Bob Leone, Author at BodyShop Business
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40 Tips for a Perfect Finish

For painters, it seems the number of perfect-paint-job tricks to remember is at least a million. Always trying to make your job easier, we’ve whittled that million down to 40. Follow these tips of the trade, and the good paint jobs will follow right along with you.

Capitalize on Cold Weather

A mild winter doesn’t have to bring a chilling end to your shop’s profits and steady workload. By adding seasonal profit centers and specialized winter service, you’ll boost your bottom line and customer relations.

Airing Their Differences: A/C Hardware and Design

The more A/c systems, hardware, designs, and gagdets change, the more important it is to keep up with these changes.

It’s Nice to Fool Mother Nature

Climates can be pretty extreme (too hot, too cold, too dry, too humid), but these days, the right preparation, products and professionalism are a solid defense against weather problems that try to attack a good paint job.

Caution: Snake Pit Ahead

Unfortunately, poor business ventures aren’t as obvious as road signs flanked by flashing yellow lights and orange cones warning you of impending danger. (If only it were that easy.) How can you avoid such pitfalls? By learning from those who’ve already fallen prey.

Blowing Smoke: Servicing Exhaust Systems

It’s more than likely you’ve seen your fair share of damaged exhaust systems. But without knowing the critical points of inspection, you may have missed something – which unfortunately revealed itself to the customer later.

A Balanced Business Decision: Performing In-House Wheel Balancing & Tire and Rim Service

The vehicles that grace our repair bays have one thing in common: They all have at least four wheels. And more than likely, their balance has been affected by the collision. You know what that means? There’s money to be made by performing in-house wheel balancing and tire and rim service.

So … What Else Do You Do? Profit from those Extra Services

Your shop doesn’t exist in a “collision repair” vacuum. There’s more to maintaining and fixing vehicles than pulling dents, straightening sheet metal and painting panels. But you can’t profit from those extra services unless you start offering them.

What’s Up?

Your profits are…if you learn to upsell!

Caring for Your Refinishing Gear

Today’s consumer is savvier than ever, so you’ve got to deliver the perfect color match and a flawless finish. To do that, it’s critical that your spray gun and spraybooth perform as they were designed to.

Those Are the Brakes: In House or Out of House?

Since no two brakes jobs are the same, some shops choose to send brake repairs out of house to avoid an extra possible headache. Others choose to tackle the repairs themselves. What’s right for you depends on how much control you want to have over what often becomes a complicated repair.

Maintenance Musts: The Greatest Tools and Equipment in the World Won’t Help You Profits if You Don’t Properly Maintain Them

When you were little, Mom always said to take care of your toys. Now that you’re grown up, the same rules apply to your equipment. All the best tools in the world won’t help you increase workflow or profits if you don’t properly maintain them.