In any industry, trust is incredibly important. In the transmission industry, that trust is vital in gaining new business. Historically, so much of this...
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GEARS Staff
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature in which I share stories, insights, and reflections about business and life challenges.
Torque...
This article is the last of a three-part series. We began by rethinking telephone procedures to match your shop’s unique needs. I explained how to convert...
Brad pulled into the service bay and said, “The noise is back!” Our faces dropped as we all knew that this third service was going to be mostly a waste of...
“Dr. Phil” McGraw is famous for asking his TV show guests what they’re doing about a particular problem in their life. Then when he hears their reply, he...
In 2006, I was in Biloxi, Mississippi, just a few short months after hurricane Katrina. The devastation was unbelievable and the recovery took years. Now, with...
“I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member.” – Groucho Marx
Welcome to the Worldwide Transmission Fellowship Club, or as I affectionately...
GEARS Staff
Project planning and execution, the topic of my program at ATRA’s Powertrain Expo, is one of my favorite subjects. And while the process is relatively simple...
One of the most famous quiz shows in history was You Bet Your Life, created especially for Groucho Marx. At the beginning of each show, Groucho told his...
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature in which I share stories, insights, and reflections about business and life.
I recently heard a story...
The TCRA seminar program will be held at the Detroit Troy Marriott. Located 35 miles from the Detroit Airport; transportation options to the hotel include Car...
The Torque Converter Rebuilders Association (TCRA) will take place in sunny Pensacola, Florida. Often called “The Cradle of Naval Aviation”, Pensacola is...
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature in which I share stories, insights, and reflections about real business and life challenges.
In over 20...
It was a typical drizzly, Pacific Northwest morning back in 1983 when I received a Small Claims Court Summons. A customer was suing us for a differential that...
Southern Texas is the new home of ATRA. While ATRA is thriving in its new home, the ATRA Southwest Chapter has been long established in this great state. The...
There was a time when ATF (automatic transmission fluid) was specifically used to identify fluid for the step-automatic transmission. Today, there are three...
Let me be blunt. This isn’t a topic to be taken lightly. Most of you will benefit from this article, but only a few of you will get its full impact. If after...
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature where I share stories, insights, and reflections about business and life.
My college major was...
Never assume your child will not go to college. It is essential to start preparing for your child’s education now, even if you don’t believe going to a...
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature in which I share stories, insights, and reflections about real business and life challenges.
In keeping...
“People acting together as a group can accomplish things which no individual acting alone could ever hope to bring about.” – Franklin D...
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature in which I share stories, insights, and reflections about business and life challenges.
At this...
If you’ve ever studied business management or have gone to any type of business or motivational training, you’ve most likely heard some of these tired, old...
We all know that it’s the shop owner’s job to keep customers and staff happy, the tools working, and the shop organized. A well-managed, clean shop is fun...
Caesar’s Palace was home to the 2019 edition of the Powertrain Expo held October 20th through November 2nd. Words and photos really can’t capture the...
These are challenging times. I started in the transmission business in 1980 as an installer after being in auto repair since 1968, working in gas stations, and...
What causes people to stay with an employer? This has been studied for decades and it’s been proven again and again that their paycheck is important, but...
“Without reflection there is no true learning.”
— Kevin Buck, philosopher, author
Intelligence doesn’t serve us until we stop to consider what we’ve...
“You’ve heard it before: the importance of after-sale marketing… that extra time you spend with the customer after the sale. It’s when you get to...
Every industry has a trade association. If you had a directory of associations you might find it interesting to find things like: The At-sea Processors...
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature in which I share stories, insights, and reflections about real business and life challenges.
This month...
So far, it’s been a great year for ATRA, and I see a bright future ahead. But before I get into why the future of ATRA and the industry looks so bright, let...
Women are awfully amazing beings. Women can grow an entirely new human inside of themselves. They muster through excruciating pain to bear that child, and then...
Ask most people, “What do you do for a living?” and they’ll describe their job title. “I’m a salesperson,” “I’m a builder,” or, “I’m the...
“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” – Henry Ford
In the small town of New Salisbury...
There we were, Wednesday, October 13th, 2021. By all accounts, it felt about the same as any other Powertrain Expo setup morning, although we knew it wasn’t...
GEARS Shopper advertising costs $325.00 for a one time insertion ad, (2 1/4 X 3) 2.25 X 3. Larger ads can be placed elsewhere in the magazine and are charged...
ESG investing is a new concept for many investors. However, it has been around for a while. I recall taking an impact investing class in business school and...
In the January issue of GEARS Magazine, we discussed a change in our industry that is likely to have a dramatic effect on your business. We characterized it as...
GEARS Staff
GEARS Staff
Perhaps the most famous quote about any single step in history occurred at 10:56 p.m. ET on July 20th, 1969, when American astronaut Neil Armstrong placed his...
Looking back at 2020 and guessing what trends will follow in 2021 is on everyone’s minds. But if I had to sum up the start of 2021, the word would be...
While you might not be planning a wedding, if you’re considering a major purchase of any kind, it might be prudent to run a financial ratio analysis first...
“I think I’ll have myself a beer!” For many of us, this is a great way to end a day or start a barbecue or celebrate a workout, but, hang on a second...
GEARS Staff
One time, back in the 1990s, a speakers’ agent sent me a speaking contract with some of the most oppressive terms I’d ever seen. It effectively implied...
When you have a passion to serve, it tends to overcome your life in a positive way. Opening the door for someone… letting people go before you… asking if...
Over the next few months, you’ll notice an increasing emphasis on ATRA+ articles. It’s not so much that we’ve changed article focus, per se, but rather...
When trying to sell their businesses, one of the first questions all business owners ask is, “What’s my business worth?”
Knowing your business’s street...
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature in which I share stories, insights, and reflections about business and life.
In 1969, my mom had the...
GEARS Staff
There’s something to be said for persistence and patience. Whether it’s building that transmission that’s always given you problems and finally getting...
In the last issue, we covered battery testing and the superior advantage of using a conductance tester in your preliminary inspections. All of us have had...
Every business runs by its numbers. The most common number shop owners track is, of course, profit. I once heard at a management program, “The most important...
Luckily for you, Powertrain Expo is being held in Las Vegas, where the biggest problem you’ll encounter is not having enough time to experience all that this...
GEARS Staff
Traveling has picked up in the last couple of years, so have travel costs. However, it is always good to travel when you can. As business owners, traveling...
Picture yourself in one of those rare interludes When things are going perfectly. You’re cruising down the road of success, wind in your hair, when...
The ZF9HP48 unit entered the transmission market in 2014. This transaxle is used in a wide variety of OEM applications worldwide (Figure 1). While each...
Meet Ben and Michelle Roybal, the heart and soul of A-Affordable Transmissions Center situated in the lively towns of Sheridan and Thornton, Colorado. It’s...
GEARS Staff
“Treat your customer like you’d want to be treated.” That one sentence has guided Steve Burnett through more than four decades in the transmission...
As the ATRA board president, I’d like to welcome you to Expo 2017, at the Paris Hotel and Casino here in Las Vegas. This week will be your best opportunity...
GEARS Staff
One day, when my grandfather, Clarence Earl Cathcart, Sr. was courting my grandmother, he rode by her house, standing on two horses, riding them in tandem down...
GEARS Staff
Looking back at my previous articles will give you contextual data relative to where we are today as l reference their relevance in this article. While some...
If you’re a transmission rebuilder and think TCRA is some distant cousin, think again! The Torque Converter Rebuilders Association, TCRA, makes a broader...
If the lingering wet and chilly winter weather has the Mamas and the Papas’ tune, California Dreaming, running through your head, maybe you should take heed...
GEARS Staff
Starting out in the transmission industry can be daunting. The learning curve is steep, but there are invaluable lessons that pave the way for long-term...
Guest Author
So much of what we do is by habit. Each morning we jump into our car and head to work. We don’t think about turning onto Main Street then going three blocks...
GEARS Staff
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature in which I share stories, insights, and reflections about real business and life challenges. The names...
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature where I share stories, insights, and reflections about business and life.
I just finished polishing my...
In the early 2020s, artificial intelligence quietly moved into the driver’s seat of the automotive industry. At first, AI lived in small, almost invisible...
It’s around this time that I begin to create and assemble my presentation for POWERTRAIN EXPO. Considering that I’ve done over 30 of these, I know what to...
After a long, hard, day it’s nice to relax and enjoy a beautiful sunset. The sunsets here in Oxnard, California, are stunning, and watching them is a great...
This issue is GEARS Magazine’s silver jubilee. It’s hard to believe it’s been 25 years since we first started publishing GEARS.
It’s common when...
Power steering and the pumps that allow the hydraulically assisted power steering we have become accustomed to first appeared in 1938 on large trucks. Patented...
Over the years I’ve looked at a lot of ways to establish meaningful goals, quit bad habits and just live better. My book shelves are bursting with volumes...
In this issue of Keep Those Trannys Rolling, we are going to take a look at a 2024 Infinity Q50 that was referred to us from another transmission shop, which...
My work with clients creates dramatic revenue growth by making some basic organizational changes. But change can also be implementing new marketing, using a...
GEARS Staff
Sensor technology is changing rapidly. Technicians usually set up expectations about what the sensor waveform will look like when they connect their scope and...
The following is an excerpt from my 2018 Wall Street Journal bestseller, Selling Boldly. It’s about making phone calls to customers and prospects who know...
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature in which I share stories, insights, and reflections about business and life. Imagine my reaction to...
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature where I share stories, insights, and reflections about business and life.
The theme of this issue of...
“My friend Peter once told me that his motorcycle dealership had attained its leadership position because of his “Rocks.” He went on to explain that...
While teaching his grandson to drive, Jim discovered that many of the points that were important for a good driver also applied to running a successful...
Guest Author
Guest Author
There are many business owners who would like to sell their company but do not have a financial plan in place. Therefore, they continue to do what they do...
This article is the second of a three-part series. We began by rethinking telephone procedures to match your shop’s unique needs. I explained how you can...
GEARS Staff
