Complete Estimates = Bigger Bucks
Writing more accurate estimates doesn’t require extra man power or costly equipment. Just a little extra time on the part of your estimator will increase shop sales, improve efficiency and boost profits.
Damaged Goods
Fact: Consumers won’t pay as much for a vehicle that’s been wrecked and repaired as they will for a vehicle that’s never been in an accident. This market condition – or stigma as some like to call it – diminishes the vehicle in value, regardless of how expertly repaired it may have been.
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Lights! Cameras! Roll ‘Em!
Autobody lobbyist Mike Causey is all about action. Whether working on anti-steering legislation, running for state-wide office or working as an extra in a Disney movie, he’s never bored.
May the (Work) Force Be with You
The collision industry’s workforce is dwindling at an alarming rate, and journeymen are just about as hard to come by as Jedi Masters. To combat this shortage and to stay competitive in the years to come, take a cue from the Jedi Code: Pair an apprentice with a mentor.
Letters to the Editors
Does Your Shop Measure Up? Your article was incredible [“Does Your Shop Measure Up?” March 2002, pg. 40]! I found (literally) my first UMS the same way your picture showed it in early 1980 in a Toyota dealership in upstate Vermont. I had just closed my small shop because of the recession and was amazed
Monster First Impressions
Customers first impressions of your shop are formed during their first few seconds of contact over the phone or in person. Is your staff trained to welcome potential customers, or is Frankenstein manning your front office?
Dent Fix Brings New Glue Technology to PDR
Let’s face it. The PDR, or Paintless Dent Removal, market is hot and getting hotter every day. Just open any trade magazine and you’re deluged with all the PDR tool offerings that exist. Manufacturers are offering every configuration of tool imaginable in exotic materials, color coded, titanium centers with kryptonite tips. It gets overwhelming when
Don’t Be Another Face in the Crowd
“How can I make a higher profit margin in the body shop as the insurance companies are paying less and less?” – John Thompson, shop manager, Fix Auto Mall, Auburn, N.Y. There are only two ways to increase gross profit on a given sales volume. The first is to increase your bottom line, i.e. charge
You Choose, You Lose?
“Why don’t insurance companies offer two different policies? If they had an OEM parts policy and an A/M parts policy, consumers could choose which one they wanted and when they wrecked, they couldn’t say anything about using A/M parts since they chose that policy. Wouldn’t this solve a lot of problems for collision repairers?” –