Marcus Lemonis is a successful entrepreneur. He is the CEO of Camping World, Good Sam Enterprises, and Bed Bath & Beyond. He also stars in a TV reality program on FOX called, The Fixer. On this show, he rescues struggling businesses by applying his simple but powerful formula for success.
When he’s considering investing in a business, he looks for People, Process, and Product, which he refers to as the Three Ps. He believes that for a business to succeed, all three elements must be strong, balanced, and integrated. If he doesn’t see evidence of or the potential for the Three Ps, he doesn’t invest his time and money into that business. Here’s his breakdown:
- People: The talent, commitment, and dedication of the employees and the owner. Lemonis emphasizes that great businesses are built first on strong teams, not just customers.
- Process: The systems and strategies in place for how work gets done – how the product or service is made, sold, and delivered. Efficiency and consistency are the goal.
- Product: The actual product or service the business offers. It must be relevant, needed, and delivered in the way the market wants.
Lemonis insists that without strength in all three areas, a business will struggle. But when the Three Ps are balanced and integrated, a business can achieve stand-out success.
Now, being who I am, I can’t leave simple alone. I started thinking about how we could complicate the simplicity without diluting while applying it directly to our world of automotive transmission and drivetrain shops. So, let’s look at three ways to improve each of the Three Ps in your shop.
P #1: It’s no accident that Lemonis puts People first. If you don’t have the right people, you’ll never get the right processes or the right product. In the automotive world, where skill, judgment, and teamwork matter daily, this is doubly true.
Here are three ways to strengthen the People side of your business:
1. Hire for Character, Attitude, and Aptitude – Train for Skill
Transmission work is highly technical. But the truth is, the right person with the right attitude and aptitude can learn the skills. What you can’t train is honesty, work ethic, and commitment. Too often we hire the guy with “the right experience” but forget to check if he’s the right fit for our team and culture. Skills can be taught. Character can’t.
2. Invest in Continuous Development
You wouldn’t drive 40,000 miles without changing your oil, yet too many shops expect their people to run for years without fresh input. Training, seminars, leadership development, even a subscription to GEARS are not expenses; they are investments. A sharper technician, a better-trained service writer, or a more organized manager all directly impact productivity and profitability.
3. Align Incentives with Outcomes
A strong team wants to win, but they need to know what “winning” looks like. Tie compensation and recognition to meaningful outcomes – quality repairs, customer satisfaction scores, productivity measures. Celebrate the wins together. When your people succeed, your shop succeeds.
Action step: Take a hard look at your team this week. Do you have the right people in the right seats on the bus? If not, plan to train, reposition, or replace before the month is over. Take a look at the FUEL platform on the ATRA website where you’ll find helpful training and motivational programs that are all free for ATRA members and your teams.
P #2: If People are the heart of your business, Process is the circulatory system. It determines whether the heart can deliver life to the rest of the body. In too many shops, processes are haphazard or inconsistent. We rely on “Joe’s way” and “Mike’s way,” but not “the company’s way.”
Here are three ways to improve the Process side of your business:
1. Standardize Your Workflow
Document all the steps from how vehicles are checked in, to how diagnostics are performed, to how estimates are written. Train to it. Monitor and manage it. When customers experience the same quality every time, they trust you more. Consistency is the bedrock of professionalism.
2. Embrace Technology
Diagnostic tools, shop management software, digital inspections, even texting updates to customers are no longer “nice extras.” They’re the standard of doing business in 2025. Technology doesn’t replace personal relationships, but it supports them by making your processes faster, more transparent, and more accurate.
3. Manage by Measurement
“You can’t improve what you don’t measure.” Track your KPIs (key performance indicators), car count, average repair order, technician productivity, and comeback rate. These numbers tell you the truth about your processes. Don’t manage by gut feeling alone. Let the numbers guide you.
Action step: Identify one process in your shop that causes the most frustration. Is it estimating, parts ordering, communication breakdowns? Commit to rewriting, documenting, and retraining that process this month.
P #3: Finally, the Product for a transmission shop isn’t just “transmissions.” It’s the complete experience you deliver – the service, the friendliness, the transparency, the repair, the warranty, the professionalism, and the peace of mind.
Here are three ways to strengthen your Product:
1. Define Your Unique Sales Promise (USP)
Why should someone choose you instead of the shop down the street? If your answer is “we fix transmissions,” that’s not a USP, that’s a description of what you do. Maybe it’s your warranty, your specialized expertise, your turnaround time, or your customer care. Whatever it is, define it clearly and make it the centerpiece of your marketing.
2. Translate Your USP into an Overt Benefit Statement (OBS)
This is where most shops stop short. A USP is about you – what makes you different. An OBS is about them – the clear, tangible benefit the customer receives. For example:
- USP: “We specialize only in transmissions and driveline work.”
- OBS: “So you get expert repairs done right the first time, saving you time, money, and headaches.”
- USP: “We back our work with the strongest warranty in town.”
- OBS: “So you can drive with complete confidence knowing you’re protected long after you leave our shop.”
When you frame your USP within an OBS, you connect directly to what customers care about: their money, their safety, their peace of mind. This shift turns marketing from self-promotion into customer assurance.
3. Deliver Consistent Quality
Your product is only as good as the last repair that rolled out the door. Comebacks kill reputation and profitability. Commit to quality checks, second opinions when needed, and not cutting corners – even under pressure. A “fixed right the first time” culture is worth more than any ad campaign.
Action step: Write down your USP in one sentence. Then immediately rewrite it as an OBS – something that shouts your customer’s benefit in plain English. Post both on your wall as a reminder that your difference only matters if it delivers value to them.
Integrating the Three Ps
Now, here’s the real and powerful truth. The Three Ps are not separate silos. They overlap. Strong People drive strong Processes. Strong Processes deliver a strong Product. A strong Product attracts and retains the right People. They form a loop, not a line.
For example:
- A well-trained technician (People) uses a documented diagnostic routine (Process) to deliver an accurate, reliable repair (Product).
- A motivated service advisor (People) follows a transparent estimate process (Process) that builds trust and loyalty, leading to an excellent customer service experience (Product).
- An owner who defines a clear USP turns it into an OBS (Product), then trains the team (People) to deliver it consistently through repeatable systems (Process).
When one P is weak, the whole loop breaks down. But when all three are strong and integrated, your shop becomes unstoppable.
Taking Action in Your Shop
Let’s bring this home with a simple framework. For each of the Three Ps, take these three steps:
- Evaluate: Where are we strong? Where are we weak? Be honest.
- Prioritize: Pick one improvement in each P. Don’t try to fix everything at once.
- Act: Implement, measure, and adjust. Improvement is not theory; it’s action.
Final Word
Marcus Lemonis is right. The Three Ps are the foundation of a successful business. But in our world, we must continuously go further. We must constantly improve the People, refine the Processes, and enhance the Product.
And when we talk about Product, we can’t stop at just the USP – what makes us different. We must translate it into an OBS – what difference it makes for the customer. That’s the connection that wins hearts, minds, and loyalty.
Your USP tells them why you’re different. Your OBS tells them why it matters.
Because at the end of the day, success in a transmission shop isn’t just about turning wrenches. It’s about turning chaos into order, turning problems into solutions, and turning customers into raving fans.
So, here’s my challenge. Take your USP and rewrite it so it’s positioned within the framework for your OBS. Put it where every customer and every employee can see it. Pick one thing today and take one small step in People, Process, or Product, and improve it. Over time, those small steps will create a big difference.
When that difference shows up in your shop, as more trust, more profits, and more pride, you’ll know the Three Ps, plus the USP-to-OBS connection, aren’t just theory. They’re a roadmap for success in your business.
About the author — Thom Tschetter has served our industry for over four decades. His article topics come from our readers and Thom’s years as a speaker, writer, certified arbitrator, business consultant, and his own in-the-trenches experiences. Thom owned a chain of award-winning transmission shops in Washington State, and ATRA presented him with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his years of training for the transmission industry.
