To view a pdf file of this article with photos, click HERE.
One rule you’ll find in many sales and marketing books is that the average sale is made after the sixth visit or call, but the average sales person gives up after the third visit or call. This information provides a reliable way to increase sales power. The usual sale in a collision repair shop is just getting the owner of a vehicle who brings it into the shop is leave the keys and let the shop do the repairs. But generally a shop also works to sell dealerships, fleet management companies, insurance companies and more on referring business to the shop. While these sales efforts involve direct calls and visits, perhaps the most common violation of this rule is the sale to the vehicle owner who comes in for an estimate.
Google+ Is an Emerging Star for Media-Savvy Body Shops
Written by Ed AttanasioTo view a pdf file of this article with photos, click HERE.
“What’s this Google+ thing I’m hearing about?” or “Should my business have a Google+ page?” and “We just figured out this Facebook thing and now we have to worry about doing Google+?” are among the comments I’ve heard recently at CAA meetings.
I’ve been paying close attention to Google+ for more than a year now, watching it to see how it evolves and grows and reading blogs about it. The consensus is that Google+ is quickly becoming a go-to site for companies of all sizes. People and businesses like it because it offers exposure and interactivity without sacrificing security and privacy.
Is ‘Reactionary’ Marketing Too Little, Too Late? Maybe Not.
Written by Ed AttanasioTo view a pdf file of this article with photos, click HERE.
A body shop owner came up to me at a California Autobody Association meeting recently and shared his tale of woe. A Multi-Shop Operator (MSO) had opened a location in his hometown, where he had been doing business since the 1970s. The presence of the MSO caused him concern, especially when he lost a DRP to his new neighbor and several of his top techs as well. His first instinct, he said, was to step up his marketing, social media and advertising efforts. When he then told me that he had borrowed $50,000 for marketing and wanted my opinion on where the money should be spent, I was a little flabbergasted.
My first question for him was, “Why did you wait so long?” It surely wasn’t what he wanted to hear at the time and he certainly didn’t like what I told him next. “It might be a little too late.”
Shops Should Be Able to Offer Whatever Discounts They Want
Written by InsiderTo view a pdf file of this article with photos, click HERE.
There is enough controversy in the industry today to write three or four different stories on the hot topics. I will not contribute to the proliferation of propaganda and conspiracy theories by discussing parts or insurance company direct repair programs. I have another controversy for shops to rally around.
Due to my executive position and the company I am employed by, I have not been able to share my views publicly or within the confines of my corporation. Don’t feel bad for me. That’s why I write these articles. I can share my thoughts and experience without placing my job in jeopardy. I can only imagine what would happen if I decided to challenge “The Institution” and talk about what is widely considered heresy amongst insurance executives.
To view a pdf file of this article with photos, click HERE.
Are signs still relevant in this digital age of websites, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and more? The U.S. Census Bureau says 18% of households relocate every year. It’s well known that many people choose a place of business by the attractiveness of its appearance and signs. People who move into the vicinity of a collision repair facility are likely to only know of the shop if they see a sign and like it. The Small Business Agency reports that businesses that add, improve or enlarge signage enjoy an average revenue increase of about 5%.
Signs in this digital age should also have a broader focus. In addition to the usual location and services message, today’s sign should also drive viewers to the shop’s website, Facebook page, and other on-line locations like Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. This is especially true of signs not on the shop’s physical property. Shop vehicles with printed information, or a magnetic sign, should definitely emphasize on-line connections in larger type.
Glass and Windshield Installs Must Be Handled by the Book
Written by Toby ChessTo view a pdf file of this article with photos, click HERE.
The other day I heard about a lawsuit that I would like to share with you.
A Toyota dealer contacted Safelite to install a windshield into a 2005 Toyota Tundra. The vehicle was involved in a rollover accident and the windshield allegedly “separated from the pickup” resulting in two fatalities.
Safelite contends that they only handled the claim and contracted with a independent class company to handle the installation and they should not be named in the multi million-dollar lawsuit. I’m not going to comment on the merits of the case but it reminds us of the importance of correct windshield and glass installs.
Shops’ Inefficiencies Are Legitimate Concerns for Insurers
Written by Insurance InsiderTo view a pdf file of this article with photos, click HERE.
I wrote an article a few months ago focusing on inefficiency within body shops. That is, inefficiencies that are most commonly associated with the repair process. If it takes you seven days to repair a vehicle and the shop down the street could have done it in five days, you’ve just cost everyone money.
I recognize that all shops shouldn’t be painted with the same broad brush, but in my view, if you’re inefficient you’re guilty by association. Because of inefficiencies, insurers unnecessarily spend money every day that could have been used to lower premiums or offset the impact of a rate increase. Yes, most insurance companies are profitable, but it’s not as a result of all the great deeds and service provided by body shops.
To view a pdf file of this article with photos, click HERE.
The collision repair world is changing rapidly these days. I recently attended an autobody association meeting where a representative from Toyota introduced their new Parts Bridge product. The estimating system with which they decide to integrate this product will have exact manufacturer’s billing prices and technical service bulletin information to ensure parts are installed properly. It was suggested that this product would eliminate most supplements. Suddenly a large part of the estimator’s job would be reduced greatly.
At the same time, the competition for jobs is heating up more and more, and consolidators are buying up many of the existing shops. The result of this is sort of a Walmart versus local merchants war. Smaller shops are finding it much harder to compete when a chain of franchise or consolidator shops is gobbling up the lion’s share of the work in an area. How can they fight back?
To view a pdf file of this article with photos, click HERE.
People used to think that blogs were light and breezy, written mostly by soccer moms or retired teachers and featuring their poetry, baby pictures and long-winded opinion pieces. But over the years blogs have changed in a big way. Nowdays, experts on certain subjects will go to blogs exclusively to see what they can’t find anywhere else on the Internet. Blogs have gone from irrelevant to pertinent within the past five years, and today more companies than ever (including body shops) have one blog and maybe even more.
For those of you who have been inside fixing cars too long and don’t know what a blog is, here is my elevator speech. A blog is the morphing of two words (web–log) and in simple terms, it’s a discussion-based or informational site published on the web and including a series of entries (also known as posts) typically displayed in reverse chronological order.
Consolidation Allows Insurers to ‘Dance with the Devil They Know’
Written by Insurance InsiderTo view a pdf file of this article with photos, click HERE.
The industry has been inundated with news about consolidators buying new locations and expanding into markets where they have not traditionally had a presence. To be honest, it’s happening at such a rapid pace that most of us in the insurance industry were caught off guard. In an economy that has struggled, the last thing we expected was capital investment firms plunking down large sums of money to purchase consolidators and then provide capital for aggressive growth. Existing large consolidators investing their own money to buy additional locations was even more surprising to insurers.
To view a pdf file of this article with photos, click HERE.
In my last column, I discussed why you still need a website. Just as important is having a marketing manager, especially for companies with more than one location. In today’s world, every shop on the planet is vying for one of those top spots, where they can attract multiple DRPs and dramatically increase their revenue. To achieve this, collision repairers have to deal with every aspect of their business—from personnel to training to bookkeeping and everything in between. Marketing, unfortunately, doesn’t always make it to the top of the list, because it rarely brings results overnight and shop owners aren’t patient, as a rule.
When I talk to shops about marketing to consumers I describe a ‘churn.’ You might not get butter right away, but if you get margarine, it’s a good start. Marketing is like building a structure and that’s why it takes time. If you start doing marketing and are perplexed that the phone isn’t ringing off its hook a few weeks later, you’re being unrealistic and setting yourself up for failure. Too many shops or MSOs don’t go the distance when it comes to marketing and abandon their efforts before they give it a chance to succeed.
Pilfer and Polish the Competition’s Thunder
Written by Tom FranklinTo view a pdf file of this article with photos, click HERE.
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The dictionary says ‘pilfer’ means to steal articles of little value, but you might say value is in the eye of the beholder. By now your competition probably has a website, a Facebook page, a Twitter account and more.
Have you checked these out? How effective do you think the contents on these promotional tools are? How do they compare with yours? Have you even looked? Are these articles of ‘little value’ that you might ‘pilfer’ and then polish to increase the value and fit your own needs? Your competitors may have spent dearly to get these tools created, but their designs and ideas are yours to copy if you modify them to showcase your shop. It’s been said that imitation is the highest form of flattery, but I’m not suggesting that you settle for a cheap copy of your competitors’ ideas. You need to improve—and improve greatly—on what you see.
CIC Discussion Draws Distinction Between ‘Repair Standards’ and Shop ‘Business Standards’
Written by John YoswickTo view a pdf file of this article with photos, click HERE.
The most recent discussion of industry “standards” at the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) centered around the differences between “repair standards” and “business standards,” and whether either one—or both—are needed, and whether some organization is needed to implement them.
Based on a “repairer-only” meeting the night before the CIC discussion in Palm Springs, CA, a number of CIC attendees reiterated that repairer organizations have already declared that OEM repair procedures are the industry’s standards for repair, and that I-CAR has agreed to work with the automakers to fill in the “gaps” where no such procedures exist.
To view a pdf file of this article with photos, click HERE.
As insurance companies set up 800 number claims lines or move away from agents altogether with direct sales and service on-line, agents have become less of a marketing target for many shops. Nevertheless, there are still numerous agents almost everywhere, and many of their customers still call them when they have an accident. Agents are still a good referral source for collision repair business, but today an agent might be more particular about who he or she refers business to. Getting and keeping an insurance customer has become more difficult for agents today. Competition from no-agent, direct online companies is very intense these days. There are continual advertisements on TV, radio and the Internet, and low-ball rates to hook customers are common. It’s not easy for an agent to get new customers.
To view a pdf file of this article with photos, click HERE.
Training…What is it good for? Absolutely nothing. Say it again.
Hopefully, you were able to sing along to the modified lyrics to the song “War,” a hit performed by Edwin Starr. If you aren’t familiar with it, it is a famous song protesting war. And that probably also means that you were born in a different generation where war and protests are things you’ve only read about.
Speaking of protests, there was an informal one staged by collision repairers a few years ago. Leaders in the industry were dissatisfied with I-CAR’s direction and the level of service I-CAR provided. The training I-CAR offered was deemed outdated and to some degree was becoming more irrelevant by the day.
I-CAR listened and took action, making significant change to its training curriculum, structure and delivery methods. This led to additional, much needed changes in the requirements to attain I-CAR Gold and Platinum status.
To view a pdf file of this article with photos, click HERE.
I was at a collision-related event recently when a body shop owner asked me, “Why should I have a website? The only reason I have one now is because my main competitor next door has one,” he explained. My first response was “That’s a very good reason right there.”
I am surprised when I find so many successful body shops that don’t have websites. So, I decided to poll some industry and Internet experts to assemble a list of convincing reasons. Ten years ago, having a website was something to consider and weigh the advantages, but in today’s world, it’s a no-brainer for many reasons.
