Taking Business Elsewhere [E259]
What happens when a customer decides to take their business elsewhere? Do you make it easy for them to leave, or do you make sure they never want to come back?
In this episode of Automotive Field Theory, Matt Fanslow shares a frustrating experience switching internet service providers at Riverside Automotive. What started as a fairly straightforward decision to upgrade the shop’s internet and phone service turned into an unexpected lesson in customer relationships, business strategy, and understanding the game we’re actually playing.
Along the way, Matt discusses the challenges of building a reliable shop network, the importance of upload speeds for modern automotive training and communication, and how a properly designed network helped solve years of connectivity problems.
But the bigger question isn’t about internet service. It’s about what happens when a business takes a customer’s decision to leave personally.
How do we respond when a customer decides our repair estimate is too expensive? What happens when they choose another shop? Are we preserving the possibility of a future relationship, or are we so focused on the immediate transaction that we destroy it?
Drawing on game theory and the concept of infinite games, Matt explores why the way we handle these situations can have consequences far beyond a single repair order.
Topics discussed:
- Why Riverside Automotive switched from cable internet to fiber
- Shop networking, Wi-Fi access points, and the value of reliable infrastructure
- How a routine service cancellation became a lesson in poor customer relations
- Why customer retention isn’t always about discounts or lower prices
- Handling customers who choose a competing repair facility
- The difference between losing a transaction and losing a relationship
- How negative experiences influence word of mouth and future business
- Finite versus infinite games and why the distinction matters in business
- Why the same principles apply to employees who decide to leave
The bigger takeaway:
Not every customer will stay. Not every estimate will be approved. Not every employee will spend their entire career with your business.
But how you handle those departures can determine whether the relationship remains an opportunity or becomes a permanently closed door.
In an infinite game, the objective isn’t to win every transaction. It’s to build a business capable of continuing to play.
Connect with Matt:
Have an episode idea or want to join the conversation? Email mattfonslowpodcast@gmail.com.
Automotive Field Theory is part of the Automotive Repair Podcast Network.
Thanks to our Partners, Pico Technology and Autel
Are you chasing elusive automotive problems? Pico Technology empowers you to see what’s really happening. Their PicoScope oscilloscopes transform your diagnostic capabilities. PicoAuto.com
From drivability diagnostics and TPMS service to ADAS and advanced safety systems, Autel helps technicians follow OEM procedures and repair with confidence. Autel.com
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