The fleet & commercial business specialty

Shops doing a large volume of fleet and commercial business may have the best opportunity of all. They are generally free of the kind of nit-picking that goes with insurance business. Institutional and commercial accounts can be billed monthly and are generally paid consistently, if sometimes a bit late (like local government accounts).

Many shops that have this specialty also have a more extensive mechanical shop to do oil-changes, tune-ups, timing belts and other minor maintenance procedures. This opens the door to regular reminder mailings.

The problem of expanding this kind of business is it generally requires going out and calling on new prospects and selling them on switching to your shop. Many shop owners don't have the time and can't afford to put someone on the street to sell. Telemarketing calls are one possible alternative. At the very least, a promotional effort should include getting letters of appreciation from existing fleet customers, plus photos of completed fleet vehicles to send out. After the first live contact has been made, follow-up letters, calls or postcards monthly may eventually capture the business.

The dealership specialty

Shops that focus on being (or becoming) the authorized repair facility for one or more dealerships have an important edge at this time. With more and more hybrid vehicles on the road, plus vehicles calling for new frame, paint and welding technologies, the shops that focus on getting these new certifications can have a definite advantage. I've seen shops that get their technicians highly certified take business away from long established "authorized" shops.

I've also noted that those owners or managers of "authorized repair facilities" who establish an estimating desk, system, and estimator at the dealership, get far more autobody damage repair out of that dealership.

Community or political involvement

Some shop owners are born politicians. They feel comfortable wining and dining local bigwigs and often pick up city and county vehicle business as a result. Some even participate in state and national autobody organizations, like CIC or the local state Autobody Association.

This approach isn't for everyone, but even the owner of a small shop can get involved in some local community activities. Teen-age driver safety is a major concern nearly everywhere. Cooperative projects with local schools or driving schools can familiarize young drivers with your shop at an early age. Once a solid relationship has been built, those drivers are likely to choose your shop simply out of familiarity.

Expanding into new specialties

It's just human nature to want to explore new territory, but I believe most shop owners would be better off getting the most out of their existing specialty before jumping into unfamiliar territory. And when they do jump, it may be wise to stay as close as possible to those specialties that have paid the bills and provided so well for the present level of growth.

Tom Franklin has been a sales and marketing representative and consultant for forty years and is the author of the books, "Business Battlefield Marketing for Body Shops," "Tom Franklin's Top 40 Marketing Tactics for Body Shops," and "Strategies for Greater Body Shop Growth." His marketing company now provides marketing solutions and services for body shops and other businesses. He can be reached for questions or comments at (323) 871-6862, by fax at (323) 465-2228, or by E-Mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it