5 Marketing Ideas to Heat Up Your Business
Consumers should become familiar with your shop long before they get in an accident. Here are some ways to make sure they do.
E-Newsletter on the Way
Some exciting things have been going on here at BodyShop Business lately. For over 25 years, we’ve been dedicated to making body shop owners and managers’ lives a little easier and more profitable, and that singular purpose continues on even more today. So many exciting things are going on in the collision repair industry at
Reliving the Old West
Honda marketing manager gets a kick out of gunslinging.
Who’s the Wolf?
I’m sure many of you saw the article on our Web site in “Breaking News” about the American Insurance Association calling auto repair anti-steering legislation a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.” And I’m pretty sure it irked you as much as it did me. The article basically said that this legislation could cost consumers millions of
Our New Web Site Debuts!
It’s official: I am now a blogger. When we re-launched our newly designed Web site on April 14, I joined millions of others who use the Internet to convey their thoughts and feelings to the masses. It was truly a special occasion. I remember 25 years ago when I plunked down $900 of my hard-earned
Talkin’ Shop in Cincy
They sure do eat well in Cincinnati. During my and Managing Editor Mike Peltier’s daylong visit to Elite Collision Service in Cincinnati last month, it was pecan squares the size of fuel doors for breakfast, Papa John’s pizza for lunch and, for a mid-afternoon snack, “cheese coneys” from Gold Star Chili. General Manager Phil Mosley
Industry Unity Finale: What Have We Learned?
As our Industry Unity series comes to a close, we look back at our examination of major industry issues and key in on what we’ve learned.
Advice from up North
When the press release hit my e-mail, I could hardly believe my eyes. The headline read, “Allstate Insurance Drops Parts Discount Demand; Paint Reimbursement Up.” Huh? What? Was I dreaming? Then I read further on: “The Year 2008 has just barely started when Allstate Insurance forwarded a note to its PRO preferred shops in southern
DOIs: The Fox Guarding the Henhouse?
For the most part, collision repairers believe state departments of insurance turn a deaf ear to their concerns. Here’s an in-depth look at the role they play in regulating the insurance industry.
“What Am I to Do?”
It’s a familiar plea to me now. Whether it comes by fax, e-mail, telephone or the good ol’ United States Postal Service, the message is basically the same: “I’m a small, independent shop and I’m at my wit’s end. There are two or three shops in my area that get all the work, and I can’t get on a direct-repair program to save my life. What am I supposed to do?”
Troubled Times
Insurer profits are at record highs, and body shop profits are at record lows. Steering is rampant and labor rates are being suppressed. And repairers are supposed to get along with insurers?
It’s One Year Later…
One year ago today in the January 2007 issue of BodyShop Business, I asked you, our readers, what you wanted to change about your business in 2007, what you wanted to accomplish and what you saw as your greatest challenge. Not surprisingly, I received some impassioned responses, one of which I feel compelled to print