Repairers Take Action
"Ditching this disingenuous ad is a victory for consumers — and a better business practice for GEICO. This incident should send a message that higher standards in insurance industry dealings are appropriate and necessary." — Connecticut State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, after GEICO complied with his request to pull a TV ad that features actress
Examining the State of the Industry
Too many shops, not enough work, not enough profit, too much insurer involvement and not enough business expertise on the part of shop owners are all contributing to the sorry state that is the collision repair industry.
“I Can’t Make Money on Paint!” (a.k.a. Why Johnny Kicked the Dog.)
Too many shops post their entire jobber bill to materials – even though much
of it isn’t paint. Shops then sell these items as miscellaneous parts, with the sale going to parts and the cost to paint. To make matters worse, shops are working off adjuster estimates – which can easily cost them hundreds of dollars per RO.
A Different View of NACE
A year ago as I prepared for my first NACE show as an overwhelmed publisher of a magazine that reaches just about every collision repair shop across America, I wrote a column about leadership (or lack thereof) in our industry. Now, as I prepare for my second NACE next month in Las Vegas and reflect
Is State Farm’s New DRP Good or Bad for the Industry Long Term?
Point CounterPoint
The Process of Efficiency
Our industry has focused on gross profit issues for far too long. The key to success lies in the way we work, not in what someone else is doing to us. It’s time we shift our focus to ‘fixed’ costs — repairing more cars with the same ‘fixed’ cost or repairing the same amount of cars with a lower ‘fixed’ cost.
Working on Hybrids: A Body Shop Primer
Hybrids account for only 1% of all U.S. light-vehicle sales, which actually presents a dilemma for shops: Because hybrids aren’t all that common (yet), shops aren’t as familiar with the potential hazards as they should be.
DRPs, Here We Come?
In talking with shop owners involved in DRPs – who changed their operations to serve the needs of only one market – I realized the importance of diversification. Part 6 of a year-long series.
Dirty Little Secret No. 3: Shops Can Steer Too
Despite what you’ve been led to believe, you can legally steer your customers away from ‘problem’ insurers and toward ones that know how to fairly settle claims.
On the Spot
Due to the misconceptions and lack of knowledge regarding squeeze-type resistance spot welding and its equipment, we conducted a welding machine challenge — a test that would simulate working on a vehicle and help shop owners make
better decisions when purchasing a machine.
