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Chairmen discuss increased importance of marketing, advertising in today’s automotive service, collision repair climates.
By Brie Ragland, AutoInc. correspondent
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Jerry Burns (left), NACE chairman, and Aaron Clements (right), CARS chairman, talk over the state of their respective sectors while Flo, their waitress, looks on.
(Photo: Jeff Loy) |
CARS Chairman Aaron Clements, AAM, and NACE Chairman Jerry Burns, AAM, sat down over a cup of coffee (thanks to Flo, the waitress) at the ASRW Café during the opening general session Thursday morning to discuss significant changes in the automotive service and collision repair industries. The event officially kicked off the 2009 Automotive Service and Repair Week (ASRW), an event co-locating the Congress of Automotive Repair and Service (CARS) and the International Autobody Congress and Exposition (NACE).
Focused on the collaboration of the two sides of the industry being brought together in one location for training, networking and exhibitor showcasing, Burns and Clements discussed the differences in business and the similar trends being seen on both sides of the industry.
Burns, owner of Automotive Impressions Inc. in Rio Rancho, N.M., pointed out the great opportunity collision attendees have to learn from mechanical shop owners and technicians attending ASRW. One of the main lessons to be learned and implemented on a more frequent basis, said Burns, is the ability of collision attendees to start selling non-accident-related services to increase – and in some cases, create – more profit.
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Students from Palo Verde High School in Las Vegas opened Thursday’s general session with an instrumental rendition of the national anthem.
(Photo: Jeff Loy) |
“We aren’t used to selling work,” said Burns. “We’re used to tow trucks bringing the work to us. So, we really need to work more on the selling side of things to increase our profitability and try to focus on understanding our customers’ needs and really delivering the services they are looking for.”
From a mechanical standpoint, Clements, owner of C&C Automotive in Augusta, Ga., said marketing, advertising and selling have always been integral parts of the service business, and that by attending CARS he feels he is exposed to the type of training everyone in the industry needs to succeed in today’s economy.
“We’ve always had to advertise to be able to get customers into our shops,” said Clements. “Customer retention is very important on our side of the industry, so over the past couple of years we have really focused on the marketing side of things and gotten pretty good at using different techniques to get customers in our doors. I think that’s something the collision side of the industry could really benefit from by speaking with their mechanical peers and learning how things are done on our side of the business.”
Guiding the discussion from marketing techniques to the profitability of mechanical shops versus collision businesses, Burns said it is a little more difficult to increase collision shop profitability because of the work that must be done with insurers and all that that entails. “We’ve learned to do more with less ... as business owners, we need to find a way to build our profits,” said Burns.
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When asked by Clements what the collision repairer’s main focus is today, Burns responded by talking about the work being done to get the repeal of the McCarran-Ferguson act pushed through Congress. Burns mentioned that by visiting www.TakingTheHill.com, collision repairers and automotive service industry members can send a letter to their representatives asking them to support the repeal of this important legislative issue.
In closing, both gentlemen mentioned how important it is to advertise to displaced customers – those customers who were previously going to the dealerships in areas where the dealerships are now closed. Clements closed their discussion by saying, “Be sure to let them know what you have to offer, provide good customer service and open their eyes to a different market where they can take their vehicles to be repaired.”
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Nov. 4-7, 2009
