A Training Oasis in the Blooming Desert
A Training Oasis in the Blooming Desert
Workshop instructors, Tim McDonnell, left, and John Dwulet, far right, lead a session in Scottsdale.
Scottsdale, AZ was the perfect locale to launch our first Shop Management Workshop event of 2013. The city provides a balance of modern luxury and old world charm, all wrapped up in some of the prettiest scenery ever to grace a postcard.
We welcomed everybody at our usual Thursday evening reception. We love this time to meet everyone and mingle prior to the classroom phase. We also take the opportunity to find out what is most important for attendees to take home from the workshop to improve daily processes in their business.
The workshop kicked off on Friday morning, after a fantastic full breakfast. I must add here that we enjoy watching attendees start conversations and begin to share ideas almost immediately. This interpersonal dialog is priceless. Many shop folks stay in touch with each other after these events and we often get repeat attendees. My theory is that the glue that bonds these folks together is the fabulous food and fellowship.
When people ask if this course is beginner, intermediate and/or advanced, my answer is “Yes.” That is to say, we do dive into advanced features but also have a responsibility to touch on everything no matter how simple. We’re very tuned into the group’s engagement. If we don’t see a lot of reaction, we keep things moving, but we’re perfectly willing to keep our focus on any topic that people want to explore.
We have a lot of fun leading these workshops. We look for the lighter moments, laugh at ourselves and always invite questions, discussion and feedback. Because we can’t be with customers in their shops to answer questions later, we make sure they know where to find resources like the shop management discussion board at managerforum.net, so we can keep the conversations going. We also provide online video training for others back at the business or those who cannot travel to a workshop.
Judging by the evaluation forms for the Scottsdale workshop, I’d say that everybody was really glad they made the trip —and we’re glad they did, too. Be sure to “Like” Mitchell 1 on Facebook before May 31 to enter the “Shift Into High Gear Sweepstakes” to win a free trip to the next workshop, scheduled for July 18-20 in Minneapolis, MN!
Click here to learn more about Mitchell 1′s Manager SE shop management solution
Click here to learn more about the Management Shop Workshop
Check out the interactive Mitchell 1 Shop Management Forum here: https://managerforum.net
