Craig Noel, Nicole Bennecoff, and Brad Updegraff share actionable strategies for reducing turnover and creating workplaces where employees genuinely want to stay. Their discussion focuses on hiring for culture, adapting to generational expectations around flexibility, and investing personally in the people who make the business run.

Turnover Prevention Starts in the Interview

Preventing turnover begins long before a new hire steps into the shop. The panel emphasized hiring for culture above all—seeking candidates who align with the organization’s values and want to contribute to its long-term success.

Key hiring insights:

• Culture Fit Over Experience:Skills can be taught; mindset cannot.

• Process Buy-In:Especially with experienced technicians, owners must clearly communicate that systems are established and expected to be followed. A growth mindset is crucial.

• Onboarding & Accountability:Culture discussions start on day one. Many shops rely on a 30–60 day check-in period and a 90-day probation window to evaluate behavior, process adoption, and overall fit.

Retention Is Personal

Retention isn’t one-size-fits-all. Owners must prioritize people and culture over production, recognizing that different employees are motivated by different things.

Personalized retention strategies:

• Emotional & Financial Support:Small gestures—like a quick text of appreciation or helping a young technician with a bill—can make a big difference.

• Flexibility & Work-Life Balance:Today’s workforce highly values family and personal time. Supporting employees during life moments becomes part of the shop’s culture.

• The Collective Mindset:Including employees in the shop’s vision builds loyalty. Asking why they stay—or what might cause them to leave—helps uncover individual needs.

Meaningful recognition practices:

• Use the Language of Careers:Refer to the industry as a career, not just a job or trade.

• Badges of Honor:Display certifications, achievements, and bios where customers can see them,...

Recorded Live at ASTA 2025, Dutch Silverstein delivers a powerful reframing of how the automotive industry can approach customer interaction—shifting from high-pressure sales tactics to a relationship-first model built on the idea that “People hate to be sold, yet they love to buy.

Advocates, Not Salespeople
Dutch’s relationship-based shop model stands in stark contrast to transactional sales environments.

• No Salespeople:Dutch does not employ “salesmen,” he employs “advocates.”

• Role of an Advocate:Advocates collaborate with customers to understand what they want for their vehicle and their long-term plans, then help design solutions that support those goals.

• Eliminating Pressure:The shop enforces a strict “no pressure, ever” philosophy. There are no commissions, no sales quotas, no whiteboards, no competitive bonuses—removing any incentive that could create a conflict of interest.

The episode also dives into several controversial but important topics:

• The need to revisittechnician licensing, with Dutch arguing current standards are “window dressing.”

• Theflat-rate paradox, especially when contrasted with the younger generation’s desire for work-life balance rather than solely financial incentive.

• Determining anoptimal labor ratein a way that supports sustainability and talent retention.

The Takeaway
The conversation reinforces that effective sales—better yet, advocacy—are rooted in trust. When customers feel supported rather than sold to, they embrace their decisions with confidence. This shift from selling to serving creates a healthier, more sustainable customer experience and business model.

It’s time to dig into real-world strategies for managing debt and strengthening the financial foundation of your auto repair business.

• Shiju Thomas,Hotchkiss Auto Repair
• Dustin Brown,Brown Auto Experts
• Hunt Demarest, CPA,Paar Melis and Associates

The first big takeaway: Cash is king.
Our panel emphasizes the power of maintaining healthy cash reserves—ideally three to six months of operating expenses—to safeguard your shop against unexpected disruptions. If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that cash on hand can be the difference between surviving and scrambling.

Another core theme is recognizing the difference between good debt and “bad debt.”

Good debt includes real estate and other collateral-backed loans that appreciate, add stability, and support long-term growth. Bad debt includes high-interest burdens like merchant cash advances or short-term credit card loans—products that drain cash flow fast and offer zero assets in return.

The panel also addresses a common pain point: “Why doesn’t my bank balance match my profit?”
The answer lies in understanding the cash flow statement—specifically, that principal payments don’t appear on the P&L, even though they hit your bank account hard. Their guidance: pay off high-interest debt first, but don’t erase debt so aggressively that you end up “debt-free but cash-poor.” Cash matters just as much as debt reduction.

Bottom line: Be intentional with your money. Understand your numbers. And approach debt reduction as a strategy, not a sprint.

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