When Auto Repair Shop Owners Make One Choice, It's Really Two

Making One Choice is Really Two by Rick White, President 180BIZ

I can remember watching Sesame Street with my kids. One of my favorite parts was where something was going on and then all of a sudden they freeze-framed it. Then they gave you three or four different options and asked, “Which is going to happen next? What are will you choose?” This is important. And not many people think of it. When you make a choice, you are actually making two choices. Think about this for a minute.

When you choose to overeat, you choose to be overweight.  Listen to that again. When you choose to overeat, you choose to be overweight. When you choose not to have a conversation with someone in your shop that you should be having, then you choose to continue dealing with that person in that manner. When you make a choice, there's a consequence to every choice. Some of them are good. Some of them are bad. Some of them are going to help you grow. Some of them will leave you stuck. A lot of our choices, what we decide to do or not do, are either based on habit or fear. And when they're based on habit or fear you are living smaller than you could and should.

For example, you choose to not do something you should like talk with a team member, a tech, because you don't want to deal with the fallout.  You may not want to deal with him leaving. You may need to do his job for a while. In this case you are making a choice to put up with or continue putting up with the stuff that's holding you back. If you choose to not to watch your numbers, then you choose to either get stuck (stay where you are currently) or get worse.

One of the biggest mistakes I see shop owners make every day is think that they are in the business of fixing cars. You are not!  You are in the business of building relationships that generate a profit. Otherwise, why are you there? If you put off getting help, then you are choosing to get worse. I want you to understand the difference.

Now, what I have found is when you have to make a choice that requires effort, the consequence tends to be positive. In other words, if I decide to push the plate away today, that has a positive consequence tomorrow. If I decide to go to the gym today, then that has a positive consequence where I am going to get healthier. If I watch my numbers daily and have the tough conversations today, then I have a positive consequence of a better run business tomorrow. That's what this is all about.

If you take the easy path now, and you're going to have a tougher time tomorrow.  I say, let’s take the tougher path today and have an easier time tomorrow. This is really important. Recognize that when you make a choice you're actually making two choices.  Is that choice being driven by habit or fear?  What will you do about it?

If you're tired of where you're at right now, tomorrow doesn’t magically change. If you're tired with where you're at right now, if you want a different life, if you want a different business, if you want a different relationship, it isn't magically going to appear. You must make a different choice today to get a better tomorrow. That is why your business is stuck. It's because you're making the same choices. It's because you're stepping away. It's because you're avoiding out of fear.

 Instead, step back, dream about where you want to be, and then understand the choices you need to make today so that you can see that dream tomorrow. Recognize that you make two choices. Don't just think about one. Think about the consequence. Ask yourself, “What's the consequence of this action? What's the consequences of this choice?” You will find your business takes off.

God bless, stay safe. Go make some money.