Auto Repair Shop Owners Need to Show Appreciation!

Appreciation by Rick White, President 180BIZ

 Today is Labor Day and is all about appreciation. Why do I want to bring that up? Now, if you do a little bit of studying on where Labor Day comes from, it's actually pretty horrific. Labor Day comes from one of the darkest times in labor history, where people were working 12 to 16 hours a day, seven days a week, and barely getting by. There were all kinds of demonstrations and sit out strikes to try to get better conditions. Five and six-year-olds were working on assembly lines that were poorly lit, not ventilated. There was sickness everywhere.  I believe it was in 1894 after some States had passed a day to celebrate workers. That's where Labor Day came from. The federal government made it a federal holiday.

The reason why I'm bringing that up now is that I want you to step back. I know, since the pandemic and everything, a lot of shops have been stressed out and booking too far and people not happy. It's easy to get hung up in that. So, my question to you is when was the last time you said thank you in word or deed to your team. When was the last time you appreciated them? When was the last time you encourage them? When was the last time you said thank you? There was a study that found 85% of the employees felt they were under-appreciated. Can you imagine that 85% felt they were underappreciated? Here's the funny part. The study also found that 85% of Managers felt that they were appreciative of their staff.

I believe both numbers and I'm going to tell you the difference between the two. It’s the difference between the word intention and the word action. We intend to say, “Wow, that was really nice. Thank you for what you did.” or “Hey, you really went above and beyond.” We have a mental note and that doesn't work. You must speak it. You must show it. I wanted to share this message with you today because I thought it was important. Do you want a better week this week? I guarantee you that appreciation is fuel to accomplishment in your team's tank. Remember that. Appreciation is fuel to your team; it's gas in their tank. So go out there, appreciate them. Say thank you. Be specific. Be immediate. Let them know what they did specifically. Let them know what makes you proud that they're part of your team.

So, the first thing is to appreciate and say thank you. The second thing is to do things that surprise them. And the only way you're going to be able to surprise them is if you know what surprises them. If you gave me ballet tickets as a thank you, my wife would love it, but for me, it's a no Bueno. But if you give me a set of NASCAR tickets, Brenda and I would both love it.  So, find things that your team will really love. And the only way to do that is if you can connect with them and know what they like.

So, today's word is appreciation. Go out there and appreciate your team. God bless have a great week and go make some money.