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!

What do you need more at your shop right now, customers or technicians? We talk to many clients and shop owners who tell us their #1 need is more techs. If they are our clients, we tell them let's make that clear on your website! Why are you spending your time, money and precious marketing real estate trying to attract new customers instead of new employees? In this episode we highlight five ways to leverage the marketing you might typically use to help you attract new customers to instead help you attract new employees.

We partnered with WrenchWay to ask technicians what aspects of a job are most important to them. We've got the results and we talk to WrenchWay co-founder and President Jay Goninen about them on the podcast. We also ask Jay what he's hearing from the techs he's talking to. You don't want to miss this one – listen now!

A recent survey shows that elements of reviews were four of the top five factors for how consumers choose local service providers. What were those four factors and how should auto repair shops approach asking for reviews to give themselves the best chance to be found? Listen to the episode to find out more!

Google recently made a change in their search engine results pages that could exponentially increase the importance of actively managing your Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business). It's likely to significantly reward auto repair shops who put the time into optimizing the profile and thoroughly punish those who don't. Martin and Bekah dive into what they know about the up-and-coming Google Business Profile and how to best utilize it as an auto repair shop owner.

The customer experience plays a huge role in determining whether a first-time auto repair shop customer is going to return or not. We've got six tips to help you turn brand new customers into life-long customers.

Martin and Bekah talk about the 5 marketing to-dos for your auto repair shop that you should start focusing on right now - before 2022. Take a listen!

It's all about fact vs. fiction on this episode of The Busy Bays Podcast. Martin and Bekah dive into five of the biggest digital marketing myths that we hear repair shop owners and managers talking about on a daily basis.

Google reviews are often the differentiator between you and the shop down the street. Your customers rely on reading reviews to make their decision. In this episode, Martin and Bekah cover how to ask and what to ask for in your automotive shop's online reviews.

When we hear auto repair shop owners tell us “My website isn't working,” it's usually because of one of these common SEO (search engine optimization) mistakes. Listen to this podcast to learn how to avoid these mistakes, and what to do if you've already made them.

Are you looking for more profitable jobs related to certain makes and models or a specific type of work? By equipping your online presence to pull in jobs you're looking for, you'll avoid being slammed in your shop with busy work. In this episode, Martin and Bekah spend time talking about how to target your auto repair shop's marketing for the jobs you want to focus on.

When it comes to leveraging your website to help you be found and chosen online, you have to think of the steps a potential customer takes to get there. In this episode, Martin and Bekah go beyond SEO and talk about the three-step process that consumers use to find and contact a local service business online. You won't want to miss this!

Did you know that there were 2,244 cyberattacks per day in 2020? You might be thinking to yourself, "Avoid a cyber attack in my shop? Yeah, right." That's exactly what cybercriminals want you to think. In this episode, Martin and Bekah talk about four warning signs you need to watch out for in your auto repair shop to protect your business from a cyber attack. Listen today!

It's no secret that recruiting technicians is the biggest challenge that most auto repair shops face these days. We recently had the privilege to interview Jay Goninen, founder of Find A Wrench, on the podcast to talk about all things recruiting, hiring, and employing technicians. A few questions that we covered in depth are: What should shops focus on to help them attract top talent? What is the best way to connect with quality candidates? How should a job interview be different today than it was 20 years ago? Jay provided so much great advice to repair shop owners and managers – you do not want to miss this! Learn More Here: https://findawrench.com/ Find A Wrench Job Board - https://jobs.findawrench.com/ WrenchWay - https://wrenchway.com/

Are you familiar with the term, 'director of first impressions'? In this episode, Martin and Bekah provide examples of what it means to be a director of first impressions in your auto repair shop and why it's so important to have one.

Data. As a business owner, it can be your best friend. Or it can drown you in numbers that may or may not help you make good business decisions. Today we have an expert with us to talk about the key data points and KPIs that you should be tracking as a shop owner – Sunil Patel- one of the co-founders of Tekmetric.

For years auto repair shop owners have told us that their biggest challenge is recruiting technicians. It hasn't gotten any easier during the pandemic, and the competition is brutal. In this episode of The Busy Bays Podcast, we are really excited because we have a special guest who has had some success in her recruitment and hiring process! You will not want to miss the countless opportunities to grab hold of in your own recruiting and hiring process that we hear today!

In this episode, Martin and Bekah cover how the pandemic has changed consumer shopping behavior. In general, much more of consumer shopping is taking place online. People are looking for specific things and searching specifically for them. Listen today to find out how this is affecting auto repair shops.

Measuring success for your Google My Business and Facebook profiles isn't always straightforward. There is specific information you need to be sure your auto repair shop has. In this episode, Martin and Bekah walk through what it means to measure success within your GMB and Facebook profiles!

Today we're chatting about the importance of local community involvement, especially in the time we are all in now. We've always recommended being involved in your town, but if your shop is in a place that can give back in any way… it's more important now than ever to give back. There are 3 major ways your auto repair shop can get involved in your community and we share them with you! You won't want to miss out on some great ideas and opportunities.

What is the Local Pack and why does it matter for auto repair shops? When it comes to your web presence and search engine results pages (SERPs), it can be easy to confuse the many different elements. You may even be suspicious that Google does it on purpose so that normal people can't figure them out. Today we are going to focus on one of those elements – the Local Pack – and why it's so important to auto repair shops.

When it comes to buying goods and services, people tend to trust their own experiences more than anything else. Which brings us to what we're chatting about today -- How can your shop become one of the best that is trusted and recommended? There are a few key components your shop should include on your website to ensure trust and credibility. Take a listen today!

We've been hearing across the board that social media is a hot topic among shop owners, especially now. We wanted to go beyond the base level foundation of needing a Facebook. We shared the importance of what it means to post "80/20", why to avoid sharing links, and what kind of posts are best for your customers news feeds. Social media is very much alive and active, if you're looking for some guidance, we would love to help!

Your state may be closed or open. Some of your stay-at-home restrictions may be being lifted or adjusted week by week. Most people aren't sure what the coming weeks look like. So - today we want to focus on why building out your marketing strategy is something you can and should be doing during these times. Your hosts, Martin and Bekah, jump into why having a market strategy in your shop is so relevant to what is happening in the world today.

We understand that many auto repair shops are being affected differently by the Coronavirus. Martin and Bekah share helpful ways to communicate to your customers and employees during a time of uncertainty.

Today we're talking about what we like to call the Big Kahuna – SEO. As business owners, we're sure you've heard the term SEO and you may have some questions - like what on earth does it even mean? We took the time to start at the beginning of what Search Engine Optimization actually means and how it can help your auto repair shop. You won't want to miss this

We surveyed 160 general automotive independent Repair Shop owners from all over the U.S. to find out how they are marketing their shop. We asked them about their most effective marketing and recruiting techniques and we got the results back! We're looking forward to sharing the results with you. Martin and Bekah walk through the survey responses and talk a bit about what they mean.

The New Year always brings time of reflection, change, and a lot of room for opportunities. Personal goals, business goals, new adventures, eating habit... the list could go on. But we want to talk about your shop, your customers, and your employees. Ask yourself: what is the one thing I want to accomplish this year? How do you get there as a team? We want to help you get your team talking about what you want to accomplish in 2020.

In the spirit of Christmas, Martin and Bekah wanted to talk about how you can be the holiday hero at your shop and even in your community. The holidays are a great time of year to to bring a little extra joy into your customers' and employees' lives by being their holiday hero.

In this episode of the Busy Bays Podcast, we are focusing on employee retention. As important as recruiting new employees is, keeping the people you love working with because they do good work is just as important. Join our hosts, Martin and Bekah in their conversation about how you as a shop owner can do your best to keep around the employees you love.

We take a deep dive into 8 key factors to hire the technicians you want and need to get the job done. Martin has explored this topic and has had the privilege of being able to present to auto industry related groups on his 8 key findings.

In this episode, we are talking about Pay-Per-Click and Google Ads. We ask in-depth questions related to what it means to utilize Google Ads and what that could mean for your business.

We take a deep dive into Google My Business. Why does an auto repair shop need a Google My Business (GMB) profile? How do you set up or update your GMB profile? How can you optimize your GMB profile to be found online?

In this episode we take a deeper look at the other side of your service counter – your customers and what they are looking for when it comes to great customer service.

We surveyed nearly 600 U.S. auto repair shop customers to determine what shops could be doing to make customers happier and increase their business. We were able to dig into what makes a customer less likely to visit a shop, how willing customers are to leave reviews, and how independent shops are rated against franchises and dealerships.

Why are your online reviews so important? Because customers write feedback and potential customers make decisions based on those reviews. In this episode, we focus on the importance of having Google Reviews and how to effectively use them.

Have you taken the time to think about the personality of your shop and how it affects your ability to attract and keep customers? How do you represent your shop on your website, through reviews and in the community? Does it represent reality?

What if you could know more information about your customers? Like who they really are, what matters to them and how they make decisions? This information is valuable and a huge advantage for your shop. In this episode, we share how today's consumers are researching and choosing a repair shop to service their vehicle. We also provide marketing tips to help you leverage that knowledge to improve your repair shop's sales and service.

Have you ever thought “I bet I could get more customers if I had more money to spend on marketing or advertising”? While that might be true, it's also false. You don't need to break the bank to fill your bays. This episode features marketing tips and advice that will help take your auto repair shop to the next level and get you on your way to becoming known as the best shop in town.

This episode introduces The Busy Bays Podcast. We talk about what this podcast is all about, why auto repair shop owners should listen, who we are, and we also share some marketing tactics that you can start applying right away to help you fill your bays.