Technicians often say service advisors are one of the biggest problems in the shop. But is the problem really the advisor?

Or is the problem that advisors are not being taught how to ask better questions?

In the final episode of Season 1 of Earned Influence, Joshua Taylor, Jami Alexander, and Racheal Bright talk about the service lane, the service counter, phone calls, customer communication, and the relationship between technicians and advisors.

Some shops have a physical service lane.

Some do not.

Some advisors see the customer face-to-face.

Some build the entire relationship over the phone.

But the core issue stays the same: better questions create better communication, and thus better communication builds more trust with the customer. Better information helps technicians diagnose faster, fix more efficiently, and avoid wasted time.

This episode looks at the difference between automotive service, independent repair, and material handling, where the advisor’s role can change depending on whether the technician is working in the shop or being sent out into the field.

The big takeaway is simple:

The lane matters less than the questions.

Earned Influence is a Wrench Turners Podcast panel series built around real conversations from women in automotive, fixed ops, service, leadership, and the trades.

Featuring:

Jami Alexander

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jami-a-4075a9271/

Mindy Williams

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindy-williams-700b791b7/

Racheal Bright

https://www.linkedin.com/in/racheal-bright-08281262/

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

Mentorship can change a career. Sometimes, it can change the reason someone stays in the industry at all.

In Season 1, Episode 3 of Earned Influence, Racheal Bright asks a simple question with a much deeper answer:

How important has mentorship been in your career, and how are you paying it forward today?

Jami Alexander shares a personal story about a mentor who showed up for her during one of the hardest seasons of her life. Not with a speech. Not with a performance review. Not with a KPI.

With presence.

With care.

With the kind of people-first leadership that stays with someone forever.

Racheal also opens up about the other side of mentorship. The part where you’re no longer just looking for guidance, but starting to become the person others look to for it.

This episode is about the leaders, foremen, managers, advisors, and technicians who may never fully know the impact they’ve had on the people around them.

Because one mentor can change everything.

Earned Influence is a Wrench Turners Podcast panel series built around real conversations from women in automotive, fixed ops, service, leadership, and the trades.

Featuring:

Jami Alexander

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jami-a-4075a9271/

Racheal Bright

https://www.linkedin.com/in/racheal-bright-08281262/

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/

Senior technicians are often built for the big stuff.

Transmissions. Heavy line. Diagnostics. Complex repairs. The jobs that take skill, patience, and experience. But what happens when the shop needs those same technicians to take on more general service?

Oil changes. Inspections. Same-day work. Smaller jobs. Gravy work.

In Episode 2 of Earned Influence, Jami Alexander brings a real shop leadership question to the panel:

How do you get senior specialized technicians to buy into gravy work when they’re used to heavier, more complex repair?

Mindy Williams, Racheal Bright, and Joshua Taylor talk through the real issue.

It’s not about forcing techs to do the work.

It’s about helping them understand why the work matters.

It’s about customer expectations.

It’s about shop flow.

It’s about using apprentices properly.

It’s about showing experienced technicians that smaller work can still create value for the customer, the technician, and the business.

And maybe most importantly, it’s about reminding senior technicians that the way they handle the simple work teaches the next generation how to care for customers when they’re gone.

Earned Influence is a panel series built around real conversations with women in automotive, fixed ops, service, leadership, and the trades.

Featuring:

Jami Alexander

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jami-a-4075a9271/

Mindy Williams

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindy-williams-700b791b7/

Racheal Bright

https://www.linkedin.com/in/racheal-bright-08281262/

⚠️ Disclaimer:

I’m a licensed mechanic. That doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing, whether it’s fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.

Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45eb

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/