The Challenge:

Wayne's service advisor, Tom, had pretty good sales numbers, but Wayne knew those numbers could be improved because he fully understood the importance of relationship building, and Tom was not building rapport with his customers. Tom was also having quick conversations with customers, and just waiting for the sale to happen rather than educating the customers about the repairs and their importance.

The Solution:

When Tom joined the Elite Masters Program, Doris Barnes and Jen Monclus placed particular emphasis on role plays designed to help Tom build rapport with his customers. They also worked on the questions Tom should ask to keep his customers engaged, showed him how to communicate the benefits of every repair and service to help his customers understand the value, and taught him proven phone procedures that effectively turn callers into customers.

The Results:

When Tom returned Wayne saw the results almost immediately, as within a short period of time Tom's ARO went up $50, and Wayne started receiving positive customer feedback that he was not receiving prior to the course. Wayne says that Tom's level of engagement is a night and day difference since he returned from the course, as he is now spending much more time building rapport, is asking a lot of good questions, and is educating his customers on the benefits of the recommended repairs and services. One of Wayne's favorite recent experiences was when he heard a customer say “no" to Tom at the very beginning of the conversation, then 45 minutes later saw Tom complete the sale with add-on's because of the skills he learned at the Masters Course. In addition to an ARO that is now $50-$75 higher than it was prior to joining the course, Wayne has noticed that his parts margin is now consistently over 55%, has noticed that Tom is converting many more phone shoppers into customers, and is seeing more positive reviews as well. When asked to share his thoughts on the Masters Program, Tom replied “My feelings about the Masters Training Program are this is the best sales training program I have ever been through. Most training programs you sit through a day or half day seminar about how to become a better salesperson. When you leave you always have good intentions to implement things you may have learned in the seminar, but most of the time after a day or two you fall back into your old habits and nothing has been accomplished. In the Masters Program you live the training every day for six months. During this six months you are given the tools to perform better than you ever thought you could. You are given goals and pushed to achieve those goals. When you follow the program you will see situations that you have covered in the training and you will watch your sales grow and grow." Wayne echoed Tom's enthusiasm when asked about the course by adding, “I don't know of any other training in the industry that creates the results I have seen. It is all driven by the accountability that the program demands, and the great instructors."

The Challenge:

Chris Fuller first reached out to Elite because he felt his service advisor, Rob, had lots of raw talent, and wanted to see him progress to the next level. Chris felt that Rob was too often inconsistent in his delivery of information and pricing, and was also allowing his customers to dictate the pace and tone of the conversation. This often left Rob without an opportunity to effectively communicate features, benefits, and other information that his customers needed to hear.

The Solution:

Doris and Jen also saw the talent in Rob, and knew that the Masters training would give him the power to fully utilize it. They first focused on the Chris's primary concerns, and through a series of role-plays showed Rob how to take control of every conversation, and put the focus of the conversation on the features and benefits of the recommended services. They also showed him how to recognize behavioral patterns in his customers, and how to overcome both the most common and most challenging sales objections. Lastly, Doris and Jen knew that if they focused on helping Rob understand why he should believe in the recommendations of his techs and in the profession of sales, that his confidence as a service advisor would grow.

The Results:

The Elite Masters Program proved to transform Rob into the superstar service advisor that Chris always knew he could be. He now handles every customer with confidence and takes pride in knowing that each and every one of his customers is being handled in a professional and ethical way. Rob has also developed a very consistent approach to every customer interaction that enables him to maintain full control of the conversation and spend the necessary time emphasizing the features and benefits of each recommended service, which has increased his ARO by 111% since he graduated from the course. This new, consistent sales presentation, along with his understanding of customer behavior and newfound ability to handle sales objections has enabled Fuller Automotive to capture an average of $4,000 per week that the shop was not capturing previously. However, Fuller Automotive's Masters Program success is not purely financial, as when asked about his Masters Program experience, Chris replied: “We are all aware of how much vehicles mean to people, so it feels great to know that our staff is now handling our customer base in the ABSOLUTE best manner possible."

The Challenge:

John and Justin Devin reached out to Elite because they felt that their shop's customer service and sales process needed to improve. Their customers were hesitant about agreeing to diagnostic/testing fees because they didn't understand it's importance to the repair process, and John and Justin felt that the relationships between their advisors and customers were often strained, at best, due to their advisors' lack of effective communication. Additionally, their customers often had a sense of buyer's remorse since they were not satisfied with the value of the repairs they paid for, and the shop's closing rate was low because sales objections were being treated as the final word, with no attempts being made to put the objections to rest.

The Solution:

John and Justin decided that Justin would attend the Elite Masters Program so that he could use the material to train their advisors. In the initial three days of training, Justin could see his own communication skills improving after going through a multitude of 1-on-1 role playing scenarios with his classmates, and quickly learned how he could use similar role-playing scenarios to train his advisors. Doris Barnes and Jen Monclus provided Justin with specialized training to help him overcome the most common sales objections voiced by his target demographic, and also put particular emphasis on how he and his advisors should effectively build value in their diagnostics, repairs and services.

The Results:

Justin was able to help his advisors apply the course content to achieve some truly outstanding results, as the shop's ARO went from $210.11 with a 56% closing rate in the January (2014) before the course, up to $411.80 with a closing rate of 87% in the January (2015) after Justin completed the course. Furthermore, they've been receiving frequent positive feedback from their customers, who are often asking to speak with Justin and John to let them know how well trained and informed their advisors are. They now also commonly receive thanks from their customers for providing such a positive experience and such great value, and have seen a significant increase in customers referring their friends, family and coworkers. When asked to share his feedback on the Masters Program, John replied, “ My own opinion is simply this: It works. Prior to participating in the program, Justin and I were constantly having to intervene in the sales process in order to maintain a respectable closing rate. With the training and guidance given to us by the program, our business now requires much less input from Justin and me. We no longer have to spend large portions of our time slogging through a quagmire of misunderstandings and miscommunications. It is a day and night difference."

The Challenge:

When Juan Reyes first reached out to Elite he wanted to increase his sales, and felt that his service advisor, Jose, had some room to grow. Juan felt that Jose was losing some sales due to his attitude, and because he was often afraid to ask for the sale. Jose also needed to improve his communication skills, and needed help effectively presenting himself to his customers. Juan felt that Jose had lots of potential, but was “shooting in the dark".

The Solution:

Juan enrolled Jose in the Elite Masters Program, and on day 2 of the initial 3-day training Doris and Jen started to see a whole new person. He started to truly believe in the profession of sales, became proud of his role in the shop, and found a new level of confidence in his ability to help his customers make the right decisions. Jen and Doris showed Jose how to follow a set procedure in every sale, and taught him the 5 requirements of becoming a sales superstar. They also showed him how to build interest and value in his services, and how to sell himself, his team and his shop to his customers to help them understand why Liberty Auto Care is the right choice.

The Results:

When Jose returned from the initial 3 days of training, Juan also saw the dramatic change in confidence, attitude and pride, and is pleased to report that the new fire in Jose still burns to this day. When asked to reflect on his Masters Program experience, Jose replied, “There is no way to express my gratitude for the training and support Elite has given me. Not only have I gained self-confidence on a professional level, but on a personal level as well, and I've learned that there are no obstacles in life that can't be overcome." Jose's transformation has not only enabled Juan to move out of the front and spend more time working on his business, but last year Jose was able to increase Liberty Auto Care's sales by 27.7% to give the shop the highest sales total in its history.

The Challenge:

Gene Morrill first reached out to Pro Service because he was having some challenges with his staff, and felt he needed to work on his leadership skills. He was under a lot of pressure, which lead to a lot of stress that was having a negative effect on all facets of his life. Gene reached a point where he realized his attitude needed to change - he was just unhappy going to work, his staff was unhappy going to work, and his whole shop was in a funk.

The Solution:

After Gene joined Pro Service and started visiting his Colleagues' shops, he started identifying people who ran businesses that were very similar to his, and learning how those shop owners were effectively handling some of the similar employee management and stress-related issues he was facing. His Colleagues and Coach, Jim Murphy, started helping him turn the negatives he was perceiving in his business into positive learning experiences, helped him improve his people skills so he could get a better response from his employees, and provided him with the encouragement and tools he needed to make the necessary changes.

The Results:

Gene says that the rest of his Colleagues can't believe that he is the same guy that joined Pro Service in 2009. He goes to work much happier each day, and now sees work, and his life, through a far more positive lens. This new viewpoint and attitude have improved morale in his shop and given his staff a new positive energy, which has helped his business run more efficiently and given Gene more time to spend with his family. While Gene has seen his tech productivity and efficiency improve, his sales go up and his net profit improve by $50,000 since joining Pro Service, these results pale in comparison to the newfound happiness that Jim Murphy and the Pro Service Colleagues have helped bring to the lives of Gene, his wife, his kids and his employees

The Challenge:

While Jeff Odom was interested in increasing sales and the profitability of his shop, he felt there were a lot of places he could turn to for those answers. Jeff joined Pro Service because beyond improved profitability, he was most interested in improving his leadership skills, in becoming a better manager and a better person, and in building a company that would thrive for years to come.

The Solution:

Through the help of his Colleagues and Pro Service coach, Jim Murphy, Jeff soon began developing the leadership and management skills he was looking for. Jeff says that his Pro Service Colleagues act as a board of directors that are always keeping him on point, motivating him to get better, and helping his business improve. Additionally, he feels it's priceless to have a coach like Jim Murphy that he can reach out to with any concern and receive valuable insights. Every time Jeff has visited another shop he's been able to walk away with several great ideas for how he could do things differently in his business, particularly with regards to how to find and hire the right people, keep them happy and in the right roles, and how to establish systems to enable his shop to run smoothly while he's away.

The Results:

Jeff now has happier employees, less turnover, and a whole new level of confidence in his ability to lead. He also feels that Pro Service has helped him become a better communicator, and develop a vision for the future of Evergreen Autoworks. Furthermore, just recently Jeff went on vacation for four weeks, and when he returned he found that the shop was not only running as if he had never left, but his service advisor was able to resolve an employee crisis by following his procedures to hire two new employees while he was away (although the advisor consulted with Jeff over the phone before making the hires). While the increase in sales has been nice, Jeff feels that Pro Service has benefited him most by enabling him to establish a turnkey business, which has not only given him more free time to spend outside the shop, but has boosted the value of his business considerably.

The Challenge:

When Bill and Charlotte Gurney reached out to Elite they ran one of the biggest independent auto repair shops in the state of New Hampshire and had great sales numbers, but wanted to take their business to the next level. More specifically, they felt they needed to implement more streamlined processes to improve profitability, and to enable them to eventually open up a new location. However, because Bill and Charlotte already ran such a great business, they were a bit worried that if they joined Pro Service they'd be one of the big dogs in the group that would be sharing a wealth of knowledge, without receiving that same degree of knowledge in return.

The Solution:

Their concern that they wouldn't get as much out of the Pro Service group as they put into it was put to rest after the very first month, when they saw the numbers of their colleagues' businesses and realized that while their sales were great, their profitability was lacking and they had a lot to learn. After their first visit to a colleague's shop, Bill and Charlotte started to identify opportunities that they were previously unable to see. Jim and the colleagues helped them put several new systems and processes in place so their shop would run more efficiently, and also helped them with expense control. They assisted Bill and Charlotte in putting together the right labor matrixes, and in setting not only the right short-term goals, but goals 5, 10, and 15 years down the road. To help them reach their goal of opening up a second location, Jim connected them with one of the colleagues who owned 12 different shops, and the colleague began helping Bill and Charlotte through the process.

The Results:

As most shop owners would agree, Bill and Charlotte feel that it's tough to set goals when you're in the heat of battle, and say Pro Service has really helped them stop and think about the future. Jim and the Pro Service colleagues have helped them find a vision for the future of their shop, have guided them through many tough decisions, and have given them the courage to pull the trigger and take action. The new systems and processes that Bill and Charlotte put into place have helped them improve just about all of their key performance indicators, which has naturally led to a higher net profit, and has enabled them to reach their goal of opening up a second location. Most importantly, Bill says that in conversations he's had with Jim Murphy they've discussed how there are friends for a reason, friends for a season, and friends for a lifetime – Bill and Charlotte are proud to call many of their colleagues lifelong friends.