NOLN - September 2021

Small Shop, Big Impact

Jason Berry, 2021 Operator of the Year, has taken his two shop locations to new heights thanks to hard work and strong principles.

IMPROVE CUSTOMER ACCESS

PAGE 62

KEEP STAFF ON TASK

PAGE 60

THE LANGUAGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA

PAGE 68

The Future Fast Lube The 2021 Operator of the Year PAGE 26

SEPTEMBER 2021 � NOLN.NET

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2021

VOLUME NO.

36

ISSUE NO.

09

BRIANNA COLLETT

CONTENTS

SEPTEMBER

COVER STORY Crystal and Jason Berry, the 2021

Operator of the Year, puts faith and family first while running two lube shops in Alabama. PAGE 26

SEPTEMBER 2021

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CONTENTS

09 ONLINE

Exclusive awards issue interviews 11 EDITOR’S LETTER

Introducing the 2021 awards issue 13 BY THE NUMBERS

Profits, experience, construction, and more

QUICK HITS 16 INDUSTRY INSIGHT

Making it in the franchise world 18 AROUND THE INDUSTRY

Tragedy strikes one shop 21 ADAPT

How to manage spent batteries 22 SHOP LOOK

Moving into a big shop space

SERVICE 60 PIT STOP

Get your team focused and ready 62 HUMAN RESOURCES

Increase access and your customer base 66 CASE STUDY

Beating the odds for a grand opening 68 CUSTOMER SERVICE

Finding the ROI in social media

COLUMNS 24 FROM THE SHOP

Stand out with new marketing

26 FEATURE

2021 Operator of the Year

This year’s winner represents a bright future for the industry

BY M AT T H U D S O N

BY A DA M TAT U M

71 AOCA CORNER

Upcoming sessions at iFLEX 2021

BY KRISTY BABB

74 LEADING EDGE

Lessons from life-changing experiences

BY LENNY SAUCIER

NOLN, VOL. 36, NO. 9 (ISSN 1071-1260), IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY 10 MISSIONS MEDIA, LLC, 571 SNELLING AVENUE NORTH, ST. PAUL, MN 55104-1804. COPYRIGHT ©2021 BY 10 MISSIONS MEDIA LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NOLN CONTENT MAY NOT BE PHOTOCOPIED, REPRODUCED, OR REDISTRIBUTED WITHOUT THE CONSENT OF THE PUBLISHER. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT ST. PAUL, MN AND ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES. POSTMASTERS SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO: NOLN, 571 SNELLING AVENUE NORTH, ST. PAUL, MN 55104-1804.

6

BRIANNA COLLETT

FE ATURES

Close Attention Operator of the Year Jason Berry’s attention to detail earned him high marks for curb appeal and customer satisfaction at his shops.

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Marianne Dyal, mdyal@10missions.com Bob Marinez, bmarinez@10missions.com Martha Severson, mseverson@10missions.com Kyle Shaw, kshaw@10missions.com Dan Thornton, dthornton@10missions.com Sean Thornton, sthornton@10missions.com CLIE NT SE RVICE SPECIALIST

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HOW TO REACH US

571 Snelling Avenue North, St. Paul, MN 55104 tel 651.224.6207 fax 651.224.6212 web 10missions.com The annual subscription rate is $72 (U.S.A. only) for companies not qualified to receive complimentary copies of NOLN. Past issue single copies are $8.

Go to noln.net/backissues Send letters to news@noln.net.

For high-quality reprints or e-prints of articles in this issue, call 651.846.9488 or email reprints@noln.net.

Opinions expressed in NOLN are not necessarily those of 10 Missions Media, and 10 Missions Media does not accept responsibility for advertising content.

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BY T H E N U M B E R S

09.21

VISIT

NOLN.NET TODAY

PODCAST

THE NOLN PODCAST SPECIAL EDITION:

NOLN AWARD WINNER

Make sure you catch our special podcast episodes that feature this year’s award winner, Operator of the Year Jason Berry!

Also catch runners-up Costa Kapothanasis and Shane Burton in exclusive podcast interviews to follow up on their magazine stories. Be sure to subscribe to The NOLN Podcast on your platform of choice to have these episodes and more automatically delivered to your feed.

NOLN has expanded its offerings of podcasts, bringing four monthly episodes to the airwaves. The podcast brings operators and industry experts to the screen to go in-depth with the editorial staff on topics that matter to shop owners.

Listen to all the episodes and subscribe at: noln.net/podcasts.

THE TECHNOLOGY IN MODERN ENGINE OILS

BRIANNA COLLETT

Most shop owners know that some customers are still a bit unsure about transitioning away from the good, old conventional engine oils. And it’s the job of the shop staff to help educate those customers about the benefits and qualities that modern oils provide.

In this episode, two engine oil experts take a deep dive into the world of modern engine oils, especially full synthetics. Michael Thomas and Sean Nguyen with Shell-Pennzoil speak with editor Matt Hudson about the high-tech engineering that goes into modern oils and what performance benefits we see as a result.

Plus, they’ll talk about the automotive industry forces that have changed over the years to influence what OEMs and drivers need from an engine oil.

N O L N . N E T/ L I N K E D I N

N O L N . N E T/ F A C E B O O K

N O L N . N E T/ T W I T T E R

N O L N . N E T/ P O D C A S T S

NOLN NEWS Have you subscribed to the newsletter? NOLN will send the latest industry news, strategies and profiles straight to your inbox. Sign up at noln.net/subscribe.

N O L N . N E T/ B L O G

N O L N . N E T/ V I D E O S

SEPTEMBER 2021

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Call us today at 832-762-2370 or vist acquisitions.jiffylube.com

AGENCY:

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8/12/2021 9:29:50 AM

EDIT LETTER

IN INTERVIEWS WITH OPERATORS,

WELL-EARNED AWARD IN 2021 This year’s winner highlights the community service and giving spirit of operators

I often have to ask them to brag a bit about themselves. It’s a way to get them to open up about the successful steps they’ve taken to make it in the industry. When interviewing Jason Berry, this year’s Operator of the Year, I had to ask a few different times.

Berry runs two Havoline xpress lube shops in Alabama. He is a very humble man. He didn’t take the bait when I asked him to brag about his processes, his leadership, or the impressive numbers his shops produce. He explained that his staff, his mentors, and his faith are guiding forces in his success.

That says a lot about the character of this year’s award winner, of course.

But it’s also true that Berry has the temperament and vision within himself to set up his shops for years of continued prosperity. I know this because those who nominated Berry for the award weren’t shy about extolling his talents.

There were many nominators, as far as NOLN awards go. Some talked about Berry as a leader (“...an extremely humble business owner who is not only highly regarded by his customers but also highly regarded by his employees.”), while others talked about the growth in car counts, premium oil sales, and customer satisfaction scores.

After speaking with Berry for the first time, it was clear that he’s an operator who wants to find success the right way. That means being responsive to employee needs, taking extra time and attention for customers, and putting in a lot of his own sweat equity into the business. As a young operator, Berry represents a bright future for quick lube ownership. But make no mistake, he’s not new to the field. Years ago, he helped his father’s metal fabrication business to weld the underground tanks in the shop that he ultimately ended up owning.

All those reasons and more led the NOLN editorial team and me to choose Berry for this year’s award, and we’re excited to share his story this month

09.21

(page 26). Berry is the 31st winner of the award in this magazine’s history.

For 2021, we’ve also chosen to recognize two runners up who have demonstrated excellence in their own circles. One runner up is Costa Kapothanasis (page 42), who has had a big year growing his company-owned network as well as launching a brand new franchise program—no small undertaking.

We’re also recognizing Shane Burton, a Jiffy Lube franchisee out of Twin Falls, Idaho (page 40). Burton shows a strong commitment to being a positive influence in his business and community. That was apparent in the strong endorsement from Burton’s general manager, Devan Lyman.

“I would never leave his stores because of the level of care he provides,” he told me.

The awards issue is always a big event for us at NOLN, and I’m grateful for all of the thoughtful nominations and stories that we received as part of the process. In this and every issue, we hope that our stories shine a light on the hard work and success that operators in this industry display.

Of course, this issue isn’t all awards. I hope you’ll enjoy the story of Lee Christianson (page 62), who wanted to make his small-town shop more accessible to his neighbors, for whom English is a second language.

We’re also sharing the story of two sisters whose grand opening collided with a global pandemic (page 66).

And if all that isn’t enough, we’ve got strategy stories help you improve social media language (page 68) and keeping staff on task (page 60).

Stay tuned to the magazine and our website, as we’ve got great things planned for the remainder of this eventful year.

MATT HUDSON

SENIOR EDITOR, 10 MISSIONS MEDIA

SEPTEMBER 2021

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BY T H E N U M B E R S

09.21

THE AVERAGE SHOP

Who is represented in the NOLN Operator Survey? Based on all of the survey respondents, this is a composite of the average shop owner.

GROSS PROFIT MARGIN

<30%

YEARS AVERAGE OWNER EXPERIENCE

20

AVERAGE NUMBER OF BAYS

2

OWN THEIR FACILITIES

59%

OF NEW SHOPS ARE GROUND-UP NEW CONSTRUCTION

46%

Source: 2021 NOLN Operator Survey

LEARN MORE

From the single-unit level to the top brands in the industry, every operator has a vision for their next big step toward success. Read about how three growing operators plan their next steps by visiting noln.net/Strive.

SEPTEMBER 2021

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Quick lube’s most definitive resource

THE 2021 NOLN OPERATOR SURVEY REPORT

GE T YOURS TODAY!

KPIs • Tools & Equipment • Leadership Strategies • And more!

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AROUND THE INDUSTRY

18

ADAPT

21

SHOP LOOK

22

COURTESY GREASE MONEY OF IDAHO FALLS

QUICK HITS

INDUSTRY INSIGHT

SHOP LOOK Moving up to a bigger shop with

repair space? No problem for this operator. Check out the layout in this month’s edition. PAGE 22

SEPTEMBER 2021

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QH

PRODUCTIVE PARTNERSHIPS

Becoming a franchisee can be a difficult transition, but it’s hard to argue with the benefits

BY NOAH BROWN

EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, YOU JUST

need a change in scenery.

For 40 years, James Webb seemed content with his work in the medical imaging industry in Texas. However, a chance meeting about five years ago in Florida with a higher-level employee of the OrangeTheory Fitness chain of workout facilities piqued Webb’s interest in branching out and trying something new.

He purchased three stores in the north Texas area, and though he can’t quite put his finger on it, there was

16

something about the franchise model that had him hooked.

“They approached me about buying an area, so I ended up purchasing the entire north Texas market, and we built 33 gyms across the area.”

Though the concept of franchising is a long-standing and proven business model, almost everyone who is currently a franchisee has a unique story about how they ended up in that position. As Webb says, though, the one constant he’s seen when talking with fellow franchisees, regardless of the industry, is the

difficult adjustment of no longer being self-employed.

“I was always about multiple revenue streams in my businesses: How could I sell more products, how could I do more things? I wasn’t allowed to do that with OrangeTheory,” Webb says.

“They said, ‘Here’s the product, here’s what we do, you do this.’ I had to go through the growing curve of figuring out what I can’t do in my studios.

Once you got that out of your head and once you got on board with the team, it wasn’t that difficult. We were solely focused on, ‘We’ve got this one product, let’s sell it.’”

Webb says franchising isn’t for everyone and understands the strong desire to remain your own boss. There are certain perks to having a corporate team actively invested in making sure your store succeeds, though, and Webb says it’s critical to develop those relationships with corporate early to maximize the franchisor/franchisee relationship.

GETTY

INDUSTRY INSIGHT

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“It took a little bit to learn that, and we had to develop relationships with the right people at the corporate office. We were able to find the right people to guide us along the right path, sit down and have meetings to define strategy and figure out exactly what we were going to do,” he says.

“Once we developed those relationships and they got to know, ‘Hey, this is a guy that’s going to build multiple franchises, let’s pay him some attention,’ we got plenty of help. It was that initial relationship development with the right people.”

That, in essence, is the ideal outcome when becoming a franchisee. Instead of navigating multiple facets of running a business such as advertising, promotion and other logistics on your own, having a corporate team that takes care of those aspects lets you focus solely on serving your customers and building your team.

“We had to convince the consumer that we were better, but that we were different. That was a key. Something new to try, something better to try.

I would be trying to prove myself as different, better, higher level of service, better products.” Webb says. “The initial focus was on branding, bringing the product to market, making people aware of it. Most people are aware of quick oil and quick lube, but have that approach that you’re bringing something brand new to the market.”

Even in the ideal scenario, though, being part of a more rigid corporate structure takes some adjustment.

Learning to trust your franchisor and having your franchisor trust you isn’t an immediate thing. Webb says that’s OK, though, and embracing that discomfort can force some open communication and expedite the relationship-building process.

“I always wanted to hold them accountable to that marketing fee. We were sending 1.5 percent to corporate, and we wanted to know where it was going, but once you see an ad on TV or in the paper you go, ‘Oh, that’s where

it’s going,’” Webb says. “As long as the franchisor is using that money appropriately, branding the product to make my life easier, my sales easier, we were all on board.”

At the end of the day, purchasing and operating a franchise needs to be a partnership. Though Webb has sold all 33 locations, his relationships with OrangeTheory allowed him to build up those stores to become positive assets, which in turn has helped them remain successful even after his departure. If both sides are committed to working together to build the business, he says, the partnership should be mutually beneficial.

“I can’t over-emphasize that enough.

If you don’t have a good partnership, don’t do it. You need a partner there that’s got your best interest at heart, and then you need to accept the fact that you’ve got a boss and have their best interest at heart. Once you co-align that way, it can be quite productive for both of you.”

SEPTEMBER 2021

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QH

AROUND THE INDUSTRY

VALVOLINE ACQUIRES 6 SERVICE CENTERS

Jiffy Lube of Indiana has partnered with several local and statewide police departments on an initiative to provide Jiffy Lube gift cards instead of tickets for minor traffic violations.

As part of the “not ticket, let’s fix it” initiative, participating police stations were given a total of 2,500 $25 gift cards to give out drivers to help pay for necessary repairs such as broken tail lights.

“Our mission at Jiffy Lube of Indiana

has always been to better the communities we serve,” said Steve Sanner, president and owner of Jiffy Lube of Indiana, via a news release. “With the support of the Central Indiana Police Foundation we are able to contribute to community members’ essential needs on a larger scale while invoking goodness and generosity to Hoosiers in need.”

In total, Jiffy Lube of Indiana donated $200,000 to law enforcement agencies across the state as part of the initiative.

RELADYNE ACQUIRES ALEXIS/GIS

Auto lube distributor RelaDyne announced Tuesday it acquired Alexis Oil Company and Global Industrial Solutions, both collectively known as Alexis/GIS. The acquisition extends RelaDyne’s reach into southern California and “expands its presence in Arizona,” according to a news release from the company. Founded in 1987, Alexis/GIS became a “world-class

18

supplier” of lubricant products, fuel delivery and industrial reliability services.

“Our strategic alignment with the Alexis/GIS team stems from the ‘customer centric solutions’ mindset we share,” RelaDyne President and CEO Larry Stoddard said. “The Leara family built a phenomenal business, and we are honored to help carry on that legacy for the next generation and beyond.”

TAKE 5 ADDS TEXAS LOCATION

Take 5 Oil Change on Friday added another store front in Texas.

According to Bluebonnet News, the Take 5 acquired the locally owned Express Lube shop in Liberty, Texas, about 45 miles northeast of Houston. The acquisition was finalized on July 30.

The store’s former owner, Bobby Pope, said he had mixed feelings about selling, but Take 5 “made an offer he could not refuse.” according to the report. Take 5 offered to keep all employees of Express Lube on staff.

“I am ready to go do something else. I built this from the ground up, so I am very emotional about selling,” Pope said. “I just want to thank the community for blessing me and my family for all these years. I never would have thought this business would become what it is to the community.

It’s been huge.”

The store closed for the next couple of weeks for renovation.

BRIANNA COLLETT

JIFFY LUBE OF INDIANA GIVES TRAFFIC STOP GIFT CARDS

Valvoline Instant Oil Change announced an agreement with franchisee Phoenix 27, LLC to acquire six franchise-owned Valvoline service centers in Kentucky.

Financial details of the acquisition have not been disclosed at this time per a news release from the company, though the deal is expected to close by the end of the 2021 fiscal year.

“When Steve Goddard, owner of Phoenix 27 LLC, made the difficult decision to sell, we knew it was the right fit to add these six service centers into Valvoline’s established network of 49 Company-owned Kentucky locations,” VIOC Operations VP Matthew Furcolo said in the release. “We thank Steve for entrusting the future of his business and employees to us.”

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ILLINOIS JIFFY LUBE EMPLOYEE

A 29-year-old Jiffy Lube employee was killed after an accident in a McHenry, Ill., shop.

According to ABC 7 Chicago, a 91-year-old woman was leaving a service bay when she accelerated and hit an employee. The employee, who has not yet been identified, died a short time later at a hospital.

Per the report, “the driver was released while police investigate the circumstances surrounding the accident.”

BIO

The Federal Trade Commission unanimously voted to increase enforcement against repair restrictions that discourage independent repairers, among other entities, from having equal right to repair products like vehicles.

The move follows an FTC report and years of research that focused on how OEMs work against independent repairers to favor automotive service and repair at affiliated dealer service centers. This new focus on enforcement will target repair restrictions that “violate antitrust laws” or use deceptive practices. This includes alleged violations of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. The Automotive Oil Change Association, in partnership with other independent trade groups, has been lobbying for greater enforcement for years and applauded this latest move.

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SEPTEMBER 2021

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7/7/21 10:55 AM 8/24/2021 10:29:21 AM

K E Y I N S I G H T S , T R E N D S A N D S T R AT E G I E S F O R T O M O R R O W ’ S I N D U S T R Y—T O D AY

BATTERY RECYCLING KEY TO EV FUTURE

And the challenge facing battery producers doesn’t end once a battery is placed inside a vehicle.

Extensive battery recycling will need to become much more prevalent than it already is for EV adoption to become less of a fad and more of a long-term, viable solution for the industry.

BY ADAP T STAFF

GETTY

Between full battery-electric and hybrid plug-in variations, there were around 7.2 million electric vehicles on the road globally in 2019, up from a measly 20,000 in 2010, according to the International Energy Agency, with the U.S. accounting for around 1.5 million.

Electric vehicles have become increasingly popular in large part due to significantly reduced impact on the environment. A report from the International Council of Clean Transportation shows that electric vehicles in Europe produce, on average, 50 percent fewer life-cycle greenhouse gases over the first 100,000 compared to internal combustion engine-powered vehicles.

EVs aren’t totally green from the get-go, though. The batteries that power electric vehicles are significantly larger than those found in ICE-powered cars and require extensive mining for materials such as cobalt and lithium, which produces a large amount of pollution.

Battery materials are only going to get harder to come by, too.

The IEA projects there will be upward of 145 million EVs on the world’s roads by 2030, meaning demand for batteries will only grow in the coming years.

D E C E M B E R 5 –7 • N A S H V I L L E , T E N N .

Complex recycling Per a report from Reuters, researchers in Britain and the United States have found several ways to recycle EV batteries “that can drastically cut costs and carbon emissions” while also bulking up global supplies “for an expected surge in demand.”

With materials such as cobalt and nickel, which are expensive to mine, being able to retrieve those materials from a battery would save a lot of time, money and greenhouse gas emissions.

“We can’t recycle complex products like batteries the way we recycle other metals. Shredding, mixing up the components of a battery and pyrometallurgy destroy value,” Gavin Harper, a research fellow at the government-backed Faraday Institution in Britain, said.

As it stands right now, the current infrastructure for EV battery development is not at a sufficient level to sustainably keep up with impending demand.

If OEMs want EVs to become the industry standard, current methods for battery recycling alone aren’t going to cut it.

“To make lithium-ion battery recycling profitable, without requiring a disposal fee to consumers, and to encourage growth in the recycling industry,” Spangenberger says in the article, “new methods that generate higher profit margins for recyclers need to be developed.”

ADAPT: Automotive Technology Summit. Have you snagged your ticket for the ADAPT: Automotive Technology Summit? Head over to adaptsummit.com.

To register and check out the full two-and-a-half-day lineup.

SEPTEMBER 2021

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QH

S H O P LO O K

GREASE MONKEY OF IDAHO FALLS

OPERATOR:

TYSON DANIELS

LOCATION:

IDAHO FALLS, IDAHO

STAFF SIZE:

12-16

SHOP SIZE:

2 QUICK LUBE BAYS + ADDITIONAL REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE BAYS AVERAGE CAR COUNT:

44

TICKET AVERAGE:

$134

BY MAT T HUDSON P H OTO S C O U R T E SY G R E A S E M O N E Y O F I DA H O FA L L S

NEW CHALLENGES Operator Tyson Daniels acquired this location about five years ago, his first in the city of Idaho Falls.

The previous owner ran an independent quick lube that wasn’t doing big numbers. When Daniels took over, he says that the first priority was sprucing up the curb appeal.

“We reimaged the building. Painted it and put new signage on it,” he says. “I had employees parked out front when there weren’t cars in the bay.”

That facelift made an impact, in addition to the work Daniels did to install his service process and promote the new location. He more

than doubled the location’s revenue in the first year.

“Right now, it’s our highest volume store,” he says.

“We’ve got the two quick lube bays that are running and then we branched off to do full service repair, which was new for me.”

SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES Repair work isn’t common at Daniels’ five shop locations, but this Idaho Falls shop had the necessary space to expand services.

“When we brought our team over, they said there was so much room for activities,” he says.

Repair work started shortly after the shop’s transition to Grease Monkey. He had a repair tech among his lube tech team, so Daniels started

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H AV E A N O U T S TA N D I N G S H O P T O S H A R E ? E M A I L N E W S @ N O L N . N E T

him on brakes, and it grew from there.

Not only did the shop have additional space in the main building, but the property came with some decommissioned self-serve car wash bays out back.

Daniels updated and repurposed that space to accommodate other services and space for repairs.

Though it wasn’t Daniels’ specialty at the start, the repair segment has grown to nearly one-third w of total business at that location.

CUSTOMER FLOW Having the space to add services is a great place to start, but the quick, convenient customer flow needs to be maintained for that positive experience.

When Daniels added a new alignment check machine to the shop, there was a logistical challenge for customer flow.

“When we put that alignment quick check in, we had to change the whole flow of the shop,” Daniels says.

“There wasn’t enough stack room out front, and we wanted to do the alignment check before the oil change.”

The system works best when customer vehicles get on the machine first to identify potential alignment service (and open recalls), but it adds a step in the process to move the vehicle from the alignment bay to the oil change bay.

Daniels’ solution was to move to a wireless greeting out in the lot with a courtesy tech and a tablet. The customer heads to the lobby room, and techs handle the vehicle movements. The system cuts down on customer confusion, and techs are able to keep vehicles in order leading up to the oil change bays.

“It’s been a little bit of a retraining for the customers,” Daniels says.

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c

FROM THE SHOP

Where Did I Hear That?

Getting your name out there is fundamental marketing

ADAM

TATUM

Adam Tatum is director of operations for the Virginia Group, a Jiffy Lube franchisee with 11 locations.

He has over a decade of experience in the industry with a proven track record of building customer counts and sales, as well as using innovative ways to bring a new look to the automotive field for both the customer and the employee.

Performance comes from growing your business through people.

ATAT U M

@VALUBE.COM

share of customers is the most important part of what we do.

Without those customers, you don’t have a business to advertise. How do we go about choosing the right method to get the attention of our customers today?

Well, with the customer base becoming younger and more tech savvy, your old ways of doing a mail drop just won’t work anymore. That method ends up being very expensive with little return on the investment. However, there are a few avenues that you can go down that might just get you the bang for the buck for which you are looking.

Airwaves This is a very inexpensive way to get to your customers. How many of you are listening to the radio or SiriusXM while you are going to and from? Nearly all of us are! So are your customers.

Reach out to local stations to inquire about the costs of doing a few ads per day, sponsoring a show or a sporting event. You will be surprised at how little this will cost. I sponsor a local rock station drive home show, the college football team’s pregame and postgame show and advertise on three different stations daily. The cost for all of that is only about $800 per week. If you were to go aggressive like I did, you would only really need to gain eight to 10 customers to pay for it. Knowing your customer base is important here, too. If you are in a college town, hit up your rock and top hits stations, for example.

Google Search This one can get a bit costly if you do not put a limit on it. However, getting front and center on a customer’s cell phone or computer screen when they are searching for a service can pay off big time.

There are many companies out there that can set this up and monitor for you monthly. When you use this method, come up with a distinct coupon code so that you can track the traffic that it is bringing to your service centers.

24

Take note that on this method, you are not the only one that will be doing this. Your competition may spend more than you and, poof, they are above you on the search. A little trick to gaining market share on Google is to keep up with your scores. If you are at 4.0 or higher out of 5.0 on their scale, you will pop up on the map in searching. This could be an easy way to just get it out there, as well.

Digital Advertising This is very similar to the airwaves. People are on their devices and their computers daily. We have all spent five minutes looking up a vacation spot or that Amazon deal. Get your logo on sites or in the adaptive marketing sector. For example, when the blue F app is listening to you talk to your friends about needing tires, you see those ads for the next five days, right?

You can pay social media platforms for ads like this.

It’s not as bad as you think price-wise, but you must be smart on searches and set a limit.

Point of View Although they may be going the way of the dinosaur now, billboards are a large catch of the eye. Really what you pay for in this method is the artwork design. If your corporate entity (like a franchise) has artwork available, this can be a great cost-cutter. The new way that I have started noticing in our area is the moving billboard. You have all seen one. It’s that big truck with a billboard attached to it driving all around town in a loop. Although it may be a little more expensive than the standard billboard, you will be hitting more potential customers as it hits the streets. Again, set a special coupon code so that you know how it’s performing.

As you can see above, for a little bit of cost, you have various methods to gain that market share from your competition. The standard mail drop or email blast will not always be effective any longer as most people bypass that with a flick of the wrist to the trash or that handy delete button. Think outside the box and look at ways that you can take it another step in your markets.

Any advertising is better than no advertising!

LUCAS MOORE

IN OUR COMPETITIVE MARKET, GETTING YOUR

NOLN.NET

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CELEBRATE WITH US

50 YEARS OF INNOVATION

Since 1971, BG Products has been a proven leader in the automotive maintenance industry. BG's success is due the dedication of our employees and a unified team of 800-plus BG Representatives, who deliver high quality products, innovative tools, and valuable programs to grow your business.

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SEPTEMBER 2021

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8/12/2021 9:40:58 AM

The Right Path

Operator of the Year Jason Berry is a newer owner with deep ties to his shops and the industry. Upon taking over, he retained key staff members for their experience.

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Right Operator, Right Time The industry is in good hands with this young quick lube owner

By Matt Hudson

05_Features.indd 27

/

Photography by Brianna Collett

8/25/21 3:21 PM

R I G H T O P E R AT O R , R I G H T T I M E

W

hen Jason Berry was younger, he helped his father out in his metal fabrication business. One of their contracts was with the local quick lube to fabricate the underground bulk tanks.

Berry’s duties included getting into those tanks and doing some of the finer welding work. He didn’t know it at the time, but he was putting the finishing welds on tanks that would become his own.

“Both of my stores still have the same oil tanks that, chances are, I laid in them as a kid because I was smaller,” Berry says.

Re-telling that story, he says that it’s crazy how life happens sometimes.

While that is a pretty remarkable connection to his lube shops, Berry had close ties to the quick maintenance industry all along. Those ties, and the relationships therein, helped him become the operator that he is today.

But that experience alone isn’t enough to succeed in this business. The quick

28

maintenance industry is going through a lot of change, and Berry is the type of young operator who is the example of a bright future. He pays careful attention to his employees’ needs, and his devout faith helps to guide him toward a customer service culture that’s always thoughtful, truly wishing a good day for every visitor.

All the while, Berry’s shops have seen car counts and premium oil sales grow, and he’s received unprecedented corporate customer satisfaction scores. He’s a strong ambassador for the Havoline brand, and he’s also got the full endorsement of the former operators, with whom he remains close.

It was hard to get the 2021 NOLN Operator of the Year to brag about his leadership. Berry knows this—it’s embedded in his style.

“I just try to stay humble to it,” he says.

“I’ve seen too many people get the big head and kind of let it go, so I just keep my nose on the grindstone. The days that we knock it out of the park and do 110 cars, I don’t let it get to me. I keep my people excited about it.”

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O P E R AT O R O F T H E Y E A R

I’ve seen too many people get the big head and kind of let it go, so I just keep my nose on the grindstone.”

— Jason Berry, Owner, Havoline xpress lube, Hartselle, Ala.

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R I G H T O P E R AT O R , R I G H T T I M E

Becoming an Operator After college, Berry sold insurance for five years. It was a good career, but he knew he’d be happier running his own business.

In addition to actually working on the shops’ construction in his younger years, Berry was close with the couple who started the lube shops in Cullman and Hartselle, Ala. Gary and Tammy Sandlin started the ninth Texaco

lube shop in the country, and it later became Havoline xpress Lube.

The Sandins knew about Berry’s character. Tammy Sandin says that when her father was in the hospital, Berry would come by with his own grandparents every day to provide some company.

When the Sandlins started thinking about selling their business, Berry was

at the top of the list. How much did the Sandins trust Berry? If you’re familiar with Alabama college football rivalries, this will provide some insight: “To know that we’re big [University of] Alabama fans and Jason’s a big Auburn [University] fan, that tells you a lot,” Sandin says.

The timing worked out well. In 2019, The Sandins were ready to part with the Hartselle location, and Berry had been interested in taking over the business.

In February of that year, Berry purchased the Hartselle shop. Two years later, in early 2021, he bought the busy Cullman store.

Berry says that the Sandins have continued to be there for him for advice and guidance.

“They’ve been excellent mentors to me along the way,” he says.

Training Grounds

Jason Berry was close to the former owners of his shops. Even after he bought them, he found himself discussing ideas with the former owners questions about running the business.

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NOLN.NET

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JASON KNOWS HOW TO

Congratulations to our very own Mighty customer, Jason Berry, Havoline® xpress lube, Hartselle and Cullman, Alabama. He has been named the 2021 Operator of the Year by NOLN and is being recognized for his hard work and dedication to improving the industry.

Way to BE MIGHTIER, Jason!

MightyAutoParts.com

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“CONGRATULATIONS,

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His dedication to safety, service and quality has proven to be some of the top characteristics of a great shop owner.”

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8/23/21 2:59 PM

O P E R AT O R O F T H E Y E A R

Jumping In

Soon after Jason Berry took over his Havoline xpress lube shops, he wanted to impove by 10 cars per day. The shops quickly surpassed those figures.

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R I G H T O P E R AT O R , R I G H T T I M E

Quick Success It’s not like Berry got into a struggling operation, but he was able to improve some key KPIs after taking over. At the Hartselle store, he says car counts were at an average of 48 daily in 2019.

Through 2020, he got to 64. Partway through 2021, he says he has been at an average of 70 at the location.

“My goal coming in was 10 cars per day (improvement), but that was realistically five years down the road,” he says.

“I didn’t expect it to do what it did.”

The Cullman location is bigger than Hartselle and has been traditionally strong; he says that it averages 95 cars daily.

Part of what makes Berry the 2021 Operator of the Year is the overwhelming support that he received from Chevron’s automotive installed sales and marketing team. Though he’s a smaller operator in Alabama, he caught attention as a rising star in the franchise system. Five different people at Chevron nominated him as a great ambassador for the brand and for the quick lube industry.

One of those nominators was Dave Schletewitz, auto installed marketing manager for Chevron. He says that as Havoline started a pilot customer satisfaction study program, Berry’s operations stood out.

The pilot program included a mystery shopper element, in which a customer would go through a service and then report the experience later.

The second element is more of a visual review of the facility, its cleanliness, and its curb appeal.

Schletewitz says that Berry had the highest customer satisfaction score in the pilot relative to other participants. That included a 94.2 percent score in the customer satisfaction element and a 99 percent in the “image audit” visual report.

34

“Scoring over 90 percent in a customer satisfaction mystery shop, for an extended period of time, is extremely challenging to achieve which says a lot about Berry and his team,” Schletewitz says.

In addition, he says that Berry’s attributes as an effective business leader serve him well in those business metrics, showing how that hard work can translate into employee and customer retention. He says that Berry has a high level of humility, respect, appreciation and really treats his employees well.

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O P E R AT O R O F T H E Y E A R

Paying Dues

Tammy Sandlin, the previous co-owner of the shops, said that Berry has served them well by carrying on the hard work put into those locations. That included maintaining the experienced staff on site.

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O P E R AT O R O F T H E Y E A R

Faith and Community Spirit Berry says that a strong Christian faith has led him to success and guides him to be a humble, hardworking leader. He says that it wasn’t a question for him to separate that from his business.

“I’m at my stores every day. Both locations, I make an appearance,” he says.

“The first and foremost thing is that I've always been a faith-driven guy.”

That’s led him to build ties in the community and among his staff— sometimes in unexpected ways. Berry says that he had a manager in Hartselle who helped him start a Bible study session. That was just fine with Berry, whose grandfather was a preacher.

They held it once per month at the shop, and they had some staff and friends participate.

Eventually, someone suggested that they videotape the sessions.

Berry obliged, but a technological slip-up caused the event to become more popular.

“Long story short, I accidentally went live on our Facebook page,” he says. “And it took off like wildfire. Now people are tuning into it, we have customers who show up.”

The sessions have continued ever since, every first Saturday at Hartselle and third Saturday at Cullman, live in person and now live on Facebook.

“I don’t know what better team-building event you can have,” Berry says. “Some of them are getting up on their off day and doing it at 7 o’clock in the morning.”

Going Viral

After Jason Berry accidentally live streamed a shop Bible study group, more and more people showed up for the weekly event.

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Staying Humble One thing that impressed Sandlin the most was how Berry operated shortly after he bought the business. The Sandlins had some experienced, strong employees in place that contributed to the company’s success. Some new operators might have looked to trim costs and start fresh. Sandlin found that Berry saw them as assets, not overhead.

“Jason never batted an eye,” Sandlin says. “He never thought about cutting

38

anything. And for a young guy coming in, that speaks volumes.”

Naturally, Berry is less forthcoming to talk about all the things he’s doing well. But that suits his personality. He says that he wants his employees to say that he’s doing well but to feel inside like he always needs to improve.

He does attribute a lot of his success to the close attention he pays to the operation and the people in it. He

jumped quickly to remodel the shops’ office spaces and upgrade what he could. Employees would show up to find their company owner re-flooring the store by himself.

“I've just always been that way,” Berry says. “The hardest thing for me is that I'm such a hands-on guy. Hartselle, when I just had it alone, I was handling everything from the business side and still being hands-on every day.”

He found it hard to delegate to managers and become a two-shop operator, but he also found other ways to be present and connect with the business.

What motivates him is more than the success he gains for himself. He tries to look at the biggest possible impact.

“What drives me are those 25 or 26 people,” Berry says of his staff. “Not only do I think about those 25 or 26, I think about the babies, the wives, the husbands. That’s what drives me.”

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O P E R AT O R O F T H E Y E A R

Positive Attitude

Even after a day of huge car counts, Jason Berry wants to stay focused on the long-term goals while recognizing the staff’s hard work.

SEPTEMBER 2021

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RUNNER-UP

A Labor of Legacy Shane Burton is taking the family Jiffy Lube shops to new heights

40

No. 2: getting in and out quick. And No. 3: doing what you say you do. And if you cover all three of those in the fast lube business, you’re going to do pretty good.”

For his commitments to his career and his community, Burton has earned this runner-up spot in NOLN.

Perks of the Job

At the heart of Burton’s operation is a solid team of techs and managers. Devan Lyman, Burton’s general manager, tells NOLN that they have employees whose time with the company spans decades. Lyman himself has been with them for 15 years.

“I would never leave his stores because of the level of care he provides,” Lyman says of Burton. “Sales are up dramatically and employee turnover is at an all-time low. That's rare in the lube business, and if anyone has worked and earned recognition, it is Mr. Burton.”

Burton knows the importance of tech work. He did it himself for a time. When he took over the Twin Falls operations about nine years ago, he knew that success would start with that core team.

“We have longevity with some of our employees,” Burton says. “My area manager for Twin has been with us since the beginning. When I was working as a lube tech, he was my pit tech.”

It’s hard for every lube shop to hire, he says, and sometimes owners have to pay up, even though it can be a bookkeeping challenge. It’s not just pay, either. Burton

COURTESY SHANE BURTON

I

t began as a family business, one generation above Shane Burton.

“It started with my uncle, Ross,” Burton says. “He was the one who started the whole thing.”

In the late ’90s, around the time that Jiffy Lube absorbed the Q Lubes chain, Burton says his uncle was working for Quaker State. Uncle Ross joined Burton’s father, Ted, and went into the quick lube business.

In those early years of the franchise, Burton was working as a high school teacher. He did that for 13 years, teaching the sciences and some other subjects.

“At the same time, I would work at the stores and just learn the positions,” he says. “I would work the pit for three months straight, or the hoods or the computer.”

That set up Burton to eventually take over the business, which he did about nine years ago. But he kept learning business lessons from his father. Those lessons continued even after Burton's father died in late 2020.

The legacy left is a strong local quick lube chain that continues to serve customers in the way Burton’s father sought to do. Burton carried on that work and has carried three locations into bustling Jiffy Lube service centers. At the same time, he’s built goodwill through philanthropy and community involvement.

“What we focus on in Twin (Falls), and what we’ve always done, is No. 1: customer service,” Burton says. “And

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O P E R AT O R O F T H E Y E A R

Giving Back

After more than a decade working as a teacher, Shane Burton went into the family quick lube business. But he still found a way to give back to the local education system with a scholarship program.

holds big holiday parties each winter and created a bonus program at the shops.

He sends his top employees on fishing and hunting trips to reward them.

Burton says that he’s learned that leading a team is about being personal and looking beyond the line item. That’s the culture he wants to build.

“They want to be noticed. Everybody wants to be noticed,” he says. “So we try to implant that into our managers. And we’re there every day. We want to know what’s going on in their lives. We try to help them out as best we can. There are programs, but we find out what’s going on with them and we pay attention.”

Spreading Success

Community service has been a priority for Burton as a business owner.

“We try to do more and more of that,” he says. “If you’re not supporting your community, they're the ones who are coming in and paying everyone's salaries.”

The company donates to local groups like the Shriners. Lyman says the company has raised money for anti-domestic violence causes as well.

Burton has also made it a point to give back to the education system in which he worked. One of those is a teacher of the month gift card giveaway. There are other giveaways for office assistants and custodial staff members as well.

His company also sponsors a program called “What Drives You,” which is an essay contest for students. The

students must write an essay reflecting upon the motivating forces in their lives, and how they’re pushing to achieve their own goals.

“It’s cool to read all those, and we pick a winner, and then we give them a $1,500 scholarship,” Burton says. “And second place gets a $1,000 scholarship.

And the school that turns in the most gets a $500 check.”

Similar to his attitude with his own staff, Burton’s community service efforts are a chance to show the community that he wants to take part in its progress.

Helping a student out with a scholarship may or may not gain a customer for the shops, but it helps out the student, and Burton says that’s the goal.

Lessons Learned

One of the biggest lessons Burton learned from his father about being an operator is a practical one for any shop.

“A dirty pit and you'll have a dirty store,” he says. “It’s so right. If you're not cleaning, you’re going to have problems.”

Another lesson Burton’s father imprinted was the need for strong shoplevel leadership—and the ability to draw from that person’s strength. Whenever there is an issue at a specific location, Burton says he will always talk to the manager first. The link is so crucial to what’s happening on the bay floor.

Burton also learned to push the envelope a bit and try out new things. He says that they launched a quality inspection process years ago that went into use across the national Jiffy Lube network.

He was an early adopter of cameras recording the service process, which has become very common both for customer service and liability protection. All the while, shop revenues have increased.

Finally, Burton says that he has learned the value of the overall experience. Customers might not pay close attention to how the oil change service itself is going. But techs always have the opportunity to make an impression during personal interaction. That’s what the customer will always remember.

“They’re not going to think about you after the oil change,” he says. “First impressions and your last impressions are big deals. They may not remember the service, but they will remember that it wasn’t a bad experience.”

SEPTEMBER 2021

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RUNNER-UP

Market-Minded Operator Costa Kapothanasis is seeking the biggest impact for each new location

42

he’s built a data-driven business model that focuses on the oil change basics.

His success on this path led him to take a big leap in 2021 and start franchising with a single-bay model that he devised. It’s his attention to detail, thoughtful approach, and bold step toward franchising that has earned him this runner-up award from NOLN. Of course, Kapothanasis didn’t know all that when he took over the Harrisburg shop in 2014. But it was a pivotal deal. He recalls the date very clearly.

“We got the deal done and signed on April 1, so five days before I turned 25,” he says. “That was a big deal to me.”

Strategic Growth

The Costa Oil company-owned network stretches through Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois.

Kapothanasis specialized in taking over existing quick lube properties that were good deals. The goal was to shorten the time to profitability and roll out his quick lube model.

That can be tough, because the oil change business isn’t like an eatery or retail store. Customers don’t come in every week; they’re waiting for the service interval.

To ramp up quickly, Kapothanasis focused on the costs that he could control. Part of that is offering a simpler

COURTESY COSTA KAPOTHANASIS

Y

ears ago, in the early 2010s, Costa Kapothanasis had worked his way into a good finance career at a big-name institution. But something nagged at him.

He wanted to set his own limits at work.

“I’ve always been entrepreneurial, so it was very difficult sitting in a cubicle, staring at a screen all day and not being able to have an impact on the organization,” he says.

But it was tough to leave a safe career track during those years, as the Great Recession left lots of college grads under-employed. Kapothanasis first started looking into quick lubes as a potential part-time gig.

More importantly, he looked into deals that could be had with a small initial investment from a young entrepreneur.

“I started reading some books on negotiating seller finance deals and sweat equity deals,” he says. “Different ways you can convince someone who’s getting out of the business to sell to you without putting a lot of money down.”

He found such a deal in Harrisburg, Pa., which he acquired and then opened in 2014 as his first quick lube shop. It became a blueprint for how he would eventually run a growing quick lube network. Kapothanasis has his eye on growth opportunities that don’t need to be neatly grouped in a single market, and

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O P E R AT O R O F T H E Y E A R

Strategic Growth

Costa Kapothanasis’ network spans multiple states, as he has worked to find highimpact opportunities to serve the markets he calls home.

model featuring oil changes and a few other quick services. He looked closely at inventory and performance data to limit the number of SKUs he needed to carry. And he jumped into lease deals that would be favorable for growth.

“If we optimize the inventory on the shelf, in the tanks,” he says. “And then control our lease costs, control our fixtures and furniture. To an extent, control your labor costs, then you can have a very successful quick lube with that oil change model.”

Kapothanasis cherry-picked his network with those factors in mind and worked his way through Pennsylvania and Illinois first. When he reached his fifth location in Youngstown, Ohio, he met a different challenge.

The previous owner had stripped nearly the entire building of useful equipment, down to the last bit of piping. It gave him an opportunity to build out a more customized facility that was built for his kind of business.

Today, that location is doing well, he says, and it gave him a test run for the eventual franchise model.

Jump Into Franchising

During a video interview with NOLN in early 2021, Kapothanasis announced that he was launching a franchise model for Costa Oil 10 Minute Oil Change.

It’s based around his low-overhead philosophy to bring quick oil change service to customers and short ramp-up periods for franchisees.

Kapothanasis says that he built the model to be good investments but also attractive to owner-operators with lower liquidity requirements that can price out some operators.

“I wanted to present a model that was owner-operator friendly,” Kapothanasis says. “It was very important for me to satisfy both ends of the bell curve—the owner-operator on one end and the multi-unit portfolio sophisticated investor on the other end.”

As of this writing, Costa Oil had announced franchise deals in three states, and he says that they’ve been recruiting for more. He’s eager to see how far his model can go.

Kapothanasis is a unique operator because he comes at his work with a business-side mind and the attention to detail of an owner-operator. His view is that of a young startup looking to revise the model a bit to give people what they truly want.

“When we as a company have our core values, and eliminating friction and being kind are at the top of our pillars, that’s really what we’re doing differently,” he says. “We’re putting an emphasis on that while creating a model that allows it to be cultivated in the first place.”

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SEPTEMBER 2021

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8/25/21 11:02 AM 8/25/2021 1:13:47 PM

Ultimate Quick Lube

Sponsored Content

Products and services you need to run a more efficient and profitable quick lube operation

Autel

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Clix Wipers

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Devon

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Solid Start/True Brand

8/25/21 4:32 PM

Ultimate Quick Lube

Autel’s ITS600: TPMS and So Much More Enable technicians the ability to efficiently perform every aspect of a TPMS service

The MaxiTPMS ITS600 is a sleek, lightweight touchscreen Android tablet that performs every aspect of TPMS service, including activation of all-known sensors, system diagnostics, 1-Sensor programming providing 99 percent vehicle coverage, and displays vehicle-specific position Relearn instructions. Autel’s TPMS tools’ interface has for years enabled technicians to perform these tasks easily and consistently. The ITS600 gracefully improves upon the efficiency of TPMS services and only increases Autel’s merit as a comprehensive TPMS solution provider especially when used with the dual-frequency 1-Sensor that continues to offer technicians the most efficient and cost-saving sensor solution in the industry.

Still, the ITS600 offers shops more.

The tablet’s Tire Identification Number (TIN) scan and DOT tire registration feature (available with a separate CIMs tire registration subscription) produces a real-time safety check for the customer’s current vehicle tires and a method to ensure your shop is in compliance with government regulations when selling new tires. The TIN is the string of six to 13 numbers or letters marked on the tire sidewall following the letters DOT identifying among other things, the week and year the tire was manufactured.

The manufacture date, of course, is vitally important as tire makers recommend that a tire six years or older

Sponsored Content

be replaced—and a quick scan and the subsequent display of the tire’s last four digits quickly identifies the age of that tire and advises the technician if he should recommend a tire placement to the customer.

TIN registration is another matter and one whose responsibility has shifted over the years between seller and consumer. But in 2016, the FAST Act made it mandatory that the tire seller register just-purchased tires on behalf of the customers. The goal, of course, is to alert customers of a tire recall and to get those tires off the road. Eighty-five percent of recalled tires are believed to be still out there. The ITS600 brings the capturing and registering of the TIN into the modern age, eliminating the hassle of mailing in postcards and reducing the possible transcribing errors (40 percent of registrations are invalid because the TIN was incorrectly written). The ITS600 makes compliance easy: input the tire information and the customers contact information, and tap submit.

Still, the ITS600 offers more. Purchase the TBE200 Tire Brake Examiner for laser-enabled measurement of tread and depth and brake disc wear analysis. Pair with the ITS600 to generate detailed customer reports advising of depth and disc wear. Here again, Autel takes thread depth and wear measurement into the modern age (surely, it’s time to move on from the penny test).

The Tire Brake Examiner enlists a laser to scan the surface of the tire and generate a real-time image of the tread depth and overall tire wear. The TBE200’s 1.65” high resolution AMOLED touchscreen full-color graphical display illustrates wear and provides service recommendations, including tire and brake disc replacement, tire rotation, and 4-wheel alignment. It’s time to bring serious attention to getting vehicles with bald and expired tires off the road. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) research found that of the 11,500 passenger vehicles they inspected, almost half had at least one tire with only 50 percent tread remaining. An additional 10 percent had at least one bald tire. Via the TBE200’s 4-megapixel macro camera and 8-megapixel zoomable cameras, the technician can document tire wear and damage and scan the TIN. Inspect the vehicle brake disc without having to remove the tires. The user fixes the TBE200 (with the embedded magnet) to the disc to inspect the disc. The tool emits a scanning laser over the surface of the disc. Wear images and service recommendations display on-screen.

Regardless of the industry, the best tool investment should offer opportunities. Make sure the next TPMS tool you buy enables your shop to measure its success with improved efficiency, greater customer satisfaction and a flourishing bottom line.

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ITSTPMS+MORE IT S60 0

IN TEL LIGEN T TIRE SERVICE

1-SENSOR

TBE200

DUAL FREQUENCY

LASER MEASUREMENT • Tire Tread Depth Measurement

• Programmable Universal TPMS

• Brake Disk Wear Measurement

• 99% Vehicle Coverage

• No Need To Remove Wheel During Measurement

• Exclusive Press Release Button • Interchangeable Valve Stems

• 0.1mm Laser Accuracy

COMPLETE TPMS SERVICE 4 SENSOR PROGRAMMING OPTIONS

ITS600

DIAGNOSTICS & SERVICE

• 5.5” Touchscreen Tablet with Android 9.0 OS • Optical Scanner Identifies VIN / MMY • Four Service Resets OLS, BMS, SAS and EPB • Read & Erase All System Codes • FREE Wi-Fi Software Updates for Life Of Tool

TEL: 1.855.288.3587 I WEB: AUTEL.COM EMAIL: USSUPPORT@AUTEL.COM AUTEL.COM FOLLOW US @AUTELTOOLS ©2021 Autel U.S. Inc., All Rights Reserved

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SCAN TO WATCH

TRAINING VIDEOS

YOUTUBE

SEPTEMBER 2021

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Ultimate Quick Lube

Sponsored Content

Increase Wiper Blade Sales with One Click Boost efficiency and grow your ARO by offering customers the unique design of Clix Wipers

For Anthony and Arthur Leardi, starting their windshield wiper business was a way to carry on their family legacy. Their mother began her own wiper blade business in 1991—selling windshield wipers out of the trunk of her car. Now, the brothers have put a modern, more whimsical spin on the essential product with their brand Clix Wipers.

The Florida-based company features simple, and easy-to-install wiper blades that clip into place in a matter of seconds. Making selling and installing the windshield wipers easy for quick lube technicians in every shop. Even more, the wiper blades come in a variety of colors and patterns, creating a unique and creative selling point.

“Anthony and I have really focused on making our wipers the best all around,” Arthur explains. “We aim to bring quick lube shops the best possible product, service, and pricing,” Say “Yes” More If there is one word an owner doesn’t want their team to ever have to say to a customer in response to providing a potential service, it’s “no”. With the countless styles, sizes, and types of windshield wipers needed for different vehicles—shops

are met with the risk of not having the right wiper blades to fit the job.

“Clix Wipers allow shops the ability to say ‘yes’ to everybody in terms of providing wiper blades, which helps shops immensely,” Anthony says.

An original pack of Clix Wipers comes with just two clips, but are compatible with 98 percent of vehicles. In addition, Clix Wipers offers X-factor clips that install to nearly all of the rarest wiper arms. This versatility makes the product not only easy to stock and sell, but also simple to install. Many other windshield wiper brands include up to four or five adapters in their packaging, turning the supposedly simple and quick task into a confusing and an unnecessary time suck. The simplicity of Clix Wipers makes it easy to train each technician in the shop to be able to quickly install the wiper blades onto each vehicle, helping to push jobs through the doors faster.

“It’s a really simple product for teams to learn and to understand, which makes employees feel confident in using the product and confident in selling it,” Anthony explains.

Offer Variety and Personality Beyond the versatility and ease-of use of Clix Wipers, the unique colors and patterns of the product line is what really makes the typically mundane windshield wipers stand apart to shops and customers alike. Clicking through the collections on Clixwipers.com showcases their “OG” design, along with multiple color sections in their “Clix Carbon Series”. For even more unique and dynamic styles, Clix Wipers offers a “Clix Ink Series”, which includes everything from a camo print, to plaid, to

flannel—providing something for everyone. “Clix 4 Causes” connects wiper styles to nonprofits including the National Breast Cancer Foundation and the Best Friends Animal Society.

All Clix Wipers are painted or hydro dipped and assembled in-house, allowing the company to offer the vast expansion of designs, along with custom orders if desired.

Shop team members can showcase the wide array of designs to customers looking to add some personality to their vehicle, adding the extra personal touch and connection to boost customer satisfaction and retention.

Increase Your Add-on Sales Although windshield wipers should be a simple sale to customers coming in, shop availability and ease of purchasing a pair elsewhere can make the add-on more challenging. By offering quick and convenient solutions to typical wiper headaches, customers are more willing to make the extra investment.

In addition to the OG set of Clix Wipers, shops can showcase a wall display to advertise the variety of different colors and designs. If a customer is interested in a colorful add-on, the wiper blades can be drop shipped to the shop to allow the technician the ability to install them themself.

“The variety of wiper designs offer quick lubes a new way of selling the same old, same old,” Arthur says. “Plus, they’re really awesome, exciting to talk about, and a very engaging product for the driver.”

In order to expand Clix Wipers sales opportunities within the quick lube sector of the industry, the company is coming up with new and innovative services. From a drive-thru wipers concept, to Uber-like mobile installation—the Leardis continue to bring their innovation and industry experience to help operators further grow their business.

To learn more about Clix Wipers, along with conventional and rear wiper blades, and the upcoming Clix Wipers Silicone+, visit clixwipers.com/business.

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WIPERS REIMAGINED

ORIGINAL

SILICONE+

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CHROME

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Ultimate Quick Lube

Every Answer, Resource and Part Don’t find a supplier—find a partner who values your time, your hard work and your relationship

In the quick lube industry and aftermarket, Mark Agan has seen it all.

He began working on cars when he was thirteen years old; moved to restoration; hustled tires as a young man at the tire shop; changed oil at a lube shop; trained mechanics; became a system and services manager (and later managed million-dollar stores).

“I had seven states under my discretion with Valvoline,” he says.

Today, he’s the chief operations officer at Strickland Brothers 10 Minute Oil Change, a rapidly growing chain of stores and franchises that began in North Carolina and now has footholds in several surrounding states (with plans to keep growing).

“We started franchising pretty heavily last year,” he says, as over 200 stores adopted the Strickland banner, “and we currently have about over forty shops open and gaining momentum.

We hope to open an additional 100-125 units in 2022.”

That’s a lot of units, a lot of customers and a lot of lube jobs, parts, components and more to account for, both on the vehicle and within the shop.

To help Strickland Brothers scale up while keeping their metaphorical feet on the ground, Agan and his team look to Devon.

Sponsored Content

A Relationship-Based Partner in Profit As Strickland Brothers scales up, Agan is quick to note that parts and availability are certainly important, but it’s the relationship he and his team have developed with Devon that really sets them apart as a quick lube supply center equipment juggernaut and partner in profit.

“Devon is a one-stop shop for Strickland Brothers,” he says.

“The guy who sold us our first filter is still working with us today; we’re big on direct contact and our primary rep at Devon has never let us down. I knew to grow at a fast pace we needed a reliable partner.”

Agan says that Devon (and even to an extent, himself) had no idea how fast their endeavor was going to grow. When he asked for a quote on a huge variety and volume of products, Devon delivered; he liked it, he bought it and it was off to the races for Strickland Brothers.

“We built the prototype and I bought the entire equipment package from Devon—lifts, pumps, filters, oil pans and tanks—anything and everything I needed to outfit my stores.”

Agan says that Devon worked with his team to get everything to every store (seven states in the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond) promptly, efficiently, without issue or complaint, besides the 2020 usual—pandemic slowdowns of the supply chain.

“He laid it down,” Agan says of his rep, “he told me right away that tanks and lifts were backed up. He laid out a timetable about how to order the products and they made good on that promise.

“We came out of COVID knocking record months out.”

To learn how Devon can help supply your store, check out devonlube.com.

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SEPTEMBER 2021

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Ultimate Quick Lube

Sponsored Content

DuraMAX is a Modern Shop Solution Achieve Millennial loyalty through superior products and value

Kevin Weaver is living his best life.

At 57 years old, he’s in better shape than he’s been in years—he’s cut some carbs and dropped more than 50 pounds well ahead of his fall schedule.

Weaver is also operation manager of In-N-Out Lube, the two oldest quick lube service stores in Fort Worth, Texas. One was built in the mid-seventies, and the one he operates was constructed about ten years later.

So what’s the secret to long-term success deep in the heart of Texas?

“If I knew that, I’d make a million bucks!” he laughs. “Finding people to work in the industry, maybe—the right people.

Employee retention. I’ve been lucky to surround myself with smart people.”

But smart people can only do so much—when they’re equipped with smart products, increased revenue isn’t a possibility; it’s a certitude.

Adapting with the Industry Weaver began his shops’ relationship with DuraMAX (a RelaDyne brand) about ten years ago and hasn’t looked back. They began as his shops’ secondary supplier and

he cites excellent supply-side customer service as an added bonus.

But the industry changed (as it always does) and his primary supplier kept raising prices and Weaver wasn’t able to offer the same value to his customers and soon looked to his secondary option as a primary supplier and partner.

“DuraMAX kept the price on synthetics and semi-synthetics low and always fair,” he says, “which allowed us to not enforce dramatic price hikes on our customers.

As competitors raised their prices, mine didn’t go up nearly as much—they went up $5, I went up $1. It kept me in the market.”

Weaver notes that today’s customers aren’t brand loyalty fanatics like many of the drivers of old; instead, they’re value and experience connoisseurs who look to Google and Yelp to find what they need. He also says that RelaDyne has exceptional products across the board and has helped lower his cost of goods.

“Pricing is important, of course,” he says, “but today’s drivers just want to make sure the car runs. RelaDyne has always been exceptional, and the signage package was great. They help with tanks

and anything else we need—it’s a really great and appealing program.”

And that program delivers. Weaver carries all the DuraMAX oils, oil filters, air cabin filters, coolants, wipers and more. He even carries some of their secondary lines, such as Rain-X, “and if they don’t have it or can’t get it to us, they’ll find someone who can or provide a similar product at negligible cost and inconvenience to the store.”

Now, Weaver is able to foster a consistently loyal customer base who trust his products and, in turn, trust him and his team to provide high quality quick lube service.

“Once you have a consistent clientele who trust your prices, that’s definitely good for business,” he says.

“DuraMAX has increased our profits. We can keep good quality products without paying premium prices, and in this market that’s a good thing. If you buy filters through an outside supplier, it could be 50 percent higher than this time last year.”

Weaver says that switching oil providers didn’t affect car count in any way and that In-N-Out Lube anticipates getting through another pandemic summer without a single hiccup; in fact, they’re having a great year.

“We always want to improve,” he says, and that the business model and services offered by RelaDyne and the DuraMAX line of products is the future of the industry.

“I recommend them to everyone,” he adds, “and though they have a smaller foothold in Texas, this is where the market is going. I see competitors’ prices, show others what I pay and everyone benefits. They’re competing with big companies and helping us be successful in the process.”

It’s been a banner year for Weaver and In-N-Out Lube, and with a partner such as RelaDyne, who knows what’s next? Maybe that million-dollar secret.

To learn more, check out reladyne.com.

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INTRODUCING

DuraMAX offers a line of high quality and affordable vehicle maintenance products. With our comprehensive line of automotive products, you can outfit your vehicle with premium and reliable protection and performance by DuraMAX. • Full Synthetic, High Mileage, and Syn Blend Motor Oils • Fully Licensed GF-6; API SP and dexos1® Approvals • 10-Year/up to 300,000-Mile Liquid Armor Engine Warranty

Introducing DuraMAX DOLLAR$, our Enhanced Consumer Loyalty Program!

DuraMAX DOLLAR$ offers many enhancements including text and email redemption options. Now including program additions for Warranty enrollments and wiper blade bundles, it’s never been easier to get your customers coming back for more.

• Comprehensive Selection of Oil, Air, Cabin Air, and Fuel Filters • Ancillary Products (Brake Fluid, Power Steering, etc.)

• Automatic Transmission Fluids • Antifreeze and Coolants • Premium Wiper Blades

For more info and program details scan the QR code or visit the link below

duramax.com

To Get Started with DuraMAX call (317) 696-3009

SEPTEMBER 2021

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Ultimate Quick Lube

Grow Your Shop with One Product True Brand offers a more effective, more efficient, and more profitable induction service

“This thing really is a game-changer,” Jason Weicht, Solid Start’s director of sales, says. “We’ve seen such a huge impact in the shops that are utilizing it. It’s really exciting.”

NOLN recently sat down with Weicht to discuss the one change he recommends to every shop owner and manager.

“That’s easy,” he says. “Our pressurized canister induction service—hands-down the easiest and most profitable change any shop can implement.

“Compared to the plastic IV-style drip bottles that most shops use when performing a fuel-system or induction cleaning service, the pressurized canister service wins easily in every metric imaginable,” Weicht says. “Besides the obvious fact that the metal canister looks far more professional when performing the service, it also saves time, eliminates the stress of finding the proper vacuum source, adds in the benefits of a throttle plate cleaning, and removes any chance of flooding the catalytic converter. All of these add up to a more profitable shop.”

The True Brand Pressurized Canister utilizes shop air to pressurize the metal canister and deliver a consistent atomized mist of their GDI Induction Cleaner directly to the throttle body via the S-Hook delivery system. This cleans and lubricates the throttle plate to eliminate a sticky gas pedal without harming the throttle-position or mass-air sensors. While this is a great benefit over the traditional IV-style drip bottle application, Weicht says that the ef-

Sponsored Content

ficiency of the pressurized canister service is where shops are seeing huge benefits.

“Our in-market testing shows the pressurized canister service consistently takes less than half the time of a drip bottle service,” Weicht says. “While a drip bottle service takes an average of around 20 minutes to complete – and that doesn’t include the extra time it might take tech to search for and find a proper vacuum source - our pressurized canister service takes around seven minutes at max to complete. This means that the shop can essentially perform two to three times more services per day after they switch to the pressurized canister.”

According to Weicht, many techs end up using the brake booster for the drip bottle style service because it’s the easiest vacuum source to find and has good vacuum pressure. However, around 80 percent of the time, that’s the wrong source and will dump the cleaner into the last valve and flood the catalytic converter. “This results in poor cleaning and possible catalytic converter damage,” he says. “Since our pressurized canister always delivers the cleaner through the throttle body via the s-hook, this eliminates the chance of not hitting all the valves, the possibility of flooding the catalytic converter, time wasted searching for the correct vacuum source and the possibility of accidentally pulling a coolant line. Additionally, with newer vehicles using plastic vacuum lines, we are seeing more incidents of techs accidentally breaking the lines and shops having to replace them. With the

pressurized canister, you don’t have to worry about any of that.”

In addition to increased efficiency and effectiveness, the pressurized canister service also offers the shop the option to benefit from an increase in service price, thanks to the addition of the throttle plate cleaning to the typical valve and injector cleaning benefits of a drip bottle service.

Weicht says that this is an option that he discusses with each shop when reviewing the benefits of the pressurized canister.

“Since they’re adding another layer of cleaning to the service, they can—if they wish—charge more,” he explains.

The market seems to agree with Weicht: Mark W., the general manager of a seven-store franchise group, states, “The customer perception and improved satisfaction with the price of the service is 10 times better using the True Brand pressurized canister. It just carries a better-perceived value because of the application, something you can also show the customer.”

Chris D. manages a five-store group in Eastern Idaho and loves how simple and efficient the service is for his techs to perform. He says, “No questions on how my tech is supposed to perform the service… and it works like a charm!”

With its time-saving and revenue-generating benefits, True Brand’s pressurized canister service is changing how shops approach ancillary services. If you’d like more information on implementing this easy and profitable service in your shop, contact your True Brand representative or call 877.290.3950.

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MAKE ONE SMALL CHANGE FOR

HUGE PROFITS “This thing really is a game-changer. We’ve seen such a huge impact in the shops that are utilizing it. It’s really exciting.”

-Jason Weicht, Director of Sales - Solid Start, Inc.

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HOW TO KEEP YOU STAFF ON TASK

Six ways to ensure consistent productivity

IN ANY QUICK LUBE BUSINESS, SPEED IS OF THE ESSENCE. IT’S WHY MANY OF YOUR

customers visit your operation. However, that differentiator can be all but abandoned if your staff doesn’t remain efficient and productive.

Dave Rogers would go so far as to say it’s the cornerstone of the quick lube business.

Rogers is now the president of the training outfit Auto Profit Masters and continues to help run Keller Bros in Littleton, Colo., which has a quick lube segment of the business.

He’s confident the following six tips will help keep your staff consistently and sustainably on task.

A S TO L D TO A N N A Z E C K

1. Understand the difference between being “on task” and genuinely productive.

If you’re on task, you are performing your normal job duties without caring about efficiency. If you’re only on task,

you’re going through the motions and hoping you don’t get fired. If you’re being genuinely productive, you’re completing your tasks thoroughly, efficiently and with care. Everybody on the team benefits, and so does the customer. It means

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you’re doing thorough inspections, which increases sales, but also protects our brand. We’re setting our brand apart from all the places someone could take their car to get an oil change.

You’re finding ways to go above and beyond to go above normal job duties because it helps the whole operation.

2. Learn to motivate.

From a management perspective, it really comes down to us business owners learning how to properly incentivize the behaviors we want to see. Lube tech pay plans, along with the rest of pay plans, including the manager’s, should reward productivity and accuracy. There should also be some sort of commission pool they can earn through recommendations, authorized and completed work, hitting goals and targets.

But also from which they can “pay” from mistakes they make, so there’s real

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accountability. Of course, legally you can’t bill your employee for a mistake made, but if it’s a discretionary bonus, you have the ability to go back and help him or her understand that we shouldn’t’ just slap the wrong oil filter on that car, for example.

3. Build a commission pay plan that works.

The purpose of an incentive pay plan is to keep them motivated, accountable and truly engaged with the work they’re performing. Money’s a critical part of that and the right pay plan can create a team of winning employees, but you need a balance between productivity and creating a feeling of greed. It requires a great deal of understanding, and you need to look at measurements.

How does the person perform? How does the team interact? What happens if the business stumbles? Test those numbers against future possibilities.

4. Look for the telltale signs.

The easiest way to see if they’re off task is standing around doing nothing, but it’s not always that obvious. The best way to know for certain is to measure. When your team isn’t staying on task, they’re not completing thorough inspections, so your lube lanes’ ARO is a very clear indicator. If you’ve chosen the right software, you will see daily metrics for profitability, sales, growth, shortcomings. Do this daily and take time in the morning to address any shortcomings or training that needs to take place as a result.

5. Set clear expectations.

Does your team understand what they should do when their tasks are complete?

Some people take great initiative, but that’s a small percentage. In a quick lube, a good portion of the team is fairly new.

We hire someone and we think they seem

great and know what they’re doing so we don’t take that time to teach them the “why.” It’s our responsibility to define what they’re supposed to do when tasks are completed and to put procedures in place so when the work is finished, the additional responsibilities are very obvious.

6. Create accountability on the team.

If the team’s great potential to maximize that pay can be reduced by sloppiness, they usually help each other make sure it’s right. Rather than being in fear, it’s a more collaborative or cooperative environment. Accountability begins with a clear chain of command in your biz, both up and down. That’s where your culture comes in. Culture means we’re going to live the way we want them to exhibit. If everyone is growing, they will not only hold themselves accountable, they’ll look out for the best interest of your customers and your brand.

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DESIGNING ALL- INCLUSIVE SERVICES

How a small-town shop became a place of trust between community and employees

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BETWEEN THE YEARS OF 2005 AND

2018, the town of Huron, South Dakota underwent a major demographic shift.

By a percentage of its population of nearly 19,000, Huron took in more immigrants in these years than any other city in the United States. A large portion of these immigrants came from the Karen (kuh-REN) region of Myanmar, which was formerly Burma.

Following persecution in Myanmar, around 2,000 Karen people made their way to Huron, South Dakota, seeking peace and stability. While some citizens of Huron were hesitant at first, the city then accepted their new neighbors with open arms.

One way that Lee Christianson, owner of Lee’s Rapid Lube, responded was to include bilingual services within six months of purchasing the store in 2009.

Christianson recounts how he conceived and carried out this initiative for the benefit of his customers and his shop.

The Choice Christianson purchased the shop in April 2009. When he took over, there

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were no bilingual services being offered.

“I am the only quick lube shop in Huron and really within a 50-mile radius of the town,” Christianson says.

“And I would hardly see any Karen people coming to my shop.”

This perplexed Christianson

because he would drive around town and see Karen people in many other stores. Forcing him to wonder where they were getting their oil changes.

“I realized that I wasn’t reflecting my community at my shop. So within six months of ownership, I decided

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to start offering bilingual services,” Christianson says.

At the time Christianson’s son, Tyler, was in high school and he had many Karen classmates, giving Christianson a great idea. He paid a visit to the school’s vocational teacher and asked if any Karen students were looking for a job.

“I gave the teacher my business cards and told him to direct any interested Karen students in my direction,” Christianson says.

Within a few weeks, Christianson had hired two high schoolers who could speak English and the Karen language.

The Services Offered There are many aspects that need to be considered when offering bilingual services to a population that speaks two or more languages.

“The first is that you need to have at least one person on staff that can interact with customers in their preferred language,” Christianson says.

Since hiring on those two high schoolers in 2009, Christianson has continuously hired more native Karen speakers to fill this role. Currently, Christianson employs two Karen speakers, Po Dah and Eh Jo Ah, to help with the front desk to bridge the language barrier between the shop and the community.

“In addition to having fluent speakers on staff, we also consulted with a Karen translator to have all of our services converted to that language,” Christianson says.

The shop offers a menu board displaying all of their services in the Karen language. This provides the quickest access to the service menu and helps out in the event that both of the Karen speakers are not on shift.

Community-Accessible Business Models The bottom line for Christianson is that the business should cater to the market, not the other way around.

“The most important aspect about

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offering bilingual services and employing people from all backgrounds is having a workforce that reflects your community,” Christianson says.

Having a workforce that reflects your community implicitly and explicitly communicates that you care about offering your services to everyone, Christianson says.

“We accomplish this by ensuring that my bilingual employees can do everything that I can, maybe even more,” Christianson says.

They are trained to bill customers out, run the computers, work on cars, and run the front desk if needed.

Christianson’s shop strives to demonstrate that they take care of all of their customers and that they cater to everyone in their community.

“The Karen community makes up a pretty good portion of our population,” Christianson says. “They need someone to take care of their preventative maintenance needs.”

The shop also accomplishes this by ensuring that their print advertising has a sentence or two in the Karen language.

“While I don’t normally run print advertising, just once or twice a year, I always ensure that it is summarized in the Karen language on the ad,” Christianson says.

According to Christianson, the Karen community prefers word-ofmouth advertising over other forms.

Employing members of their community for more than a decade has made a large impact on his shop.

Christianson has created a shop

that takes the guesswork out of providing services to a population that speaks another language.

“People feel more comfortable going to a place where they can relate to and talk to someone directly in their own language,” Christianson says.

The Benefits of Bilingual Services Christianson says that offering bilingual services was probably one of the best business decisions he had ever made.

“Before I first started offering these services I would typically only see a few Karen customers, but nothing substantial,” Christianson says.

The transition did not happen overnight, Christianson said that it took six to eight months, but when word got out about Christianson offering bilingual services, more and more Karen people started going to him.

Now, he says that customers from that group make up 25 to 30 percent of his business—instrumental to his success, he says.

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RIGHT WAY TO RAMP UP

Two sisters opened a newly built car wash and lube shop amid a global pandemic

BY RYA N M C C A N N A

the wheels, windows up and... snorkels on? That’s just a typical day at JJ’s Express Oil Change and Car Wash.

Their colorful car wash experience is a travel destination in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, popular with children and a delightful distraction from pandemic woes.

“It’s like a fun carnival ride,” co-owner Jamille Taylor says, “It’s so fun to watch kids go through.”

“They wear snorkels and goggles,” sister and co-owner Jacoba Taylor adds.

This new generation of car wash has gained popularity in the North American market, featuring bright colors, large signage and lighted fluids. Before they opened there was nothing like it in their hometown.

Like all operators in the wash and lube industry, JJ’s experienced a ramp-up period. Unlike most operators, that period came during a global pandemic, but these operators rose to the challenge. This case study follows a new business as it positioned itself for profitability in challenging conditions.

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The Challenge JJ’s, named for the Taylor sisters, isn’t their first family business. Their parents ran a cement company. After they sold it, they wanted to find something new they could do together.

“We’ve always been a part of business with our parents, it’s something we always wanted to have,” Jamille says.

They knew how to work well as a family, but it took a lot of work to get the business constructed, operating, and marketed in 2020. The sisters were highly involved in the decision-making process and oversaw every financial aspect of the new build.

“Suddenly we were working 12-hour days, six days per week, but we have all worked together for so long, we knew how to manage, which is nice,” Jacoba says.

That was just the beginning. From there, they needed to generate buzz around the new service at a time when people were suspicious of in-person business transactions.

The Solutions Stay focused through setbacks.

Jamille and Jacoba decided to begin construction of JJ’s Express in 2020. The pandemic severely impacted the construction and the opening of their new business.

COURTESY J’S EXPRESS OIL CHANGE AND CAR WASH

CHECKLIST FOR THE CAR WASH: align

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in place. Customers remained in their vehicles, properly distanced, which helped to prevent further delays.

Get the name out.

After JJ’s opened in March 2021, business took off right away.

“It was surprising how busy we got right away,” Jamille says. “It was a unique chance during the pandemic to get out, see people, talk to others. We were hearing people were driving an hour out of their way.”

They also received some local media attention to help marketing efforts. The Saskatoon Star Phoenix featured JJ’s Express on its local business website, and interest in the operation exploded.

“After that article came out, we got TV and radio news stations to reach out to us,” Jamille says. “It’s been rewarding. Very cool.”

“It impacted our opening date,” Jamille says. “It was originally supposed to open in September, and it got pushed back until March. The biggest issue was that it was tough to get the materials to build. There were delays with illness, with missing equipment.

It was a whole ordeal.”

“We’re lucky,” Jacoba adds. “ Other businesses have had their struggles, we’re lucky we could open at all during COVID and we’re lucky we could keep employees and customers safe.”

One factor in their favor was that the business model allowed them to launch with safe COVID-19 precautions

Leverage unique aspects to attract crowds.

The Taylor sisters’ business brought a new element to the local market, setting them apart from other similar services.

Additionally, they were able to customize the build to anticipate the needs of the local clientele.

“We have conveyor belts on the floor, we have two regular bays but we also have one bigger bay with tall overhead clearance,” Jamille says. “That’s because our demographic is that you’ll see more trucks than cars. It helps us reach customers that might get turned away elsewhere that have RVs, farming trucks, trailers, or just need a higher height limit.”

On the quick lube side, the pair opted for a premium oil supply—full synthetics and blends.

The business model also helped the business ramp up with new hires.

While employees faced layoffs or hiring freezes at other businesses, JJ’s Express had open arms. They also focused on younger hires who hadn’t yet been in the workforce.

“We hire a lot of people for their first job,” Jamille says. “Seeing them grow, having fun and learning with us at the same time. We’re also working with Saskabilities, and about eight employees per month for a work program.

They organize employees who have autism. It gives them a chance to be social and to be around other people and not be stuck at home.”

The Aftermath Getting started at the tail end of a pandemic seemed like an incredible challenge, but the business model and the hard work of the Taylors helped to make it a success.

The operators paid close attention to the construction, and while most residents were indoors and looking for a distraction, they launched a savvy marketing campaign to get their name out—both for customers and potential new hires.

With strong car counts thus far, the sisters are confident about the future.

The Takeaway Going into their first winter, the Taylor sisters feel optimistic.

“We’re facing our first winter, but we’re averaging so many cars per day,” Jacoba says. “We feel we have a strong business model to sustain that.

If things go how we intend them to be, we may look at expanding to more locations soon.”

The short-term goal is to grow a regional network and serve their market.

“We want to keep it local, ideally have one to three locations total, but we’ll keep it in the family,” Jamille says.

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C U STOM E R S E RVIC E

SOCIAL STATUS

The language and strategy of catchy social media presence

BY ANNA ZECK

LET’S ADDRESS SOMETHING RIGHT

off the top: the whole “there’s no ROI on Facebook’’ argument. It’s a common argument when determining how much time and resources to pour into social media.

But according to Jennifer Filzen, that’s simply not true. “[Customers] see the post and go ‘wow’, they think about it, and a couple days later, they can’t remember where they saw the ad, so they Google it,” she says. “The sales conversion rate was from Google, not Facebook, in that case, but it’s unfair to say Facebook doesn’t do a good job.”

It’s the community building arm, she argues, and anyway, it’s

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short-sighted to look at marketing as purely tangible ROI. “There’s tangible ROI and intangible ROI. They forget the warm fuzzies and the feelgoods are the intangibles,” says Filzen, an author and the president of Rock Star Marketing. “How do you track that? Before you vilify, ask them where they found you. Close the loop. You’ll be surprised by what you find.”

Has Filzen convinced you yet? We hope so, because read on for the six keys to mastering social media language.

1. Build community around your brand.

Above all else, doing the above is your goal. An audience is obviously the first step, Filzen says, but it doesn’t become

a community until they evolve from just receiving the message to actually engaging with it. The real community building is when you’re having conversations with them and anything you can do to put them into conversation, is going to be a win. Something as simple as, “At this quick lube, we love working on this type of car. When was the first time you owned this type of car and what color was it?”

“Classic cars pluck at the heart strings,” Filzen says. “It’s a very easy go-to.”

2. Move away from “buy from me.”

The issue with a constant “buy from me” approach is that it’s terribly obvious to today’s conscious consumers. There are different types of marketing and advertising where that’s naturally the best approach, but the whole point of social media is engagement and conversation.

If you’re wondering why you don’t see an ROI from social media, that’s probably why, Filzen says.

“They’re just receiving until they start making commentary,” she says.

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“They share it, write about it, etc. The real community building is when you’re having conversations with them.”

3. Welcome customers into the family.

Don’t think of social media as just a siloed part of your marketing; it can augment other efforts, as well, Filzen says.

For example, there’s no better time than now to host a fundraiser or in-person event—”People miss hugs,” Filzen says— and you can use social media to promote that community-building event.

“This is a great opportunity for any shop—minor services, major services— to connect with your community,” she says. “Especially for summer and fall: snow cones, ice cream, hot dogs, back to school. Even something as simple as a canned food drive or ‘bring a picture of your most recent road trip’ contest.”

The point is that combining efforts is a win-win; you’re able to promote another marketing effort, and create genuinely community-building social media content.

5. Be genuinely authentic.

One of the most common refrains about dominating social media is conveying authenticity. But there’s a catch, Filzen says; it has to be genuine.

“If you’re at the zoo, can you tell the penguins apart? No way!” she says.

“To anyone cruising through social media, you look like a darn penguin.

That’s why it’s so important to show your culture.”

Figure out your super powers, she says, and lean into that. Customer testimonials, for example, are a great way to convey that via a quick video.

What makes you different? Why are you the quick lube a customer should pull up to, and not one down the street? An easy place to start is your company’s “why.”

“What is it, deep down, that gets you out of bed every day?” Filzen says. “Ask the owner what that ‘why’ is. Knowing what you stand for is what’s going to help you look different.”

4. Make your clients raving fans.

“If you want to dominate your market, you want to show your community how much you love them,” Filzen says. “It’s not just beating someone at the game.”

To do that, you need to have the right attitude and she believes that’s a “I want to serve the world” attitude. And that’s not just on social media; the posts have to match the in-person experience, too.

“Build rapport. It’s super critical,” she says. “People say they don’t have time, but if you take that extra minute to be personal and connect, the customer will be a thrilled, raving fan.”

Be honest and take a genuine look at your in-person experience: Are there bad attitudes? Can your front counter people be dismissive? If so, it must be eradicated. If a customer sees on social media how much you promote a friendly atmosphere and then comes in to find it’s the opposite, well, you just lost a potentially lifelong customer, Filzen says.

6. Be persistent.

Sounds obvious, right? It’s all too common to see quick lube operators’ Facebook pages fall off, and it does come with a price, Filzen says.

“You’ll fall off the radar,” she says.

“Consistent persistence is what you need. It’s like brushing your teeth––you have to do it.”

To customers, if they see a shop posting once per year or it’s hot and heavy for a few months and then dormant, they won’t notice you. And Filzen means that literally; the social media algorithms quite literally will not put you front and center.

She acknowledges that it can be tough if there’s no one in charge of social media, or if it’s not your forte, but she argues that someone on your team more than likely loves YouTube, social media, or talking to customers. Use that person and leverage their interest to create a social media page that someone is updating with enthusiasm.

WHAT IF YOU’RE PART OF A FRANCHISE? Chains and franchises typically have a large marketing department that controls the message for all franchises, so although you’ll have to—and should— remain in step with company brand and voice, Filzen believes it’s important to have a conversation with corporate to see the amount of wiggle room you have to showcase your unique voice.

“It varies quite a bit,” she says,” but taking an active approach to building community around your specific location is still important, and that’s the main premise for anyone.”

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What’s on Tap at iFLEX 2021

Make sure to carve out time for these essential education sessions NOW THAT WE’RE GETTING INTO THE FALL MONTHS,

iFLEX 2021 is just around the corner. We are looking forward to an awesome event this year. iFLEX is a part of The Car Wash Show 2021, which will take place on Nov. 15-17 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Here are the education sessions that will take your operation to the next level.

iFLEX ARCHIVES

Monday, November 15 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.

AOCA Talk Live: Hot Topics that Impact your Business Speakers: Mark Bochnowski, president, Lube ‘n Go, Inc.; Dave Everett, vice president business development, Service Champ; Justin Ciallela, president and CEO, Victory Lane Quick Oil Change; Tom Staker, international director of training and new services, FullSpeed Automotive, Grease Monkey and SpeeDee brands.

Come and get your questions answered by current industry leaders. With their expertise you will obtain key take-aways to immediately implement in your business and build a network of industry peers.

9:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.

Leveraging Digital Marketing to Increase Your Bottom Line Speaker: David DiMeo, co-Founder and COO, Robo Retail Stop assuming that people are out there looking to find your website. Attend this session & learn

how to use the latest digital strategies to get more customers into your shops.

Tuesday, November 16 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.

The Fast Lube Industry is Always Changing: Here is What You Need to Know Before it is too Late Speakers: Joanna Johnson, policy advisor, Automotive Oil Change Association; Matt Webb, owner and operator, Premier Oil Change; Ron Slone, Hoffman Jiffy Lube; AOCA’s Government Affairs Committee has been at the forefront advocating for the automotive oil change industry. Come hear the latest updates including incorporating EV into your business, FTC/OEM, Right to Repair, Weights and Measures, and API oil testing.

9:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.

Building a Company Culture that Optimizes Productivity and Longevity Speakers: Eric Frankenberger, president, Oil Changers; Amber Kossak, CEO, Solid Start/True Brand Providing motivation and job satisfaction is key to getting productivity out of your workforce.

Hear some best practices and obtain timely takeaways that you can implement in your business immediately.

We look forward to seeing you all in November!

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LEADING EDGE

Cancer-Free

What my experience taught me about control

LENNY

SAUCIER

Lenny Saucier has been serving the automotive aftermarket and its future leaders since 2000. He serves as the director of retail training for Fullspeed Automotive.

LSAUCIER @FULLSPEEDAUTOMOTIVE.COM

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A Long Journey Today is a different story, I can walk, I can eat and I can enjoy everything because of that surgery. A silver lining is that I dropped almost 100 pounds and I eat everything I want at any time. I hit the fat man’s lottery. As things came into perspective, I realized this surgery didn’t take away my life.

While it sucked to rebuild and put more effort into doing what I did before. It freed me from pain and impending doom in the long run.

A few months after my recovery, I got the privilege to spend a week in Vermont Quick Lube with John Lyon and Craig Premont. It’s a beautiful fourbay serving preventative maintenance, mechanical, and a carwash on the side.

It sits on the outside of a small-town miles away from the Ben and Jerry’s plant (worth the drive).

During my visit, I watched Craig struggle with an assistant manager who had skills and attitude (the latter was more noticeable). The worry of releasing someone who had so much influence and understanding of the shop was crippling Craig, who was himself a new automotive manager, from moving forward.

While standing on the shop floor and looking at

the situation, I looked at Craig and said, “You know, I had a cancer in my body, they removed it, and it hurt, but I’m better!”

Craig quickly identified the meaning of the statement and moved to remove his problem quickly.

People in your life (work or personal) that prevent you from reaching your goals are cancers. Cancers do three things: debilitate, spread and kill.

Critical Lessons In recent talks with an emerging leader, we talked about a scenario in which feedback, coaching, and communications models were failing to turn a certain person onto the needed path for his goals. I could hear his frustrations as he seemed to blame himself for not being able to control the situation.

Ownership of your actions is a great characteristic to have. This problem person had been there for a long time, knew the procedures, and he had personal ties with them. Then you get to throw in the continuing labor shortage. How in the world could you remove someone from your shop like this in times like this?

The communications and development methods I constantly talk about is a two-way street. Since communication is the exchange of thoughts and ideas between two or more people, you must have more than one willing participant to make it happen.

After hearing about the problems, it became apparent that this person was a cancer. They have embedded themselves into the operations and have begun crippling his ability to lead the shop despite his best efforts. My advice? Get the surgery. Do the radiation. Yes, it will hurt and you may have to invest time and energy doing things you didn’t have to earlier, but in the end, you will be better for it.

My cancer was shutting down my support system to survive. Your cancer is chasing away great employees and great customers. It is essentially the same invasive and crippling thing, just taking a different form. To quote the great Kevin Davis, you must be willing to “set them free to pursue their true passions and desires.”

You will find that your team will thank you, respect you, and work harder to pick up the slack.

While you are not going to drop 100 pounds eating whatever you want, you will drop the weight of negativity and productivity failures off your body and away from your goals.

COURTESY LENNY SUACIER

TWO YEARS AGO, YOU MAY HAVE SEEN A HEARTFELT

letter from editor Matt Hudson wishing me well with my health issues. That was after I got some strange symptoms that made me “uncomfortable” but were not truly bothersome, so I ignored them. Then out of nowhere, I was laid up in a hospital bed preparing for a gallbladder surgery.

Before they cut me open, some tests revealed the true reason for my symptoms.

A cancer mass developed just inside my stomach where digestive fluids are pumped in. The mass created a blockage that was quickly causing major problems with stomach pains and yellowing eyes. A major surgery, called a “whipple,” took place within a few days.

Without it, my life would have been over quickly.

The stay in two different hospitals lasted about two weeks including two trips to ICU. The upcoming months were some of the most challenging as I had to learn to perform basic functions again.

Walking took energy that I no longer had. Food didn’t stay too long in my body. I remember saying that this surgery took everything away from me and I had to relearn how to live.

NOLN.NET

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ISI SOFTWARE CONGRATULATES Jason Berry

“Our family-owned operation has been using ISI software for 15+ years and it’s a crucial part of our success.” - Jason Berry

© 2021 ISI SOFTWARE LLC.

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