The Busy Bays Podcast

If you are currently recruiting, or ever plan to recruit, techs, service advisors or office staff at your shop, you don't want to miss this podcast. We do a deep dive with Chris Lawson, founder of Technician Find, into all things recruiting for auto repair shops.  We asked Chris about job ads, how to expand your reach for candidates, the role that culture plays, and more. Listen now to hear Chris's enlightening insights and to increase your success in finding employees who will be a great fit for your shop! To learn more about Repair Shop Websites, please visit https://www.repairshopwebsites.com/. To learn more about Technician Find, please visit https://www.technicianfind.com/.

Have you lost a technician or two recently that left for more pay? Was it really the pay? When an employee brings up pay or leaves for pay it most often means, "you are going to have to pay me more money: To put up with this crappy work environment To work these hours with no flexibility To work with these people Gallup's study shows that engaged employees need a 31% pay increase to even consider taking a job somewhere else In this podcast we talk about the five best predictors of employee retention and a number of things that you can implement in your shop to help you engage your employees. For additional information see https://www.repairshopwebsites.com/pay-probably-isnt-the-reason-you-are-losing-techs/.

Your auto repair shop should be on Instagram. In this podcast we share the data on consumer use and the changes that Instagram recently made to help local businesses get discovered. Then we detail three levels of Instagram involvement depending on your ability to dedicate time and resources. Level 1 doesn't require a lot and it's well worth the investment of time. Listen now to better understand why it's important to be on Instagram and how you can get the biggest bang for your buck by utilizing the platform. For more information, visit https://www.repairshopwebsites.com/instagram-is-now-a-necessity-for-auto-repair-shops/.

ABC - Architecture, (Back)Links and Content This episode covers the fundamentals of Search Engine Optimization for auto repair shops.  It includes things to look out for and actions you can take to help your website rise to the top of the organic search listings. In this episode we simplify these concepts to make them as straightforward as possible.  There are far too many marketing and SEO experts who try to overcomplicate these concepts to justify the exorbitant fees they charge small businesses. We take the opposite approach. For additional content created to help auto repair shops, please visit our blog at https://www.repairshopwebsites.com/resource-center/repair-shop-advice/.

Apple recently announced the release of Apple Business Connect.  Apple Business Connect is similar to the Google Business Profile,  and would be found on Apple Maps...but it doesn't stop there.  In the announcement, Apple said it would also be used in messages, Siri and other apps. What does Apple Business Connect include?  What is the potential audience?  Are there any early results? We'll cover all of that and more aspects of how Apple Business Connect can be leveraged by auto repair shops.  Listen now!

How many consumers read reviews? How many reviews do they want to see before they’ll consider your shop? What do they do after reading reviews? How likely are consumers to leave a review after being asked to by a local business? How do they prefer to be asked? Why do they write reviews for local businesses? Learn the answers to all those questions and more with this deep dive into the recent survey of 1,300 consumers. If you’ve been hesitant to ask happy customers for reviews this should give you a new perspective!

There are several benefits to texting with your customers and potential customers: Many people use texting as their primary communication method. Including a text box on your website helps potential customers easily reach you. A text conversation can help build a long term relationship while a chat is just a session. In this episode we dive deep into the advantages of texting with Leadferno Co-Founder and CEO Aaron Weiche. Aaron also speaks to some of the concerns that small business owners have about texting with their customers and how Leadferno has been built to handle those concerns. Listen now to learn about the benefits of texting and how you can leverage it to bring in more customers and increase customer satisfaction.

Whether you are in need now, or want to put a plan in place in case you need to bring in new business during a slowdown or dry spell, the following ideas can help. The ideas are mostly low cost, with the cost really going into the time for somebody to execute on them. A key to getting customers in the door quickly is to diversify the ways that you are trying to connect with the vehicle owners in your community.

You are probably always thinking about how your shop looks inside and out because you know that impacts your reputation. But what other things exist with your logo on them? How do you ensure your logo is not associated with aggressive, dangerous driving or unruly behavior? Every interaction with a consumer is a chance to win their business or lose it for life. In this episode we cover some of the danger areas you may not be thinking of when it comes to managing your reputation.

We dove into insurance with Brian, asking him: When you talk to Auto Repair shops, what do you often find they don't realize about the insurance they should be carrying? What are some key factors that insurance companies look favorably upon when deciding to provide the best rates for a repair shop? Should a shop turn every claim into their insurance company? To hear his answers to those questions and more, listen now!