The conversation you're avoiding is costing you more than you think

Last week I was on an onboarding call with a husband and wife team who've owned their shop since 2009.

They started as a "one-man operation". He was the tech, the advisor, the janitor, the everything.

She eventually came in to help. They grew from that one-bay shop to five bays, three techs, two general service guys, and a couple service advisors.

They had a record year. They're investing in systems. They're working with a coach. They're doing all the right things.

And they're stuck.

Not stuck because of car count. Not stuck because of marketing. Not stuck because they don't know what they need to do.

Stuck because they have a service advisor who's been there about two months… and he's on his phone constantly. He's not doing what he needs to do. He asked their OTHER service advisor to help him update his resume.

He knows the writing is on the wall.

They know they need to replace him.

And they're paralyzed.

Here's what she said:

"I think you hit the nail on the head, and that's what the problem is. I mean, we just... I don't want to have that conversation."

And him:

"I don't like to micromanage. I'm easygoing. If you had talked to me 10 years ago, it'd be a totally different story. I mean, 10 years ago I was standing in the whole building by myself."

They've grown. They've softened. They've built an amazing family culture they're proud of.

And now they don't know how to have the hard conversation that protects that culture.

Sound familiar?

HERE'S WHERE MOST SHOP OWNERS GET STUCK

They know WHAT needs to happen but they don't have the WORDS.

They don't have a script that lets them be direct without being cruel. Firm without being a dictator. Honest without burning the relationship.

So they wait. They hope things will change. They settle for a warm body because "at least they can answer the phone."

And they leave money on the table with every ticket.

This is exactly why I built Jason Thompson.

Jason Thompson is a custom GPT trained on 7+ years of real conversations with service advisors. Not generic business advice. Not ChatGPT hallucinations about "synergy" and "leveraging opportunities."

Real language. Real objections. Real situations.

So when this shop owner told me they didn't know how to have the conversation with their underperforming SA before the recruiting ads go live...

I fed the situation into Jason Thompson.

And in about 90 seconds, here's what came out:

The 1:1 Script (Professional, Direct, Not Cruel)

👉Step 1 — Open calm, direct, respectful:

"Hey [Name], come in for a minute. This isn't a blow-up. I want to talk privately and give you a heads-up."

"You're going to see an ad from [Shop Name] for a service advisor. It's going live soon, and we wanted you to hear it from us first — not from Facebook."

👉Step 2 — Say the truth without attacking his character:

"The reason we're running it is simple: the service advisor seat isn't performing to the standard we need. The front counter controls everything — calls, dispatch, customer updates, sales, and the flow to the techs. When that slips, we leave money on the table and it hurts customer trust."

"We've noticed consistent issues like: being on the phone when customers/techs need you, not staying on top of follow-ups, and not maintaining urgency at the counter. That can't continue."

👉Step 3 — Set the fork in the road:

"So here's where we are: we are actively recruiting for this role. Between now and when we hire, you have two options:

Step up fast and meet the standard
We transition you out professionally when we have coverage

If you want to compete for the seat, we'll give you a short, clear performance plan. If you don't, we'll keep it respectful and talk through a clean exit plan."

👉Step 4 — Give a short, measurable performance plan:

"Here's what 'meeting the standard' looks like for the next 14-21 days:

Phone + walk-ins: greet immediately, no customers standing while you're on personal phone calls
Updates: every customer gets an update by 2pm daily
DVI flow: present all work, document declines, schedule follow-ups
Urgency: no tickets sitting untouched — keep jobs moving and techs unblocked
Professional focus: personal phone use stays off the counter floor except emergencies"

👉Quick Replies If He Reacts Emotionally:

If he says: "So I'm fired?"

"Not this second. But we are recruiting because the seat isn't being met. You can either hit the standard quickly or we'll transition when we hire."

If he says: "This is unfair / I've only been here two months."

"We understand you're new — and the expectations of this seat are still the expectations. We need urgency and customer-facing professionalism immediately."

If he says: "I'm quitting right now."

"Okay. If that's your choice, we'll keep it professional. Let's talk through a clean handoff of open tickets, keys, and customer commitments before you go."

👉Team-Wide Heads-Up Script (30 seconds, no gossip fuel):

"Quick update: we're running ads for an additional service advisor. You may see it online. This is about strengthening the front counter and supporting the shop's growth goals this year. If anyone has questions, bring them to [Owner] directly — not in the bays and not with customers."

👉What NOT to Say (will blow this up):

❌ "It's not about you." (It is.)
❌ "Don't worry, you're safe." (Not true.)
❌ "We're just building our bench." (If you're shopping his seat, it reads as dishonest.)
❌ "Everyone sees these ads, it's no big deal." (It's a big deal to him.)

HERE'S THE LESSON

AI is not magic. It's a mirror.

Garbage in, garbage out.

If you ask ChatGPT to "write me a script for a difficult employee conversation," you'll get the same sanitized HR-speak that every corporate training video has been recycling since 1987.

But when you train AI on REAL conversations from REAL advisors talking about what they actually care about, what frustrates them, what makes them leave, what makes them stay...

You get scripts that sound like YOU. That address YOUR specific situation. That give you the WORDS you didn't have.

That's the difference between using AI as a parlor trick and using AI as an unfair advantage.

TRY IT YOURSELF

Jason Thompson is available inside the Technician Find community in the Shop Owner's AI Toolbox.

Next time you're:

Dreading a performance conversation
Writing a unique job ad that doesn't sound like everyone else's
Crafting a counteroffer when your best SA gets recruited
Trying to articulate why your shop is different

Don't stare at a blank screen. Don't ask generic ChatGPT. Don't wing it.

Feed Jason the situation. Get the words. Take action.

The conversation you're avoiding is costing you more than you think.

By the way...

The husband in this story told me something that stuck: "I always tell everybody, we're not a corporate company. Everything is handled here. If you've got an issue, I don't have to call anybody to make decisions. We make those decisions together."

That's a culture worth protecting.

And protecting culture sometimes means having the conversations nobody wants to have.

Jason Thompson just makes sure you have the words when you need them.

5:54

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