Steve Shaw: “Just say ‘yes.’”
Get to know Zurich’s Fixed Operations Training & Certification instructor.
Just spend a few minutes talking to Steve Shaw and it’s clear the Fixed Operations training guru was made for his occupation. Shaw’s enthusiasm for his field, his fellow industry professionals and his students is infectious.
“I love working with people,” said Shaw. “The people side of the business is more important to me than anything else.”
As the instructor and developer of the courses for Zurich’s Fixed Operations Training and Certification, Shaw combines his knowledge of the business with his carefully honed presentation skills. The classes are held through his online platform but conducted live to enhance the personal connection for attendees.
While Shaw’s personality may have made him a natural trainer, like most success stories, his involved a lot of challenges and a whole lot of work.
“If you told me back then what I’d have to do to get where I am today, I can’t tell you that I would have done it,” said Shaw, who has been training for over 20 years and will mark the 15th anniversary of his own training business in 2025. “But going through the journey of experimenting, failing and learning how to put all this together has ultimately led to this very satisfying career.”
Raised in Granite City, Illinois (just a few miles outside St. Louis), Shaw graduated from Southern Illinois University with a bachelor’s degree in Automotive Service Operations and later earned an MBA from University of Phoenix and a doctorate in Organizational Leadership from North Central University. Starting as a mechanic, his career path took him through several positions.
“I worked my way through college filling nearly every role in a dealership, including selling cars, warranties, parts…you name it,” he said.
Following that, he put his multi-role background to work as a consultant for dealerships, but he found that job was too centered on criticism to be a great fit for him.
“As a consultant, you come in and tell people what’s wrong with their business and what they need to do to fix their store,” Shaw explained. “As a trainer, you tell the dealer all the positive things — how the people on his team have improved. That makes you feel much more welcome when you go into the dealership.”
He discovered his affinity for training after being asked to lead a class by a dealer. With no set format, he crafted the class himself, which included a tried-and-true way to help visualize key points.
“I went to Office Depot and bought a flip chart. I held a class with all of the Fixed Operations team for our two dealerships, and that was the beginning of my training career,” Shaw said. “And, you know, to this day, I still train with a flip chart.”
Building his career ultimately meant going into business for himself. The schedule was hectic, but not enough to discourage Shaw from taking on a new, offbeat adventure in his personal life: living on a sailboat in the Caribbean.
“People thought I was goofy,” admitted Shaw. “I lived in St. John and then I would leave on a Sunday morning, get to Miami, and then I’d fly wherever I had to go for my next training assignment.”
He kept his waterborne residence for over five years and looks back on that time fondly. “I love sailing. I love being on the water,” he said.
Technology and the pandemic spurred Shaw to evolve to a primarily online format. His live, virtual courses certainly required more advanced tools than his dependable flip charts, and Shaw made major investments in a 2,000 square foot studio and all the equipment needed to create a highend presentation. But he emphasized it’s the content, not the delivery platform, that ultimately makes his training methods effective.
“There are trainers and consultants out there who want to give associates these word tracks that are miles long. We don’t. We give people simple strategies they can utilize.”
“What we do is teach behavior and help people be better, on the job and in other areas too, I hope,” Shaw said. “I think what we’re doing is fine-tuning — taking the qualities these professionals already have and making them better.”
That improvement is gauged through clear, universal pass/fail grading, a standard that Shaw believes in so strongly, he wrote a book about it, “The Art of PASS FAIL: Overcoming Objections and Customer Management.” It’s not about being unforgiving of failure, he explained; it’s about getting everyone on your team to the same level of excellence customers expect.
Shaw’s own learning has come through experience and valued mentors even more than his formal education. One of the biggest lessons he’s learned along the way is the value of stepping up, even when the benefit of doing so isn’t always immediate.
“I learned early on, if somebody needs something and asks for your help or advice, just say ‘yes,’ whether you get paid or not. Sometimes, short-term, monetarily that will get you nothing, but in the long run — call it karma or something — you’ll get rewarded down the road somehow. Saying ‘yes’ has been very beneficial for me.”
It was easy to say ‘yes’ to working with Zurich, even though Shaw was already well-established as a Fixed Ops specialist before his relationship with the company began in earnest in 2018.
“My business has certainly grown because of working with Zurich,” he said. “It’s been a great two-way street. It works so well because Steve Shaw Training and Zurich both ultimately want it to be about the dealer. Our success comes from theirs.”
As an example of that shared customer-focused approach, Shaw noted, “The Zurich course certifications came about because a dealer client said they needed a structured program, not just random classes. Because a dealer asked for it, we created it, and the value certification had for other dealerships was quickly evident.”
Just as Zurich has put Shaw’s expertise front and center in sharing the benefits of Fixed Operations training with dealerships, Shaw takes carrying the Zurich brand in his sessions very seriously.
“It’s humbling to have other people look at you and say, ‘We think enough of you that we want you to represent us.’,” he said. “I don’t take that for granted.”
Dealerships see results with Zurich’s Fixed Operations Training provided by Steve Shaw
“Working with Zurich’s Fixed Operations Training has been a game-changer for our car dealerships over the past five years. Since implementing the program, our service department’s performance has skyrocketed. We’ve seen a significant improvement in customer satisfaction and efficiency, leading to notable incremental growth in both revenue and service appointments. The training has not only improved the skills of our team but also built a culture of proactive customer engagement and high performance. The impact has been profound and continues to deliver consistent, measurable results year after year.”
Dave Rogers
Fixed Operations Director
Piazza Auto Group