Profiting from Customer-Pay Repairs
Afraid to make an insurance claim, many consumers are paying out-of-pocket. This trend not only presents some challenges for collision repairers, but also some opportunities.
Is There Still Money in Glass Repair?
A variety of factors have made in-house glass work less profitable, but some shop owners still make it work. Is it right for you?
Profiting from PDR: Paintless Dent Repair Is a Great Option and a Great Service to Your Customer
Paintless dent repair is a great profit opportunity for any body shop. In parts of the country where hailstorms are common, many of the insurance companies are advocating PDR. It’s a big moneysaver for them, and it speeds up repairs because the notorious “hail teams” blow in and out of town like the storms that
(Bed)Line up for Profits: Spraying Bedliners Is a Way to Boost Your Bottom Line
Spraying bedliners is a way to boost your bottom line — and is strictly a customer-pay upgrade (read: no insurer involvement). It’s not easy owning a collision repair shop these days. Business is down, costs are up (and continue going up), customers are pickier than ever, insurers are cheaper than ever … Bet you could
Build a Better Mousetrap, and the World Will Beat a Path to Your Door
7 strategies for quality-driven shops to maintain profitability in a marketplace fixated on “fast” and “cheap.”
Putting the “Expert” in Witness
By using your repair knowledge in the courtroom, you can make upward of $150 an hour – and educate and protect consumers at the same time.
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!
Shattered Market: The Body Shop Glass Business
NAGS list price discounts are increasing, labor payments aredecreasing and deals made behind our backs are eroding profitability. Still, you might want to consider performing your own glass installations since, ultimately, you’re the one shouldering the liability.
Whose Liner Is It Anyway: Spray-on Bedliners
In search of a niche where the insurance industry isn’t involved and consumers pay out of pocket? Research shows that spray-on bedliners generate $110 million a year. There’s money to be made there. Could it be yours? You know they’re out there. You see them in your shop all the time. You’re even fairly sure
There’s Money In the Details
If you were asked what business you’re in, you’d probably say the collision repair business. But the truth is, the business you’re really in is the “cosmetic car care business,” which is probably bigger than collision repair and detailing put together. Many of you, however, aren’t taking advantage of it. What do I mean by
A Streetrod Named Desire
Hot rods earned their infamous reputation thanks to youngsters (or hellraisers, as respectable, law-abiding folk used to call them) who thought any place was a good place to race. But the love of street rodding goes deeper than fast cars, grudge races and pink slips. It’s more about preserving the past and never forgetting where we came from.
Glass Work: Profitability
Because of the complications involved – hiring, organizing production, insurer involvement and discounts, etc. – most shops opt to outsource glass work. But is this willingness to give it away a detriment to profitability and to achieving a competitive edge?
