When I started at the Shell station I was not a good salesman. I felt embarrassed, for example, to check a customer’s oil and tell him he needed to add a quart, worried he would think I was trying to sell him something he did not need. On the repair side I charged too little for labor, and even when I charged what others charged I felt uncomfortable about it.

Over time I learned that this thinking was backwards. Being cheap does not build a better reputation. In Wellesley, the best customers — the ones with the nicest cars and the most consistent loyalty — were not looking for the lowest price. They were looking for someone who was expensive but good. They wanted to know their car was being taken care of properly. If you charged them appropriately for excellent work they told their neighbors. If you charged too little they wondered why.

The moment I understood that, everything changed. I raised my labor rate to match the best shops in the area. I became more confident in recommending services that were genuinely needed. And the better customers started coming.