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Being ‘Cream of the Crop’ Takes One Extra Degree
Posted 5/1/2008
By Mark Hambaum
Set yourself apart from competitors by focusing on the details.
 You wouldn’t spend thousands or even hundreds of dollars for a tool or piece of equipment and lock it away without even opening the box, would you? That doesn’t make any sense. Yet, I’ll bet many of you have done just that. Now, before you turn the page thinking I’m crazy, answer the following questions as they relate to management classes you’ve attended:
• Where are all of the books, worksheets, job aids and action plans that you were given?
• Did you write down any goals? If so, where is that list right now?
• What specific behaviors have you changed?
• What has been your return on instruction?
I know some of you have put your knowledge to work, but in 10 years of providing training and consulting services around the country, I’ve observed that many of you have not realized a good return on your training investments. Why? Because you haven’t changed your behavior. In your heart you want to do better, you want to be more successful, but you keep doing the same things the same way. You’ve got the knowledge and the skills, but you need One Extra Degree of determination.
One Extra Degree
The One Extra Degree principle is taken from the Sam Parker/Mac Anderson book published by Simple Truths titled 212-The Extra Degree.
The principle is simple: At 211°F water is hot. At 212°F it boils. And with boiling water comes steam, and steam can power a locomotive.
Raising the temperature of water just One Extra Degree means the difference between something that is simply very hot and something that generates enough force to power a machine. One Extra Degree is a simple metaphor that serves to remind you that small things make a tremendous difference.
Achieving results not only requires putting knowledge into action, but you must keep it in action, and that requires extra effort. One Extra Degree is not just a message of action; it’s a message of consistent and persistent action!
Let me ask you: How big is the gap between good and great or between failure and success? Is the gap big or small?
Consider that in the 2004 Olympics the difference between winning a gold medal and no medal at all in the women’s long jump was just 11 centimeters, less than five inches – a pretty small gap.
 Consider, too, that the average margin of victory for the past 25 years in all major golf tournaments combined was less than three strokes – another small gap.
Speaking of golf, what do you think makes Tiger Woods such a dominant golfer? Is his skill vastly superior to players like Phil Mickelson, Ernie Ells or Vijay Singh? They all drive it over 300 yards, they all nail greens with their irons, and they can all putt, so what separates Tiger from the rest? He approaches the game with One Extra Degree of determination.
Another example from the world of sports is Pete Rose. Some baseball pundits would say Pete Rose possessed average talent in comparison to his major league contemporaries. How does a player with average talent become the game’s all-time hit leader? Perhaps his nickname “Charlie Hustle,” provides some insight. Pete Rose played with One Extra Degree of determination.
Thomas Edison once said, “Many of life’s failures are men who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” Edison had almost 2,000 failures before he invented a light bulb that worked.
The One Extra Degree principle means paying attention to details. It means doing a little more than is required. And just who wants to do that? Only those who want to succeed and achieve their goals – that’s who!
Green Bay Packer coaching legend Vince Lombardi said, “Inches make a champion.”
Indeed, it’s the little things and the attention to details that make the biggest difference. If you want things to be different, you’ll have to do something different. You need to have a plan and work your plan with One Extra Degree of determination. Thank you for reading, and may 2008 be your best year ever!
Action Plan |
Following is a list of business practices. They’re not silver bullets or quick fixes. Nor are they “big” things; rather they’re little things that few do with consistency. If with One Extra Degree of determination you’ll resolve yourself to doing these little things on a consistent basis, you can set yourself apart from your competitors.
On a scale of 1 through 5 where 1 = Very Good and 5 = Very Poor, grade yourself on each practice listed below. When you’re finished, go back through the list and identify the top three things that will make the biggest difference to your business and go to work on those. Take it one step at a time, and work the list little by little. |
| Your shop has at least three different vehicle inspection offerings. |
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| All technicians thoroughly and consistently inspect vehicles and document conditions on the repair order. |
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| Technicians document all test and service procedures performed. |
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| You routinely ask customers about their vehicle goals. |
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| You promote maintenance by routinely reviewing maintenance schedules with customers. |
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| Your shop looks neat, clean and professional inside and out. |
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| Customers’ vehicles are returned as clean or cleaner than when they arrived. |
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| All of the customer’s contact information is entered on every repair order, every time. |
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| Customers are given specific times that they are to arrive for service write-up. |
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| Customer arrival times are staggered by at least 15 minutes. |
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| All declined services are documented on the repair order. |
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| At least one future service/maintenance need is documented on the repair order. |
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| On future visits, previously declined services are presented to the customer and you ask for the sale. |
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| You ask customers to schedule their next service before they leave. |
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| You schedule specific times for the customer to pick up the vehicle. |
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| Every customer receives a preliminary estimate and this is documented on the repair order so the technician knows how much money/time has been authorized |
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| You conduct a vehicle walk-around at the time of write-up to identify additional service needs and ask for the sale. |
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| You diligently keep the customer informed of what’s going on throughout the day and you call the customer when the vehicle is completed. |
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| You have a written marketing plan that identifies short-term, medium-term and long-term marketing objectives.
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| You review invoices with customers when they pick up their cars. |
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| You have a brief meeting with your staff at the beginning of the day to discuss the day’s schedule so everyone has an idea of what’s what and who’s doing what. |
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| As an owner or manager you spend at least as much time working on your business as you do working in your business. |
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| Your vision, purpose, and core values are written down, displayed, and discussed on a regular basis. |
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Editor's Note: This article is one of several management articles that will be contributed to AutoInc. this year by Automotive Management Institute (AMI) instructors. A full lineup of AMI instructors will be sharing their knowledge throughout the year on a variety of topics including training and equipping your staff, goal setting, cross promoting, increasing car count during slow times and much more. To learn more about AMI, its courses and instructors, visit www.AMIonline.org.
 Mark D. Hambaum serves as the corporate training manager for the Joseph Auto Group in Fenton, Mich. Hambaum also provides training, marketing and consulting services through his firm, MDH Automotive Services. He is an AMI-approved instructor with more than 30 years of automotive service industry experience. You can contact Hambaum at (888) 727-9288, by e-mail at mhambaum@aol.com, or via his Web site, www.mdhauto.bizland.com.
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