Truce: Working with Insurance Adjusters
If you ever need to energize a bunch of bored shop owners, bring up working with insurance adjusters. This topic can incite a lively discussion among even a reserved group of repairers. That’s because everyone has a war story or two about an adjuster experience and they’re usually eager to share it. One of my
Just Say No: Can you save me my deductible?
You wouldn’t think of asking your dentist to save your deductible. So why, then, do our customers think it’s perfectly acceptable to ask us to save theirs? Maybe because we started it. If you’re like me, certain word phrases are just plain annoying. The one that bothers me the most is, “Can you save me
Fight Steering With Steering
It’s legal for insurers to tell consumers about preferred shop programs. Problem is, if you’re not one of the shops on these programs, you likely won’t get the work. Fight back by developing other sources of referrals that steer consumers to you. While insurers are permitted to make consumers aware of the "programs it has
Whose Liner Is It Anyway: Spray-on Bedliners
In search of a niche where the insurance industry isn’t involved and consumers pay out of pocket? Research shows that spray-on bedliners generate $110 million a year. There’s money to be made there. Could it be yours? You know they’re out there. You see them in your shop all the time. You’re even fairly sure
Shell Shocked
Walt McAnallen, owner of Hastings Street Collision, saves 6-pound snapping turtle in need of some body repair.
The 2 Minute Cure: UV Curing Primer
“We’ve got a new primer that’ll cure in two minutes, ready to sand! ” said our paint rep. Yeah, right. Skeptical by nature and not easily sold, I’ve discovered that UV curing primer really is all he claimed it would be, saving my shop time – and money. What’s all this talk about UV curing
Sink Your Teeth Into NACE 2003
Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Fla., Dec. 4-7.
Sold: Ever Wonder what Happens to Body Shop Owners who Sell their Businesses?
The second part in our five-part series of “Bondo Tales.”
How NOT to Repel Women
Make a good first impression and then treat them right.
Idle Cars Cost You
For several years, I’d been hearing about the importance of cycle time for collision repair centers. It was a topic of conversation at my paint company performance group meetings. Insurance executives talked about their desire for faster repairs in reducing claims severity, and some insurance companies even developed incentives for collision repair shops that reduced
The (Color) Blind Leading the (Color) Blind: Women & Paint Matching
If your shop suffers from color-matching problems and your painters are men, color blindness could be costing you. Typically when you walk into a shop, the only feminine influence you see (if any) is in the office. But could there be an advantage to having the women in your production area being located somewhere other
Scare Tactics
Adjusters often use the “steering” phrases.