🪟Clear and Consistent with John Frazier

The Monday - Friday crowd often uses Saturday for chores so that Sunday can be for family and rest.

For most, getting the car serviced is firmly in the chore category.

The people you take care of today are at the end of their week and the beginning of their family time.

And you're ready for them, even today, making it easy to flip the switch.

Keep Being You
-Chris

INDUSTRY HIGHLIGHT

John Frazier: Lead Servant, Vacuums, and Expecting The Inspection

This week Chris spoke with John Frazier, a 17 years industry vet with roles ranging from service advisor to fixed operations director. As the Service Director at Woody Anderson Ford, he believes in and brings a refreshing approach to leadership, service, and where the two meet.

Howdy, John! Thanks for talking; let's start at the start. How did you join the industry?

I was introduced to this field by my father, an ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) world-class master technician since 1991. He had started his career at his father's gas station as a teenager. My childhood revolved around cars, either through my father's work or when people brought their vehicles to our house for repair. Before officially joining the industry, I spent two years as a door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman. A job opened at the dealership where my father worked. He suggested that if I could sell an expensive vacuum cleaner, I should be capable of selling car services, and that's how I made my entry.

What's the exchange rate between vacuum sales skills and automotive skills?

Selling vacuum cleaners had a profound impact on my personality. It transformed me from an introvert to a confident person who could converse with anyone. This newfound confidence was instrumental when I started working in the automotive industry.

How did it differ?

When selling door-to-door, you approach people in their space and try to convince them that you have a solution for a problem they might not even realize they have. On the contrary, in the automotive industry, people come to you with an identified problem, expecting you to offer a solution. Despite the differences, I'm glad I started with door-to-door sales, as it prepared me well for my role as an advisor in this industry.

What's your job like today? Do you still get a lot of face time with guests?

As a Service Director, by overseeing a team of advisors, I get to shape a greater number of guest interactions, even if it's indirectly. I've applied my learnings, effective practices, and processes at a department level. This allows my team to build and enhance the guest experience using these tried and tested strategies.

What essentials do you bring into your work leading the service team?

Clarity, expectations, and consistency.

It's vital to have clear expectations of your team. The saying, "inspect what you expect," is common, and I agree with its principle. But your team should expect you to inspect what you expect. If the leaders appear detached, the team's performance is affected. Hence, clear expectations need to be set and checked regularly.

Consistency is of utmost importance. Although our business is ever-evolving and change is a constant, we need consistency in our processes and guest experiences.

So, the team needs to see you doing those things as consistently as you expect them to?

Yes, exactly. Visibility is vital in a leadership role. You can't sit back and direct; you need to be a part of it. I prefer "lead servant" to "servant leader" because it implies a different mindset. "Servant leader" might suggest a hierarchy where the leader is above the group.

While "lead servant" communicates that we serve first at the ground level. We're lucky enough to be chosen to lead the group, but we're no different from those around us. I always stress that people don't work for me; they work with me.

That's a fascinating perspective. I love the inversion of the term, and I doubt I'll be able to revert to the original phrase now. How can people be ready to adapt to any upcoming changes in the industry?

The most effective way to navigate future uncertainties is to excel at the fundamentals. Even as our industry undergoes significant shifts, like the rise of electric vehicles and increased guest expectations influenced by factors like COVID-19, societal dynamics, politics, and the media, mastering the basics remains critical. Some may say, "Go back to the basics," but many of us may not have fully grasped these fundamentals in the first place. Therefore, being thorough and efficient with foundational aspects like setting and communicating expectations with your guests and going the extra mile can prepare us for challenges.

The solution lies in making our business relational rather than transactional. While transactions are essential for survival, prioritizing relationships within our teams and with our guests can naturally lead to successful transactions. Guests want to feel valued, and mastering the basics will help address their needs.

That's an excellent perspective, John. I'm grateful for your time and work to make this industry a great place to work and worth people's trust and business.

CONTENT RECAP

Ahhh, Another Week Behind Us

Email Recap:

• Gettel Automotive Group visited the cool kids.

• Bergstrom Automotive made one young person’s wish come true.

• Chilson Subaru went toe to toe with hunger in their community.

• Tesla eyes Spain and Mongolia for expansions.

• Stellantis gets thrifty with recycling.

• US auto workers are asking for cost-of-living raises.

Podcast Recap:

Paul and Kyle are talking about service department book clubs; maybe you should be too.

CAPTION CONTEST

Happy Barkday!

Her pup, Ava, helped our AMJ celebrate her birthday in style this week!

What do you think Ava is trying to tell us?
Hit reply and let us know!

SOMETHING FUN

A Fresh Perspective

Somebody put wagon wheels on a Tesla.

Maybe you just need to see something from a new point of view.

Like upside down?

We don’t get it either…