The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast

This shop is too slow. This shop is too busy. This shop doesn’t know either way. It wasn’t long ago that we heard a good bit of chatter regarding shops who were experiencing slow days but most recently we have experienced shops on the other end of the spectrum. They’re too busy and have mentioned pausing their marketing. In this episode, we discuss what shops can do to shift their marketing instea...

During Today's episode #104 The crew from SMP and I Talk About: What is a Chicken Flicker? Behind-the-scenes dirt on Kim & Brian from SMP What's the best part of your work day? What's the difference between a successful client and one that isn't? What would your advice be for a shop starting out that isn't able to hire someone like SMP? How cute is Dutton? Favorite Cartoon Character? What did...

Kim + Tracy Capriotto spend time in this episode laughing, chatting, and sharing about key moments in the industry, career transitions, and working with family. Tracy shares her battle with an internal dialogue.  Thank you to our friends at RepairPal for providing you this episode. RepairPal is the key that unlocks more business for your repair shop. Learn More at RepairPal.com/shops Talking...

Thanks to our partner, RepairPal. Visit the Web HERE There are times in life when you get called to make big moves. Brian and Brittany Hemry experienced just this when they felt God call them to pack up their family from a comfortable home and job in Washington State and move to Tennessee where they would open Independent Auto and Diesel. Listen in to their inspiring story of obedience followed by...

Thanks to our partner, RepairPal. Visit the Web HERE Mac Akram is the owner of Mac’s Complete Auto Repair in Chandler Arizona. Mac’s story is an amazing story of perseverance and making things happen. As a young child and teenager, Mac and his family lived in war-torn Baghdad, Iraq. Listen in on this episode to hear the inspiring story of Mac moving to America, learning to be an auto tech, and eve...

Talking Points October 5, 2021 - Do you remember last year when Facebook/Instagram went down? Or on August 8, 2022, when Google Search, Maps, Drive, and YouTube went down.  If you’ve got all your marketing eggs in the Facebook basket, or the Google basket, or worse you don’t even own your own website…. It would surely be nice to be able to send an email out to your customers.  What about...

Being the auto repair shop for fleet customers requires a different way of marketing. You’re not going to gain fleet customers doing the same marketing you do for retail customers. In this episode, we share real-life marketing tips and strategies to help you land those fleet customers you want! Talking Points This is ALL about the relationship Develop your customer avatar for fleet customers Make...

Talking Points Statistics The way people search is very different Searches are longer Searches are more conversational You need to answer questions in complete sentences This is one reason why blogs are so important Search queries are longer but your answers need to be short and concise Optimize for featured snippets Write the way you talk - natural language Include questions in your content - lon...

Talking Points Kathleen Long: One of the hardest working women in auto car. A woman of action and impact. She’s a big believer in the value of mentoring. Has a glass-break alarming laugh :)  RepairPal is setting/ limiting what prices I can charge to my customers with their estimator. I don’t need RepairPal because I already have plenty of business and I get great marketing for free through wo...

If you want to get a good fight started in the automotive industry, all you have to do is start a discussion about coupons or discounts. In this episode, we dig into the topic. Should you use coupons in your marketing strategy? Thank you to our friends at RepairPal for providing you with this episode. As shop owners, we were part of RepairPal’s Certified network, and you can learn more at RepairPa...

ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence bot by OpenAI. Lots of things get called disrupters, but this truly is a disrupter. We probably need a stronger word than that to describe what this may do to our industry and many others. Let’s talk about using AI in your shop’s marketing. Talking Points What is ChatGPT Other AIs (Jasper/Jarvis) Does it just search the internet? The ChatGPT User Experience Sh...

With the challenges of hiring post-pandemic in an industry where there is an actual shortage of skilled labor, it’s important that you do everything you can to get a leg up on your competition. Yet most shop owners pay zero attention to the careers page on their website. In this episode, we talk about how to build the perfect careers page that will help entice great technicians to come work for yo...

As we approach 2023 I know a lot of people are concerned about what the year may bring from an economic standpoint. The financial gurus can’t seem to agree as to whether or not we’re in a recession, but my thought is this. If we are in a recession, choose not to participate. That’s what this episode is all about. We’ll call it “creating your own economy” You ever notice how no matter what’s going...

Today our guest is Chris Cotton, owner of AutoFix Auto Repair Coaching, and also the host of The Weekly Blitz with Chris Cotton - which is also part of Aftermarket Radio Network Most often when a shop owner starts seeking out marketing options they’re doing it because they perceive they have a car-count problem. There are certainly cases where that is true, but there’s more to revenue than car cou...

What does it say to you when a business doesn’t use the product or service they sell? It’s not a good look. But many shop owners drive busted cars and have loaner cars that need service, and it shows. It’s time that you eat your own dog food. Talking Points Marketing is anything that makes an impression on people about who your company is Your business is auto repair What condition are your loaner...

Hey friends! Welcome to our newest episode of the Auto Repair Marketing Podcast.  When working with higher-performing shops, they aren’t always looking for more cars. We very often hear that they’re looking to attract higher-quality clients. But how do you do that with your marketing? We answer that question in this episode of The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast. Talking Points Higher quality m...

Do you struggle with saying yes to every "opportunity"?  Is life controlling you or are you controlling it?  Can you answer the question "Why were you created"?  Kim shares her story of how living a life with intention and purpose can leave you feeling satisfied and fulfilled. Talking Points What if your 3  year old asked you “do you have another one of those meetings tonight,...

In this episode, Kim talks about how non-marketers can create a very useful marketing plan that will keep you organized and on budget. Talking Points A real marketing plan that’s fluid, can be edited and accessed quickly The 3-book auto repair marketing MBA. Read these 3 books: The Ultimate Guide to Auto Repair Marketing They Ask You to Answer Building a StoryBrand Who is your preferred customer?...

Auto repair shop owners and business owners, in general, like to chase shiny objects, and marketing is no exception - and sometimes those shiny objects are worth chasing - but not until you have the foundations in place first. So what are the foundations when it comes to marketing? Kim and I answer that in this episode. Talking Points What if everything you know about marketing is actually what’s...

You’ve heard the old saying that “failure to plan is planning to fail”, right? This is especially true when it comes to your marketing. Unfortunately, most shops have no plan, and it shows in their roller coaster revenues. But how do you plan it all out? Brian and Kim talk about exactly that in this episode of The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast. Talking Points Failing to plan is planning to fail Wh...

Aren’t core values something you just hang on your wall and forget about? That’s how I used to feel about them until I had an enlightening. Core values and culture spread throughout your organization - even into your marketing. Kim and I have a conversation about marketing, culture, and core values in this episode. We hope you’ll listen in! Talking Points Mission. Vision. Values. Everyone talks ab...

There’s no lack of discussion about this topic throughout the Aftermarket Radio Network, but it’s made such an impact on our business that we have to add in our thoughts. The thing that we’d implement… is EOS. The Entrepreneurial Operating System. EOS will fix nearly any problem in your business, and we’ll never run another business without it. Listen to hear why we’re so passionate about it! Talk...

The number of awards available for auto repair shops to apply for can be overwhelming, but very few shops actually apply for them. Recognition for your shop or your staff brings many opportunities for marketing, showing appreciation, and more. Savvy shop owners will prioritize getting these awards, Listen as Kim and Brian talk about why. Talking Points Every year there are multiple opportunities t...

Have you ever been in a place in life where you never seemed to be satisfied? Where nothing made you happy? Where every time you got something you’d been working towards you were met with disappointment? This is where I (Brian) found myself and it caused me to go on a journey to figure out why. In this episode, I talk about what I found along that journey. How To Get In Touch Group - Auto Repair M...

Short format video (Reels, TikToks, YouTube Shorts) is the latest trend in social media. This week we met up with Justin Allen at ASTE. Justin serves Western North Carolina as the “Nice Guy at Large” with Hunter Engineering Co.. If you know Justin, you know he’s a pro at using short-format video. If you don’t know Justin, you’ll definitely want to follow him after you listen to this episode! Talki...