Summer is a busy time in the auto repair industry, and 2020 was no exception.
But as the seasons change to fall and winter, we notice that fewer people are taking their vehicles in for repairs. Of course, this varies from state to state. Auto repair shops in colder climates may still see a steady flow of customers as drivers winterize their vehicles.
In most places, a slow down in business is to be expected.
While there may be fewer walk-ins, there are several ways shop owners and service writers can stimulate business and maintain a healthy sales funnel.
Looking at Your Sales Funnel
Your sales funnel can tell you a lot about the flow of your business.
Before ramping up marketing and lead gen tactics (strategies to get new business into the sales funnel), it’s important to look at what’s already in the funnel.
If you already have work in the shop or customers to follow up with, those jobs are going to be the easiest to target and move through the sales process because they’re already halfway there.
Also, by focusing on the bottom of the funnel first, you can identify any hold-ups and make room for new work to come in the door, leading to a more efficient workflow and overall sales process.
Work in the Shop Waiting to Be Completed
Before going out of your way to bring new business in the door, look at the current jobs already in the shop.
Are there any holdups? If so, be sure to take care of those so that you can get those vehicles repaired and out the door, and then collect payment on that work.
If there's a bottleneck at the bottom of your funnel, you probably want to address that before bringing a bunch of new work through the door.
Tek-Tip: Use Realtime RO Reporting on the Shop Dashboard
By looking at the “job board view” of Tekmetric’s shop dashboard, shop owners and service writers can see a snapshot of what’s going on in the shop at any given moment.
You can look at the number of dollars you’re sitting on in the “work not started” status.
If an RO has been approved but the work hasn’t been started and you’re not sure why this is a good opportunity to talk to your technicians to see what the holdup is.
If it seems like there are many jobs that are delayed, it might be time to consider hiring more help, provide coaching, or create a more efficient process.
Customers with estimates waiting to be approved
After taking care of work that’s already in the shop, the next easiest target for more work is going to be anyone who you’ve already sent an estimate to that hasn’t approved the work.
Chances are, these guests are shopping around for the best estimate. But in some cases, customers get sidetracked and may have simply forgotten to follow up.
Giving these folks a courtesy call to say, "I just wanted to follow up to personally answer any questions that you may have about the work that we're recommending" is a great way to earn their business because it shows that you care about fixing their problem and that you didn’t forget about them.
Even if your shop isn’t the cheapest by a long shot, customers who are shopping around are likely to see the value in going with the shop that is attentive enough to give them a call back to check-in.
Tek-Tip: Use the Tekmetric Job Board to See the Status of Estimates
Tekmetric’s job board uses icons to show service advisors the status of an estimate.
The paper airplane means that an estimate was sent to a guest, but it hasn’t been opened.
Once the customer opens the estimate, the icon will change into an eyeball. Near the icon, it will also tell you how long ago it has been since the estimate was sent or viewed. Service advisors and shop owners can use this information to start a conversation with their customers.
Tekmetric also has two different views of the job board: column view and list view.
In list view, you can prioritize the order of those estimates to put the people who have viewed it at the top, the people who received it next, and then everyone else who you haven't quite finished up with at the bottom.
So now you have a priority of who you can start calling.
Declined Jobs & ROs Saved for Later
Further up the sales funnel are your declined jobs and ROs saved for later. It’s important to remember that many vehicle owners wait until right before a critical event to get their vehicles repaired.
For instance, if someone brings their truck into the shop to fix their suspension and you notice that their brake pads should be replaced soon, the customer may wait a few weeks or months until they feel like their brakes are just about to scrape the metal.
Depending on the condition of the brakes, a service advisor might put it on the estimate (and in this scenario, the truck owner declines the job to focus on their suspension) or, if it seems like the brakes do in fact have a few months of mileage left, they may save it as an RO for later.
Declined jobs and ROs saved for later are great ways to reconnect with a guest.
A simple courtesy call to check in with an existing customer who may need work soon is an excellent way to remind them that their vehicle needs maintenance before a critical event occurs, and it's also an opportunity to bring more work in the door.
Tek-Tip: Use Tekmetric’s Declined Job Report and Customer History
Tekmetric’s declined job report consolidates all of your shop’s declined jobs in one easy to view list.
During slow months, your service advisors can open the declined jobs report and go down the list, using notes to determine why the customer declined the job and whether or not they might be interested in revisiting the work soon.
To take this one step further, the service advisor can also look at the customer’s history to determine if there are any hold-ups to getting certain repair work.
For instance, if the customer history shows that they come into the shop frequently but tend to spend small amounts at a time, you can make them an offer or throw in a free oil change to sweeten the deal.
Generate New Customers with Marketing
Once you’ve worked your way up the sales funnel to complete any jobs in the queue and catch existing customers who either haven’t responded to your estimate or need work soon, you can start focusing on catching the attention of new customers.
When it comes to generating new business, the initial questions to ask yourself are, “Where are my target customers?” and “Where is my existing business coming from?”
By keeping track of your marketing sources—referrals, promotions, mailers, social media channels, etc.—you can get a better sense of the best place to put your efforts.
Every time a new customer comes in, it’s good practice to ask them, “How did you hear about us?” If it’s an existing customer, you can also ask, “What brings you in today?”
They may just tell you that they need work done, but sometimes they’ll answer with a certain promotion or advertisement, which can help you gauge the effectiveness of certain efforts.
If it seems like a certain tactic works better than others, that may be the first marketing effort to invest more money in when times are slow.
Tek-Tip: Use Tekmetric’s Marketing Source Report to Gauge the Effectiveness of Your Marketing
Tekmetric’s RO Marketing Source report gives shop owners a clear view of how successful each marketing effort is in terms of total sales, new sales, repeat sales, GP dollars, GP percent, and close ratio.
These metrics not only show you where your audience spends the most time but also shows you which segment of your audience is bringing in the most profit.
For instance, you may notice that Facebook brings in a lot of ROs, but you have the highest close ratio with people who read Yelp reviews.
If that’s the case, you may want to solicit more positive Yelp reviews from customers.
Accelerating Your Shop’s Business Takes a Comprehensive Approach
It’s important to consider your entire sales funnel when trying to boost the amount of work and dollars coming through your shop.
While marketing is a great way to get your name out there and bring new vehicles and faces into your shop, it’s just as important to nurture the relationships that you already have.
If it seems like there’s an existing customer that you can help with service, it’s a good idea to reach out and check in on them.
As always, keeping track of your job history, customer preferences, declined jobs, work in progress, and how your customers hear about your business is going to make it a lot easier to make calls and pull the right levers.
While this may seem like a lot to keep track of, a well-organized, easy to use shop management software like Tekmetric can make collecting and reviewing this information feel like second nature.
Over the years, I’ve had thousands of conversations with shop owners, advisors, and technicians across the country. No matter the size of the shop or how long you’ve been using Tekmetric, I keep hearing the same two things:
You want a place to learn from each other. And you want deeper, hands-on Tekmetric training.
If you’ve already found this page, you probably know the basics: three days in Houston, April 9-11, built for owners, advisors, and technicians from every kind of shop and every kind of system. Tektonic is about one thing — helping you get better results, faster, with practical education, shop-tested playbooks, and product training you can actually use.
Here’s a sneak peek at what we have in store, at what that really means for you and your team.
For Owners: Stop Profit from Slipping Through the Cracks
You already work hard. The question is whether every hour and every RO is actually paying you back.
Breakout: Unlock Hidden Profits Without Blowing Up What Already Works — Alex Saladna, CEO, WickedFile
Even well-run shops leak profit in the back office: unclaimed credits, fees that never get billed, vendor mistakes that never get caught. This session is about tightening all of that up without burning everything down and starting over.
You’ll walk away with:
Simple audits you can run regularly to spot hidden losses
A clear view of where profit usually disappears — and how to plug those holes
Ways to automate repetitive tasks so more dollars stay in the business
If you’ve ever felt like your top line looks good but the bottom line doesn’t match the grind, this one’s worth circling.
Breakout: ADAS & Required Calibrations: Protect Your Shop and Your Customers — Joel Adcock, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Revv
Late-model vehicles roll in, ADAS is everywhere, and the liability is real. Missed calibrations aren’t just a line item you forgot to bill — they’re a safety issue and a trust issue.
You’ll walk away with:
Clarity on when calibrations are required and how to identify them
How to bake calibrations into your SOPs and ROs so they don’t get missed
Practical ways to educate your team and your customers on why this matters
The goal: fix vehicles right the first time, protect your reputation, and make sure you’re charging appropriately for the work you’re already responsible for.
Breakout: Scale on Purpose, Not by Accident — Jesse Jackson & Brian Walden, Mango Automotive
If you’ve ever wondered how some shops jump to eight figures while you’re fighting for steady month-over-month growth, Jesse and Brian are going to walk you through the playbook they actually used.
For managers: Master the Maelstrom — Aaron Blair, Director of Operations, Alloy Automotive Partners
In the fast lane of auto service, chaos is inevitable—but profit isn’t. Aaron Blair, systems architect behind Blair and Alloy Automotive, shows how to turn daily disorder into precision workflow with tactical frameworks to control every moving part, from dispatching ROs to winning buy-in from techs and advisors.
You’ll learn how to:
Use systems to get ahead: Build smarter workflows with dispatch boards, SOPs, and tech scoreboards to spot bottlenecks early.
Maximize your day: Treat your calendar as a tool with time blocks for RO triage, tech coaching, and margin reviews.
Create team consistency: Rely on huddles, checklists, and incentives so every team member stays aligned and executes to standard.
Also in the owner-focused track at Tektonic:
Reporting Deep Dive: Making Sense of Tekmetric’s Dashboards
From Invoice to Insights: Using Tekmetric to Master Shop Financials
Love the Shop Again: Mindset Shifts to Lead, Inspire, and Grow
Build It and They Will Come: How to Open a Shop That Stands Out, Attracts Talent, and Builds Loyalty Fast
Powering Growth with Tekmetric Payments: From Faster Cash Flow to Customer Financing
Running MSOs: Tools and Best Practices
For Service Advisors: Turn Conversations into Trust and Revenue
Advisors are the heartbeat of the shop. When they’re trained, supported, and set up well in the system, everything feels smoother…for you and your customers.
Breakout: Is Your Advisor Making You 100K or Losing You 100K? — Greg Bunch, Chief Officer, Transformers Institute
Owners and advisors will both get a lot out of this one. Greg walks through how a single advisor can swing six figures either way — and what to do about it.
You’ll walk away with:
A ready-to-use hiring funnel with a job ad, screening script, and one-hour audition plan
A 90-day onboarding and training plan with daily drills and talk tracks
A simple scorecard to track call conversion, ARO, and appointment close ratio
If you’ve ever hired an advisor on “gut feel” and hoped for the best, this session will give you a better way.
Breakout: High Impact Sales: The Words That Build Long-Term Customers — Sabrina Wilkerson, Business Performance Analyst, Elite Worldwide
Advisors, this one is built for you. Customers don’t just buy the work — they buy the way you explain it. Sabrina breaks down what to say, how to say it, and how to stay ethical and honest while still driving approvals.
You’ll walk away with:
Practical ways to generate higher profits through better conversations at the counter
Tools to build long-term trust so people come back and send their friends
Confidence to show up as the credible expert instead of “just another shop”
These are skills you can practice in the room and use on your very next phone call.
Breakout Bundle: Tekmetric Tools That Make Every Day at the Counter Less Chaotic
On top of the coaching and hiring sessions, we’re going deep on the actual tools advisors live in all day. The focus is simple: fewer dropped balls, clearer priorities, better follow-up, and a system that supports your advisors instead of slowing them down.
You’ll walk away with:
Cleaner workflows from first call to follow-up
Better visibility into which jobs to prioritize and when
Fewer “I thought you had it” moments between the front counter and the bay
Advisor-focused Tekmetric sessions include:
Tekmetric Service Workflow Deep Dive
Advisor Dashboard Training: Prioritizing the Right Jobs, Every Time
Shaping the Future of Service Advisor Tools in Tekmetric
For Technicians: Build Skills, Confidence, and a Real Path Forward
Great techs want two things: the right tools and a future.
Breakout: How to Run Monster Hours — Ryan Blair, CEO and Co-Founder, Alloy Automotive Partners
As a dealer technician turned one man band shop owner, Ryan Blair averaged 500 hours a month in production. In this session, you will get a breakdown of the mindset, systems, tips, and tricks to increase your production no matter what kind of shop you are working in.
Takeaways:
How to play the game: maximizing the relationship with the front of house
The surprising math behind the things you didn't realize are holding your production back
Master the mindsets and beliefs to become the number one producer in your shop
Owners: this is a great session to send your high-potential techs to if you want them thinking bigger.
Breakout: Profit in the Bay: How Techs Win with DVIs and Efficiency Tracking
Being a great technician isn’t just about fixing cars. It’s about seeing the payoff from the work you do. In this Tekmetric training session, we’ll connect the dots between the work in the bay and the numbers on the screen.
You’ll walk away with:
How solid DVIs drive higher approval rates
How photos, notes, and videos make it easy for customers to say “yes”
How efficiency tracking shows your impact — on the shop and on your paycheck
The goal is to give techs a clear line of sight from “I turned this wrench” to “I made this much difference.”
Breakout: ON-TRACK with DIN Diagrams + VCDS 101 — Travis Ruiz, Technical Support Consultant, German Car Support
If VW/Audi work feels like it takes twice as long as it should, these sessions are for you.
You’ll walk away with:
Practice finding the correct wiring diagrams and navigating service info
A walkthrough of the VCDS interface: scans, fault codes, live data, and basic functions
Real-world tips for using VCDS to diagnose and fix problems faster
For techs who want to sharpen their skills on European cars, this is time well spent.
For techs who want even more time in the tools:
Tekmetric Mobile App Deep Dive: Workflow at Your Fingertips
DVI + Mobile App End-to-End Training: Photos, Video, Notes & Approvals
Unlocking Smarter Repairs in Tekmetric
Big-Room Moments That Shift How You Lead
On top of 50+ breakout sessions, Tektonic’s general sessions are built to stretch how you think about your business and your role in it:
Keynote: From Mainstreet to Millionaire — Codie Sanchez, Contrarian Thinking Why “boring” businesses like auto repair can be the foundation of serious wealth if you build them right — and what that means for how you think about profit, risk, and opportunity in your own shop.
Keynote: Entrepreneurship Simplified — Mike Michalowicz, Profit First Practical, straight-talking frameworks for building a healthier business: profit baked in from the start, cleaner cash flow, and systems that don’t fall apart every time you step away from the shop.
Keynote: Effort Matters, Character Counts — General Robert Neller, USMC (Ret.) What effort and character look like on high-trust teams — and how those same principles apply when you’re leading a crew through nonstop cars, parts delays, and the pressure to deliver every day.
Coaching Power Hour Panel: The Great Shop Coaching Showdown Leaders from top coaching groups tackling real shop challenges, side by side, so you can hear different approaches in one fast-paced session.
Shop Owner Panel: What It Really Takes to Win From hiring and training to navigating daily chaos, this panel pulls back the curtain on what different types of high-performing shops are doing to scale, stay profitable, and keep both teams and customers thriving. You’ll hear real talk and real strategies from leaders who are living it every day, not just talking theory from a stage.
Three days in those rooms can change how you lead for the rest of the year.
Bring Your Whole Shop to Houston
Tektonic is built for your whole team:
Owners getting clear on growth, profit, and where the business is really headed
Advisors sharpening the conversations that build trust and drive revenue
Technicians building skills, confidence, and a real path forward in their careers
It’s every shop, every role, under one roof, with zero gatekeeping. Wherever your shop is today — overwhelmed, growing, rebuilding, thriving — Tektonic delivers clarity, community, and practical tools to get to your next result.
Learn more about Tektonic 2026 and register your team HERE.
As a shop owner, you have the ability to tune into your shop’s performance metrics, employees’ bandwidth, and overall profit margins with a few clicks.
Lucas Underwood and David Roman, hosts of the ASOG podcast, recently sat down with Tekmetric CEO Sunil Patel at the Vision Hi-Tech Training and Expo in Kansas City, Kansas.
Sunil shared some key insights into facing challenges, embracing change, streamlining processes, prioritizing customers, and the power of “always starting with why.”
Note: the following answers have been condensed for clarity.
On Facing Challenges and Handling Stress
ASOG: We spoke with PJ Leslie (Tekmetric’s Business Development Director) recently, and he was talking to us about your ability to take anything that comes your way and overcome it.
PJ shared with us that no matter the circumstance, you’re always able to say, “We’re going to get through this, and we’re going to make something from it.”
You created an amazing thing despite the adversity that you’ve faced. How were you able to do that?
Patel: My wife and I went through some hard times with our daughter, Brianna, about a year ago.
And what I told my wife during that time was, “You know what? I’m ready to face this challenge.
We’re going to find the best doctor we can find and the best solution for her. And Brianna will live life one day at a time.
We’re not going to think about the future, we’re going to live life today.”
Since that day it’s been almost ten months and everything has been great. She’s doing beautifully.
A key component to handling stress is delegation.
You’ve got to let go of some of your responsibilities no matter how unnerving it is. Remind yourself that you can continue to keep your momentum on your shop, business, and goals by delegating.
That’s why you have a team—so you can tackle and conquer each task that comes your way.
On Embracing Change and Switching Gears
ASOG: You’ve gone from being a physician to a police officer to an auto repair shop owner, and now you’re the co-founder and CEO of Tekmetric. What made you want to go from physician to shop owner?
Was there a rock bottom for you? Was there a point where you decided, “I don’t want to be a physician any longer?”
Patel: I was fortunate that I never hit rock bottom. I’ve always tried to live in the moment. And I’m always intrigued by learning new things. With that being said, it took me going from industry to industry to learn the skills that helped form Tekmetric.
Let’s say you set a goal for yourself to go to the gym more often.
Now, if you don’t want to go to the gym, then you will keep training your mind to make sure that gym is just not your thing. It’s not until you have a breakthrough that you are able to change your mindset.
You have to train your reticular activating system (RAS), a network of nerve pathways located in the brain stem that mediates overall behavior, so that going to the gym becomes a positive activity.
Along with reminding yourself that you want to go to the gym, write down when you want to make the change and why.
Let’s say this is your goal, 'In March 2023, I will feel great, I will look great, my clothes will fit me better, and I can hear my family and friends saying ‘You’ve done a fantastic job.'
You have to recognize and reframe each limiting belief that is preventing you from achieving your end goal. An example of a limiting belief would be something along the lines of, "Ah, I’ve had a long day, I can just go to the gym tomorrow.' You have to reframe it to, 'I’ve had a long day, time to finish strong with a trip to the gym.'
You have to be very intentional. You truly have to want to reach the finish line.
This concept goes for shop owners, too. If you’re wanting to expand your shop, you’ll need to change the way you’re running your business. You can do that with shop management software.
We get that looking for a new shop management system can be overwhelming. There are a lot of options to wade through, and a lot of features you need to learn about. But most are probably of you are probably thinking “can this tool do what I need it to?”
To help you wade through all the options out there, the best way to find the right tool for the job is to look for information from the people using those tools every day. That means shop owners, general managers, service advisors, and technicians.
Of course, word of mouth is great, and it's always awesome to get the chance to talk to shop owners and workers in person at industry events, but you don't have to wait. With so many resources at their disposal, we wanted to help shop owners looking for a new shop management system leverage the wealth of information out here like online reviews, user groups, and case studies to help them make the best decision for their team.
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