growing up on a Native American reservation to successfully owning and operating a thriving business. Thank you to RepairPal for sponsoring The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast. Learn more about RepairPal at https://repairpal.com/shops Show Notes with Timestamps Growing up on the reservation (00:03:20) Kendall shares his experience of grow...

Maylan Newton, founder of ESI Seminars, has a chilling story of a day that started like any other day but ended in a year-long road to recovery that gave him a passion for helping shop owners be prepared for the worst case scenario. Maylan shares his story and gives tips to make sure your team and your loved ones aren’t left with a burden in the case where the day you hope never comes, comes. Than...

This episode was born out of a question that was asked in our Facebook group, The Auto Repair Marketing Mastermind. The question was, “What are you doing to market around the slow times that happen around the holidays each year?” Join your host, Brian Walker, as he talks with Coach Chris Cotton about marketing through the slow times, time blocking, and taking care of yourself. Thank you to RepairP...

The Weekly Blitz is brought to you by our friends over at Shop Marketing Pros. If you want to take your shop to the next level, you need great marketing. Shop Marketing Pros does top-tier marketing for top-tier shops. Click here to learn more about Top Tier Marketing by Shop Marketing Pros and schedule a demo:https://shopmarketingpros.com/chris/ Check out their podcast here: https://autorepairmark...

In this episode of the Auto Repair Marketing Podcast, host Kim Walker discusses the topic of attracting college students as customers for automotive repair shops. She shares her conversation with Lucas Underwood, owner of L&N Automotive, who plans to send direct mail to college students offering a free oil change every other oil change they pay for. Kim emphasizes the importance of building tr...

Scott Rusnak is the author of “The Entrepreneurs’ Field Guide; Design Your Life Before Somebody Else Does It For You”. In this episode, Brian and Scott dig into actionable steps that business owners can implement to make sure they are living the life they want to live. Thank you to RepairPal for sponsoring The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast. Learn more about RepairPal at https://repairpal.com/shops...

In this episode of the Auto Repair Marketing Podcast, host Brian Walker welcomes Coach Nate Bailey as his guest. They discuss "what do you really want?" and the importance of understanding one's desires beyond career goals. They delve into the challenges of identifying what one wants, the impact of societal stigmas, and the need for clarity and support in the process. Coach Nate shares his persona...

In this podcast episode, Brian Walker interviews Don Stardy from GLP Automotive, who shares his experience creating a new logo for his shop. Don explains that he wanted a logo that accurately represented his business and attracted more customers. He decided to run a logo design contest through 99 Designs and received a total of about 160 designs to choose from. After a difficult selection process,...

Some years back I took part in a boot camp for businessmen where they physically and mentally beat us down. My big takeaway was to “stop stopping”. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about marketing, coaching, growing a business, learning, dieting, working out, or whatever. We all need to stop stopping. Thank you to RepairPal for sponsoring The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast. Learn more about Repai...