When my car’s gears are slipping I go looking for a “transmission expert”, yet secretly I hope that I also find a “Professional Expert.”
And so do...
Popular Articles
GEARS Staff
GEARS Staff
There are two basic ways to grow your company: expanding business with existing customers, or bringing on brand new customers.
This piece focuses on bringing...
Who would argue over whether we’re living in peculiar times? We’re told to wear masks before entering the bank. Computers ask us to prove we’re not...
Over the past few months, I’ve had conversations with shop owners, software providers, and most recently, with GEARS Managing Editor Rodger Bland. The...
“What do you do?” That’s the most common “getting to know you” question in America. Just about equal to “Where are you from?” The odd thing is...
GEARS Staff
Are you the type to bring your car to the dealer for factory maintenance? How about the local Quick-Lube? Or maybe your dad taught you to maintain a vehicle at...
GEARS Staff
GEARS Staff
Conflict is an inevitable part of any business, but in the fast-paced world of automotive repair, tensions can run particularly high. Whether it’s an upset...
An angry customer posts a negative online review about your shop. Their story is blown out of proportion and falsely asserts that your shop ripped them off...
During the run-up to the 1848 French Revolution, Fredrick Bastiat, French economist, journalist, and proponent of Austrian Economics, observed, “Everyone...
The solution to a problem as well as new opportunities are all around us but too often they don’t fit the image we expect or we’re so focused on what we...
“Hey Dad, when I grow up, I want to be ordinary.” My dad was a WWII Marine Veteran, and I would have never said that to him. If I did, we would have had...
We live in good and interesting times.
If you reside in America, you’re living in the most entrepreneurial country on the planet, where the amount of money...
Noise, Vibration & Harshness (NVH) concerns can be very hard to diagnose without some specific knowledge and the right equipment. Customers may struggle to...
GEARS Staff
The person who only knows how, may have a job, but the person who understands why, will do it better. “Why?” is a question that can only be adequately...
Over the past few weeks, I’ve received numerous inquiries about my last article. I’ve also helped two shops deal with customer complaints that could have...
It’s another day in the grind. Up before sunrise, coffee to get going, early to the shop.
Turn off the alarm system, unlock the bay doors, check the shop...
Whenever you get businesspeople together to discuss management strategies, someone’s sure to drag out this old chestnut: The beatings will continue until...
There is no shortage of discouraging financial news today. Rather than jumping on the interest rate and inflation bandwagon, let’s reflect on ourselves. As...
This year, the Torque Converter Rebuilders Association (TCRA) will be in the land of bluegrass… both the famous sod and the home of an amazing category of...
“While you can’t go back and make a new beginning, you can start today to make a new ending.”
– Stephen Covey
Is Your Marketing Obsolete?
What if...
A few years ago, during the ATRA seminar, we discussed the additional coolant temperature sensors added to numerous vehicles and why that change was...
So, let’s talk about performance and what it means. First, what’s your objective? Are you racing the quarter mile? Or are you looking at something for the...
GEARS Staff
For 18 blissful years, I’ve been a member of the “Heartbreak Hiking Fools.” This is a group of over-55-year-old fitness enthusiasts based in Thousand...
Welcome, once again to Clash of the Classics. This month we’ll take a trip down memory lane to 1955 to visit two cars that helped define the decade. Todays...
Rule #1: The Customer Is Always Right.
Rule #2: When the Customer Is Wrong, Read Rule #1.
OK, that’s clever, and it’s a good philosophy for running a...
If you ask a typical business owner what keeps them up at night, employee retention is likely at the top of the list. Thanks to record resignation rates across...
GEARS Staff
Guest Author
On a recent lecture tour in Malaysia, I met a “busker”, a street performer who was working in hopes of tips. This man was disabled and had an artificial...
Technically speaking, we’ve been virtual for many years already. I mean, look at YouTube. You- Tube has somewhere in the realm of 842 million keywords. They...
GEARS Staff
When my son was very young, I once lulled him to sleep by chanting, “I love to learn!” softly, over and over. It was my feeble attempt at using subliminal...
With every passing birthday, it seems like I spend more and more time in medical offices and clinics getting poked, prodded, and tested for one thing or...
“Built on the Brick and Mortar of Honest Shops — Advancing the Future of Transmission Professionals Worldwide.”
THE ROAD AHEAD ISN’T SLOWING DOWN
As we...
We know when we rebuild our transmissions we must take the valve bodies completely apart and make sure that all the valves fall into the bores on there on...
“So, what can I purchase to get a tax deduction?” According to my associate, CPA Kevin Lin, “This is a common question taxpayers ask when they...
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...
Thursday
For the folks attending the technical seminars, it was a busy event, with nearly 24 hours of technical training packed into a four-day extravaganza...
Professional association membership offers numerous benefits, depending on the type of association and its goals. ATRA’s goals are simple – to make you...
GEARS Staff
Money Matters is a new GEARS Magazine column. Topics appearing in this column will be informative, timely, and selected to address the unique financial...
To our valued transmission technicians and industry leaders, I hope this message reaches you in great spirits as we move into the holidays and with a...
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature where I share stories, insights, and reflections about business and life. I’ve been working on one of...
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...
GEARS Staff
GEARS Staff
If there is one word I hear every day as it relates to automotive lubricants, it’s “synthetic.” Twenty-five years ago, the same word elicited a totally...
The election is over. The holidays approach… and the new year is just around the corner.
Let’s talk about your plan to grow sales in 2017.
Do you have one...
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature in which I share stories, insights, and reflections about real business and life challenges.
At this...
Dear ATRA Expo Attendee:
For all of you who were here last year, welcome back; for those first-time attendees, welcome. Your being here is the reason that...
GEARS Staff
GEARS Staff
In my last article in the January Gears magazine, I introduced Carl’s 7-Keys to Highly Effective Transmission Rebuilder Websites. The article explained what...
GEARS Staff
Guest Author
Steve Bodofsky passed away on April 29, 2019 after a brave battle with cancer. He’s survived by his wife, Diane and daughter Tara who were both at his...
Everyone in the business world has heard of a mission statement and the importance for a business to have one. But, if you’ve ever looked at some...
“Not mad knowing that the small retail investors do, in fact, have more power than the institutional investors thought…” remarked Mark Post, Chief Growth...
“The goal as a company is to have customer service that is not just the best, but legendary.” – Sam Walton
For Charlie Rakes, owner of AA Quality...
GEARS Staff
In Part I, we covered base oils and their changes over time. Here, we’ll look at the additive packages that make each oil unique.
Additive packages in ATFs...
GEARS Staff
GEARS Staff
GEARS Staff
Technical seminars create a unique air of excitement among the participants. With the expectation of meeting fellow comrades, gurus, and new technicians, as...
Guest Author
GEARS Staff
There’s an old railroad folk song I’ve always enjoyed about the competition between John Henry — “a steel driving man” — and a steam drill. John...
Laura Pereira has been my good friend for a long time. I met her while she was doing her undergraduate studies in San Francisco, California. Laura is from...
GEARS Staff
GEARS Staff
You deserve more revenue. Because you do great work. You help your customers a great deal. They’re very happy. That’s why they’ve been coming to you for...
In the previous issue, we covered how to develop a business culture. There are a lot of phrases to define this, like a mission statement or purpose statement...
GEARS Staff
“You can’t buy the kind of experience that comes from years behind the wheel or under the hood.” – Ford v Ferrari (2019)
In a town like...
I recently gave a management presentation in Vancouver, Canada. I’ve presented a few of these so far this year and it’s something I really enjoy; mostly...
There’s been a lot of talk about “Opportunity Zones” on the news. But what are they, and how might they apply to you? One of my clients recently informed...
GEARS Staff
ATRA’s Powertrain Expo is only two months away, and I can’t wait to see my friends and colleagues. Each year, we hold a Member meeting, where we share...
GEARS Staff
Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature where I share stories, insights, and reflections about business and life.
I remember this story like it...
GEARS Staff
We’re deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Hiram “Lee” Williams. I had the pleasure of working with Lee as an ATRA Board Member and Northern...
As our country begins the process of re-opening, holding a Grand Re- Opening for your business is worth considering. Think like a start-up business. Maybe...
At the 2015 ATRA Powertrain Expo we covered a lot of topics in the management sessions; many were focused on leadership and employee development. One of the...
It’s late Friday afternoon and you’ve already had a long, stressful, rollercoaster of a week. Your shop foreman just walked into your office to tell you...
Guest Author
Why Don’t You Ask For Referrals?
I’ve asked thousands of audience members and client staffers that question. Here are the most common...
It’s been a busy week at your shop… very busy. So busy that you have more customer cars than usual in your lot. This in itself wouldn’t be a problem...
The shortage of new technicians entering the auto repair market has become one of the most problematic situations facing our industry. Today’s technicians...
Guest Author
When you think about it, building a modern automatic transmission is a partnership between you, the rebuilder, and several other people. You rely on your parts...
