Jumpstarts, Water Pumps and Radios

Or, How you are screwing your business by hitting the easy button.

Can we just stop it with the EASY button already? Yeah yeah, it was cute when Office Depot, Max, whatever did it in their ads like 20 years ago. It's not how business works, and it's DEFINITELY not how marketing and branding work. But with computers, the speed at which algorithms change, and everyone being overwhelmed for whatever reason, EASY is now what everyone wants, and it's crap.

Let's start with the Oxford Dictionary definition of easy:

eas·y /?ēzē/ achieved without great effort, presenting few difficulties.

First problem: "Achieved without great effort"—if you don't put much effort into your business, why are you bothering? Now to be clear, beating your head against a wall isn't a good thing, but putting in zero effort is just as bad.

Lately, there's a lot of folks that think with tools and AI they can shortcut the effort and just magically get to some vision in their head without any effort or planning. The list of things I have heard recently is:

Can't you just...

Tell me what to put on my website without me telling you anything about my clients (because I don't know)

Tell me how to rearrange my buttons on my site so I can get a 300% increase in sales

Tell me how to build a free 1-page website that looks like it cost $5000

Tell me how often to put out content and give me a list of topics I can shove into AI without me telling you anything about my clients

There's more, but I'll save you from my own personal hell.

Easy vs. Simple

When people say "easy," really what they need (and probably mean) is simple. Let's look at that definition again from Oxford:

sim·ple /?simp?l/ easily understood or done; presenting no difficulty.

Notice without great effort isn't in here. Simple is great, because it means it happens but may still require effort, and therefore the outcome has a much greater chance of actually being good. Simple doesn't exclude that there may be costs, there may be time, and you might have to put in some effort... but it won't be brain damage.

Visiting your Repair Shop

When I worked with my family member in his Fiat shop, a version of this was hanging on the wall. His regulars got it and rarely questioned his assessments regarding what their cars needed, because they knew he was the expert, and he would SIMPLY present the problem, the repair needed, and why it would cost what it did. It was never an easy fix, and he never said it was. In fact, we had a running joke: if you told the customer it was easy, you were going to make 1/2 as much because the Car Gods would punish you with a broken bolt or whatnot for saying the "easy" word. EASY removes the effort required.

But there were the new owners who didn't get it, and they would always question his expert assessment from nearly 50 years of working on the little cars. They'd read in a magazine that mechanics were cheats, and you should only get the one part repaired no matter if they told you otherwise. They had a friend who told them they could do the job in an hour for $50. They'd have some other car where "that only took me 15 minutes and a screwdriver" or some other fallacy because they wanted EASY. And every time, they'd come back with their hat in hand, their car broken worse than before, and now much more expensive and time-intensive than before.

The parallels between what is happening with business and its relationship with marketing right now are unbelievable. It's like being in the Fiat shop all over again, with a new client and their shiny new business, saying they read an article on how they can build their website in an hour using just AI, and can't you just do that too? Why does it cost so much and take so long? Can't we just get to the good part??

So to help illustrate why you can't just get to the good part, here are 3 fables to help you next time you confuse EASY with SIMPLE. If you see yourself in these, maybe it's time to trust your brand mechanic or get a second opinion.

Fable #1: I just need a Jumpstart

In the 90s, fancy computerized dashboards and controls were just getting their start. The computers were fragile, and quality mechanic shops like my Fiat shop were reading up on the new technology, not because it applied to the classic Fiats but because most owners also had a newer car for winter, so knowing how to care for those was an added service for the customers.

One cold winter day, an older lady who lived up the street walked into the shop and asked for a jumpstart. The shop owner (my family member) happily offered to help, grabbed his golf bag-sized jumpbox (remember, this was the 90s), and dutifully followed her to her driveway.

Once he saw the year-old Oldsmobile in the drive, he stopped. He carefully explained to her that he was sorry, but his jumpstarter would likely ruin her electronics, and he would be happy to call a tow truck friend of his who could help but for a small fee.

She immediately accused him of trying to upsell her and that he was just trying to get his shyster tow truck friend to come and steal her car later. "Thank you for nothing! I know how to use a phone!" She spit over her shoulder and went into her house, presumably to call someone "trustworthy."

About a week later, the older lady came back into the shop with a homemade bundt cake. She set it on the table and then quietly apologized to the shop owner. She told him how she didn't call a tow truck, but a friend who had jumper cables. The friend dutifully jump-started her car, and then it quit abruptly. Now it wouldn't start at all. She then did call a tow truck and had the car taken to the dealership. That single jump mistake cost her $4000 for a new computer and electronic dashboard, and the car would be gone a month waiting for parts.

She became his greatest referral.

In the Parallel Marketing Universe:

Are you sure of your marketing plan because you watch a funny Tik Tok channel about marketing? Have you read ONE article about how another industry or business is killing it with content, and now you just want someone to do it for you? In asking an expert, are you really wanting another solution or some insight, or are you just wanting to validate what you want to do anyway?

If you have already decided you want X, you can probably go out and find X. But maybe X isn't what you need... wouldn't you rather have someone who explains why they wouldn't recommend it?

LESSON: If you ask a professional for help and they educate you about something you haven't considered, maybe listen and get a second opinion instead of dismissing it because it doesn't match your vision. They may save you from self-inflicted problems.

Fable #2: It's just a radio installation

A customer with a vintage Fiat recently bought a high-end car stereo and brought it into the shop to have it installed. When the Shop Owner quoted the cost, the customer balked. Our owner carefully explained that for the fit and finish to look factory on the car and function as expected, it would take over two hours not just for wiring but to mount the stereo correctly and avoid other things that lurk behind the center console of the dash. The customer said he'd take the stereo back the "experts" at the Car Audio store, since they do this all the time their $99 price had to be because they just knew how to do it faster, even on a vintage Fiat.

Later in the week, our Shop Owner received a call from the stereo customer. He did indeed take his car to the $99 shop, and while driving home from the Audio Store, rear-ended another car at speed because his brakes failed. He received the ticket; his insurance would have to pay for his car and the car he hit, and now he needed our shop owner's help in finding a good body shop that could fix his car. He asked if our shop owner could look into if the radio and the brakes were related. He also lost precious driving time in nice weather, as his car wouldn't be ready until winter when most little Fiats are hiding under blankets.

When the car came back from the body shop, our shop owner knew exactly what had happened and found the proof pretty quick: The car audio shop had used basically long deck screws and drove them through the transmission "tunnel" to secure the radio mounts—drilling clean through the brake lines to the rear of the car. The customer had no recourse to the Car Audio store because the waiver he signed stated they weren't responsible for anything damaged while installing the stereo because they don't know every vehicle's interior plan.

In the Parallel Marketing Universe:

Are you convinced that a professional who is specific to your industry will be the perfect "easy" solution for your business? They do this all the time for other businesses just like yours, right? Clearly, they have a quick and cheap way of getting results because of doing it over and over and over again, right?!?!?

The professional that explains their process and why they need to treat your business as a special case is often the one doing research and making sure your "install" goes smoothly with all the other parts in your business. "Industry-specific" marketing, web developers, and more may have some tricks up their sleeve, but are they applying it as a blanket patch so they can get to the next customer? Do they think they know your business better than you?

Lesson: Beware of the "one size fits your industry" easy button with cheap pricing. You may find yourself with a giant crash and no recourse, stuck in a long contract with expensive fees.

Fable #3: But I only need a water pump

Water pumps tend to last a long time, so unless a vintage Fiat owner has their car for many many years, it's typically a once or twice a lifetime cost. Conversely, the timing belt needs to be changed every 30,000 miles, sometimes sooner, and not doing so risks "lunching" the engine—AKA bending valves, ruining pistons, and fully rebuilding your power unit.

FUN FACT: it is nearly an identical process to remove everything needed to get to the water pump, as it is the timing belt. You have to drain and remove the radiator, remove hoses, covers, and other drive belts to complete both jobs.

Often, customers would come in for a water pump, and the first question our Shop Owner would ask is, "How long has it been since you did the timing belt?" If they were regulars, we could look it up in their file, but rarely did they know. And even if they thought they did, they were usually wildly off in how long ago it was, by many thousand miles or many years. If it turned out the need for a timing belt was likely, the Shop Owner would explain that it would cost a little extra but was a necessary preemptive repair to save the customer costs later.

And as usual, the first thing they'd say is, "But I just need a water pump! Can't we just do that, and I can do the timing belt later? I just can't afford it right now!" Our shop owner would explain that they could indeed "just" install the water pump, but the customer would then be doubling their labor cost in doing it later because we would already be doing all the parts removal for the water pump anyway. Some would listen and trust him; others would accuse him of upselling and would insist on the water pump only. Those clients we'd ask to sign a waiver stating they'd been advised to do the replacement, and we weren't responsible if they didn't come back in before the belt broke. Sadly, we usually saw them again... but exiting a tow truck carrying a Fiat with a blown motor.

In the Parallel Marketing Universe:

"I just need you to tell me where to put content on my website."

"I just need to know where to move the buttons around so I get more sales."

"I just need to know what content will make people buy."

In order for me to do those things, I need to remove a lot of parts and get a lot more information to do the job. Since I'm already "in your engine," why don't we do the work the right way, shall we? While I can spend two hours with you and fix some of the surface problems I see on your site or with your marketing, taking the time to do the backend research means you are getting a more comprehensive fix, with fewer issues coming back to you later down the road.

Let's not patch; let's actually repair and upgrade, shall we?

Lesson: Sometimes there's a little bit more needed to really get the most out of your marketing investment. If your professional is explaining the additional cost or work and can demonstrate from experience why you should consider it, you probably should do it.

Note: This usually means there's not a high-pressure upsell involved but a conversation about additional costs. If you feel pressured to spend more with scare tactics, definitely get a second opinion.

TL;DR

As a mechanic of both brands and cars, my job is to find the ACTUAL cause of the problem your engine has, not just "parts swap" and send you down the road. If I am taking the time to explain a process, advise you against an option, or tell you more work is needed, it's from decades of experience repairing engines for others. I want you to enjoy your drive, not be frustrated you're in the shop with repairs all the time. I always encourage you to get a second opinion, but please do so from another "mechanic" who cares about keeping you on the road, not just selling you the part of the moment. The partners I choose to work with share this sentiment, so if I recommend one, it's to save you headaches, not get a kickback and give my tow truck friend some work.

It's why us honest mechanics don't have flashy shops, lots of overhead, and brand gimmicks. We're too busy fixing cars at reasonable rates.

When in doubt, hire a mechanic. We know the "easy button" means making things simple for you, but not always for us.