Maggy Calvert
Director of Client Services | In Motion Brands (IMB) | Age: 28
What was your first job in the industry?
Marketing and communications coordinator.
What attracted you to the industry?
I would say my attraction to the industry was the opportunity I saw. Coming from a digital and e-commerce focused background into an industry that often is lacking in that area, and being able to work with clients to improve their online presence and identity was a great fit for me. Working with some phenomenal team members, IMB is able to apply top of the line digital tactics to support independent businesses’ success; and that is something I get excited about!
What is the biggest challenge you have faced in your career?
The biggest challenge I have faced would be knowledge of the tire and automotive industry. I had no past experience in this industry, and didn’t know very much about tires or brake repair. But over the past few years I have learned a lot, and will continue to do so every day.
Who has had the biggest influence on your career?
My father Jamie has probably been one of the biggest influences on my career. From competitive fastball to college to landing my first career he has always been a huge supporter. He is in a leadership role with his career, after years of working his way up, and is always pushing my brother and I not to settle, and go after what we want. Having someone like him to talk to and bounce ideas off of has helped me navigate through my career thus far.
What is your biggest accomplishment in the industry?
Every day I spend meeting with clients and discussing their success feels like an accomplishment I am proud of. However, the biggest accomplishment I would have to say was planning, executing and speaking at our first ever Virtual AGM event for clients across Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tell us about your current job and responsibilities. How do you spend your work day?
At In Motion Brands I am the director of client services. I work closely with clients to offer support, assistance, and/or advise for anything operations or digital presence related. I handle all new client website builds from start to finish, as well as ongoing SEO, maintenance and performance of those sites.
A typical workday for me starts with an at-home workout, then meeting with our team for a virtual check in. Most of my day is then spent in my home office, which I made sure was the first room decorated after we bought our house in December, 2020.
Taking place day to day are virtual client meetings, project/program planning, meetings with suppliers, reviewing site performance reports and analytics, and building SEO initiatives to help improve our clients’ digital presence.
What’s one thing you wish someone would have told you before you took your current job?
I would say one thing I didn’t realize about the industry is the stigma around buying tires and continued vehicle maintenance. Coming from a clothing retail background, consumers love to shop and spend money on clothing. It’s drastically different in the automotive world. No one — or very few — enjoys spending money on their vehicle regularly, so I found it became more of an educational tactic to help consumers understand the importance of doing it, even though it may not be as exciting as a new dress or pair of shoes.
Tell us about your family.
I am very close to my family, and wouldn’t be the person I am today without them. My parents raised my brother and I in St.Thomas, Ontario where we played sports, went camping and spent every Sunday having dinner at my grandparents’ house with my cousins.
My mother Lorna works in the manufacturing industry and has always taught us to put family first, just as she does. My father Jamie is an electrician by trade and in the facility management profession. He has always been our No. 1 fan, offering to coach our sports teams or drive us to practice and games. My older brother Jay is a carpenter and runs our family farm and is probably one of the hardest working people that I know.
Almost 6 years ago I met my fiancé Dalton, who quickly became part of the family. He works in agricultural sales and is always so supportive of my goals. He also keeps me grounded when I start to get overwhelmed or anxious about upcoming presentations or meetings.
What did you learn about yourself in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic?
I think the pandemic hit everyone differently for sure. For myself, I was able to learn and adjust to being a more independent person. I was used to working with groups, playing team sports, spending time with friends and the pandemic changed a lot of that. I had to begin working remotely at home alone, planning at home workouts or activities to replace team sports and keep in touch with friends without being able to actually see them.
Through all of this I was able to become a powerful independent worker. I learned I was capable of operating virtually by myself for the majority of the day while keeping tight timelines and project deadlines.
Name a talent you wish you had.
I wish I had a steady hand and an artistic eye to paint. I have always loved to craft and do small DIY projects, but never have mastered the art of free hand painting.
How do you recover from a bad or stressful day?
When a super stressful day happens, I make sure to take some time to relax and regroup. My go to is to put my hair up, put a face mask on and grab a good book. I take some “me time” to get away from the job and get lost in a book.
What’s the best book you’ve read lately?
Making My Pitch: a Woman’s Baseball Odyssey by Ily Jane Borders
What’s your favorite, can’t-miss podcast?
This is a tough one.. Top three: “Mind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth,” “Business Wars,” and the past few months, “The Wedding Planning Podcast!”
If you won an Olympic gold medal, how would you have earned it? (You can make up a sport.)
My dream was always to compete in the Olympics for Women’s Softball! I played competitively growing up and for a few years in college. So I would say I would win a medal pitching for team Canada. The sport was removed from the Olympics in 2008, but seeing it come back this past year in Tokyo was amazing!
What’s the biggest issue facing the industry today?
I think the biggest issue facing the industry today is automation and technology. Dealers need to keep up with the latest technology and training in order to stay relevant in the industry and compete with some of the big box solutions out there.
Customers are looking for convenience and top customer service. They need to be able to find what they are looking for quickly and easily, and then have attentive and personalized customer service during their visit.
Dealers’ digital presence and online identity plays a large role in that now, and will continue to play a larger role down the road. They need to have a website with SEO rich content, valuable calls-to-action to convert website visitors to customers,and impressive and attractive imagery of the shop and work the team completes. Enabling e-commerce functionality extends the showroom digitally, so consumers can find you with the click of a button.
These are all things that independent dealers can get overwhelmed with and put on the backburner as they handle day-to-day shop activities. However, putting these things off will only set you farther back.
What advice would you give to tire dealers who are desperate to find good employees?
I think the industry is so used to looking for employees with the exact knowledge and experience they are hoping for. When I started my career in the automotive aftermarket I had no previous experience directly relating to tires or vehicles. However, I did have the people, management and organizational skills to be a great employee. Over time I have been able to learn about the industry which has helped me over the years.
I think dealers should try to look for people who may not be the typical ‘service advisor’ and look for someone who has the characteristics to provide amazing customer service, is a quick learner, eager to work with people and willing to learn a heck of a lot during the process.
Aside from that, I always think working with schools or apprentice programs is beneficial. If you are able to find a candidate to train while they go to school, you can establish a strong relationship with them over time, and teach them your technique and operating procedure in early stages.
A couple other things to consider is utilizing your current customer base to put feelers out to find an employee through customers that you already have a relationship with. Or, utilize social media to target and attract a younger generation who may be looking to get into the automotive or trades business.
What do you expect to be doing 20 years from now?
Twenty years from now I hope to continue to do what I love. I can see myself operating as chief marketing officer, having a team of high operating account managers and marketers that help thousands of independent business owners across the world.
