Renewing the Passion
People who’ve been writing bids, banging sheet metal and shooting color for most of their lives can end up indifferent and disgruntled. The “trickle down effect” may be just what you need to rekindle their love of the industry.
DRPs: Our Business Skills
Stop the finger pointing. How well we do in this trade has a lot more to do with our business skills than with how “bad” insurers are. In fact, direct-repair programs have, dare I say it, made many shops more efficient and profitable. It was more than 40 years ago, but I still remember sitting
Creating Your (Business) Plan of Attack
Whether you’re starting a new shop or you’re a veteran shop owner, writing and maintaining a solid business plan helps to ensure the continued success and growth of your organization.
Respect: The Customer’s Auto When in Your Possession
Do not smoke or eat in (or on) a customer’s car. Do not steal the Viagra. And never use the test drive to take a carload of techs to a local lunch spot (or to solicit a prostitute). When a customer drops off his vehicle at your shop for repairs, it’s common knowledge that he
The Rental Car Roller Coaster
I’ve been renting cars for 23 years. If you’re also thinking of getting into the rental car business, I’ve got two words of advice: Hang on!
Send Me Your Best Student – Partnering with Vo-Tech Schools
Looking to take the local vo-tech school’s best and brightest? Fat chance – unless you’ve been partnering with that vo-tech school all along. If you’re all take and no give, don’t expect instructors to do you any favors when you suddenly need to hire.
You Get What You Tolerate
“Shop owner Jeff Delana asks, “How do I get the insurer to pay for the complete repair of the vehicle without non-stop faxing and adjusters coming and going for ridiculous and obvious damage approvals?”
You CAN Create Customers
Shop co-owner Chuck Logan asks whether he can tell DRPs to take a hike and still stay in business.
Mc Bodywork: Three C Body Shop
n on the facility’s management is often monumental. Dumbing Down Our Workforce The expertise required to fix accident-damaged cars has long been the strength of the collision repair profession. It’s a specialty. From the viewpoint of the lay person, there’s still a good deal of magic surrounding the work. But during the ’90s, the industry
In a State Over Allstate
ermarket parts as possible, and if there’s any question or disagreement, “See us in court!” I have a database of more than 50 insurers that I dealt with last year. We’re near a naval base and get people with insurance companies from every corner of the country. Without a doubt, Allstate is the most difficult