Mark Clark, Author at BodyShop Business - Page 7 of 15
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Where Will the New Technicians Come From?

Serving on your local vo-tech advisory board will give you the inside track on hiring the top students in the class.

Think Before Adding an Extra Service to Your Collision Shop

It’s the rare shop owner who hasn’t considered selling something besides collision repair – including fireworks, firewood and women’s clothing.

Using Heat to Improve Your Cycle Time

By implementing heat in your shop, solvents evaporate faster, isocyanate catalysts crosslink quicker, and body fillers, sealers, basecoats and clearcoats all accelerate.

The Future of Paint Looks Bright

Unique sparkles, color changing pigments, mile-deep clears and no-gloss clears promise to make the next decade in auto body even more challenging than the last. But I predict we’ll take it in stride.

Do the Math Before Accepting the Lowest Price

What is your shop’s profit on P&M? Including your favorite PBE jobber in the calculation will ensure you have the best combination of low costs and high service.

Used Car Dippers and Dead Cats

Short life spans on auto coatings once gave rise to a unique segment of collision repair: the “used car dipper.”

How Do Those Who Do It Well Do It?

Fresh out of a beer-soaked college career with just a few weeks of auto body supply sales calls under my belt, I could tell who was good at what they did in the industry…and who wasn’t.

Auto Refinishes: Amazing Chemistry!

I’ve been around so long that I was there when acrylic enamel was introduced to the industry. I was there when isocyanate catalysts were first offered, when the OEMs started putting clear on the color and when the first three-stage pearls were applied to new cars. Without exception, each of the passing years has brought

Faster Than an Oak Tree

Today, we joke about shops that pulled out collision damage using a tree stump and log chains. As a PBE jobber with customers in rural Iowa in the 1970s, I knew some of those guys. When cars were built with perimeter frames and conventional steel, a talented tech could actually get the car square enough

Making the Family Collision Repair Business Work

Communication is the key factor in making your family-run shop work.

Become a Job Costing Wizard

Business success doesn’t just depend on your ability to fix cars; you also need to know your numbers in order for your business to be profitable.

Registering with the EPA

Does a fleet maintenance shop that only takes care of the fleet they own still have to register with the EPA to spray paint at a low volume?