It Takes a Body Shop
This shop owner discovered that part of being successful inside his shop means being active outside of it.
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
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?
Standard Operating Procedures – Working Smarter, Not Harder
Maximize productivity by standardizing “best practices” across your organization. “Since we started truly implementing standard operating procedures, it’s a statistical fact that I only spend two hours a week in three locations and that we grew from five employees to 50 in a four-year time period,” says Troy Gates, owner of a three-shop operation called Gates
Passion and Pachysandra: Metro Toyota Scion Accident Repair Center
As I glanced at the pachysandra planted in the landscape bed just outside of the front door, I knew I was about to enter a very special place. You see, I love pachysandra, having grown up in a house that had a huge bed of it in the front yard. Not only did it make
Better, Cheaper, Faster …
Vehicle owners and insurers want all three. You can fight these shifts in the market, attempt litigation, kick, scream and even call your congressman. But at the end of the day, you either give customers what they want — or someone else will.
What’s Good for the Goose: A List of Preferred Insurance Companies
Take a gander at this idea: I have a list of preferred insurance companies that I steer my customers to. Not only have we been the reason many customers changed insurance companies, but we deal more now with the insurers we like — and less with the ones we don’t
Debunking the Myth of ‘Pre-Accident Condition’
You may have the best collision repair facility this side of the Mississippi, but you still shouldn’t use the term ‘pre-accident condition’ to describe your repairs. It just isn’t accurate.
Turning Freeloaders into Paying Customers: This Simple Strategy Helped Us to Increase Walk-in Sales by 35 Percent
When your day is so hectic that your lunch consists of complimentary donuts from the local car rental company, the last interruption you want to deal with is a free estimate. Time is money. But don’t slash mention of the "F" word from next month’s ad copy just yet. With the proper system in place,
Does Association Membership Benefit a Collision Repair Shop?
Richard Lata, owner Martinsville Collision Martinsville, Va. Opinion: No We’re on DRPs with 12 different insurance companies, and we’re not even a big shop – I’m only 6,500 square feet. I’m an independent, and I’ve only been in business five years. In that five years time, I’ve learned how to go out and get work
Know Your Customer
Insurers are contractually responsible to reimburse their insureds for the reasonable costs of repair. Shops are contractually responsible to the owner of the vehicle for performing a repair as per the estimate/RO. In other words, you have no legal obligation to negotiate with insurers.
Are You My Customer?
It’s the consumer. Always.