The Business of Steering
Every day, insurance companies steer vehicle owners away from shops they consider “troublesome” and toward shops they don’t. Sometimes, their steering is perfectly legal. Sometimes, it’s not. When it’s not, they’re often betting that neither the vehicle owner nor the shop owner will be knowledgeable enough of the law to know that they’re breaking it.
DRPs Key Part of Puzzle
Over the past few months, the Research Department here at BodyShop Business has been busy gathering input and data for an upcoming, comprehensive all-industry report that we’ll be publishing soon. In reviewing some of the initial tabulations, we’re noticing some interesting trends out in the market and gaining a better understanding of how shops are
Seeing the Big Picture
You can’t improve individual pieces of your business and expect overall improvement. Instead, you must examine the relationship between all the steps and begin to incrementally improve problem areas.
It Takes a Body Shop
This shop owner discovered that part of being successful inside his shop means being active outside of it.
Parts Pricing: Your Business, Your Call
Parts prices listed in estimating systems are the manufacturer’s suggested retail prices. Despite what insurers would like you to believe, you can price parts based on the gross profits you desire.
Your Lungs, Your Skin, Your Life
Many collision repairers still aren’t properly protecting themselves from isocyanates. It’s time that changed.
Viva Las Vegas
The 24th annual NACE show brings an opportunity to explore 2,000 trade show booths, further your education, hang out with friends and maybe wake up with an empty wallet and an unwanted tattoo.
“I Can’t Make Money on Paint!” (a.k.a. Why Johnny Kicked the dog.)
Many shop owners think their problems would be solved if they could just get their paint cheaper. But paint materials profitability problems are often just a symptom of larger troubles – paint labor profitability issues, lack of standard operating procedures, sales shortcomings, etc.
Making Beautiful Moose Together
Move over Bullwinkle, the most famous moose in the Land of 10,000 Lakes sits proudly in front of Quality Paint & Auto Body, and it’s the creation of shop owner Don Lindgren, a.k.a. the “Moose Man.” Unfortunately, we can’t call him that. “I tried to use ‘The Moose Man’ as a logo, but the title
Is It Possible to Run a Body Shop Without Lying, Cheating and Stealing?
Point CounterPoint
Market Like an Insurer
Progressive’s Concierge program is the boldest action ever
taken by an insurer to mitigate the role a shop plays with the consumer. But what might the possibilities be if repairers employed some of these same strategies?
Sexual Harassment 101
When one of my employees sued my shop manager for sexual harassment — along with me for not putting a stop to it — I was sure I’d done nothing wrong. Little did I know that my almost nonexistent company policy on harassment was about to be put to the test — and fail miserably.