Paintless Mentor Podcast

Learning Paintless Dent Repair and getting business was hard. It doesn’t need to be, especially when you discover interesting things from other fields. Things which at first do not appear related at all. This Podcast will make these connections to marketing and selling your service, and yes, to pushing dents.

PM102 - We Got a 1-Star Review and Its Your Fault! 04/25/2022

PM102 - We Got a 1-Star Review and Its Your Fault! Paintless repair always gets good reviews. Touch up does not. Is there something we are doing to cause problems for our customers? What can you do to protect your business? /episode/index/show/paintlessmentor/id/22906586

PM101- Sullivan PDR Estimator owner Jim Sullivan 01/06/2018

PM101- Sullivan PDR Estimator owner Jim Sullivan By the time the storm was over and they fixed all the cars, Jim and his partner lost $25,000. Each. The worst part? It didn't have to happen. Jim even saw it coming. At one point, he suggested the body shop should sign the invoices on all the cars. “Oh no, Dusty always pays.” Only this time, Dusty didn’t pay. Why did Jim Sullivan tell us this story? Because he provides PDR estimating software. The program which could have stopped this huge hail storm loss. Listen to find out how you can: protect yourself and your partners at a storm track whats happening at your body shop hail sites allow your shops to write estimates get more money on your big dent jobs Be sure and listen to the end. Especially if you never want to get ripped off at a hail storm. /episode/index/show/paintlessmentor/id/6121506

PM100: Hire a Robot to Run Your PDR Office? 12/24/2017

PM100: Hire a Robot to Run Your PDR Office? Customers are the lifeblood of your paintless business. Would you trust your interactions with them to artificial intelligence? Only if you were certain it would result in a better experience for them. Have we reached the point in tech advancements to allow for this? Yes, we think so. Listen to see how we are implementing a better start to the pdr estimating process using bots and believe it or not, facebook. /episode/index/show/paintlessmentor/id/6086626

PM99-Make Your PDR Business Timeless 12/12/2017

PM99-Make Your PDR Business Timeless Your dad liked them. You liked them. Now your kids like them and they are telling all their friends. Something which appeals to three generations or more, this is what we call timeless. Baseball? Yeah, but its really a pastime. We’re talking about things which seem temporary, like popular music. Music is popular for a small window of time, then it falls off a cliff into the realm of yesterday. But not all. Led Zeppelin to wit. Each new group of teenagers “discovers” this group and their world is changed forever. This is timeless. Is there a way to position your business in your customer’s minds the same way? How to stand out Create an experience Stay “top of mind” Also in this episode: How we lost 8 reviews and why we love how we got them. /episode/index/show/paintlessmentor/id/6038470

PM98 Your Google Listing Might (Really) Be In Danger 12/04/2017

PM98 Your Google Listing Might (Really) Be In Danger Robo calls. Always an interruption when you’re in the middle of a dent repair. Every call starts with a lie, too. “You’re listing is not correct…” or some such nonsense. But there really is a way for a well meaning person, or worse an evil competitor to alter your listing. If you’re not careful, you may not even know about it for a time. Also, year end, we talk tax planning again. Finally, the best way to negotiate with an insurance adjuster, and exactly when and where you will need it. Click above to see links to all the articles we talked about in today's episode /episode/index/show/paintlessmentor/id/6009537

PM97-What Your PDR Customer Really Wants 11/27/2017

PM97-What Your PDR Customer Really Wants You sell dent repair services. This customer has a dent. Naturally, you start selling your dent repair service. Oops you missed it. Fixing the dent is only one of the things they want (and its the last they want to talk about). Listen to uncover the six things your customer really wants. Then check out the for the list which will help you sell more, and write unbeatable ads. /episode/index/show/paintlessmentor/id/5985078

PM96- Apps and Office Tech for PDR Companies 11/21/2017

PM96- Apps and Office Tech for PDR Companies If you’re like every PDR tech who ever pushed a dent, you love new tools. We love seeing the new stuff too, even when its just for using around the office. Over the years, we’ve found some apps or software which makes life easier. Listen to the tools we use in the dent repair office. You're going to want to click above, lots of links to these great tools! /episode/index/show/paintlessmentor/id/5968365

PM95- The History of PDR 11/14/2017

PM95- The History of PDR They say every idea worth spreading starts on the West Coast of the USA. Not this time. PDR started two different places at the same time. Neither of them have a zip code starting with 9. Listen to how paintless began according to all the mostly true stories we’ve heard through the years. Also, why the changes coming in PDR will totally catch you off guard. Links Mentioned: /episode/index/show/paintlessmentor/id/5945548

PM94-Do You Hate the PDR Industry? 11/06/2017

PM94-Do You Hate the PDR Industry? Ninety days from starting. All the time needed for you to realize running a PDR business is not as great as you thought it might be. You get more deductions, but also find you pay higher personal taxes. The competition are fools and are ruining the business with unsustainable pricing. The state government is threatening to pass a law which will take away a good part of your business. Somebody's gotta do something about this industry! What is the single most important thing to remember about your industry? What’s the most effective way to make changes? The real driving force behind most industry associations. Listen as we pull back the curtain on what’s real and what’s not in the PDR industry. /episode/index/show/paintlessmentor/id/5915066

PM93-Hail Fraud - How and Why to Educate PDR Customers 10/31/2017

PM93-Hail Fraud - How and Why to Educate PDR Customers Imagine coughing up money for a new car only to find it has hail damage on it. The underhanded way the dealer treated this customer would make Bernie Madoff blush. Herein lies the reason for becoming more than just a metal pusher. Consumer education builds trust.Trust builds sales. The stories you hear and experience can become public service announcements. You’ll see how to forearm your clients against dealer fraud and other shenanigans. /episode/index/show/paintlessmentor/id/5894569

PM92-Proof: Cheap Prices Scare Customers 10/24/2017

PM92-Proof: Cheap Prices Scare Customers Want to make more money in your PDR business? Raise your prices. Easy for you to say, friend. We are first to admit, charging more is scary. At first. When you hear what happened to us in this episode, you’ll see why it gets easier. Listen for a real example of a low price scaring a customer right into our shop. How to get to the most important thing in your customer’s mind Where the money is coming from is important Do your customer’s brag about your pricing? Amazon is all about price, right? The answer will surprise you /episode/index/show/paintlessmentor/id/5873959

PM91-How to Get Local Links to Your PDR Website 10/13/2017

PM91-How to Get Local Links to Your PDR Website The best thing you can do for your PDR business website is make it google, or search engine friendly. Once your site is fixed up, the next best thing is to build links coming in to it. Google counts these as votes for your content and give you authority in the form of better placement in the listing. Local businesses can be easy to build links to if you know where to start. We found an article from with some great suggestions. Listen as we tailor it to your PDR site. Also in this episode: #propsandchops - a tongue-in-cheek nod to PDR after shots, especially videos where the PDR tech obscures the outcome of the repair by the way its filmed. A gentle and humorous way to say “I see whatcha did there" Discussion on Honda Fit Lawsuit and $37 Million award Links mentioned: /episode/index/show/paintlessmentor/id/5838624

PM90-Influencing PDR Customers - Part II 10/09/2017

PM90-Influencing PDR Customers - Part II Your customers are smart, that’s how they wound up in your shop or on the phone with you. From you they need guidance, but what’s the best way to give it? Come right out and tell them what to do? Might work sometimes. Better if you help them in a way which makes them feel as if it was their own discovery. What follows will be their own decision. For this, you need influence. The ethical means to build the bridge to your business. This is part 2 of our Persuasion episodes. Based on the newest book by Robert Cialdini Links in this Episode /episode/index/show/paintlessmentor/id/5822320

PM89- The Case Against PDR Patents 10/02/2017

PM89- The Case Against PDR Patents Have an idea for a PDR Light? Great! Please share it with the world. Better yet, build it, sell it and make lots of money. No really you should. But tread carefully, for it appears paintless dent repair tool innovation has sunk to the level of litigation. Could you be sued for your innovative idea? Maybe. At the least, you can expect a cease and desist letter. On one side of the court is James Lee and Elimadent, who holds a patent on mobile pdr lighting. The other corner is filled with those who copy (or appear to) the designs of Elimadent. But is that all there is there is to the story? What are we missing? Only all the history of LED based PDR lights which dates back to at least 2009. This episode will highlight some key factors in the patent fight, and why we are against patents in general. All links mentioned in this episode are in the /episode/index/show/paintlessmentor/id/5798951

PM88-Train Your Brain Like a Guided Missile 09/22/2017

PM88-Train Your Brain Like a Guided Missile “You charge too much!” Those words ring in your mind for a long time. Even days later, you realize what bothers you most is your reaction. What you replied in the heat of the moment. If you ever wished you could go back and change something, then you know the power of negative prep. The time to work these things out is before they happen. Once the missile is launched, its too late to aim it. Listen as we uncover a technique for mental and emotional targeting as taught by Dr. Maxwell Maltz. Psycho-cybernetics is all about aiming your brain in advance toward better outcomes. Links mentioned in this episode: /episode/index/show/paintlessmentor/id/5766792

PM87- The Unified Theory of PDR 09/17/2017

PM87- The Unified Theory of PDR What ya gonna do on this dent? Push it, pull it, knock it down. Look again. How about now? Explore with us a simple approach for paintless dent repair. See why and how the best use it daily and some don’t even know they’re using it. This is how all the methods of dent removal come together for you to make faster, easier repairs. Once you see it, you’ll know why we call it the Unified Theory of PDR. Because I don’t love the word “theory” for its dual meaning, a definition is needed. As used in our discussion, it “a set of principles on which the practice of an activity is based." /episode/index/show/paintlessmentor/id/5747022

PM86- Focus on the Right Problems 09/08/2017

PM86- Focus on the Right Problems Fixing a dent without painting is solving lots of tiny problems. Running a paintless shop means solving bigger problems. An unauthorized, unskilled broker comes to town. A competitor stealing “your” account. Someone makes a false statement about PDR on the internet. Must you tackle these head on? Someone needs to do something. The temptation is there, and they do get a lot of our attention, but is this where you want to put your focus? This episode is a reminder to us that some problems are like gravity. Can’t change it. But it doesn’t have to hold you down. You’ll face the truth about: dents unfixable used car dealers behavior competitors customers PDR training Links mentioned in this episode: Book: /episode/index/show/paintlessmentor/id/5721907

PM85- There's No Business Like PDR? 09/04/2017

PM85- There's No Business Like PDR? Your side gig. Your hobbies. Bet you have one or both. When you study these and compare to the paintless dent business, do you notice the similarities in their behaviors? The things which make a group turn on itself are not really unique to PDR. Other niches make this painfully clear: the same attitudes and strange views exist everywhere you look. People are people, right? Flame wars and cyber bullies on a PDR forum, do they only exist in your business? What makes the trolls come out anyways? What can you learn from it? You and I sell dent repair service. Understanding why someone behaves as they do, is helpful. Listen as we veer far afield and look at some other niches, then bring you back sideways to put it all to good use. Tips you can apply when hiring, in your own family, and even in situations where you are the one being served. /episode/index/show/paintlessmentor/id/5705509

PM84-Fix This Car and Get the Whole Lot 08/28/2017

PM84-Fix This Car and Get the Whole Lot Ever price a hail damage car too low or take on one too severe to fix properly? Travis Daniels faced this very thing in his paintless business. “I’ll give you all my dent work if you fix this one car”. Listen to his story and what he learned from it. Also, we talk about some ways to change his website to optimize for his local market. make your customer see you as a hero getting the best domain name for your business /episode/index/show/paintlessmentor/id/5681280

PM83- Old PDR shop destroyed after we moved - just clean living? 08/15/2017

PM83- Old PDR shop destroyed after we moved - just clean living? On August 6 a tornado damaged many buildings near our paintless dent shop. The shop we left a few weeks before is a quarter mile away. It still stands, but is not safe to be in, much less to do business out of. Some have said, “You must be living right,” or “just good clean living!” Is this how it really works? Did our old neighbors lose their location for some hidden transgression? Maybe we were just lucky, or maybe its something else. Follow us as we examine the beliefs which can cost you money without knowing it. Also, what you must understand about any decision large or small. How it affects you and how it can help your sales. /episode/index/show/paintlessmentor/id/5662060

PM82- 5 Ways Dealer Work Kills Profits - How to Fix Them 08/11/2017

PM82- 5 Ways Dealer Work Kills Profits - How to Fix Them Used car work is the low hanging fruit of any reconditioning business. PDR, detailing, touchup, just a snippet of what gets done to a used car. Get some dealers, build your confidence in dent repair, yes. What are the perils of doing so? Can where you start also be the end of your paintless business growth? Uncover these dangers: the tainted referral confusing selling with negotiating Ironic account holding. What it is, and how to spot it holds your retail pricing low If they get hailed on I’m getting all their work Links mentioned in this episode: /episode/index/show/paintlessmentor/id/5633396

PM81- How to Raise PDR Prices without Losing Customers 08/05/2017

PM81- How to Raise PDR Prices without Losing Customers Everything is going up in price, you know this. You also know prices need to go up for your PDR services. You might also know its the easiest way to increase profits, just charge more. But will you start to lose dent customers? What about the wholesale customers who see your prices be one level every week, then suddenly go up? What is the best strategy for going up in a way they can understand? Also in this episode: can you be sued for the way you fix a dent? How a collision after repair left a body shop open to lawsuit. What you should do now to protect yourself and your pdr business /episode/index/show/paintlessmentor/id/5612241

PM80- How to Deal with a New Broker in Your Town 07/29/2017

PM80- How to Deal with a New Broker in Your Town Lots of work, lots of techs to do it. Some enterprising fellow sees a chance to put himself between it all and make some easy money. Broker is a 4 letter word in most PDR circles and sometimes with good reason. But is there a way to stop it, or at least minimize their impact on your market? Tools we use: We picked up a Woyo induction hotbox dent puller. Hear about our misadventures with learning to use it. /episode/index/show/paintlessmentor/id/5590145

PM79- Embarrassed to Be a PDR Technician? 07/21/2017

PM79- Embarrassed to Be a PDR Technician? 'Why didn’t you become a doctor or lawyer?' 'You should marry a doctor or lawyer.' A cliche for sure, but are we secretly embarrassed to call ourselves technicians? Some are. Once had this conversation with a young man in the hail business earning 6 figures: “Are you proud of what you’ve accomplished?” "I am, but most of my friends went to college, and though I make more, they still look down on me." , the lead singer of the band Weezer went back to college (twice) after finding music success. What makes us want more status? How can we get it, or better yet, how can we make the switch internally? Should we be so quick to turn over important jobs to others? The big secret about high earning “boutique” jobs Links mentioned in this episode: /episode/index/show/paintlessmentor/id/5563183

PM78-Ron Kronon - How to Get and Keep Wholesale PDR 07/15/2017

PM78-Ron Kronon - How to Get and Keep Wholesale PDR “Have you guys ever burned out pushing dents?” "No, I haven’t” This was my answer to Ron Kronon in this episode’s interview. But I was not completely honest. Burn out just might be why I stopped the paintless dealer work in 2003. What I felt then was the hopeless futility of doing dealer work. They tried to hire one of my employees to compete with me. They set the prices. They dictated my earnings. The only way to win the game was not to play. If you do dealer work and this bothers you, sorry. It still bothers me. Looking back now, I see most of my beliefs about doing dealer work were internal nonsense. I think there is a right way to do it. Stay in charge. Keep your sanity. Not feel backed into a corner. The “I gotta do this unfixable car or I’ll lose the account” nonsense that seems to rule the PDR vendors belief system. Derek and I have worked hard to overcome this. Its worked out well, both in income and emotional well being. But here’s the reality. A good business setup for any paintless tech is going to be a balanced mix of retail and wholesale. How we choose to do business is not right for all and we know this. What does a dealer used car manager or recon manager think of you as a vendor? What mistakes does he see you making when you try to get his work? To find out, we interviewed Ron Kronon, a 30 year vet of wholesale PDR. He also grew up around dealerships. In this episode you’ll discover: Why some PDR techs give up too soon on dealer accounts A better way to give a price so you don’t lose the gravy part of the repair Why selective quality may be a necessary evil when doing dealer work Related Episode: /episode/index/show/paintlessmentor/id/5542628

PM77- Tools and Strategies for Social Media 07/07/2017

PM77- Tools and Strategies for Social Media Social Media can make your paintless business grow. But its a lot of work. To get traction, you have to post a minimum of once a day. Not only can this be a lot of work, its a huge distraction which can take you away from making money pushing dents. Is there a way to control the timesuck? More and more sites are allowing you to schedule out your posts. Sit down once a week and set up your posting in advance and you’re done. Sort of. Once you make a post, its a flash in someone’s timeline or feed. They might miss it. Today, there are tools which allow you to build a library of posts which can be recirculated over time. Listen to hear our thoughts on these tools. Links mentioned in this episode: Meet Edgar Tool Reviews: Also in this episode: How to identify where your customer is in the sales timeline A quick tip to get better search engine rankings with just one tweak to your site /episode/index/show/paintlessmentor/id/5515354

PM76- Should You Hire Employees for Your PDR Business? 06/30/2017

PM76- Should You Hire Employees for Your PDR Business? As you apply good marketing strategies to your business, you will feel growth pains. You might consider adding a tech or two to the paintless team. Be warned: hiring is fraught with danger in any business. Paintless dent repair companies have issues totally unique in managing new hires. What are the dangers and how can you protect your company? What is the best type person to hire, and how would you even know if they are a fit? How will you pay them? Fixed wage vs. commission? Don’t worry, if you are still working as an employee yourself, you’ll find some tips on how to apply good marketing in your own job Also in this episode - why you should hire on purpose. - free download: What I learned from Garth Brooks pool guy about hiring /episode/index/show/paintlessmentor/id/5495598

PM75-How to Avoid Overwhelm in PDR 06/24/2017

PM75-How to Avoid Overwhelm in PDR I have this strange fear of cave diving. Those scuba tank and flipper wearing adventurers have my admiration. Still, just thinking about them doing it can send me into a sitting panic. Irrational? Yes, I know its true. But the feeling is overwhelming. Therein lies the topic of today's podcast. Avoiding overwhelm is an inside job, meaning our conscious thought. Can you train your way out of overwhelm? We think so and I’ll bet the scuba cave diving school could teach me a thing or two. Maybe even calm me down. Listen for some helpful tidbits to train your way out of overwhelm in these key areas: Hail Dings When you’re busy Even when you’re slow Also: pomodoro method how do you switch modes when a customer walks in how to conquer an overwhelming task Links mentioned in this episode: /episode/index/show/paintlessmentor/id/5476551

PM74-Are You Leaving Hail Money on the Table? 06/16/2017

PM74-Are You Leaving Hail Money on the Table? What really happens when you bid a hail job for a body shop and say, “I’ll do it for X”? Is it possible to sell your future on just one job? A hail season’s worth? I once felt that, hey, I’m just one guy. How I price doesn’t matter, right? Except it does. You and I and every PDR tech good enough to work for body shops are now part of a big machine. Like it or not we drive the paintless division of the collision industry. Think about it. For years it was body, frame, paint and mechanical. Now throw in paintless. Listen snd see how and why you price for hail and dents at collision shops makes a big impact. You say charge like a pro, aren’t you just being greedy? Why dropping your price is the greediest tactic of all Some of the most important real estate in your business (all have it many never use it) Get a good photo of flayed out car for estimating without stealing it Links mentioned in this episode: for business cards for deals on stockphotos /episode/index/show/paintlessmentor/id/5454170

PM73- The Value of One Customer 06/09/2017

PM73- The Value of One Customer Please a customer and they will tell 10 others. Its a tired old axiom, but it only scratches the surface of what’s really going on in your paintless business. Is it possible that one client could become a “super” customer? This is the person who loves you and your PDR service so much, they tell everyone about you. They repeat the story over and over to any who will listen. They will not forget you. How do you recognize this kind of client? What should you do when you find one? What can you do to create an experience so great they can’t help but talk about you? How to fix your customer’s dented ego Links mentioned in this episode: /episode/index/show/paintlessmentor/id/5433245

Paintless Mentor Podcast

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