00:00
The change that I saw that needed to happen in automotive is we are understanding that you know it's not just about cars anymore. These are people's livelihoods sometimes, right? A lot of times I would see advisors not have that human approach, right? Where it was more we're we're made to be machines. That's just not the the market of customers we have anymore.
00:21
Welcome to the Gain Traction Podcast, the official podcast for tire business. I am Mike Edge, your host, and I have the great privilege of connecting the industry by interviewing the best people who work in tires and auto repair. This episode is powered by Tread Partners, the leader in paid search marketing, which includes Google Ads and LSAs for multi-location tire and auto repair shops. To learn more about Tread Partners, visit treadpartners.com. Hey, folks! Welcome to the Gain Traction Podcast, the official podcast for tire business. My guest today is Tara Conlin, service manager at Mango Automotive, which has eight locations in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Tara, welcome to the Gain Traction podcast.
01:07
Thank you so much. I'm happy to be here.
01:09
Glad to have you. So it's fun to have people in different walks of life that are in the industry. But before we get started on what you do with Mango Automotive, where'd you grow up, and then how did you get to where you are today?
01:26
Yeah, for sure. So I grew up in New Mexico, small town called Clovis, and but spent most of my life in Albuquerque. Grew up, I was very quiet kid, but I loved cars. That was one thing I've always been really passionate about. When I turned 18, I knew I wanted to work at a specific dealership. I won't name the name, but I knew I wanted to work there, and started my career automated there. Spent most of my career as a service advisor. I'm a mom of two kids. I have two girls. They're seven and nine. The older one will be nine in August, so they're a lot of fun, of course. And it's a fun balance balancing the automotive world with kids, for sure. And I just knew, like I always wanted, wanted more out of my career. Like I knew I wanted to be in leadership, and so I I took the things I learned as far as you know what did I want to see change in automotive, and made mental notes of everything and the opportunity with Mango, where I'm at now, opened up. I started as a service advisor. Have been in with them for two years now.
02:49
Nice,
02:50
and quickly grew into a leadership role with them. Took over one of our locations as the service manager slash operator, and you know, quickly grew that shop to things that we were not even really sure was capable from it. So it's been really cool to see.
03:12
So you mentioned change. What did you see that you you noticed in the industry that you wanted to change when when given the opportunity or put in a position like you are now to make the change,
03:22
yeah. So I tell people, and I met myself as well all the time. You know, be the change, right? And the change that I saw that needed to happen in automotive is we kind of were in a little rut of everything's gruff, everything is To the point, you know, we're here to fix cars, and not much goes beyond that. And as we've seen time go on, that's changing, right? Generations are becoming, you know, softer in a in a good sense, right? We're becoming more empathetic. We are understanding that, you know, it's not just about cars anymore. These are people's livelihoods sometimes, right? There's Uber, Lyft. There's a lot of different things that factor into what can make the car experience emotional, and so a lot of times I would see advisors not have that human approach, right? Where it was more, we're we're made to be machines, you know. We're we're made to sell everything. We're made to condemn every vehicle that comes in, and that's just not the the market of customers we have anymore.
04:33
Yeah, no, that's a good way of looking at it. So I think of it as just being just more considerate, caring about you know what their circumstances and everybody's got different circumstances of why they're there that day or whatever, and and it's almost 100% of them don't want to be there because they'd rather be doing something else. So I always think of folks that are on the front side in our industry are definitely underestimated. Their value. I mean, because you guys really deal with people that. I mean, essentially, I'm not saying they're always in a bad mood, but they're definitely coming in with a little bit of a negative vibe because they definitely they don't want to be there, right? I mean, they there's it's just it's not something, and you guys have to bring in the. I think I think you have that great opportunity with. I mean, you know, I think the term used to be used for a doctor, a bedside manner, but just having a better disposition in the circumstances. And you've probably seen this before, but it almost can change to a 180. Like like you can make somebody at least
05:37
content to be there, maybe not completely happy, but content to be there and be kind of you can see the shoulders come down and a little relief. Everything's gonna be all right. You get that vibe a lot the way you get through it. Yeah,
05:51
yeah. I mean, a lot of it's reading the room because you can't, you know, always initially crack a joke with someone, but you know, get them to smile. Like smiling is like psychologically the number one way to ease stress when you're in a stressful position. It's like it's proven, right?
06:13
Money that you you you've picked that up that just a simple smile can change the whole conversation, or it can start the conversation the right way for sure. When you can tell, you can already see the tenseness, right? Or
06:25
the
06:26
yeah, the bristle a little bit maybe, and then when you bring in the smile, and it's like that goes down, maybe.
06:31
Yeah, 100% It's it's kind of funny because my shot foreman jokes all the time. He's like, "You can calm anyone down, and it's really just going at every approach of calm, and you know you're happy to be there. And I call the automotive industry a really is like a a stage, right? We're all doing improv all of the time, and that's been always been my approach: is that you know I have to just approach every system calmly, calmly, and you know assess the situation, and and then that usually will dictate how I move forward. And 99% of the time, it's just a smile on your face, and that's it. That's all I need. And they're like, okay, I'm in good hands.
07:22
I can tell you've got a lot of experience, and I like the way you approach things. But it's you don't take it personal. I mean, you're personal, but you don't take it personal because it's really not directed to you. Whatever their problem is, it's just their frustration that they have to deal with the problem today.
07:41
Yeah, yeah, I. I I have a really keen liking to psychology. Actually, was in school for a while getting my my communications degree, which a lot of that is psychology. I do really enjoy interpersonal, you know, connections at home. I'm, I'm, you know, I'm very quiet into myself. But when I'm out and about and I'm at work, you know, I'm all about people. It did take me a long time to get to a point where I wasn't taking things personal. Right. I was very young when I got into automotive, started at 18, and when you're a kid, boy, things are things are always on fire all of the time, right?
08:26
Yeah. Oh, yeah. You think it's you could think everything's a catastrophe that moment, and you're yeah, you're everything's on the cuff. Yeah.
08:33
Yeah. So it definitely took me a long time to get there, but it is really just bringing yourself to back to ground level and being like, look, we don't know what's going on at home with them too, right? That might play into factor with it. May not even be about their car, you know. It might just be their dog just died this morning, and you don't know. So it's just approaching each of those conversations with the understanding that there's these people have lives, and these people are experiencing it as we speak. So let's just be kind.
09:02
Is there any other changes that you recognized as you were coming up and knowing, hey, when I get in a position of leadership, I want to I want to change, or was that the the the main thing around? There was
09:12
a lot that I saw needed a change. I mean, even just as in an advisor or employee aspect, you know, I didn't feel like advisors were were treated as they should have been. You know, again, the industry taught us that they're machines, and you know they are.
09:33
You mean like a number, kind of?
09:35
Right. Yeah, they're they're a number. They're easily replaceable. If they leave, we can get someone. We can get a body in there real quick. They're just bodies, right?
09:44
Yeah.
09:44
So that was something that I saw needed to change because I've came across so many paths of life as far as advisors go. But I've seen advisors who have been doing it for 40 plus years at the same dealership, and I've seen brand new advisors who have gone to. Three different dealerships and wondering why it's a revolving door for them, and both sides of the coin are like, man, like I just I wish I had a little more time off, or man, I wish I just had a little more time with my families, and that was something else.
10:16
No, that's uh, it's important that you read into that and and and recognize it. It's interesting to me because I think, well, first of all, I think in any company turnover is bad, and especially if it's a if it's a customer facing employee. So, you know, when you have somebody there that greets people on a regular basis and they do a good job, then you know when you pull that person, I think that's a very big risk that you're you're not going to break even here because the the the downside is is more likely, and it's hard to replace. Well, first of all, you got to build that you got to build that confidence back up with the customer because the customer they they may not know that person real well, he or she, but they they're familiar, you know, and that face is critical, and their personality is critical, and that connection of whatever you call it-it may be a minor trust, but it's there. And when you pull that piece out of your puzzle, I think I think that's a risk. I always think of customer-facing people when they get removed; it's always risky.
11:21
Oh, I can tell you, it is 100% affecting customer bases everywhere. Because, you know, as I've gone into leadership too, I've I've learned a lot. I've learned a lot of like things that are like, okay, I saw that this did need to change, but now I see why it maybe was that way, right? And a great example of that is is the turnover. Mind you, we're a smaller shop consisting of eight total bays and an alignment rack. Right, so we have two advisors usually front of house, and then myself. And being at this shop for as long as I have, so many customers come in and just ask for me, and which I've had had happen at other you know service drives. But whenever you know they see me and then they see someone new at the front counter, they're like, okay, like who now? You know why now? Who who else is leaving? Like, and it does like they see that and they recognize that as a pattern, right?
12:21
Yeah, no, and it's a compliment to you. But at the same time, when you're trying to put yourself in leadership position, how do you how do how have you handled? Listen, I'm giving you, I'm putting you in great hands. Is there a certain way that you pass that on so that you're not bogged down in the day to day? What what?
12:37
Of course, yeah. I I always uplift whoever I have running the front of house, of you know, if I'm not here, they're going to be the ones helping you, you know. And I, I trust them, and I can assure you, you can trust them. And if for whatever reason that is not correct, you know, let me know, and I'll be able to, you know, coach them and and help them so that way they can be what you need.
12:58
Yeah, no, I like that, and and sometimes you can make it fun too. I think when you pass them on, it's like, hey, and if he gives you any problems, you give me a call. You know, I'll take care of him. Yeah, like that. But it's I think the whole human aspect is something that you're getting to in the automotive sector, and it's definitely changed. I remember, you know, I'm in my 50s. I can tell you right now, I used to go to shops after my dad would introduce me to whoever where we were taking a car or whatever, and it was always like if you had questions, you were stupid. You know what I mean, or you were like a little bit talked down to, or you know, or it was just a shun. You know, it was like, yeah, your car's over there. Here's your keys. Pay her, and it was that was it. You know, it was not. It wasn't that relationship that you know. Now I'm in a different spot, obviously, but I'm also older. I got relationships of my own or whatever. But it's it was just it was a little cold. I think is the way the best way to describe it. And I, but I do recognize the fact that I think you guys at Mango, especially you know, with the way you guys have made your decor, everything is is not automotive. It's about just it's almost like there's this customer service room. Best I can tell, you guys create this customer service atmosphere room. Oh, by the way, your car's getting fixed over here. You know, so you've really taken it to a great level, and I compliment you on that. Just from what I've witnessed from afar, I look forward to seeing one of your stores one day.
14:27
Yeah, absolutely. I encourage you to stop in just to just to feel the ambiance. It's so different than anything you're going to expect from an automotive shop. You know, customers all the time they come in, they're like, "Wow, it's really nice in here, right? There's wallpaper. It's painted. It's decorated. The floors are clean. There's really comfortable seating, and we have an essential oil diffuser going all of the time. Snacks, drinks, you know. And again, when they walk in, and and that. Part of it is a huge experience in and of itself, but just the front of house being like, "Hey, like, can I get you something to drink while you wait? We have coffee, water. What would you like? And going that extra step, like they notice that and they compliment us all the time. Like, "Wow, I love coming here, and you get if you get the customers that say they love coming to you. It really breaks down that wall, right? Of oh, I got to take my car to auto to an automotive shop. I got to go get it fixed. My car is not working right. It it eases that stress just a little bit for them, and it breaks that wall down. Makes it so much easier for us too.
15:38
Well, it's what's cool about it is this, and I'll speak from a consumer level. There's, and it doesn't just have to be automotive. But if I've got to go wait somewhere for something, but in in the automotive sector in particular, sometimes I don't mind waiting. You know, I can take my computer at certain places, or I know I'll be able to take my phone and I'll I'll put on a headset and I'll be able to at least listen to some things or get things done, whatever it may be, or I could entertain myself and just scroll, you know, or whatever. But if I've got that luxury of sitting somewhere comfortable, then I don't mind, and it takes a lot of pressure off. But I also may not have to stay, you know. But you you're giving that option that makes it really between the years here. It just it gives you a little comfort. Whereas, you know, there are some shops that you walk in the the the sitting area is so dirty or small or confined that it's like, man, I don't want to stick to anything in here. You know, it's like it's just it's it's basically telling you we really don't want you to sit here. You know, even though we have seats, and I think you're you're basically flashing the light that says have a seat, relax, sit down, watch TV, whatever you want to do.
16:45
Yep, exactly.
16:47
Yeah. Where do you guys see yourselves going with Mango here in the next? And you know, to remind our audience here, we we recently had Jesse Jackson, your your boss, one of the owners on here, and she was awesome, and I enjoyed it. And I had told her that you know I said if you got anybody in your organization you think would be good that you know as a interview let me know and I love talking to folks like yourself that have been in the on the front lines continuously and you're you're seeing what's important out there and it's it's really interests me and real refreshing because the changes you saw-I mean, sometimes you think they're so obvious, but people don't take them serious. I mean, I can still think that I'm-you know-I've told you that I've, you know, I've seen a lot of changes, like in the direction that Mango's going, but I still also see a lot that ain't changing, you know. And it kind of just cracks me up. And they still rely on-and don't get me wrong; these people are very good at what they do in regards to the automotive side, but if they could just put the the polish on it, paint it up, make it look nice, golly, it it would take them it take them twice as far as they think.
17:52
Yeah, I mean, and it's funny because you would expect walking into our shop, right? You would expect that oh, like like this is cool you know but what does it look like in the shop and that's the other thing too is maintaining a really nice clean shop that you can invite customers back into there right a lot of customers really like that show and tell experience where they feel like they're a part of the process and not just you know getting the information secondhand, so that's another part of that too. Is you have to you have to balance it, right? You have to not just paint it, make it look pretty, but you have to be able to, on the backside, be like, hey, look, see, we do know what we're doing, and we'll take you even back there, even, and you can see what we're doing. Prove it to you.
18:41
Yeah. Yeah. Any funny stories? You got any funny stories about just your experience with as a service being on the front lines? Anything stand out to you?
18:52
All of the time. I mean, it's every day is just such a it's such a new experience. That's one of the reasons why I love doing what I do. Right, it's every day is something new, and you know, most of the situations again, if if it's something out of our control, like I try to get my team to just laugh. Right, one of the big contributors to what I feel like is my success is the culture and morale that we built, because it does breed a you know it breeds a community it built it breeds a support system rather than a like oh yeah I meet I see these people 12 hours a day five days a week they're cool I guess you know then I get to go home it's a wow I can come here I can set my my luggage down at the door and I can you know have a good time and do what I enjoy. So all of the time, me and my advisor Kylie were going back into the shop, and you know, if we feel like the vibes are low, which they do get low often, we'll go back there and we'll just give them, you know, give them a hard time, like. Last week we were planning a TikTok idea, and we were back there trying to trick them into picking a walkout song. You know that like UFC fighters do. It's like a trend going on right now. Hey, pick your walkout song. We're expecting them to pick you know real like you know gangster's paradise, like that kind of thing, but and then in the video we'd be putting their walkout song to some kind of girly pop song, right? All of these men, tell me why all these men, each and every one of them, chose a girly pop song, did not pick what we it blew up in our faces, and man, they got a kick out of it. Like it was so funny. That's a
20:40
good culture. That's a good culture. Yeah,
20:43
it it really is, and it's it's a good time to be there. So, it it makes up for the little times where you know maybe there is something out of our control. So let's just laugh about it, and we'll move move on. I
20:55
always think that folks in your position could write great books on encounters with just Joe Consumer, yeah. So just to get to know a little bit about you more for the audience' sake, do you have a favorite quote?
21:11
I do. So my favorite quote is "United we stand, divided we fall, and so many people, so many people have used this quote over the course of time, but it actually is derived from an ancient Greek storyteller named Aesop, and it's his story is called "The Four Oxen and the Lion. Right, the four oxen in the lion is basically in in very short terms. It's a herd of oxen. There's a lion, and they're able to overcome and defeat it because they're together. Now, if they had been individual, the lion would have hunted and killed an oxen, right?
21:57
Yeah.
21:57
And that's just something that I've held on to, and mind you, at when I was younger, I thought it was a quote by Abraham Lincoln, which is one of my favorite presidents. But it just always stuck in my brain of how true that is, and the metaphor they used, right, is one single wooden pencil easy to break. Take a whole bundle of wooden pencils, try to break it. It doesn't break. Yeah,
22:24
no, that's a great. Well, I'll I'll give you a little context here. So it's it's cool that you say that because I I'm from Kentucky, but I live in Kentucky, and that is on our state flag.
22:36
Yeah,
22:36
yeah. So that's uh that's cool. That's a good one. What about you? Got a book? Is something that you you recommend to the audience that you you've read recently, or maybe it's just something that you hold on to?
22:48
I do, and you're gonna laugh probably. I don't know, but my favorite book of all time is the Teledes Row by Kate D. Camille, and she's a children's author, and it is a children's book. So, but the novel in again just a little nice little nutshell is a story about the meek conquering the mighty, right? A very tiny little mouse named Espero, and he's just so brave and and he overcomes so many things. So it's been my one of my favorite books, all time favorite books since I was a child, and it's funny because it kind of it kind of trickled, right? the the The storyline lines up with a lot of things that I've had to overcome as you know a woman going into a very male dominated field and being so young in the automotive field too, you know, all of those things were taken into consideration as meekness or a weakness, and that was just not really the case.
23:52
No, and I think it turns out to be your strength because you get. I think it's interesting in life in general that we all, you know, you can all look at the grass is a little greener on the other side, or something like that. But if we just stay true to ourselves, man, woman, whatever, and you just focus on what you got to do, and and when the attributes that you, the assets, the qualities that you bring to it, you make positive change all the time. And and I sense that with you easy because you have a phenomenal disposition, but what then? But you you truly enjoyed the industry before. I mean, you wanted to be in it, so that just that enhances it all. I think one of the best things I learned from a shop owner one time, he was a guy that he's he sold his two stores now. He's not retired, but he he kind of dabbles in real estate now. Whatever, but did did very well. But he said, "Man, if you love what you do and you take care of the customer, that's all you got to worry about.
24:53
Yep, and
24:54
and that's what he did. And he was just and he had started doing it when he was 16 years old. And never looked back. I mean, he didn't own a store at 16, but you know what I'm saying. He gotten in the business, and you you're not too far off that. I mean, you got in at 18. You always liked it, and you seem to have found a very good home. But what I know about Mango, I'd say that's a very good home.
25:16
Yeah, I was so very fortunate. Like I don't at one point at all like discredit the fact that I'm a very I'm in a very fortunate position, right? Sure, yeah, and anybody can make excuses. I have I have adversities. I'm a I'm a female. I'm young, and I won't lie. I probably had times in my life where I did use that maybe as an excuse of you know why things weren't going right, right? But I am very fortunate to have found a company that is one woman-owned. It's so unheard of in automotive. You know, as time goes on, it's going to get, you know, it's going to change. The tides are going to change, and it is already changing. So that's you know not even an issue anymore, but you know she has really taken that charge of this needs to change. You know it needs a woman's touch, and the proof is in our lobbies, right? How our customers feel. So I, I think you're 100 right that it does actually give me a leg up in the industry more than it actually hurts. Oh, I
26:25
think it can help you tremendously, and I think that, I mean, especially if you're going up against the the old bear that used to be running the shop, you know, and and have that personality that didn't, you know, just didn't accommodate, and it was kind of just gruff his way or the highway type attitude. No, you got to be you got to be geared in and tied into the customer and their needs and empathetic and concerned and genuinely you know I'm I'm genuinely caring about you is is I think critical and I think some ways you may have an advantage in that just
27:01
100%
27:02
Yeah,
27:02
yeah. I mean, just my employees alone, right? I, it's the same thing. I, you know, I want them to feel like they are supported and that you know their work has value. They, as a person, have value, and you know, I've had technicians. You know, all my technicians have been male. They've all been guys. Yeah. And man, it's it's they're tough cookies to craft to get them to try to talk about what's going on because you they they wear it on their face, right? They wear it on their face, or they wear it in their attitude. And I have to just sit them down, like, look, this is it's okay to talk about these things. You don't have to if you don't want to, but let me help you. You know, let me help you so that way you can succeed, right? And I've broken down so many a wall with the guys in this industry. I
27:56
bet you-you're almost like a-in some ways, depending on the age of the person, you're almost like a mother figure.
28:02
Oh, 100% Yeah, they call me Mama Bear all the time, and I'm younger than most of them. So,
28:08
but you'll you'll coddle them at the right time is the key.
28:12
Yeah, I just give them the the. I just tell everybody like I love on them. I love on them all the time, and I think that's what the world needs in general, not just automotive is just a little extra love.
28:23
That's a great. That's that's what we're going to end on. That's perfect. Well, I agree with you. Give the world a little bit more love, and I think it works out a lot better. Well, Sarah, I I can't thank you enough for saying yes to after we got introduced to Jesse that that you were willing to do the podcast. Thanks for being on Gain Traction.
28:40
Of course, thank you so much for having me. It was awesome.
28:43
All right, stay in touch with
28:44
us. I will. Hey,
28:46
folks, Mike Edge here with the Gain Traction podcast. Real quick, we get a lot of people ask us. They know Gain Traction, but who who's Tread Partners? Well, Tread Partners is our parent company, and they're a marketing agency dedicated strictly to tire and automotive repair shops, anywhere from five locations all the way up to hundreds of locations, and primarily one field that is always a pain for most people is paid search or PPC or Google Ads. We see enormous amount of waste in it, and we see inefficient spend in it. If you want to know if you're doing well or not, give us a call. We'll help you. We'll audit your account. We'll look under the hood and tell you if you're doing things the right way or the wrong way, and help you optimize that spend. You can reach me, and I'll direct you in the right direction at mike@treadpartners.com, or feel free to go to treadpartners.com the website. To all our listeners, thank you for being part of Gain Traction. If you'd like to find more podcasts like this, visit Gain tractionpodcast.com. If you'd like to make a guest recommendation, please email me at mike@treadpartners.com. This episode has been powered by Tread Partners, the leader in paid search marketing such as Google Ads and LSAs for multi-location tire and auto repair shops. To learn more about Tread Partners, visit treadpartners.com. Don't forget to like and subscribe. We will see you here next time on the GameTrack. Podcast.
The change that I saw that needed to happen in automotive is we are understanding that you know it's not just about cars anymore. These are people's livelihoods sometimes, right? A lot of times I would see advisors not have that human approach, right? Where it was more we're we're made to be machines. That's just not the the market of customers we have anymore.
00:21
Welcome to the Gain Traction Podcast, the official podcast for tire business. I am Mike Edge, your host, and I have the great privilege of connecting the industry by interviewing the best people who work in tires and auto repair. This episode is powered by Tread Partners, the leader in paid search marketing, which includes Google Ads and LSAs for multi-location tire and auto repair shops. To learn more about Tread Partners, visit treadpartners.com. Hey, folks! Welcome to the Gain Traction Podcast, the official podcast for tire business. My guest today is Tara Conlin, service manager at Mango Automotive, which has eight locations in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Tara, welcome to the Gain Traction podcast.
01:07
Thank you so much. I'm happy to be here.
01:09
Glad to have you. So it's fun to have people in different walks of life that are in the industry. But before we get started on what you do with Mango Automotive, where'd you grow up, and then how did you get to where you are today?
01:26
Yeah, for sure. So I grew up in New Mexico, small town called Clovis, and but spent most of my life in Albuquerque. Grew up, I was very quiet kid, but I loved cars. That was one thing I've always been really passionate about. When I turned 18, I knew I wanted to work at a specific dealership. I won't name the name, but I knew I wanted to work there, and started my career automated there. Spent most of my career as a service advisor. I'm a mom of two kids. I have two girls. They're seven and nine. The older one will be nine in August, so they're a lot of fun, of course. And it's a fun balance balancing the automotive world with kids, for sure. And I just knew, like I always wanted, wanted more out of my career. Like I knew I wanted to be in leadership, and so I I took the things I learned as far as you know what did I want to see change in automotive, and made mental notes of everything and the opportunity with Mango, where I'm at now, opened up. I started as a service advisor. Have been in with them for two years now.
02:49
Nice,
02:50
and quickly grew into a leadership role with them. Took over one of our locations as the service manager slash operator, and you know, quickly grew that shop to things that we were not even really sure was capable from it. So it's been really cool to see.
03:12
So you mentioned change. What did you see that you you noticed in the industry that you wanted to change when when given the opportunity or put in a position like you are now to make the change,
03:22
yeah. So I tell people, and I met myself as well all the time. You know, be the change, right? And the change that I saw that needed to happen in automotive is we kind of were in a little rut of everything's gruff, everything is To the point, you know, we're here to fix cars, and not much goes beyond that. And as we've seen time go on, that's changing, right? Generations are becoming, you know, softer in a in a good sense, right? We're becoming more empathetic. We are understanding that, you know, it's not just about cars anymore. These are people's livelihoods sometimes, right? There's Uber, Lyft. There's a lot of different things that factor into what can make the car experience emotional, and so a lot of times I would see advisors not have that human approach, right? Where it was more, we're we're made to be machines, you know. We're we're made to sell everything. We're made to condemn every vehicle that comes in, and that's just not the the market of customers we have anymore.
04:33
Yeah, no, that's a good way of looking at it. So I think of it as just being just more considerate, caring about you know what their circumstances and everybody's got different circumstances of why they're there that day or whatever, and and it's almost 100% of them don't want to be there because they'd rather be doing something else. So I always think of folks that are on the front side in our industry are definitely underestimated. Their value. I mean, because you guys really deal with people that. I mean, essentially, I'm not saying they're always in a bad mood, but they're definitely coming in with a little bit of a negative vibe because they definitely they don't want to be there, right? I mean, they there's it's just it's not something, and you guys have to bring in the. I think I think you have that great opportunity with. I mean, you know, I think the term used to be used for a doctor, a bedside manner, but just having a better disposition in the circumstances. And you've probably seen this before, but it almost can change to a 180. Like like you can make somebody at least
05:37
content to be there, maybe not completely happy, but content to be there and be kind of you can see the shoulders come down and a little relief. Everything's gonna be all right. You get that vibe a lot the way you get through it. Yeah,
05:51
yeah. I mean, a lot of it's reading the room because you can't, you know, always initially crack a joke with someone, but you know, get them to smile. Like smiling is like psychologically the number one way to ease stress when you're in a stressful position. It's like it's proven, right?
06:13
Money that you you you've picked that up that just a simple smile can change the whole conversation, or it can start the conversation the right way for sure. When you can tell, you can already see the tenseness, right? Or
06:25
the
06:26
yeah, the bristle a little bit maybe, and then when you bring in the smile, and it's like that goes down, maybe.
06:31
Yeah, 100% It's it's kind of funny because my shot foreman jokes all the time. He's like, "You can calm anyone down, and it's really just going at every approach of calm, and you know you're happy to be there. And I call the automotive industry a really is like a a stage, right? We're all doing improv all of the time, and that's been always been my approach: is that you know I have to just approach every system calmly, calmly, and you know assess the situation, and and then that usually will dictate how I move forward. And 99% of the time, it's just a smile on your face, and that's it. That's all I need. And they're like, okay, I'm in good hands.
07:22
I can tell you've got a lot of experience, and I like the way you approach things. But it's you don't take it personal. I mean, you're personal, but you don't take it personal because it's really not directed to you. Whatever their problem is, it's just their frustration that they have to deal with the problem today.
07:41
Yeah, yeah, I. I I have a really keen liking to psychology. Actually, was in school for a while getting my my communications degree, which a lot of that is psychology. I do really enjoy interpersonal, you know, connections at home. I'm, I'm, you know, I'm very quiet into myself. But when I'm out and about and I'm at work, you know, I'm all about people. It did take me a long time to get to a point where I wasn't taking things personal. Right. I was very young when I got into automotive, started at 18, and when you're a kid, boy, things are things are always on fire all of the time, right?
08:26
Yeah. Oh, yeah. You think it's you could think everything's a catastrophe that moment, and you're yeah, you're everything's on the cuff. Yeah.
08:33
Yeah. So it definitely took me a long time to get there, but it is really just bringing yourself to back to ground level and being like, look, we don't know what's going on at home with them too, right? That might play into factor with it. May not even be about their car, you know. It might just be their dog just died this morning, and you don't know. So it's just approaching each of those conversations with the understanding that there's these people have lives, and these people are experiencing it as we speak. So let's just be kind.
09:02
Is there any other changes that you recognized as you were coming up and knowing, hey, when I get in a position of leadership, I want to I want to change, or was that the the the main thing around? There was
09:12
a lot that I saw needed a change. I mean, even just as in an advisor or employee aspect, you know, I didn't feel like advisors were were treated as they should have been. You know, again, the industry taught us that they're machines, and you know they are.
09:33
You mean like a number, kind of?
09:35
Right. Yeah, they're they're a number. They're easily replaceable. If they leave, we can get someone. We can get a body in there real quick. They're just bodies, right?
09:44
Yeah.
09:44
So that was something that I saw needed to change because I've came across so many paths of life as far as advisors go. But I've seen advisors who have been doing it for 40 plus years at the same dealership, and I've seen brand new advisors who have gone to. Three different dealerships and wondering why it's a revolving door for them, and both sides of the coin are like, man, like I just I wish I had a little more time off, or man, I wish I just had a little more time with my families, and that was something else.
10:16
No, that's uh, it's important that you read into that and and and recognize it. It's interesting to me because I think, well, first of all, I think in any company turnover is bad, and especially if it's a if it's a customer facing employee. So, you know, when you have somebody there that greets people on a regular basis and they do a good job, then you know when you pull that person, I think that's a very big risk that you're you're not going to break even here because the the the downside is is more likely, and it's hard to replace. Well, first of all, you got to build that you got to build that confidence back up with the customer because the customer they they may not know that person real well, he or she, but they they're familiar, you know, and that face is critical, and their personality is critical, and that connection of whatever you call it-it may be a minor trust, but it's there. And when you pull that piece out of your puzzle, I think I think that's a risk. I always think of customer-facing people when they get removed; it's always risky.
11:21
Oh, I can tell you, it is 100% affecting customer bases everywhere. Because, you know, as I've gone into leadership too, I've I've learned a lot. I've learned a lot of like things that are like, okay, I saw that this did need to change, but now I see why it maybe was that way, right? And a great example of that is is the turnover. Mind you, we're a smaller shop consisting of eight total bays and an alignment rack. Right, so we have two advisors usually front of house, and then myself. And being at this shop for as long as I have, so many customers come in and just ask for me, and which I've had had happen at other you know service drives. But whenever you know they see me and then they see someone new at the front counter, they're like, okay, like who now? You know why now? Who who else is leaving? Like, and it does like they see that and they recognize that as a pattern, right?
12:21
Yeah, no, and it's a compliment to you. But at the same time, when you're trying to put yourself in leadership position, how do you how do how have you handled? Listen, I'm giving you, I'm putting you in great hands. Is there a certain way that you pass that on so that you're not bogged down in the day to day? What what?
12:37
Of course, yeah. I I always uplift whoever I have running the front of house, of you know, if I'm not here, they're going to be the ones helping you, you know. And I, I trust them, and I can assure you, you can trust them. And if for whatever reason that is not correct, you know, let me know, and I'll be able to, you know, coach them and and help them so that way they can be what you need.
12:58
Yeah, no, I like that, and and sometimes you can make it fun too. I think when you pass them on, it's like, hey, and if he gives you any problems, you give me a call. You know, I'll take care of him. Yeah, like that. But it's I think the whole human aspect is something that you're getting to in the automotive sector, and it's definitely changed. I remember, you know, I'm in my 50s. I can tell you right now, I used to go to shops after my dad would introduce me to whoever where we were taking a car or whatever, and it was always like if you had questions, you were stupid. You know what I mean, or you were like a little bit talked down to, or you know, or it was just a shun. You know, it was like, yeah, your car's over there. Here's your keys. Pay her, and it was that was it. You know, it was not. It wasn't that relationship that you know. Now I'm in a different spot, obviously, but I'm also older. I got relationships of my own or whatever. But it's it was just it was a little cold. I think is the way the best way to describe it. And I, but I do recognize the fact that I think you guys at Mango, especially you know, with the way you guys have made your decor, everything is is not automotive. It's about just it's almost like there's this customer service room. Best I can tell, you guys create this customer service atmosphere room. Oh, by the way, your car's getting fixed over here. You know, so you've really taken it to a great level, and I compliment you on that. Just from what I've witnessed from afar, I look forward to seeing one of your stores one day.
14:27
Yeah, absolutely. I encourage you to stop in just to just to feel the ambiance. It's so different than anything you're going to expect from an automotive shop. You know, customers all the time they come in, they're like, "Wow, it's really nice in here, right? There's wallpaper. It's painted. It's decorated. The floors are clean. There's really comfortable seating, and we have an essential oil diffuser going all of the time. Snacks, drinks, you know. And again, when they walk in, and and that. Part of it is a huge experience in and of itself, but just the front of house being like, "Hey, like, can I get you something to drink while you wait? We have coffee, water. What would you like? And going that extra step, like they notice that and they compliment us all the time. Like, "Wow, I love coming here, and you get if you get the customers that say they love coming to you. It really breaks down that wall, right? Of oh, I got to take my car to auto to an automotive shop. I got to go get it fixed. My car is not working right. It it eases that stress just a little bit for them, and it breaks that wall down. Makes it so much easier for us too.
15:38
Well, it's what's cool about it is this, and I'll speak from a consumer level. There's, and it doesn't just have to be automotive. But if I've got to go wait somewhere for something, but in in the automotive sector in particular, sometimes I don't mind waiting. You know, I can take my computer at certain places, or I know I'll be able to take my phone and I'll I'll put on a headset and I'll be able to at least listen to some things or get things done, whatever it may be, or I could entertain myself and just scroll, you know, or whatever. But if I've got that luxury of sitting somewhere comfortable, then I don't mind, and it takes a lot of pressure off. But I also may not have to stay, you know. But you you're giving that option that makes it really between the years here. It just it gives you a little comfort. Whereas, you know, there are some shops that you walk in the the the sitting area is so dirty or small or confined that it's like, man, I don't want to stick to anything in here. You know, it's like it's just it's it's basically telling you we really don't want you to sit here. You know, even though we have seats, and I think you're you're basically flashing the light that says have a seat, relax, sit down, watch TV, whatever you want to do.
16:45
Yep, exactly.
16:47
Yeah. Where do you guys see yourselves going with Mango here in the next? And you know, to remind our audience here, we we recently had Jesse Jackson, your your boss, one of the owners on here, and she was awesome, and I enjoyed it. And I had told her that you know I said if you got anybody in your organization you think would be good that you know as a interview let me know and I love talking to folks like yourself that have been in the on the front lines continuously and you're you're seeing what's important out there and it's it's really interests me and real refreshing because the changes you saw-I mean, sometimes you think they're so obvious, but people don't take them serious. I mean, I can still think that I'm-you know-I've told you that I've, you know, I've seen a lot of changes, like in the direction that Mango's going, but I still also see a lot that ain't changing, you know. And it kind of just cracks me up. And they still rely on-and don't get me wrong; these people are very good at what they do in regards to the automotive side, but if they could just put the the polish on it, paint it up, make it look nice, golly, it it would take them it take them twice as far as they think.
17:52
Yeah, I mean, and it's funny because you would expect walking into our shop, right? You would expect that oh, like like this is cool you know but what does it look like in the shop and that's the other thing too is maintaining a really nice clean shop that you can invite customers back into there right a lot of customers really like that show and tell experience where they feel like they're a part of the process and not just you know getting the information secondhand, so that's another part of that too. Is you have to you have to balance it, right? You have to not just paint it, make it look pretty, but you have to be able to, on the backside, be like, hey, look, see, we do know what we're doing, and we'll take you even back there, even, and you can see what we're doing. Prove it to you.
18:41
Yeah. Yeah. Any funny stories? You got any funny stories about just your experience with as a service being on the front lines? Anything stand out to you?
18:52
All of the time. I mean, it's every day is just such a it's such a new experience. That's one of the reasons why I love doing what I do. Right, it's every day is something new, and you know, most of the situations again, if if it's something out of our control, like I try to get my team to just laugh. Right, one of the big contributors to what I feel like is my success is the culture and morale that we built, because it does breed a you know it breeds a community it built it breeds a support system rather than a like oh yeah I meet I see these people 12 hours a day five days a week they're cool I guess you know then I get to go home it's a wow I can come here I can set my my luggage down at the door and I can you know have a good time and do what I enjoy. So all of the time, me and my advisor Kylie were going back into the shop, and you know, if we feel like the vibes are low, which they do get low often, we'll go back there and we'll just give them, you know, give them a hard time, like. Last week we were planning a TikTok idea, and we were back there trying to trick them into picking a walkout song. You know that like UFC fighters do. It's like a trend going on right now. Hey, pick your walkout song. We're expecting them to pick you know real like you know gangster's paradise, like that kind of thing, but and then in the video we'd be putting their walkout song to some kind of girly pop song, right? All of these men, tell me why all these men, each and every one of them, chose a girly pop song, did not pick what we it blew up in our faces, and man, they got a kick out of it. Like it was so funny. That's a
20:40
good culture. That's a good culture. Yeah,
20:43
it it really is, and it's it's a good time to be there. So, it it makes up for the little times where you know maybe there is something out of our control. So let's just laugh about it, and we'll move move on. I
20:55
always think that folks in your position could write great books on encounters with just Joe Consumer, yeah. So just to get to know a little bit about you more for the audience' sake, do you have a favorite quote?
21:11
I do. So my favorite quote is "United we stand, divided we fall, and so many people, so many people have used this quote over the course of time, but it actually is derived from an ancient Greek storyteller named Aesop, and it's his story is called "The Four Oxen and the Lion. Right, the four oxen in the lion is basically in in very short terms. It's a herd of oxen. There's a lion, and they're able to overcome and defeat it because they're together. Now, if they had been individual, the lion would have hunted and killed an oxen, right?
21:57
Yeah.
21:57
And that's just something that I've held on to, and mind you, at when I was younger, I thought it was a quote by Abraham Lincoln, which is one of my favorite presidents. But it just always stuck in my brain of how true that is, and the metaphor they used, right, is one single wooden pencil easy to break. Take a whole bundle of wooden pencils, try to break it. It doesn't break. Yeah,
22:24
no, that's a great. Well, I'll I'll give you a little context here. So it's it's cool that you say that because I I'm from Kentucky, but I live in Kentucky, and that is on our state flag.
22:36
Yeah,
22:36
yeah. So that's uh that's cool. That's a good one. What about you? Got a book? Is something that you you recommend to the audience that you you've read recently, or maybe it's just something that you hold on to?
22:48
I do, and you're gonna laugh probably. I don't know, but my favorite book of all time is the Teledes Row by Kate D. Camille, and she's a children's author, and it is a children's book. So, but the novel in again just a little nice little nutshell is a story about the meek conquering the mighty, right? A very tiny little mouse named Espero, and he's just so brave and and he overcomes so many things. So it's been my one of my favorite books, all time favorite books since I was a child, and it's funny because it kind of it kind of trickled, right? the the The storyline lines up with a lot of things that I've had to overcome as you know a woman going into a very male dominated field and being so young in the automotive field too, you know, all of those things were taken into consideration as meekness or a weakness, and that was just not really the case.
23:52
No, and I think it turns out to be your strength because you get. I think it's interesting in life in general that we all, you know, you can all look at the grass is a little greener on the other side, or something like that. But if we just stay true to ourselves, man, woman, whatever, and you just focus on what you got to do, and and when the attributes that you, the assets, the qualities that you bring to it, you make positive change all the time. And and I sense that with you easy because you have a phenomenal disposition, but what then? But you you truly enjoyed the industry before. I mean, you wanted to be in it, so that just that enhances it all. I think one of the best things I learned from a shop owner one time, he was a guy that he's he sold his two stores now. He's not retired, but he he kind of dabbles in real estate now. Whatever, but did did very well. But he said, "Man, if you love what you do and you take care of the customer, that's all you got to worry about.
24:53
Yep, and
24:54
and that's what he did. And he was just and he had started doing it when he was 16 years old. And never looked back. I mean, he didn't own a store at 16, but you know what I'm saying. He gotten in the business, and you you're not too far off that. I mean, you got in at 18. You always liked it, and you seem to have found a very good home. But what I know about Mango, I'd say that's a very good home.
25:16
Yeah, I was so very fortunate. Like I don't at one point at all like discredit the fact that I'm a very I'm in a very fortunate position, right? Sure, yeah, and anybody can make excuses. I have I have adversities. I'm a I'm a female. I'm young, and I won't lie. I probably had times in my life where I did use that maybe as an excuse of you know why things weren't going right, right? But I am very fortunate to have found a company that is one woman-owned. It's so unheard of in automotive. You know, as time goes on, it's going to get, you know, it's going to change. The tides are going to change, and it is already changing. So that's you know not even an issue anymore, but you know she has really taken that charge of this needs to change. You know it needs a woman's touch, and the proof is in our lobbies, right? How our customers feel. So I, I think you're 100 right that it does actually give me a leg up in the industry more than it actually hurts. Oh, I
26:25
think it can help you tremendously, and I think that, I mean, especially if you're going up against the the old bear that used to be running the shop, you know, and and have that personality that didn't, you know, just didn't accommodate, and it was kind of just gruff his way or the highway type attitude. No, you got to be you got to be geared in and tied into the customer and their needs and empathetic and concerned and genuinely you know I'm I'm genuinely caring about you is is I think critical and I think some ways you may have an advantage in that just
27:01
100%
27:02
Yeah,
27:02
yeah. I mean, just my employees alone, right? I, it's the same thing. I, you know, I want them to feel like they are supported and that you know their work has value. They, as a person, have value, and you know, I've had technicians. You know, all my technicians have been male. They've all been guys. Yeah. And man, it's it's they're tough cookies to craft to get them to try to talk about what's going on because you they they wear it on their face, right? They wear it on their face, or they wear it in their attitude. And I have to just sit them down, like, look, this is it's okay to talk about these things. You don't have to if you don't want to, but let me help you. You know, let me help you so that way you can succeed, right? And I've broken down so many a wall with the guys in this industry. I
27:56
bet you-you're almost like a-in some ways, depending on the age of the person, you're almost like a mother figure.
28:02
Oh, 100% Yeah, they call me Mama Bear all the time, and I'm younger than most of them. So,
28:08
but you'll you'll coddle them at the right time is the key.
28:12
Yeah, I just give them the the. I just tell everybody like I love on them. I love on them all the time, and I think that's what the world needs in general, not just automotive is just a little extra love.
28:23
That's a great. That's that's what we're going to end on. That's perfect. Well, I agree with you. Give the world a little bit more love, and I think it works out a lot better. Well, Sarah, I I can't thank you enough for saying yes to after we got introduced to Jesse that that you were willing to do the podcast. Thanks for being on Gain Traction.
28:40
Of course, thank you so much for having me. It was awesome.
28:43
All right, stay in touch with
28:44
us. I will. Hey,
28:46
folks, Mike Edge here with the Gain Traction podcast. Real quick, we get a lot of people ask us. They know Gain Traction, but who who's Tread Partners? Well, Tread Partners is our parent company, and they're a marketing agency dedicated strictly to tire and automotive repair shops, anywhere from five locations all the way up to hundreds of locations, and primarily one field that is always a pain for most people is paid search or PPC or Google Ads. We see enormous amount of waste in it, and we see inefficient spend in it. If you want to know if you're doing well or not, give us a call. We'll help you. We'll audit your account. We'll look under the hood and tell you if you're doing things the right way or the wrong way, and help you optimize that spend. You can reach me, and I'll direct you in the right direction at mike@treadpartners.com, or feel free to go to treadpartners.com the website. To all our listeners, thank you for being part of Gain Traction. If you'd like to find more podcasts like this, visit Gain tractionpodcast.com. If you'd like to make a guest recommendation, please email me at mike@treadpartners.com. This episode has been powered by Tread Partners, the leader in paid search marketing such as Google Ads and LSAs for multi-location tire and auto repair shops. To learn more about Tread Partners, visit treadpartners.com. Don't forget to like and subscribe. We will see you here next time on the GameTrack. Podcast.
