http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=28425453&as=31710 Most Recent Submissions from John Shoemaker on AutoPro Workshop Thu, 21 Jun 2012 15:34:38 GMT Thu, 21 Jun 2012 15:34:38 GMT mwillins@advanstar.com (AutoBizGuru) mwillins@advanstar.com (AutoBizGuru) KickApps Feed Builder 2012-06-21T15:34:38Z 106 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/searchEverything.kickAction?as=31710&includeVideo=on&includeAudio=on&includePhoto=on&includeBlog=on&sortType=recent 0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Profit-Through-Job-Documentation/blog/6186545/31710.html The key to profit in any repair is to document the repair thoroughly at the beginning. This requires complete disassembly, performing R&I of all the identified items, removing all the clips and fasteners from the parts being replaced, inspecting all parts being reinstalled, validating the repair with the technician, and consulting with the refinish team to verify blends and other paint processes. For the complete article follow http://www.searchautoparts.com/abrn/operations-distribution/document-repairs-thoroughly-beginning-enhance-profitability The key to profit in any repair is to document the repair thoroughly at the beginning. This requires complete disassembly, performing R&I of all the identified items, removing all the clips and fasteners from the parts being replaced, inspecting all parts being reinstalled, validating the repair with the technician, and consulting with the refinish team to verify blends and other paint processes. For the complete article follow http://www.searchautoparts.com/abrn/operations-distribution/document-repairs-thoroughly-beginning-enhance-profitability Thu, 21 Jun 2012 15:34:38 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Profit-Through-Job-Documentation/blog/6186545/31710.html John Shoemaker 2012-06-21T15:34:38Z ABRN AutoPro Workshop The key to profit in any repair is to document the repair thoroughly at the beginning. This requires complete disassembly, performing R&I of all the identified items, removing all the clips and fasteners from the parts being replaced, inspecting all parts being reinstalled, validating the repair with the technician, and consulting with the refinish team to verify blends and other paint processes. For the complete article follow http://www.searchautoparts.com/abrn/operations-distribution/document-repairs-thoroughly-beginning-enhance-profitability abrn nonadult false Profit Through Job Documentation text blog abrn 340 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=28425453&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_11756971_31710_28425453_ap_160X120.jpg false United States VA Newport News 23606 0 ABRN 0 6186545 28425453 Member 250 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_ARMS-Reporting-Benefits/blog/6184097/31710.html I attended a meeting recently held by Jessica Wetherbee-Dahl, the Group Account Manager, Insurance Operations Department for the Virginia Group and three of her Account Managers about ARMS® Reporting.  ARMS® is much more now than the website you update repair status on, it also has some very informative reports.  In this meeting Jessica asked me how a shop manager could use the different reports they offer and through the discussion I found my favorite had to be the ARMS® Automotive Exchange Forecast Report.  This report gives you information like, # of Vehicles Closed, Closed MTD Avg Days, Closed MTD Avg Hours Per Day, # of Vehicles Open, Open MTD Avg Days, Open MTD Avg Hours Per Day, Combined Days Expected Monthly Total and Combined Hours Expected Monthly Total.  A lot of headings and to narrow it down I will focus on two, Closed MTD Avg Hours Per Day and Open MTD Avg Hours Per Day.  These two give you the real cycle time, not the one you have manipulated in your management system; it is also the cycle time the insurance company looks at when determining your effectiveness.  We all know the national average for cycle time is 4.5 hours per day.  Your management system is telling you that you are right on target but the ARMS® Automotive Exchange Forecast Report is showing you are at 2.1 average hours per day.  If that is showing on the Closed MTD column there is not much you can do about it, but look at the Open MTD Avg Hours Per Day column, those are ones you can fix.  ARMS® Automotive Exchange Forecast Report gives you the capability to drill down and find the problem child so you can make adjustments.  Let’s say you ran this report on the 5th of the month and your Closed MTD numbers were a little low, knowing you cannot pull water back under the bridge you would then look at the Open MTD numbers and see which jobs you could pull forward to improve your numbers by the end of the month.  Monitoring this report weekly would give you a status report to know which direction you are heading.  Having this information when the insurance manager comes by would be real helpful in your negotiations….because these numbers will match theirs.  If you are not using the reports available through ARMS® today, I hope I have given you some reasons to use them tomorrow.                                 I attended a meeting recently held by Jessica Wetherbee-Dahl, the Group Account Manager, Insurance Operations Department for the Virginia Group and three of her Account Managers about ARMS® Reporting.  ARMS® is much more now than the website you update repair status on, it also has some very informative reports.  In this meeting Jessica asked me how a shop manager could use the different reports they offer and through the discussion I found my favorite had to be the ARMS® Automotive Exchange Forecast Report.  This report gives you information like, # of Vehicles Closed, Closed MTD Avg Days, Closed MTD Avg Hours Per Day, # of Vehicles Open, Open MTD Avg Days, Open MTD Avg Hours Per Day, Combined Days Expected Monthly Total and Combined Hours Expected Monthly Total.  A lot of headings and to narrow it down I will focus on two, Closed MTD Avg Hours Per Day and Open MTD Avg Hours Per Day.  These two give you the real cycle time, not the one you have manipulated in your management system; it is also the cycle time the insurance company looks at when determining your effectiveness.  We all know the national average for cycle time is 4.5 hours per day.  Your management system is telling you that you are right on target but the ARMS® Automotive Exchange Forecast Report is showing you are at 2.1 average hours per day.  If that is showing on the Closed MTD column there is not much you can do about it, but look at the Open MTD Avg Hours Per Day column, those are ones you can fix.  ARMS® Automotive Exchange Forecast Report gives you the capability to drill down and find the problem child so you can make adjustments.  Let’s say you ran this report on the 5th of the month and your Closed MTD numbers were a little low, knowing you cannot pull water back under the bridge you would then look at the Open MTD numbers and see which jobs you could pull forward to improve your numbers by the end of the month.  Monitoring this report weekly would give you a status report to know which direction you are heading.  Having this information when the insurance manager comes by would be real helpful in your negotiations….because these numbers will match theirs.  If you are not using the reports available through ARMS® today, I hope I have given you some reasons to use them tomorrow.                                 Wed, 20 Jun 2012 12:13:44 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_ARMS-Reporting-Benefits/blog/6184097/31710.html John Shoemaker 2012-06-20T12:13:44Z ABRN AutoPro Workshop I attended a meeting recently held by Jessica Wetherbee-Dahl, the Group Account Manager, Insurance Operations Department for the Virginia Group and three of her Account Managers about ARMS® Reporting.  ARMS® is much more now than the website you update repair status on, it also has some very informative reports.  In this meeting Jessica asked me how a shop manager could use the different reports they offer and through the discussion I found my favorite had to be the ARMS® Automotive Exchange Forecast Report.  This report gives you information like, # of Vehicles Closed, Closed MTD Avg Days, Closed MTD Avg Hours Per Day, # of Vehicles Open, Open MTD Avg Days, Open MTD Avg Hours Per Day, Combined Days Expected Monthly Total and Combined Hours Expected Monthly Total.  A lot of headings and to narrow it down I will focus on two, Closed MTD Avg Hours Per Day and Open MTD Avg Hours Per Day.  These two give you the real cycle time, not the one you have manipulated in your management system; it is also the cycle time the insurance company looks at when determining your effectiveness.  We all know the national average for cycle time is 4.5 hours per day.  Your management system is telling you that you are right on target but the ARMS® Automotive Exchange Forecast Report is showing you are at 2.1 average hours per day.  If that is showing on the Closed MTD column there is not much you can do about it, but look at the Open MTD Avg Hours Per Day column, those are ones you can fix.  ARMS® Automotive Exchange Forecast Report gives you the capability to drill down and find the problem child so you can make adjustments.  Let’s say you ran this report on the 5th of the month and your Closed MTD numbers were a little low, knowing you cannot pull water back under the bridge you would then look at the Open MTD numbers and see which jobs you could pull forward to improve your numbers by the end of the month.  Monitoring this report weekly would give you a status report to know which direction you are heading.  Having this information when the insurance manager comes by would be real helpful in your negotiations….because these numbers will match theirs.  If you are not using the reports available through ARMS® today, I hope I have given you some reasons to use them tomorrow.                                 abrn nonadult false ARMS Reporting Benefits text blog abrn 331 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=28425453&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_11756971_31710_28425453_ap_160X120.jpg false United States VA Newport News 23606 0 ABRN 0 6184097 28425453 Member 250 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Human-Robots/blog/6133099/31710.html I recently read an article “Robots Ate My Road Trip” in my July Automobile magazine.  In the article David Brancaccio wrote about how he traveled across the United States without dealing with a human, and described the various types of robots that helped him. Reading this article stirred some thoughts about some shops I have walked into where the humans have become robotic.   You have seen them, they hand you a clipboard, tell you to have a seat, fill out the form and somebody will be right with you.  Am I right!?! What a perfect time to start the selling process that some are missing allowing the greeting to become routine…robotic if you will.  What about filling out the form for the customer, engaging them in some conversation…learning about them!  What would the customer think about your business then?  Spending some time with the customer at the beginning of the process, gathering information about them and their vehicle will pay great dividends during the closing process.  Providing the information you gathered to the estimator will help with that process move towards a sale as the customer becomes a friend and not just another person walking through the door. Go look and see what you have, robots or people. I recently read an article “Robots Ate My Road Trip” in my July Automobile magazine.  In the article David Brancaccio wrote about how he traveled across the United States without dealing with a human, and described the various types of robots that helped him. Reading this article stirred some thoughts about some shops I have walked into where the humans have become robotic.   You have seen them, they hand you a clipboard, tell you to have a seat, fill out the form and somebody will be right with you.  Am I right!?! What a perfect time to start the selling process that some are missing allowing the greeting to become routine…robotic if you will.  What about filling out the form for the customer, engaging them in some conversation…learning about them!  What would the customer think about your business then?  Spending some time with the customer at the beginning of the process, gathering information about them and their vehicle will pay great dividends during the closing process.  Providing the information you gathered to the estimator will help with that process move towards a sale as the customer becomes a friend and not just another person walking through the door. Go look and see what you have, robots or people. Thu, 31 May 2012 11:44:31 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Human-Robots/blog/6133099/31710.html John Shoemaker 2012-05-31T11:44:31Z ABRN AutoPro Workshop I recently read an article “Robots Ate My Road Trip” in my July Automobile magazine.  In the article David Brancaccio wrote about how he traveled across the United States without dealing with a human, and described the various types of robots that helped him. Reading this article stirred some thoughts about some shops I have walked into where the humans have become robotic.   You have seen them, they hand you a clipboard, tell you to have a seat, fill out the form and somebody will be right with you.  Am I right!?! What a perfect time to start the selling process that some are missing allowing the greeting to become routine…robotic if you will.  What about filling out the form for the customer, engaging them in some conversation…learning about them!  What would the customer think about your business then?  Spending some time with the customer at the beginning of the process, gathering information about them and their vehicle will pay great dividends during the closing process.  Providing the information you gathered to the estimator will help with that process move towards a sale as the customer becomes a friend and not just another person walking through the door. Go look and see what you have, robots or people. abrn nonadult false Human Robots!?! text blog abrn 295 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=28425453&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_11756971_31710_28425453_ap_160X120.jpg false United States VA Newport News 23606 0 ABRN 0 6133099 28425453 Member 250 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Marketing-your-customer-base-is-important/blog/6126791/31710.html Marketing your customer base is important to maintain workflow.  When talking about marketing to shops I hear "I have five DRP's, they keep me busy".  My question to them is how many of them are repeat customers and how many are new.  My bet is most of them are new. Relying on your DRP to market for you makes you susceptible to their ebbs and flows negatively affecting your workflow. By marketing your customer base you retain your customer regardless of their insurance company affiliation.  There are numerous commercials luring customers from one insurance company to another and unless you are a DRP for all of them your customer could be directed to your competition.    By staying in contact with your customer you develop loyalty that will help combat insurance company steering.  Customers want to know they have somebody that can help them when they have an accident.  When you have stayed in touch with them they will turn to you, when you haven’t, they will rely on the insurance company recommendations. There are many tools available to maintain contact with your customers as well as different methods.  Which method or tool you use depends on your marketing target. I recommend you do a little research before you pick one or maybe two to reach your customers.  What are you doing to stay in touch with your customers? Marketing your customer base is important to maintain workflow.  When talking about marketing to shops I hear "I have five DRP's, they keep me busy".  My question to them is how many of them are repeat customers and how many are new.  My bet is most of them are new. Relying on your DRP to market for you makes you susceptible to their ebbs and flows negatively affecting your workflow. By marketing your customer base you retain your customer regardless of their insurance company affiliation.  There are numerous commercials luring customers from one insurance company to another and unless you are a DRP for all of them your customer could be directed to your competition.    By staying in contact with your customer you develop loyalty that will help combat insurance company steering.  Customers want to know they have somebody that can help them when they have an accident.  When you have stayed in touch with them they will turn to you, when you haven’t, they will rely on the insurance company recommendations. There are many tools available to maintain contact with your customers as well as different methods.  Which method or tool you use depends on your marketing target. I recommend you do a little research before you pick one or maybe two to reach your customers.  What are you doing to stay in touch with your customers? Tue, 29 May 2012 11:54:53 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Marketing-your-customer-base-is-important/blog/6126791/31710.html John Shoemaker 2012-05-29T11:54:53Z ABRN AutoPro Workshop Marketing your customer base is important to maintain workflow.  When talking about marketing to shops I hear "I have five DRP's, they keep me busy".  My question to them is how many of them are repeat customers and how many are new.  My bet is most of them are new. Relying on your DRP to market for you makes you susceptible to their ebbs and flows negatively affecting your workflow. By marketing your customer base you retain your customer regardless of their insurance company affiliation.  There are numerous commercials luring customers from one insurance company to another and unless you are a DRP for all of them your customer could be directed to your competition.    By staying in contact with your customer you develop loyalty that will help combat insurance company steering.  Customers want to know they have somebody that can help them when they have an accident.  When you have stayed in touch with them they will turn to you, when you haven’t, they will rely on the insurance company recommendations. There are many tools available to maintain contact with your customers as well as different methods.  Which method or tool you use depends on your marketing target. I recommend you do a little research before you pick one or maybe two to reach your customers.  What are you doing to stay in touch with your customers? abrn nonadult false Marketing your customer base is important! text blog abrn 265 1 5.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=28425453&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_11756971_31710_28425453_ap_160X120.jpg false United States VA Newport News 23606 1 ABRN 0 6126791 28425453 Member 250 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Controlling-Severity/blog/6115833/31710.html Severity has been a buzz in shops lately, not that it is a new buzz but shops I have been in lately seem to have it at the top of their mind. Makes sense since the top three insurance focus points are Severity, Cycle Time and CSI.   There are several ways to control severity, I think the quickest way to make an impact on severity is by repairing bumpers. Bumpers have become more and more costly as they become a major portion of the front of a vehicle. Take a look in your trash bin and see how many bumpers could have been repaired. There are many tools available now to assist with bumper repair, staplers, hot wire embossers, as well as mesh systems to restore tabs. Compare the difference between a 4 - 6 hour repair on a bumper versus the replacement cost.   Another way to control severity is to look at the labor hours on your estimates. Are they all in whole or half hours? There are more options that using whole or half hours, ever thought of using 3.7 or 4.2? I know the thought process of writing a sheet, you look at a dent and say, "that could be 3.5 or 4, hmm, I will write 4", what about trying 3.7? You can argue that this will cost you money, but does it? How many times has an insurance company tell you, "No, I think that dent is worth 3.5". How hard would it be for them to argue the point if you wrote 3.7.   Are you charging for a entire tube of "Superfast" when making a small bumper repair or have you calculated it out by the amount used? The same can go for freon and other consumables you use to perform repairs. If you have a blanket cost for your consumables you might be over-charging compared to what you are using. Using a formula based on repair needs is a better way to charge for consumables that not only helps with severity but it also eliminates the need to negotiate the expense.   Take Severity from being a buzz word and make it an action word, compare what your are doing with these tips from my Estimating Best Practice class. Severity has been a buzz in shops lately, not that it is a new buzz but shops I have been in lately seem to have it at the top of their mind. Makes sense since the top three insurance focus points are Severity, Cycle Time and CSI.   There are several ways to control severity, I think the quickest way to make an impact on severity is by repairing bumpers. Bumpers have become more and more costly as they become a major portion of the front of a vehicle. Take a look in your trash bin and see how many bumpers could have been repaired. There are many tools available now to assist with bumper repair, staplers, hot wire embossers, as well as mesh systems to restore tabs. Compare the difference between a 4 - 6 hour repair on a bumper versus the replacement cost.   Another way to control severity is to look at the labor hours on your estimates. Are they all in whole or half hours? There are more options that using whole or half hours, ever thought of using 3.7 or 4.2? I know the thought process of writing a sheet, you look at a dent and say, "that could be 3.5 or 4, hmm, I will write 4", what about trying 3.7? You can argue that this will cost you money, but does it? How many times has an insurance company tell you, "No, I think that dent is worth 3.5". How hard would it be for them to argue the point if you wrote 3.7.   Are you charging for a entire tube of "Superfast" when making a small bumper repair or have you calculated it out by the amount used? The same can go for freon and other consumables you use to perform repairs. If you have a blanket cost for your consumables you might be over-charging compared to what you are using. Using a formula based on repair needs is a better way to charge for consumables that not only helps with severity but it also eliminates the need to negotiate the expense.   Take Severity from being a buzz word and make it an action word, compare what your are doing with these tips from my Estimating Best Practice class. Fri, 25 May 2012 11:52:36 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Controlling-Severity/blog/6115833/31710.html John Shoemaker 2012-05-25T11:52:36Z ABRN AutoPro Workshop Severity has been a buzz in shops lately, not that it is a new buzz but shops I have been in lately seem to have it at the top of their mind. Makes sense since the top three insurance focus points are Severity, Cycle Time and CSI.   There are several ways to control severity, I think the quickest way to make an impact on severity is by repairing bumpers. Bumpers have become more and more costly as they become a major portion of the front of a vehicle. Take a look in your trash bin and see how many bumpers could have been repaired. There are many tools available now to assist with bumper repair, staplers, hot wire embossers, as well as mesh systems to restore tabs. Compare the difference between a 4 - 6 hour repair on a bumper versus the replacement cost.   Another way to control severity is to look at the labor hours on your estimates. Are they all in whole or half hours? There are more options that using whole or half hours, ever thought of using 3.7 or 4.2? I know the thought process of writing a sheet, you look at a dent and say, "that could be 3.5 or 4, hmm, I will write 4", what about trying 3.7? You can argue that this will cost you money, but does it? How many times has an insurance company tell you, "No, I think that dent is worth 3.5". How hard would it be for them to argue the point if you wrote 3.7.   Are you charging for a entire tube of "Superfast" when making a small bumper repair or have you calculated it out by the amount used? The same can go for freon and other consumables you use to perform repairs. If you have a blanket cost for your consumables you might be over-charging compared to what you are using. Using a formula based on repair needs is a better way to charge for consumables that not only helps with severity but it also eliminates the need to negotiate the expense.   Take Severity from being a buzz word and make it an action word, compare what your are doing with these tips from my Estimating Best Practice class. abrn nonadult false Controlling Severity text blog abrn 189 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=28425453&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_11756971_31710_28425453_ap_160X120.jpg false United States VA Newport News 23606 0 ABRN 0 6115833 28425453 Member 250 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Validating-your-Advertising/blog/6109643/31710.html Shop owners are spending valuable dollars on advertising to drive business to their shop's front door without employing tools to verify an increase in profit. They have developed websites with effective search engine optimization so they appear high on the list in Internet searches and grabbed that prime drive-time radio spot to advertise their shop. But the medium is often questioned when advertising efforts don't seem to help the bottom line. For the complete article please visit http://www.searchautoparts.com/abrn/shop-management-operations-collision-repair/use-these-tools-confirm-advertising-dollars-are-dri Shop owners are spending valuable dollars on advertising to drive business to their shop's front door without employing tools to verify an increase in profit. They have developed websites with effective search engine optimization so they appear high on the list in Internet searches and grabbed that prime drive-time radio spot to advertise their shop. But the medium is often questioned when advertising efforts don't seem to help the bottom line. For the complete article please visit http://www.searchautoparts.com/abrn/shop-management-operations-collision-repair/use-these-tools-confirm-advertising-dollars-are-dri Wed, 23 May 2012 16:08:41 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Validating-your-Advertising/blog/6109643/31710.html John Shoemaker 2012-05-23T16:08:41Z ABRN AutoPro Workshop Shop owners are spending valuable dollars on advertising to drive business to their shop's front door without employing tools to verify an increase in profit. They have developed websites with effective search engine optimization so they appear high on the list in Internet searches and grabbed that prime drive-time radio spot to advertise their shop. But the medium is often questioned when advertising efforts don't seem to help the bottom line. For the complete article please visit http://www.searchautoparts.com/abrn/shop-management-operations-collision-repair/use-these-tools-confirm-advertising-dollars-are-dri abrn nonadult false Validating your Advertising text blog abrn 241 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=28425453&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_11756971_31710_28425453_ap_160X120.jpg false United States VA Newport News 23606 0 ABRN 0 6109643 28425453 Member 250 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Building-Fleet-Business/blog/6101797/31710.html Fleet repair is a valuable profit center if managed properly.  Efficiency of repair as well as keeping the repairs economical is the key to a successful fleet repair program.  Most companies have deductibles in the $1000 to $1500 range so providing a repair that prevents an insurance claim provides the best service.  The focus should be on keeping the vehicle on the road earning the owner income while keeping their costs at a minimum.  This can be accomplished by Pre-Planning repairs, using Paintless Dent Repair, performing Cosmetic Repairs as well as partial serviceablilty repairs.  The state of the economy has moved companies to down size in most areas so extra vehicles were considered a luxury and they have reduced their fleets to the minimum required to perform their jobs.  Keeping the vehicles on the road will help maintain a strong relationship with fleet operators and make them more responsive to your marketing efforts. For a complete article on this visit http://www.searchautoparts.com/abrn/training/how-build-fleet-repair-business   Fleet repair is a valuable profit center if managed properly.  Efficiency of repair as well as keeping the repairs economical is the key to a successful fleet repair program.  Most companies have deductibles in the $1000 to $1500 range so providing a repair that prevents an insurance claim provides the best service.  The focus should be on keeping the vehicle on the road earning the owner income while keeping their costs at a minimum.  This can be accomplished by Pre-Planning repairs, using Paintless Dent Repair, performing Cosmetic Repairs as well as partial serviceablilty repairs.  The state of the economy has moved companies to down size in most areas so extra vehicles were considered a luxury and they have reduced their fleets to the minimum required to perform their jobs.  Keeping the vehicles on the road will help maintain a strong relationship with fleet operators and make them more responsive to your marketing efforts. For a complete article on this visit http://www.searchautoparts.com/abrn/training/how-build-fleet-repair-business   Mon, 21 May 2012 11:32:09 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Building-Fleet-Business/blog/6101797/31710.html John Shoemaker 2012-05-21T11:32:09Z ABRN AutoPro Workshop Fleet repair is a valuable profit center if managed properly.  Efficiency of repair as well as keeping the repairs economical is the key to a successful fleet repair program.  Most companies have deductibles in the $1000 to $1500 range so providing a repair that prevents an insurance claim provides the best service.  The focus should be on keeping the vehicle on the road earning the owner income while keeping their costs at a minimum.  This can be accomplished by Pre-Planning repairs, using Paintless Dent Repair, performing Cosmetic Repairs as well as partial serviceablilty repairs.  The state of the economy has moved companies to down size in most areas so extra vehicles were considered a luxury and they have reduced their fleets to the minimum required to perform their jobs.  Keeping the vehicles on the road will help maintain a strong relationship with fleet operators and make them more responsive to your marketing efforts. For a complete article on this visit http://www.searchautoparts.com/abrn/training/how-build-fleet-repair-business   abrn nonadult false Building Fleet Business text blog abrn 196 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=28425453&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_11756971_31710_28425453_ap_160X120.jpg false United States VA Newport News 23606 0 ABRN 0 6101797 28425453 Member 250 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_The-Value-of-Stability/blog/6088787/31710.html Is there value in change – absolutely, is there value in change for the sake of change – doubtful!  Change for the right reason is always good; some will say if you are not changing you are not growing and I can agree with that.  The problem lies when change happens for the wrong reason which affects stability and this is especially true in personnel changes.  Something isn’t going right so you make a personnel change and hmm, that didn’t work, let me make another change. A big issue in a collision center is management changes.  Changing a manager is a big disruption to an organization and goes deeper than most think.  It usually sends shockwaves through a shop, technicians slow down and production is reduced to a crawl.  Another effect of a management change is in insurance relationships.  Insurance companies will put you lower on their list or stop work flow all together.  If you have more than one management change in a year an insurance company will take a serious look at the value of your shop.  Insurance companies want stability, and will move their business to a shop that has proven to show consistency in their operation.  Those actions will hurt the workflow and ultimately the bottom line.  At times reviewing the processes and working towards stability is a better option than making a personnel change.  Most of the problems lie in a failed process rather than a failed person.  People in general want to do a good job and quite often coaching can move a person to the next level.  Employing a coach to work with a manager to help overcome deficiencies can provide the stability needed to allow a company to grow.  Together you can check the processes and identify whether it is a knowing problem or a doing problem to determine the best action to take.  This investment can prove to be more beneficial than making a change that might not be right and impact your business adversely.  If a coach finds that a change is necessary they can help orchestrate the change to minimize the impact. Stability is the key to success; the consistency it brings will increase morale and make your business more visible to your insurance partners. Is there value in change – absolutely, is there value in change for the sake of change – doubtful!  Change for the right reason is always good; some will say if you are not changing you are not growing and I can agree with that.  The problem lies when change happens for the wrong reason which affects stability and this is especially true in personnel changes.  Something isn’t going right so you make a personnel change and hmm, that didn’t work, let me make another change. A big issue in a collision center is management changes.  Changing a manager is a big disruption to an organization and goes deeper than most think.  It usually sends shockwaves through a shop, technicians slow down and production is reduced to a crawl.  Another effect of a management change is in insurance relationships.  Insurance companies will put you lower on their list or stop work flow all together.  If you have more than one management change in a year an insurance company will take a serious look at the value of your shop.  Insurance companies want stability, and will move their business to a shop that has proven to show consistency in their operation.  Those actions will hurt the workflow and ultimately the bottom line.  At times reviewing the processes and working towards stability is a better option than making a personnel change.  Most of the problems lie in a failed process rather than a failed person.  People in general want to do a good job and quite often coaching can move a person to the next level.  Employing a coach to work with a manager to help overcome deficiencies can provide the stability needed to allow a company to grow.  Together you can check the processes and identify whether it is a knowing problem or a doing problem to determine the best action to take.  This investment can prove to be more beneficial than making a change that might not be right and impact your business adversely.  If a coach finds that a change is necessary they can help orchestrate the change to minimize the impact. Stability is the key to success; the consistency it brings will increase morale and make your business more visible to your insurance partners. Thu, 17 May 2012 13:42:08 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_The-Value-of-Stability/blog/6088787/31710.html John Shoemaker 2012-05-17T13:42:08Z ABRN AutoPro Workshop Is there value in change – absolutely, is there value in change for the sake of change – doubtful!  Change for the right reason is always good; some will say if you are not changing you are not growing and I can agree with that.  The problem lies when change happens for the wrong reason which affects stability and this is especially true in personnel changes.  Something isn’t going right so you make a personnel change and hmm, that didn’t work, let me make another change. A big issue in a collision center is management changes.  Changing a manager is a big disruption to an organization and goes deeper than most think.  It usually sends shockwaves through a shop, technicians slow down and production is reduced to a crawl.  Another effect of a management change is in insurance relationships.  Insurance companies will put you lower on their list or stop work flow all together.  If you have more than one management change in a year an insurance company will take a serious look at the value of your shop.  Insurance companies want stability, and will move their business to a shop that has proven to show consistency in their operation.  Those actions will hurt the workflow and ultimately the bottom line.  At times reviewing the processes and working towards stability is a better option than making a personnel change.  Most of the problems lie in a failed process rather than a failed person.  People in general want to do a good job and quite often coaching can move a person to the next level.  Employing a coach to work with a manager to help overcome deficiencies can provide the stability needed to allow a company to grow.  Together you can check the processes and identify whether it is a knowing problem or a doing problem to determine the best action to take.  This investment can prove to be more beneficial than making a change that might not be right and impact your business adversely.  If a coach finds that a change is necessary they can help orchestrate the change to minimize the impact. Stability is the key to success; the consistency it brings will increase morale and make your business more visible to your insurance partners. abrn nonadult false The Value of Stability text blog abrn 137 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=28425453&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_11756971_31710_28425453_ap_160X120.jpg false United States VA Newport News 23606 0 ABRN 0 6088787 28425453 Member 250 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Managing-Material-Expenses/blog/6084593/31710.html With the continuous growth in products available to collision repairers keeping your inventory list to a minimum is difficult.  A lengthy material list detracts from a profitable bottom line because as the list grows so does the potential for waste.  While in a shop helping organize their materials I saw their paint salesman walking through the shop talking to each technician.  I showed the manager, asked him how often that happens and if the technicians have any input on what is ordered.  While I agree the technicians should have an input on what is used in the shop; that should only happen as you are developing your materials list.  Allowing industry rep’s to talk directly to your technicians and permitting salespeople to offer products to technicians to “test” directly compounds the difficulty of maintain a cost effective – profitable – material inventory.  There is a time and place for introducing new products; however it is not on the shop floor where technician production is disrupted.           Since working in that shop I have visited several others and have seen multiple partial cans of body filler from different manufacturers on repair carts that have been offered to technicians to test by vendors.  Unfortunately what the technicians don’t understand is those test products are not free!  Most vendors will bill you for what they offer the technicians and then give you a credit if you do not like the product.  What is also unfortunate about this is that this occurs at times without your knowledge.  The best way to eliminate this problem is to develop a materials list with the assistance of your technicians, create an inventory process and then restrict purchases to this inventory.   Using this system you eliminate excess materials in your shop, restrict the freedom of vendors promoting new products and you have only the materials you need at the time you need them.  Developing this list will take a little time but the investment will be visualized on your bottom line.  Have each technician list the products they are using, from masking tape, to body filler and sandpaper.  Review the lists carefully and valuate each duplicated product to identify the most beneficial.  One shop I visited was using three different types of body filler between five body technicians.  On the shelf was a backup for each type of body filler tripling their inventory expense.  Discussing the pros and cons of any duplicate products with your technicians and having them decide on one will move you forward in reducing material expenses.   You will also want to evaluate each product on your list; are you using inexpensive body filler and purchasing an expensive glaze to compensate for the body filler’s performance?  At times the least expensive is not the most economical; this is relevant in sandpaper as well.  Lower cost sandpaper can cost you more because it does not cut as well requiring your technicians to use more.  Are you using a paint grade masking tape in the metal shop when a less expensive tape would meet your needs?  These are all things to consider when developing your materials list. Once you complete your list you can implement an inventory system controlled by order tags or Kanban cards.  Using an order tag or Kanban system will allow you clearly identify the product, set inventory limits and eliminate the need for your vendor to stop the technicians from working to see what they need.  When a vendor has a new product to promote they would have to identify which product within the inventory it would replace, then set up a demonstration and provide a free sample to test.  Restricting the vendor in this manner would prevent your inventory from getting out of control. Using a methodical approach to develop your materials inventory will reduce your overall material expense which will be reflected immediately in your net profit. With the continuous growth in products available to collision repairers keeping your inventory list to a minimum is difficult.  A lengthy material list detracts from a profitable bottom line because as the list grows so does the potential for waste.  While in a shop helping organize their materials I saw their paint salesman walking through the shop talking to each technician.  I showed the manager, asked him how often that happens and if the technicians have any input on what is ordered.  While I agree the technicians should have an input on what is used in the shop; that should only happen as you are developing your materials list.  Allowing industry rep’s to talk directly to your technicians and permitting salespeople to offer products to technicians to “test” directly compounds the difficulty of maintain a cost effective – profitable – material inventory.  There is a time and place for introducing new products; however it is not on the shop floor where technician production is disrupted.           Since working in that shop I have visited several others and have seen multiple partial cans of body filler from different manufacturers on repair carts that have been offered to technicians to test by vendors.  Unfortunately what the technicians don’t understand is those test products are not free!  Most vendors will bill you for what they offer the technicians and then give you a credit if you do not like the product.  What is also unfortunate about this is that this occurs at times without your knowledge.  The best way to eliminate this problem is to develop a materials list with the assistance of your technicians, create an inventory process and then restrict purchases to this inventory.   Using this system you eliminate excess materials in your shop, restrict the freedom of vendors promoting new products and you have only the materials you need at the time you need them.  Developing this list will take a little time but the investment will be visualized on your bottom line.  Have each technician list the products they are using, from masking tape, to body filler and sandpaper.  Review the lists carefully and valuate each duplicated product to identify the most beneficial.  One shop I visited was using three different types of body filler between five body technicians.  On the shelf was a backup for each type of body filler tripling their inventory expense.  Discussing the pros and cons of any duplicate products with your technicians and having them decide on one will move you forward in reducing material expenses.   You will also want to evaluate each product on your list; are you using inexpensive body filler and purchasing an expensive glaze to compensate for the body filler’s performance?  At times the least expensive is not the most economical; this is relevant in sandpaper as well.  Lower cost sandpaper can cost you more because it does not cut as well requiring your technicians to use more.  Are you using a paint grade masking tape in the metal shop when a less expensive tape would meet your needs?  These are all things to consider when developing your materials list. Once you complete your list you can implement an inventory system controlled by order tags or Kanban cards.  Using an order tag or Kanban system will allow you clearly identify the product, set inventory limits and eliminate the need for your vendor to stop the technicians from working to see what they need.  When a vendor has a new product to promote they would have to identify which product within the inventory it would replace, then set up a demonstration and provide a free sample to test.  Restricting the vendor in this manner would prevent your inventory from getting out of control. Using a methodical approach to develop your materials inventory will reduce your overall material expense which will be reflected immediately in your net profit. Wed, 16 May 2012 13:05:11 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Managing-Material-Expenses/blog/6084593/31710.html John Shoemaker 2012-05-16T13:05:11Z ABRN AutoPro Workshop With the continuous growth in products available to collision repairers keeping your inventory list to a minimum is difficult.  A lengthy material list detracts from a profitable bottom line because as the list grows so does the potential for waste.  While in a shop helping organize their materials I saw their paint salesman walking through the shop talking to each technician.  I showed the manager, asked him how often that happens and if the technicians have any input on what is ordered.  While I agree the technicians should have an input on what is used in the shop; that should only happen as you are developing your materials list.  Allowing industry rep’s to talk directly to your technicians and permitting salespeople to offer products to technicians to “test” directly compounds the difficulty of maintain a cost effective – profitable – material inventory.  There is a time and place for introducing new products; however it is not on the shop floor where technician production is disrupted.           Since working in that shop I have visited several others and have seen multiple partial cans of body filler from different manufacturers on repair carts that have been offered to technicians to test by vendors.  Unfortunately what the technicians don’t understand is those test products are not free!  Most vendors will bill you for what they offer the technicians and then give you a credit if you do not like the product.  What is also unfortunate about this is that this occurs at times without your knowledge.  The best way to eliminate this problem is to develop a materials list with the assistance of your technicians, create an inventory process and then restrict purchases to this inventory.   Using this system you eliminate excess materials in your shop, restrict the freedom of vendors promoting new products and you have only the materials you need at the time you need them.  Developing this list will take a little time but the investment will be visualized on your bottom line.  Have each technician list the products they are using, from masking tape, to body filler and sandpaper.  Review the lists carefully and valuate each duplicated product to identify the most beneficial.  One shop I visited was using three different types of body filler between five body technicians.  On the shelf was a backup for each type of body filler tripling their inventory expense.  Discussing the pros and cons of any duplicate products with your technicians and having them decide on one will move you forward in reducing material expenses.   You will also want to evaluate each product on your list; are you using inexpensive body filler and purchasing an expensive glaze to compensate for the body filler’s performance?  At times the least expensive is not the most economical; this is relevant in sandpaper as well.  Lower cost sandpaper can cost you more because it does not cut as well requiring your technicians to use more.  Are you using a paint grade masking tape in the metal shop when a less expensive tape would meet your needs?  These are all things to consider when developing your materials list. Once you complete your list you can implement an inventory system controlled by order tags or Kanban cards.  Using an order tag or Kanban system will allow you clearly identify the product, set inventory limits and eliminate the need for your vendor to stop the technicians from working to see what they need.  When a vendor has a new product to promote they would have to identify which product within the inventory it would replace, then set up a demonstration and provide a free sample to test.  Restricting the vendor in this manner would prevent your inventory from getting out of control. Using a methodical approach to develop your materials inventory will reduce your overall material expense which will be reflected immediately in your net profit. abrn nonadult false Managing Material Expenses text blog abrn 179 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=28425453&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_11756971_31710_28425453_ap_160X120.jpg false United States VA Newport News 23606 0 ABRN 0 6084593 28425453 Member 250 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_CSI-Strategy/blog/6014495/31710.html Are you having trouble reaching a desired CSI rating? How are you approaching the issue? Some shop operators tell me they call all their customers to remind them about the survey reiterating they need a "10". I guess that is one way, others tell me they give customers coupons for completing the survey. That would work to keep your numbers up and negate the effects of a poor survey. My question is; What are you doing to make the customer want to complete the survey and give you that "10". Do all your employees know what part they play in Customer Satisfaction? Do they know how what they do affects a particular question on the survey? Have you ever gone over the survey with your employees? Seem like a lot of questions?  I recently worked with at shop that had CSI issues and NO was the prevalent answer. So in my quest to make the collision industry better every day through JSE Consulting I will share briefly what we covered. I created a test using the particular survey they were using and had each person in the shop tell me what part they played in Customer Satisfaction.  You might be surprised at the answers but they were pretty basic, fix it right, no runs in the paint, make sure I detail it right etc, but nobody really understood what part they played in CSI, some even said that was the front office’s job.  A little scary but unless all your people know what part they play in Customer Satisfaction your score will not increase, you will hover where you are despite any CSI marketing you do.  Customer Satisfaction begins at the first welcoming and through your customer follow-up. Customer Satisfaction has to be a culture all your people adopt, they have to think about what they do at every juncture of the repair and customer interaction.  Are your technicians replacing bulbs with ones they found in their toolbox, are they taking a short cut to speed the repair, or are your painters painting over primer instead of sealer?  Give your people a test using your particular survey and see what kind of answers you get, I am betting you will be surprised.  Call me if you don’t get the answers you like and need to increase your CSI score. Are you having trouble reaching a desired CSI rating? How are you approaching the issue? Some shop operators tell me they call all their customers to remind them about the survey reiterating they need a "10". I guess that is one way, others tell me they give customers coupons for completing the survey. That would work to keep your numbers up and negate the effects of a poor survey. My question is; What are you doing to make the customer want to complete the survey and give you that "10". Do all your employees know what part they play in Customer Satisfaction? Do they know how what they do affects a particular question on the survey? Have you ever gone over the survey with your employees? Seem like a lot of questions?  I recently worked with at shop that had CSI issues and NO was the prevalent answer. So in my quest to make the collision industry better every day through JSE Consulting I will share briefly what we covered. I created a test using the particular survey they were using and had each person in the shop tell me what part they played in Customer Satisfaction.  You might be surprised at the answers but they were pretty basic, fix it right, no runs in the paint, make sure I detail it right etc, but nobody really understood what part they played in CSI, some even said that was the front office’s job.  A little scary but unless all your people know what part they play in Customer Satisfaction your score will not increase, you will hover where you are despite any CSI marketing you do.  Customer Satisfaction begins at the first welcoming and through your customer follow-up. Customer Satisfaction has to be a culture all your people adopt, they have to think about what they do at every juncture of the repair and customer interaction.  Are your technicians replacing bulbs with ones they found in their toolbox, are they taking a short cut to speed the repair, or are your painters painting over primer instead of sealer?  Give your people a test using your particular survey and see what kind of answers you get, I am betting you will be surprised.  Call me if you don’t get the answers you like and need to increase your CSI score. Wed, 25 Apr 2012 10:53:39 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_CSI-Strategy/blog/6014495/31710.html John Shoemaker 2012-04-25T10:53:39Z AutoPro Workshop Are you having trouble reaching a desired CSI rating? How are you approaching the issue? Some shop operators tell me they call all their customers to remind them about the survey reiterating they need a "10". I guess that is one way, others tell me they give customers coupons for completing the survey. That would work to keep your numbers up and negate the effects of a poor survey. My question is; What are you doing to make the customer want to complete the survey and give you that "10". Do all your employees know what part they play in Customer Satisfaction? Do they know how what they do affects a particular question on the survey? Have you ever gone over the survey with your employees? Seem like a lot of questions?  I recently worked with at shop that had CSI issues and NO was the prevalent answer. So in my quest to make the collision industry better every day through JSE Consulting I will share briefly what we covered. I created a test using the particular survey they were using and had each person in the shop tell me what part they played in Customer Satisfaction.  You might be surprised at the answers but they were pretty basic, fix it right, no runs in the paint, make sure I detail it right etc, but nobody really understood what part they played in CSI, some even said that was the front office’s job.  A little scary but unless all your people know what part they play in Customer Satisfaction your score will not increase, you will hover where you are despite any CSI marketing you do.  Customer Satisfaction begins at the first welcoming and through your customer follow-up. Customer Satisfaction has to be a culture all your people adopt, they have to think about what they do at every juncture of the repair and customer interaction.  Are your technicians replacing bulbs with ones they found in their toolbox, are they taking a short cut to speed the repair, or are your painters painting over primer instead of sealer?  Give your people a test using your particular survey and see what kind of answers you get, I am betting you will be surprised.  Call me if you don’t get the answers you like and need to increase your CSI score. nonadult false CSI Strategy text blog 364 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=28425453&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_11756971_31710_28425453_ap_160X120.jpg false United States VA Newport News 23606 0 0 6014495 28425453 Member 250 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Is-Your-Marketing-Effective/blog/5957467/31710.html Marketing plans are only as effective as their reach. You can't successfully market your collision center without understanding your target. Marketing has many facets that require research to determine the correct message, the right resource and the intended receiver. What would make your business stand out from the others? That question is the key to a profitable marketing campaign. Your focus should be finding what you can utilize to make your collision center stand out among the competition. For the complete article visit: http://abrn.search-autoparts.com/abrn/Training/How-to-create-a-positive-and-profitable-collision-/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/758131 Marketing plans are only as effective as their reach. You can't successfully market your collision center without understanding your target. Marketing has many facets that require research to determine the correct message, the right resource and the intended receiver. What would make your business stand out from the others? That question is the key to a profitable marketing campaign. Your focus should be finding what you can utilize to make your collision center stand out among the competition. For the complete article visit: http://abrn.search-autoparts.com/abrn/Training/How-to-create-a-positive-and-profitable-collision-/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/758131 Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:03:21 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Is-Your-Marketing-Effective/blog/5957467/31710.html John Shoemaker 2012-04-10T11:03:21Z ABRN Blogs AutoPro Workshop Marketing plans are only as effective as their reach. You can't successfully market your collision center without understanding your target. Marketing has many facets that require research to determine the correct message, the right resource and the intended receiver. What would make your business stand out from the others? That question is the key to a profitable marketing campaign. Your focus should be finding what you can utilize to make your collision center stand out among the competition. For the complete article visit: http://abrn.search-autoparts.com/abrn/Training/How-to-create-a-positive-and-profitable-collision-/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/758131 abrn, blogs nonadult false Is Your Marketing Effective? text blog abrn,blogs 425 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=28425453&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_11756971_31710_28425453_ap_160X120.jpg false United States VA Newport News 23606 0 ABRN / Blogs 0 5957467 28425453 Member 250 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_How-does-your-Website-Perform/blog/5952659/31710.html Was your website developed by a friend of a friend, or is it a couple of years old?Ever wonder if it was still performing its magic or if it ever did?If you can answer yes to either of those questions I want to introduce you to two of my friends, Crystal Stangeland and Chris Sheehy.Crystal is the National Sales Manager forAutoshop Solutions Inc. where they have a website tune-up program where they will analyze your website, just ask them at tuneup@autoshopsolutions.com. The last time I talked to Crystal she was explaining the difference between Google AdWord™ and AdWords Express™ and I tell you unless you work with these things all the time it is a foreign language.It is really best to leave it up to the professionals; Crystal told me that three years of our time is ten years in internet time.We have all have had to upgrade our computers every 3-5 years because of changes and upgrading your website isn't any different.Chris Sheehy, CEO Sidewalk Branding Co. is what I call an SEO guru, and through his company he can do an On-Page Website SEO Audit where he can report on the elements of your website that are bringing you value as well as where changes could increase your visibility.He tries to talk to me about META wording relevance and character/word length, GEO location indicators and anchor text usage and again it is a foreign language.That is why I need these people and you probably do also, internet/social marketing has become very specialized.I have clients that ask me to look at their websites and I do, but to know for sure I call Crystal or Chris.With more and more people turning to the internet to locate a body shop your website has to be top-notch, Crystal and Chris have both told me that you must grab an internet searcher's attention in a few seconds or they will move on. Was your website developed by a friend of a friend, or is it a couple of years old?Ever wonder if it was still performing its magic or if it ever did?If you can answer yes to either of those questions I want to introduce you to two of my friends, Crystal Stangeland and Chris Sheehy.Crystal is the National Sales Manager forAutoshop Solutions Inc. where they have a website tune-up program where they will analyze your website, just ask them at tuneup@autoshopsolutions.com. The last time I talked to Crystal she was explaining the difference between Google AdWord™ and AdWords Express™ and I tell you unless you work with these things all the time it is a foreign language.It is really best to leave it up to the professionals; Crystal told me that three years of our time is ten years in internet time.We have all have had to upgrade our computers every 3-5 years because of changes and upgrading your website isn't any different.Chris Sheehy, CEO Sidewalk Branding Co. is what I call an SEO guru, and through his company he can do an On-Page Website SEO Audit where he can report on the elements of your website that are bringing you value as well as where changes could increase your visibility.He tries to talk to me about META wording relevance and character/word length, GEO location indicators and anchor text usage and again it is a foreign language.That is why I need these people and you probably do also, internet/social marketing has become very specialized.I have clients that ask me to look at their websites and I do, but to know for sure I call Crystal or Chris.With more and more people turning to the internet to locate a body shop your website has to be top-notch, Crystal and Chris have both told me that you must grab an internet searcher's attention in a few seconds or they will move on. Mon, 09 Apr 2012 12:48:38 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_How-does-your-Website-Perform/blog/5952659/31710.html John Shoemaker 2012-04-09T12:48:38Z ABRN AutoPro Workshop Was your website developed by a friend of a friend, or is it a couple of years old?Ever wonder if it was still performing its magic or if it ever did?If you can answer yes to either of those questions I want to introduce you to two of my friends, Crystal Stangeland and Chris Sheehy.Crystal is the National Sales Manager forAutoshop Solutions Inc. where they have a website tune-up program where they will analyze your website, just ask them at tuneup@autoshopsolutions.com. The last time I talked to Crystal she was explaining the difference between Google AdWord™ and AdWords Express™ and I tell you unless you work with these things all the time it is a foreign language.It is really best to leave it up to the professionals; Crystal told me that three years of our time is ten years in internet time.We have all have had to upgrade our computers every 3-5 years because of changes and upgrading your website isn't any different.Chris Sheehy, CEO Sidewalk Branding Co. is what I call an SEO guru, and through his company he can do an On-Page Website SEO Audit where he can report on the elements of your website that are bringing you value as well as where changes could increase your visibility.He tries to talk to me about META wording relevance and character/word length, GEO location indicators and anchor text usage and again it is a foreign language.That is why I need these people and you probably do also, internet/social marketing has become very specialized.I have clients that ask me to look at their websites and I do, but to know for sure I call Crystal or Chris.With more and more people turning to the internet to locate a body shop your website has to be top-notch, Crystal and Chris have both told me that you must grab an internet searcher's attention in a few seconds or they will move on. abrn nonadult false How does your Website Perform? text blog abrn 322 1 5.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=28425453&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_11756971_31710_28425453_ap_160X120.jpg false United States VA Newport News 23606 1 ABRN 1 5952659 28425453 Member 250 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Is-it-time-for-Waterborne/blog/5929131/31710.html I was invited to attend a waterborne workshop a couple of weeks ago by my friends at PROFINISHESPLUS. They were holding the workshop to show the benefits of DuPont™ Cromax®Pro waterborne basecoat. Like others I always thought of changing to waterborne was for EPA reasons, but after attending this workshop I found many other benefits, especially time!Forget about the EPA regulations, the date for mandatory use continually moves and I believe people have put going to waterborne on the back burner.After attending this workshop I can tell you that is a big mistake.Going to waterborne will speed up production.Terry McDaniel, DuPont paint technician and John Santiago PROFINISHES PLUS paint technician set up the paint both with some mock front ends and a couple loose fenders.Manned with a stopwatch John timed the different processes and believe it or not they painted a complete front end with waterborne in the time it took to paint a fender in solvent.With the wet-on-wet application process of the waterborne product they were able to paint the front fenders and hood on the mock frontend in just less than 15 minutes.It took just over 15 minutes to apply a basecoat of solvent, let it flash and apply a second coat of base product.It also took less time for the waterborne to flatten/flash so clear could be applied than the solvent. If that is not a reason to go to waterborne, I certainly do not know what is! I encourage everybody to ask their paint jobber to show them the benefits of going to waterborne, or better yet, open your shop to a workshop.Seeing this first hand made me realize there are many more benefits than EPA requirements.To me EPA now stands for Extra Production Achieved! Your jobber can also help you with an audit to see what you will need to do to get ready to convert to waterborne and my article in ABRN will give you some additional insight. I was invited to attend a waterborne workshop a couple of weeks ago by my friends at PROFINISHESPLUS. They were holding the workshop to show the benefits of DuPont™ Cromax®Pro waterborne basecoat. Like others I always thought of changing to waterborne was for EPA reasons, but after attending this workshop I found many other benefits, especially time!Forget about the EPA regulations, the date for mandatory use continually moves and I believe people have put going to waterborne on the back burner.After attending this workshop I can tell you that is a big mistake.Going to waterborne will speed up production.Terry McDaniel, DuPont paint technician and John Santiago PROFINISHES PLUS paint technician set up the paint both with some mock front ends and a couple loose fenders.Manned with a stopwatch John timed the different processes and believe it or not they painted a complete front end with waterborne in the time it took to paint a fender in solvent.With the wet-on-wet application process of the waterborne product they were able to paint the front fenders and hood on the mock frontend in just less than 15 minutes.It took just over 15 minutes to apply a basecoat of solvent, let it flash and apply a second coat of base product.It also took less time for the waterborne to flatten/flash so clear could be applied than the solvent. If that is not a reason to go to waterborne, I certainly do not know what is! I encourage everybody to ask their paint jobber to show them the benefits of going to waterborne, or better yet, open your shop to a workshop.Seeing this first hand made me realize there are many more benefits than EPA requirements.To me EPA now stands for Extra Production Achieved! Your jobber can also help you with an audit to see what you will need to do to get ready to convert to waterborne and my article in ABRN will give you some additional insight. Mon, 02 Apr 2012 15:38:57 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Is-it-time-for-Waterborne/blog/5929131/31710.html John Shoemaker 2012-04-02T15:38:57Z ABRN AutoPro Workshop I was invited to attend a waterborne workshop a couple of weeks ago by my friends at PROFINISHESPLUS. They were holding the workshop to show the benefits of DuPont™ Cromax®Pro waterborne basecoat. Like others I always thought of changing to waterborne was for EPA reasons, but after attending this workshop I found many other benefits, especially time!Forget about the EPA regulations, the date for mandatory use continually moves and I believe people have put going to waterborne on the back burner.After attending this workshop I can tell you that is a big mistake.Going to waterborne will speed up production.Terry McDaniel, DuPont paint technician and John Santiago PROFINISHES PLUS paint technician set up the paint both with some mock front ends and a couple loose fenders.Manned with a stopwatch John timed the different processes and believe it or not they painted a complete front end with waterborne in the time it took to paint a fender in solvent.With the wet-on-wet application process of the waterborne product they were able to paint the front fenders and hood on the mock frontend in just less than 15 minutes.It took just over 15 minutes to apply a basecoat of solvent, let it flash and apply a second coat of base product.It also took less time for the waterborne to flatten/flash so clear could be applied than the solvent. If that is not a reason to go to waterborne, I certainly do not know what is! I encourage everybody to ask their paint jobber to show them the benefits of going to waterborne, or better yet, open your shop to a workshop.Seeing this first hand made me realize there are many more benefits than EPA requirements.To me EPA now stands for Extra Production Achieved! Your jobber can also help you with an audit to see what you will need to do to get ready to convert to waterborne and my article in ABRN will give you some additional insight. abrn nonadult false Is it time for Waterborne? text blog abrn 663 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=28425453&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_11756971_31710_28425453_ap_160X120.jpg false United States VA Newport News 23606 1 ABRN 0 5929131 28425453 Member 250 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Manage-Material-Expenses/blog/5883711/31710.html With the continuous advancements in products available to collision repairers, keeping your inventory list to a minimum is difficult but necessary. A lengthy material list detracts from a profitable bottom line because as the list grows so does the potential for waste. The best way to eliminate this problem is to develop a materials list with the assistance of your technicians, create an inventory process and then restrict purchases to this inventory. By using this system you will eliminate excess materials in your shop, restrict the freedom of vendors promoting new products and you will have only the materials you need at the time you need them. For the complete article visit: http://abrn.search-autoparts.com/abrn/Training/How-to-manage-material-expenses/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/762846    With the continuous advancements in products available to collision repairers, keeping your inventory list to a minimum is difficult but necessary. A lengthy material list detracts from a profitable bottom line because as the list grows so does the potential for waste. The best way to eliminate this problem is to develop a materials list with the assistance of your technicians, create an inventory process and then restrict purchases to this inventory. By using this system you will eliminate excess materials in your shop, restrict the freedom of vendors promoting new products and you will have only the materials you need at the time you need them. For the complete article visit: http://abrn.search-autoparts.com/abrn/Training/How-to-manage-material-expenses/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/762846    Wed, 21 Mar 2012 11:48:59 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Manage-Material-Expenses/blog/5883711/31710.html John Shoemaker 2012-03-21T11:48:59Z ABRN AutoPro Workshop With the continuous advancements in products available to collision repairers, keeping your inventory list to a minimum is difficult but necessary. A lengthy material list detracts from a profitable bottom line because as the list grows so does the potential for waste. The best way to eliminate this problem is to develop a materials list with the assistance of your technicians, create an inventory process and then restrict purchases to this inventory. By using this system you will eliminate excess materials in your shop, restrict the freedom of vendors promoting new products and you will have only the materials you need at the time you need them. For the complete article visit: http://abrn.search-autoparts.com/abrn/Training/How-to-manage-material-expenses/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/762846    abrn nonadult false Manage Material Expenses text blog abrn 354 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=28425453&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_11756971_31710_28425453_ap_160X120.jpg false United States VA Newport News 23606 0 ABRN 0 5883711 28425453 Member 250 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Frame-machine-alternative/blog/5793439/31710.html Chief EZliner Express   I talked with Mike Ramey of M.R.E Inc recently about my theory of replacing an aging frame machine with a new one or purchasing several small pulling platforms similar to Chief Automotive's EZLiner Express instead. You can purchase about three of the small pulling platforms for the price of one frame machine. The design of new vehicles utilizes a crush zone type construction so mostly what is happening in shops now is jigging vehicles, doing slight pulls, removing the damaged metal and replacing the structure with new pieces. There isn't much heavy pulling going on anymore and having one or two frame machines in a shop has always created a choke-point or a retraint in production flow. Having small pulling platforms which allows a vehicle to have the affected structure removed and replaced right in the technician's stall is a definite time saver. There is no longer a need to move the vehicle to the frame machine. You will still need one full-size frame machine for pick-ups and SUV's but your techinicians will enjoy having pulling capabilities right in their stall with their individual platforms and you will notice a decrease in your cycle time Chief EZliner Express   I talked with Mike Ramey of M.R.E Inc recently about my theory of replacing an aging frame machine with a new one or purchasing several small pulling platforms similar to Chief Automotive's EZLiner Express instead. You can purchase about three of the small pulling platforms for the price of one frame machine. The design of new vehicles utilizes a crush zone type construction so mostly what is happening in shops now is jigging vehicles, doing slight pulls, removing the damaged metal and replacing the structure with new pieces. There isn't much heavy pulling going on anymore and having one or two frame machines in a shop has always created a choke-point or a retraint in production flow. Having small pulling platforms which allows a vehicle to have the affected structure removed and replaced right in the technician's stall is a definite time saver. There is no longer a need to move the vehicle to the frame machine. You will still need one full-size frame machine for pick-ups and SUV's but your techinicians will enjoy having pulling capabilities right in their stall with their individual platforms and you will notice a decrease in your cycle time Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:57:32 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Frame-machine-alternative/blog/5793439/31710.html John Shoemaker 2012-02-20T21:57:32Z ABRN AutoPro Workshop Chief EZliner Express   I talked with Mike Ramey of M.R.E Inc recently about my theory of replacing an aging frame machine with a new one or purchasing several small pulling platforms similar to Chief Automotive's EZLiner Express instead. You can purchase about three of the small pulling platforms for the price of one frame machine. The design of new vehicles utilizes a crush zone type construction so mostly what is happening in shops now is jigging vehicles, doing slight pulls, removing the damaged metal and replacing the structure with new pieces. There isn't much heavy pulling going on anymore and having one or two frame machines in a shop has always created a choke-point or a retraint in production flow. Having small pulling platforms which allows a vehicle to have the affected structure removed and replaced right in the technician's stall is a definite time saver. There is no longer a need to move the vehicle to the frame machine. You will still need one full-size frame machine for pick-ups and SUV's but your techinicians will enjoy having pulling capabilities right in their stall with their individual platforms and you will notice a decrease in your cycle time abrn nonadult false Frame machine alternative text blog abrn 843 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=28425453&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_11756971_31710_28425453_ap_160X120.jpg false United States VA Newport News 23606 0 ABRN 0 5793439 28425453 Member 250 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Continous-Improvement/blog/5745592/31710.html It is the beginning of February and don't ask me where January went.  I hope everybody has had a chance to reel in their 2011 numbers, and also hope all have a good 2011. While those numbers are fresh in your mind I encourage you to look them over and pick three that you feel you can improve on.  Then unlike the New Year’s resolutions you made about a month ago, look at these numbers with some scrutiny and develop a plan to improve them throughout 2012.   What numbers you select will be different from each other but the ones I like to look at every year on the financial side are; Paint Material Sales per Flag Hour, Overhead Expense as a percentage of Sales, and Total Gross Profit, then on the operations side I like to check closing ratios, CSI scores, and Technician Production percentages.  Once you pick your numbers find out what they would be if you increased them by 1%.  Those that know me well have heard me talk about the power of 1, the number is small by itself but when it is used as a multiplier the magic begins. Let’s say your total gross profit is 42%, what would that dollar amount look like it   if your gross profit was 43%?  What would your closing ratio look like if it was 78% instead of 77%?  I think you will find that increasing any number you look at by 1% will improve your bottom line substantially. It is the beginning of February and don't ask me where January went.  I hope everybody has had a chance to reel in their 2011 numbers, and also hope all have a good 2011. While those numbers are fresh in your mind I encourage you to look them over and pick three that you feel you can improve on.  Then unlike the New Year’s resolutions you made about a month ago, look at these numbers with some scrutiny and develop a plan to improve them throughout 2012.   What numbers you select will be different from each other but the ones I like to look at every year on the financial side are; Paint Material Sales per Flag Hour, Overhead Expense as a percentage of Sales, and Total Gross Profit, then on the operations side I like to check closing ratios, CSI scores, and Technician Production percentages.  Once you pick your numbers find out what they would be if you increased them by 1%.  Those that know me well have heard me talk about the power of 1, the number is small by itself but when it is used as a multiplier the magic begins. Let’s say your total gross profit is 42%, what would that dollar amount look like it   if your gross profit was 43%?  What would your closing ratio look like if it was 78% instead of 77%?  I think you will find that increasing any number you look at by 1% will improve your bottom line substantially. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:43:11 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Continous-Improvement/blog/5745592/31710.html John Shoemaker 2012-02-01T17:43:11Z ABRN AutoPro Workshop It is the beginning of February and don't ask me where January went.  I hope everybody has had a chance to reel in their 2011 numbers, and also hope all have a good 2011. While those numbers are fresh in your mind I encourage you to look them over and pick three that you feel you can improve on.  Then unlike the New Year’s resolutions you made about a month ago, look at these numbers with some scrutiny and develop a plan to improve them throughout 2012.   What numbers you select will be different from each other but the ones I like to look at every year on the financial side are; Paint Material Sales per Flag Hour, Overhead Expense as a percentage of Sales, and Total Gross Profit, then on the operations side I like to check closing ratios, CSI scores, and Technician Production percentages.  Once you pick your numbers find out what they would be if you increased them by 1%.  Those that know me well have heard me talk about the power of 1, the number is small by itself but when it is used as a multiplier the magic begins. Let’s say your total gross profit is 42%, what would that dollar amount look like it   if your gross profit was 43%?  What would your closing ratio look like if it was 78% instead of 77%?  I think you will find that increasing any number you look at by 1% will improve your bottom line substantially. abrn nonadult false Continous Improvement text blog abrn 420 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=28425453&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_11756971_31710_28425453_ap_160X120.jpg false United States VA Newport News 23606 0 ABRN 0 5745592 28425453 Member 250 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Document-Repairs-Thoroughly/blog/5743126/31710.html The key to profit in any repair is to document the repair thoroughly at the beginning. This requires complete disassembly, performing R&I of all the identified items, removing all the clips and fasteners from the parts being replaced, inspecting all parts being reinstalled, validating the repair with the technician, and consulting with the refinish team to verify blends and other paint processes. Having all the damaged parts removed and inspecting all the parts thoroughly will allow you to identify all the items needed to complete the repair at one time. This is where you can make money on supplements. You can identify all the broken clips, the broken headlamp adjuster and make the determination which emblem can really be reused and which ones need to be replaced. It's much better to find you need an emblem or clip at the beginning of the repair process rather than the end. Clips and emblems don't seem like much on their own but they add up when multiplied by the number of repairs you do a month. Read the complete article at http://abrn.search-autoparts.com/abrn/Training/Document-repairs-thoroughly-at-the-beginning-to-en/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/756808 The key to profit in any repair is to document the repair thoroughly at the beginning. This requires complete disassembly, performing R&I of all the identified items, removing all the clips and fasteners from the parts being replaced, inspecting all parts being reinstalled, validating the repair with the technician, and consulting with the refinish team to verify blends and other paint processes. Having all the damaged parts removed and inspecting all the parts thoroughly will allow you to identify all the items needed to complete the repair at one time. This is where you can make money on supplements. You can identify all the broken clips, the broken headlamp adjuster and make the determination which emblem can really be reused and which ones need to be replaced. It's much better to find you need an emblem or clip at the beginning of the repair process rather than the end. Clips and emblems don't seem like much on their own but they add up when multiplied by the number of repairs you do a month. Read the complete article at http://abrn.search-autoparts.com/abrn/Training/Document-repairs-thoroughly-at-the-beginning-to-en/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/756808 Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:31:50 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Document-Repairs-Thoroughly/blog/5743126/31710.html John Shoemaker 2012-01-31T12:31:50Z ABRN AutoPro Workshop The key to profit in any repair is to document the repair thoroughly at the beginning. This requires complete disassembly, performing R&I of all the identified items, removing all the clips and fasteners from the parts being replaced, inspecting all parts being reinstalled, validating the repair with the technician, and consulting with the refinish team to verify blends and other paint processes. Having all the damaged parts removed and inspecting all the parts thoroughly will allow you to identify all the items needed to complete the repair at one time. This is where you can make money on supplements. You can identify all the broken clips, the broken headlamp adjuster and make the determination which emblem can really be reused and which ones need to be replaced. It's much better to find you need an emblem or clip at the beginning of the repair process rather than the end. Clips and emblems don't seem like much on their own but they add up when multiplied by the number of repairs you do a month. Read the complete article at http://abrn.search-autoparts.com/abrn/Training/Document-repairs-thoroughly-at-the-beginning-to-en/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/756808 abrn nonadult false Document Repairs Thoroughly text blog abrn 537 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=28425453&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_11756971_31710_28425453_ap_160X120.jpg false United States VA Newport News 23606 0 ABRN 0 5743126 28425453 Member 250 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Happy-New-Year/blog/5682735/31710.html   As we move forward in the New Year I hope all reflect on 2011, bring the good forward, leave the mistakes behind and have a very prosperous 2012.  I believe things are progressing well for our industry and see many good things coming.  NACE and SEMA were both very good shows this year and I only see things getting better for those two venues.  SCRS, CIC and I-CAR as well as several other organizations are constantly working to improve our industry by raising standards, bringing understanding and developing certifications.  I look forward to seeing you somewhere in my travels and appreciate the following as I try to bring information you can use through this blog.  Please be safe this holiday season, we need all of you !     As we move forward in the New Year I hope all reflect on 2011, bring the good forward, leave the mistakes behind and have a very prosperous 2012.  I believe things are progressing well for our industry and see many good things coming.  NACE and SEMA were both very good shows this year and I only see things getting better for those two venues.  SCRS, CIC and I-CAR as well as several other organizations are constantly working to improve our industry by raising standards, bringing understanding and developing certifications.  I look forward to seeing you somewhere in my travels and appreciate the following as I try to bring information you can use through this blog.  Please be safe this holiday season, we need all of you !   Fri, 30 Dec 2011 14:32:34 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Happy-New-Year/blog/5682735/31710.html John Shoemaker 2011-12-30T14:32:34Z ABRN AutoPro Workshop   As we move forward in the New Year I hope all reflect on 2011, bring the good forward, leave the mistakes behind and have a very prosperous 2012.  I believe things are progressing well for our industry and see many good things coming.  NACE and SEMA were both very good shows this year and I only see things getting better for those two venues.  SCRS, CIC and I-CAR as well as several other organizations are constantly working to improve our industry by raising standards, bringing understanding and developing certifications.  I look forward to seeing you somewhere in my travels and appreciate the following as I try to bring information you can use through this blog.  Please be safe this holiday season, we need all of you !   abrn nonadult false Happy New Year! text blog abrn 540 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=28425453&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_11756971_31710_28425453_ap_160X120.jpg false United States VA Newport News 23606 0 ABRN 0 5682735 28425453 Member 250 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Marketing-Tactics/blog/5677333/31710.html Did you notice how companies changed their marketing for the holidays?  Black Friday - Cyber Monday – Super Saturday, they even had a couple of jingles for the procrastinators = me!  They continually modified their targets to meet a different group of people to create a steady stream of buyers.  Just like the companies working to get their fair share of customers during the holiday season you need to alter your marketing efforts to keep your shop full.  Marketing is an ongoing process, you have to continually market your customer base, you have to explore areas you are not reaching and you have to diversify your tactics over the different media opportunities.  In Michael E. Gerber’s book E Myth Mastery   he discusses six disciplines involving awareness, motivation, acceptance, brand preference, purchase transaction and customer satisfaction.  From this it is evident that you have to ensure you generate awareness of your collision center, motivate potential customers to drive to your facility, create an acceptance of what you offer, identify your brand as unique, explain the processes that makes doing business with you attractive and capitalize on  your customer satisfaction index.  Kelly McDonald, President of McDonald Marketing, book How to Market to People Not Like You gives insight on how to market those areas you are not reaching with your current methods.  She explains how to “Get to Know the Customer You’re Not Getting but Should Be” in chapter two and in chapter five she describes how to “Communicate in Their ‘‘Language’’: Develop Marketing Messages Based on Their Values”.  She continues in discussion about Gen Y’s, X’s and Z’s and how to approach them.  You can find many other books on marketing but I enjoyed these two and believe you will also.  Did you notice how companies changed their marketing for the holidays?  Black Friday - Cyber Monday – Super Saturday, they even had a couple of jingles for the procrastinators = me!  They continually modified their targets to meet a different group of people to create a steady stream of buyers.  Just like the companies working to get their fair share of customers during the holiday season you need to alter your marketing efforts to keep your shop full.  Marketing is an ongoing process, you have to continually market your customer base, you have to explore areas you are not reaching and you have to diversify your tactics over the different media opportunities.  In Michael E. Gerber’s book E Myth Mastery   he discusses six disciplines involving awareness, motivation, acceptance, brand preference, purchase transaction and customer satisfaction.  From this it is evident that you have to ensure you generate awareness of your collision center, motivate potential customers to drive to your facility, create an acceptance of what you offer, identify your brand as unique, explain the processes that makes doing business with you attractive and capitalize on  your customer satisfaction index.  Kelly McDonald, President of McDonald Marketing, book How to Market to People Not Like You gives insight on how to market those areas you are not reaching with your current methods.  She explains how to “Get to Know the Customer You’re Not Getting but Should Be” in chapter two and in chapter five she describes how to “Communicate in Their ‘‘Language’’: Develop Marketing Messages Based on Their Values”.  She continues in discussion about Gen Y’s, X’s and Z’s and how to approach them.  You can find many other books on marketing but I enjoyed these two and believe you will also.  Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:40:17 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Marketing-Tactics/blog/5677333/31710.html John Shoemaker 2011-12-28T14:40:17Z ABRN AutoPro Workshop Did you notice how companies changed their marketing for the holidays?  Black Friday - Cyber Monday – Super Saturday, they even had a couple of jingles for the procrastinators = me!  They continually modified their targets to meet a different group of people to create a steady stream of buyers.  Just like the companies working to get their fair share of customers during the holiday season you need to alter your marketing efforts to keep your shop full.  Marketing is an ongoing process, you have to continually market your customer base, you have to explore areas you are not reaching and you have to diversify your tactics over the different media opportunities.  In Michael E. Gerber’s book E Myth Mastery   he discusses six disciplines involving awareness, motivation, acceptance, brand preference, purchase transaction and customer satisfaction.  From this it is evident that you have to ensure you generate awareness of your collision center, motivate potential customers to drive to your facility, create an acceptance of what you offer, identify your brand as unique, explain the processes that makes doing business with you attractive and capitalize on  your customer satisfaction index.  Kelly McDonald, President of McDonald Marketing, book How to Market to People Not Like You gives insight on how to market those areas you are not reaching with your current methods.  She explains how to “Get to Know the Customer You’re Not Getting but Should Be” in chapter two and in chapter five she describes how to “Communicate in Their ‘‘Language’’: Develop Marketing Messages Based on Their Values”.  She continues in discussion about Gen Y’s, X’s and Z’s and how to approach them.  You can find many other books on marketing but I enjoyed these two and believe you will also.  abrn nonadult false Marketing Tactics text blog abrn 643 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=28425453&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_11756971_31710_28425453_ap_160X120.jpg false United States VA Newport News 23606 0 ABRN 0 5677333 28425453 Member 250 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Merry-Christmas/blog/5664225/31710.html Merry Christmas The Christmas season has rolled around quickly again this year, I hope all are a little more prepared than I.  This is one of my favorite times of year and look forward to the celebrations, my wish to you is that you are able to celebrate this holiday in the method, fashion and style you are accustomed.  It brings great joy to see the number of military members being returned home, and think about the ones remaining in harm’s way protecting us as we gather with family and friends.  Please keep them in your thoughts and reach out to their family members if they are near you. Merry Christmas The Christmas season has rolled around quickly again this year, I hope all are a little more prepared than I.  This is one of my favorite times of year and look forward to the celebrations, my wish to you is that you are able to celebrate this holiday in the method, fashion and style you are accustomed.  It brings great joy to see the number of military members being returned home, and think about the ones remaining in harm’s way protecting us as we gather with family and friends.  Please keep them in your thoughts and reach out to their family members if they are near you. Thu, 22 Dec 2011 12:38:46 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Merry-Christmas/blog/5664225/31710.html John Shoemaker 2011-12-22T12:38:46Z ABRN AutoPro Workshop Merry Christmas The Christmas season has rolled around quickly again this year, I hope all are a little more prepared than I.  This is one of my favorite times of year and look forward to the celebrations, my wish to you is that you are able to celebrate this holiday in the method, fashion and style you are accustomed.  It brings great joy to see the number of military members being returned home, and think about the ones remaining in harm’s way protecting us as we gather with family and friends.  Please keep them in your thoughts and reach out to their family members if they are near you. abrn nonadult false Merry Christmas text blog abrn 428 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=28425453&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_11756971_31710_28425453_ap_160X120.jpg false United States VA Newport News 23606 0 ABRN 0 5664225 28425453 Member 250 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Operating-Lean-Saves/blog/5538459/31710.html I get asked often how lean can save shops money and I always answer "by eliminating waste." Lean management is the theory of eliminating waste by refining processes. As you journey through the lean process you will incorporate the 5S Kaizen philosophy and identify items in your operation that can be eliminated through one of the seven elements of waste. The 5S Kaizen philosophy is based on five Japanese words that begin with S: Seiri – Sort, Seiton – Set in order, Seiso – Shine, Seitetsu – Standardize, and Shitsuke – Sustain. By progressing through the 5S steps you will develop habits that will streamline your operation, remove waste and ultimately save money. For the complete article visit: http://abrn.search-autoparts.com/abrn/Training/Operating-lean-can-save-your-shop-money/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/749279 I get asked often how lean can save shops money and I always answer "by eliminating waste." Lean management is the theory of eliminating waste by refining processes. As you journey through the lean process you will incorporate the 5S Kaizen philosophy and identify items in your operation that can be eliminated through one of the seven elements of waste. The 5S Kaizen philosophy is based on five Japanese words that begin with S: Seiri – Sort, Seiton – Set in order, Seiso – Shine, Seitetsu – Standardize, and Shitsuke – Sustain. By progressing through the 5S steps you will develop habits that will streamline your operation, remove waste and ultimately save money. For the complete article visit: http://abrn.search-autoparts.com/abrn/Training/Operating-lean-can-save-your-shop-money/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/749279 Thu, 01 Dec 2011 23:52:34 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Operating-Lean-Saves/blog/5538459/31710.html John Shoemaker 2011-12-01T23:52:34Z ABRN AutoPro Workshop I get asked often how lean can save shops money and I always answer "by eliminating waste." Lean management is the theory of eliminating waste by refining processes. As you journey through the lean process you will incorporate the 5S Kaizen philosophy and identify items in your operation that can be eliminated through one of the seven elements of waste. The 5S Kaizen philosophy is based on five Japanese words that begin with S: Seiri – Sort, Seiton – Set in order, Seiso – Shine, Seitetsu – Standardize, and Shitsuke – Sustain. By progressing through the 5S steps you will develop habits that will streamline your operation, remove waste and ultimately save money. For the complete article visit: http://abrn.search-autoparts.com/abrn/Training/Operating-lean-can-save-your-shop-money/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/749279 abrn nonadult false Operating Lean Saves text blog abrn 379 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=28425453&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_11756971_31710_28425453_ap_160X120.jpg false United States VA Newport News 23606 0 ABRN 0 5538459 28425453 Member 250 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Continuous-Improvement/blog/5534657/31710.html I probably read the best quote in a while about Continuous Improvement (Lean) on Don Sweigart’s twitter page @donsweigart where he said “If it doesn’t solve a problem, you don’t need it.”  Think about that quote and then look around your shop and see how much you are holding onto or check out a process that you work through everyday just because…..you have always done it that way.  I think you will find there are tasks being accomplished that do not really serve a purpose or more importantly they mask a process that is not being followed.  To have true continuous improvement each task must stand on its own merit.  Each process should have a Quality-In standard as well as a Quality-Out standard.  Those two standards set the expectations of what comes out of a process as well as what is sent to the next process.  Without measuring those expectations you pass problems downstream until either somebody stops and corrects the defect or the defect stops production.  Either way time is lost correcting the defect.  Look around and if it doesn’t solve a problem, you don’t need it, it is time to get rid of it. I probably read the best quote in a while about Continuous Improvement (Lean) on Don Sweigart’s twitter page @donsweigart where he said “If it doesn’t solve a problem, you don’t need it.”  Think about that quote and then look around your shop and see how much you are holding onto or check out a process that you work through everyday just because…..you have always done it that way.  I think you will find there are tasks being accomplished that do not really serve a purpose or more importantly they mask a process that is not being followed.  To have true continuous improvement each task must stand on its own merit.  Each process should have a Quality-In standard as well as a Quality-Out standard.  Those two standards set the expectations of what comes out of a process as well as what is sent to the next process.  Without measuring those expectations you pass problems downstream until either somebody stops and corrects the defect or the defect stops production.  Either way time is lost correcting the defect.  Look around and if it doesn’t solve a problem, you don’t need it, it is time to get rid of it. Wed, 30 Nov 2011 13:16:09 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Continuous-Improvement/blog/5534657/31710.html John Shoemaker 2011-11-30T13:16:09Z ABRN AutoPro Workshop I probably read the best quote in a while about Continuous Improvement (Lean) on Don Sweigart’s twitter page @donsweigart where he said “If it doesn’t solve a problem, you don’t need it.”  Think about that quote and then look around your shop and see how much you are holding onto or check out a process that you work through everyday just because…..you have always done it that way.  I think you will find there are tasks being accomplished that do not really serve a purpose or more importantly they mask a process that is not being followed.  To have true continuous improvement each task must stand on its own merit.  Each process should have a Quality-In standard as well as a Quality-Out standard.  Those two standards set the expectations of what comes out of a process as well as what is sent to the next process.  Without measuring those expectations you pass problems downstream until either somebody stops and corrects the defect or the defect stops production.  Either way time is lost correcting the defect.  Look around and if it doesn’t solve a problem, you don’t need it, it is time to get rid of it. abrn nonadult false Continuous Improvement text blog abrn 405 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=28425453&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_11756971_31710_28425453_ap_160X120.jpg false United States VA Newport News 23606 0 ABRN 0 5534657 28425453 Member 250 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Happy-Thanksgiving/blog/5507026/31710.html Happy Thanksgiving I wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving.  As I look in the mirror and reflect over the last year I have found many things to be thankful for, most of all I appreciate those that read this blog.  I work to document things that have moved forward in my mind that I think others can learn from, that is the goal of JSE Consulting LLC, to help others grow.  I am thankful that I am in a position to use my company as a tool to make the collision industry better, one person or shop at a time.  Thanks for reading and I hope you find many things to be thankful for in your mirror too.  Happy Thanksgiving I wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving.  As I look in the mirror and reflect over the last year I have found many things to be thankful for, most of all I appreciate those that read this blog.  I work to document things that have moved forward in my mind that I think others can learn from, that is the goal of JSE Consulting LLC, to help others grow.  I am thankful that I am in a position to use my company as a tool to make the collision industry better, one person or shop at a time.  Thanks for reading and I hope you find many things to be thankful for in your mirror too.  Wed, 23 Nov 2011 23:50:05 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_Happy-Thanksgiving/blog/5507026/31710.html John Shoemaker 2011-11-23T23:50:05Z ABRN AutoPro Workshop Happy Thanksgiving I wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving.  As I look in the mirror and reflect over the last year I have found many things to be thankful for, most of all I appreciate those that read this blog.  I work to document things that have moved forward in my mind that I think others can learn from, that is the goal of JSE Consulting LLC, to help others grow.  I am thankful that I am in a position to use my company as a tool to make the collision industry better, one person or shop at a time.  Thanks for reading and I hope you find many things to be thankful for in your mirror too.  abrn nonadult false Happy Thanksgiving text blog abrn 491 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=28425453&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_11756971_31710_28425453_ap_160X120.jpg false United States VA Newport News 23606 0 ABRN 0 5507026 28425453 Member 250 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_SEMA-The-final-chapter/blog/5436513/31710.html SEMA Final Chapter   Today I saved for my day at SEMA.  I used the time to see things I had to walk by throughout the week because I was on a mission heading to the next meeting or a class.  I was actually able to stop and look at some cars.     Welding Equipment After attending the class on the “new” metal yesterday I thought I would spend the morning looking at a few welders.  There were about five different spot welders at the show and in talking to the different vendors I found that the Car-O-Liner CTR 12000 was among the best available.  This is a fully automatic process-regulated welder that recognizes total sheet thickness via a Pulse-Sonar-System.  I saw a demonstration that showed the welder going from two sheets of metal to four sheets of metal without changing any settings.  I talked with Tim Curran who told me that one of the highlights of the machine was that it required a minimum of training.  We all remember when spot welders first came around and the amount of training was necessary for the technicians to become proficient.  The CTR 12000 has a card type training system attached so a technician could review the process and begin welding without specialized training.  To me that was a bonus, a welder that would meet the need of a collision center that did not require specialized training.  With all the training technicians require to stay certified it is a true benefit to have a piece of equipment that does not add another training requirement.  In my discussion with Tim I learned that most of the OE’s have endorsed the CTR 12000 with Volkswagen being the most recent.  After understanding that a weld could make a difference in air bag deployment in yesterday’s class, I know I will check the shop that repairs my vehicle a little bit closer. AutoMobile Technologies I met Mike Fischer, another of my LinkedIn contacts today and we discussed his company’s products.  The one I like the most is CollisionNotes™ a software program that works with a PDA or Tablet PC that will allow you to quickly inspect and collect vehicle data, digitally and error free.  Once the inspection is complete, all the information including photos and voice notes are wirelessly transmitted and integrated with your estimating and management system.  You really need to follow the link above to appreciate all this program does, it is amazing.  I knew something like this had to be out there somewhere, now I know where.  That is just one of their software programs, they have software solutions for Reconditioning Companies, Dealership Service Departments, Used Car Reconditioning Departments as well as the Collision department as mentioned above.  Check out the links, I got started looking at one and ending up spending about thirty minutes looking at all the different software programs. SEMA Final Chapter   Today I saved for my day at SEMA.  I used the time to see things I had to walk by throughout the week because I was on a mission heading to the next meeting or a class.  I was actually able to stop and look at some cars.     Welding Equipment After attending the class on the “new” metal yesterday I thought I would spend the morning looking at a few welders.  There were about five different spot welders at the show and in talking to the different vendors I found that the Car-O-Liner CTR 12000 was among the best available.  This is a fully automatic process-regulated welder that recognizes total sheet thickness via a Pulse-Sonar-System.  I saw a demonstration that showed the welder going from two sheets of metal to four sheets of metal without changing any settings.  I talked with Tim Curran who told me that one of the highlights of the machine was that it required a minimum of training.  We all remember when spot welders first came around and the amount of training was necessary for the technicians to become proficient.  The CTR 12000 has a card type training system attached so a technician could review the process and begin welding without specialized training.  To me that was a bonus, a welder that would meet the need of a collision center that did not require specialized training.  With all the training technicians require to stay certified it is a true benefit to have a piece of equipment that does not add another training requirement.  In my discussion with Tim I learned that most of the OE’s have endorsed the CTR 12000 with Volkswagen being the most recent.  After understanding that a weld could make a difference in air bag deployment in yesterday’s class, I know I will check the shop that repairs my vehicle a little bit closer. AutoMobile Technologies I met Mike Fischer, another of my LinkedIn contacts today and we discussed his company’s products.  The one I like the most is CollisionNotes™ a software program that works with a PDA or Tablet PC that will allow you to quickly inspect and collect vehicle data, digitally and error free.  Once the inspection is complete, all the information including photos and voice notes are wirelessly transmitted and integrated with your estimating and management system.  You really need to follow the link above to appreciate all this program does, it is amazing.  I knew something like this had to be out there somewhere, now I know where.  That is just one of their software programs, they have software solutions for Reconditioning Companies, Dealership Service Departments, Used Car Reconditioning Departments as well as the Collision department as mentioned above.  Check out the links, I got started looking at one and ending up spending about thirty minutes looking at all the different software programs. Sat, 05 Nov 2011 02:40:38 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_SEMA-The-final-chapter/blog/5436513/31710.html John Shoemaker 2011-11-05T02:40:38Z ABRN AutoPro Workshop SEMA Final Chapter   Today I saved for my day at SEMA.  I used the time to see things I had to walk by throughout the week because I was on a mission heading to the next meeting or a class.  I was actually able to stop and look at some cars.     Welding Equipment After attending the class on the “new” metal yesterday I thought I would spend the morning looking at a few welders.  There were about five different spot welders at the show and in talking to the different vendors I found that the Car-O-Liner CTR 12000 was among the best available.  This is a fully automatic process-regulated welder that recognizes total sheet thickness via a Pulse-Sonar-System.  I saw a demonstration that showed the welder going from two sheets of metal to four sheets of metal without changing any settings.  I talked with Tim Curran who told me that one of the highlights of the machine was that it required a minimum of training.  We all remember when spot welders first came around and the amount of training was necessary for the technicians to become proficient.  The CTR 12000 has a card type training system attached so a technician could review the process and begin welding without specialized training.  To me that was a bonus, a welder that would meet the need of a collision center that did not require specialized training.  With all the training technicians require to stay certified it is a true benefit to have a piece of equipment that does not add another training requirement.  In my discussion with Tim I learned that most of the OE’s have endorsed the CTR 12000 with Volkswagen being the most recent.  After understanding that a weld could make a difference in air bag deployment in yesterday’s class, I know I will check the shop that repairs my vehicle a little bit closer. AutoMobile Technologies I met Mike Fischer, another of my LinkedIn contacts today and we discussed his company’s products.  The one I like the most is CollisionNotes™ a software program that works with a PDA or Tablet PC that will allow you to quickly inspect and collect vehicle data, digitally and error free.  Once the inspection is complete, all the information including photos and voice notes are wirelessly transmitted and integrated with your estimating and management system.  You really need to follow the link above to appreciate all this program does, it is amazing.  I knew something like this had to be out there somewhere, now I know where.  That is just one of their software programs, they have software solutions for Reconditioning Companies, Dealership Service Departments, Used Car Reconditioning Departments as well as the Collision department as mentioned above.  Check out the links, I got started looking at one and ending up spending about thirty minutes looking at all the different software programs. abrn nonadult false SEMA - The final chapter text blog abrn 394 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=28425453&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_11756971_31710_28425453_ap_160X120.jpg false United States VA Newport News 23606 0 ABRN 0 5436513 28425453 Member 250 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_SEMA-Thursday/blog/5435332/31710.html Thursday  @ SEMA   Today was a little frustrating for me, some computer issues, but other than that SEMA was fantastic.  I eased my frustration by meeting up with my friends Crystal Stangeland and Margaret Klemmer from Autoshop Solutions Inc where we were able to catch up on some of my clients websites.  I learned a long time ago, probably from somebody like John Maxwell or Anthony Robbins that you should only do the things you do well and leave the other things to people that do them well and I must say Autoshop Solutions do websites well.  Like any other tool you have in your businesses toolbox your website’s effective needs to be able to be measured.  If you don’t think you are getting the most out of your website get a Free Website Analysis and find out where your website stands in the e-world!   Right and Wrong Ways to Repair New Metals I was only able to attend one SCRS Repairer Driven Education courses today, and due to my computer issues and my desire to get my newsletters out in a timely fashion I almost missed this one.  I am glad I made it and I must say Dave Gruskos from Reliable Automotive Equipment Inc. did a fantastic job of keeping my attention.  People are talking a lot about adapting to the new metals used in vehicles, in reality the “new” metals have been around since 2000 we are just now beginning to understand how to work with them.  One of the things I was able to take away from this class I kind of already knew and that is heat is the enemy to high strength steel.  I did learn however, that the white smoke you see when you are Mig-welding is the metal’s corrosion protection properties burning away, probably knew this also, just did not realize the effect.  Mig-Brazing solves this because the brass and zinc in the corrosion protection actually works together to preserve the corrosion protection.  After Dave told us this he let us know that Mig welding is not the preferred method to repair vehicles, spot welders are the recommended to bond the new metals.  The plug welds used to join panels actually weakens the metals and Mig welding is not compatible with the dissimilar metals used in the overlapping construction used in today’s vehicles.  There are some manufacturers that do not want you welding on their vehicles at all and have developed a variety of rivets to accomplish repairs.  Dave talked about self-piercing rivets and flow-form rivets that have to be punched out, not drilled.  You use adhesives in conjunction to the rivets to create a solid repair.  He also gave some advice, since the adhesives can cost up to $400.00 a tube, and the rivets are a little pricey also that you should order all the items from the dealer that is providing the replacement panel.  When you do that it provides the part number, cost and retail price so you can bill the items correctly through your repair invoice.  This course had a lot of information in it and I could not possibly cover it all here but I want to leave you with probably the most important thing I took away.  Air bag reaction; air bag reaction timing is measured in milliseconds and the timing is critical to occupant safety.  Dave had a couple of videos showing the effects of a slowed reaction in air bag timing.  The result was disastrous, the air bag actually deployed late, the occupant’s head (actually a melon) hit the steering wheel and then the air bag deployed.  As I said a disastrous result causing frontal lobe damage and then snapping the head back as the air bag deployed.  The difference in reaction was caused by the use of a plug weld instead of the spot weld that was used during vehicle manufacturing.  Kind of changes the meaning of restoring the vehicle to pre-accident condition, it is not just in appearance, it has to be restored to original function also. SCRS Keynote Session The SCRS Keynote Session: Mission Control – Flawless Execution in Business Combat was presented very well by former Marine fighter pilot Patrick “Lips” Houlahan from Afterburner Inc.  Lips (yes, he said he got his name from the MASH character) presented a “Mission Planning” process that defines continuous improvement process very interestingly through a flight planning scenario.  He told us you have to #1 Determine the Mission Objective, #2 Identify the Threats, #3 Identify Your Available and Required Resources, #4 Evaluate Lessons Learned, #5 Develop a Course of Action and #6 Plan for Contingencies.  He took us through a Win process that indicated you first must Plan, then Brief the plan, Execute the plan and then Debrief to determine the results.  It is through the debrief process that the stage is set for continuous improvement.  Each person gets a say in the debrief, you learn about mistakes that occurred as well as the successes.  Lips stated that it is in the debrief that you learn the things you want to keep doing, things that should not happen again and develop an action plan to ensure you grow from the experience.  Reminded me of a Production Meeting where you review the production status of the repairs in progress and regroup if you needed.  Lips illustrated that the Mission Objective should be; Clearly defined, Measurable, Achievable and Supports the future picture.  The Threats should be identified by; Internal or External and by those that are Controllable or Uncontrollable.  Identifying your Available and Required Resources should include the Resources needed to achieve the objective, either mitigate or eliminate controllable threats, and categorize your resources into: Training, Leadership, People, Clients and Customers, Fiscal Resources, Systems and Technologies.  Evaluation of Lessons Learned is a very valuable step in the plan because it is there that you can review the successes and failures to evaluate the achievement of the objective.  People have asked me what makes me a good consultant, I tell them it is because I made mistakes, broke them down and learned from them to develop a new game plan.  The biggest step in this is to admit your mistake and do what you need to do so it does not reoccur.  I remember making mistakes in the shop, one of the techs would call me out on it and I would admit, Yep you are right, what should we do to fix it, making the tech part of the solution.  Great presentation and I certainly did not do it justice in my little recap but I had to share what I saw and hope you enjoyed it. SCRS Afterburner Party First I will say “What happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas”.  SCRS had a closing party in the Las Vegas Hilton, Sky Villas suite and I must tell you it was amazing.  It was the suite Elvis would stay at when he came to Vegas.  A very large four-bedroom suite that gave you a very picturesque view of Las Vegas.  One of the bathrooms had two showers and two of the others had wet rooms with roman tubs and huge showers.   The bedrooms had TV’s that popped up from the footboards.  It was a perfect networking opportunity as I met several friends that I only get to see at conventions.  I could tell you more but in remembering my opening statement let me just tell you is was a great time and I thank SCRS for inviting me. Thursday  @ SEMA   Today was a little frustrating for me, some computer issues, but other than that SEMA was fantastic.  I eased my frustration by meeting up with my friends Crystal Stangeland and Margaret Klemmer from Autoshop Solutions Inc where we were able to catch up on some of my clients websites.  I learned a long time ago, probably from somebody like John Maxwell or Anthony Robbins that you should only do the things you do well and leave the other things to people that do them well and I must say Autoshop Solutions do websites well.  Like any other tool you have in your businesses toolbox your website’s effective needs to be able to be measured.  If you don’t think you are getting the most out of your website get a Free Website Analysis and find out where your website stands in the e-world!   Right and Wrong Ways to Repair New Metals I was only able to attend one SCRS Repairer Driven Education courses today, and due to my computer issues and my desire to get my newsletters out in a timely fashion I almost missed this one.  I am glad I made it and I must say Dave Gruskos from Reliable Automotive Equipment Inc. did a fantastic job of keeping my attention.  People are talking a lot about adapting to the new metals used in vehicles, in reality the “new” metals have been around since 2000 we are just now beginning to understand how to work with them.  One of the things I was able to take away from this class I kind of already knew and that is heat is the enemy to high strength steel.  I did learn however, that the white smoke you see when you are Mig-welding is the metal’s corrosion protection properties burning away, probably knew this also, just did not realize the effect.  Mig-Brazing solves this because the brass and zinc in the corrosion protection actually works together to preserve the corrosion protection.  After Dave told us this he let us know that Mig welding is not the preferred method to repair vehicles, spot welders are the recommended to bond the new metals.  The plug welds used to join panels actually weakens the metals and Mig welding is not compatible with the dissimilar metals used in the overlapping construction used in today’s vehicles.  There are some manufacturers that do not want you welding on their vehicles at all and have developed a variety of rivets to accomplish repairs.  Dave talked about self-piercing rivets and flow-form rivets that have to be punched out, not drilled.  You use adhesives in conjunction to the rivets to create a solid repair.  He also gave some advice, since the adhesives can cost up to $400.00 a tube, and the rivets are a little pricey also that you should order all the items from the dealer that is providing the replacement panel.  When you do that it provides the part number, cost and retail price so you can bill the items correctly through your repair invoice.  This course had a lot of information in it and I could not possibly cover it all here but I want to leave you with probably the most important thing I took away.  Air bag reaction; air bag reaction timing is measured in milliseconds and the timing is critical to occupant safety.  Dave had a couple of videos showing the effects of a slowed reaction in air bag timing.  The result was disastrous, the air bag actually deployed late, the occupant’s head (actually a melon) hit the steering wheel and then the air bag deployed.  As I said a disastrous result causing frontal lobe damage and then snapping the head back as the air bag deployed.  The difference in reaction was caused by the use of a plug weld instead of the spot weld that was used during vehicle manufacturing.  Kind of changes the meaning of restoring the vehicle to pre-accident condition, it is not just in appearance, it has to be restored to original function also. SCRS Keynote Session The SCRS Keynote Session: Mission Control – Flawless Execution in Business Combat was presented very well by former Marine fighter pilot Patrick “Lips” Houlahan from Afterburner Inc.  Lips (yes, he said he got his name from the MASH character) presented a “Mission Planning” process that defines continuous improvement process very interestingly through a flight planning scenario.  He told us you have to #1 Determine the Mission Objective, #2 Identify the Threats, #3 Identify Your Available and Required Resources, #4 Evaluate Lessons Learned, #5 Develop a Course of Action and #6 Plan for Contingencies.  He took us through a Win process that indicated you first must Plan, then Brief the plan, Execute the plan and then Debrief to determine the results.  It is through the debrief process that the stage is set for continuous improvement.  Each person gets a say in the debrief, you learn about mistakes that occurred as well as the successes.  Lips stated that it is in the debrief that you learn the things you want to keep doing, things that should not happen again and develop an action plan to ensure you grow from the experience.  Reminded me of a Production Meeting where you review the production status of the repairs in progress and regroup if you needed.  Lips illustrated that the Mission Objective should be; Clearly defined, Measurable, Achievable and Supports the future picture.  The Threats should be identified by; Internal or External and by those that are Controllable or Uncontrollable.  Identifying your Available and Required Resources should include the Resources needed to achieve the objective, either mitigate or eliminate controllable threats, and categorize your resources into: Training, Leadership, People, Clients and Customers, Fiscal Resources, Systems and Technologies.  Evaluation of Lessons Learned is a very valuable step in the plan because it is there that you can review the successes and failures to evaluate the achievement of the objective.  People have asked me what makes me a good consultant, I tell them it is because I made mistakes, broke them down and learned from them to develop a new game plan.  The biggest step in this is to admit your mistake and do what you need to do so it does not reoccur.  I remember making mistakes in the shop, one of the techs would call me out on it and I would admit, Yep you are right, what should we do to fix it, making the tech part of the solution.  Great presentation and I certainly did not do it justice in my little recap but I had to share what I saw and hope you enjoyed it. SCRS Afterburner Party First I will say “What happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas”.  SCRS had a closing party in the Las Vegas Hilton, Sky Villas suite and I must tell you it was amazing.  It was the suite Elvis would stay at when he came to Vegas.  A very large four-bedroom suite that gave you a very picturesque view of Las Vegas.  One of the bathrooms had two showers and two of the others had wet rooms with roman tubs and huge showers.   The bedrooms had TV’s that popped up from the footboards.  It was a perfect networking opportunity as I met several friends that I only get to see at conventions.  I could tell you more but in remembering my opening statement let me just tell you is was a great time and I thank SCRS for inviting me. Fri, 04 Nov 2011 16:37:36 GMT http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/_SEMA-Thursday/blog/5435332/31710.html John Shoemaker 2011-11-04T16:37:36Z ABRN AutoPro Workshop Thursday  @ SEMA   Today was a little frustrating for me, some computer issues, but other than that SEMA was fantastic.  I eased my frustration by meeting up with my friends Crystal Stangeland and Margaret Klemmer from Autoshop Solutions Inc where we were able to catch up on some of my clients websites.  I learned a long time ago, probably from somebody like John Maxwell or Anthony Robbins that you should only do the things you do well and leave the other things to people that do them well and I must say Autoshop Solutions do websites well.  Like any other tool you have in your businesses toolbox your website’s effective needs to be able to be measured.  If you don’t think you are getting the most out of your website get a Free Website Analysis and find out where your website stands in the e-world!   Right and Wrong Ways to Repair New Metals I was only able to attend one SCRS Repairer Driven Education courses today, and due to my computer issues and my desire to get my newsletters out in a timely fashion I almost missed this one.  I am glad I made it and I must say Dave Gruskos from Reliable Automotive Equipment Inc. did a fantastic job of keeping my attention.  People are talking a lot about adapting to the new metals used in vehicles, in reality the “new” metals have been around since 2000 we are just now beginning to understand how to work with them.  One of the things I was able to take away from this class I kind of already knew and that is heat is the enemy to high strength steel.  I did learn however, that the white smoke you see when you are Mig-welding is the metal’s corrosion protection properties burning away, probably knew this also, just did not realize the effect.  Mig-Brazing solves this because the brass and zinc in the corrosion protection actually works together to preserve the corrosion protection.  After Dave told us this he let us know that Mig welding is not the preferred method to repair vehicles, spot welders are the recommended to bond the new metals.  The plug welds used to join panels actually weakens the metals and Mig welding is not compatible with the dissimilar metals used in the overlapping construction used in today’s vehicles.  There are some manufacturers that do not want you welding on their vehicles at all and have developed a variety of rivets to accomplish repairs.  Dave talked about self-piercing rivets and flow-form rivets that have to be punched out, not drilled.  You use adhesives in conjunction to the rivets to create a solid repair.  He also gave some advice, since the adhesives can cost up to $400.00 a tube, and the rivets are a little pricey also that you should order all the items from the dealer that is providing the replacement panel.  When you do that it provides the part number, cost and retail price so you can bill the items correctly through your repair invoice.  This course had a lot of information in it and I could not possibly cover it all here but I want to leave you with probably the most important thing I took away.  Air bag reaction; air bag reaction timing is measured in milliseconds and the timing is critical to occupant safety.  Dave had a couple of videos showing the effects of a slowed reaction in air bag timing.  The result was disastrous, the air bag actually deployed late, the occupant’s head (actually a melon) hit the steering wheel and then the air bag deployed.  As I said a disastrous result causing frontal lobe damage and then snapping the head back as the air bag deployed.  The difference in reaction was caused by the use of a plug weld instead of the spot weld that was used during vehicle manufacturing.  Kind of changes the meaning of restoring the vehicle to pre-accident condition, it is not just in appearance, it has to be restored to original function also. SCRS Keynote Session The SCRS Keynote Session: Mission Control – Flawless Execution in Business Combat was presented very well by former Marine fighter pilot Patrick “Lips” Houlahan from Afterburner Inc.  Lips (yes, he said he got his name from the MASH character) presented a “Mission Planning” process that defines continuous improvement process very interestingly through a flight planning scenario.  He told us you have to #1 Determine the Mission Objective, #2 Identify the Threats, #3 Identify Your Available and Required Resources, #4 Evaluate Lessons Learned, #5 Develop a Course of Action and #6 Plan for Contingencies.  He took us through a Win process that indicated you first must Plan, then Brief the plan, Execute the plan and then Debrief to determine the results.  It is through the debrief process that the stage is set for continuous improvement.  Each person gets a say in the debrief, you learn about mistakes that occurred as well as the successes.  Lips stated that it is in the debrief that you learn the things you want to keep doing, things that should not happen again and develop an action plan to ensure you grow from the experience.  Reminded me of a Production Meeting where you review the production status of the repairs in progress and regroup if you needed.  Lips illustrated that the Mission Objective should be; Clearly defined, Measurable, Achievable and Supports the future picture.  The Threats should be identified by; Internal or External and by those that are Controllable or Uncontrollable.  Identifying your Available and Required Resources should include the Resources needed to achieve the objective, either mitigate or eliminate controllable threats, and categorize your resources into: Training, Leadership, People, Clients and Customers, Fiscal Resources, Systems and Technologies.  Evaluation of Lessons Learned is a very valuable step in the plan because it is there that you can review the successes and failures to evaluate the achievement of the objective.  People have asked me what makes me a good consultant, I tell them it is because I made mistakes, broke them down and learned from them to develop a new game plan.  The biggest step in this is to admit your mistake and do what you need to do so it does not reoccur.  I remember making mistakes in the shop, one of the techs would call me out on it and I would admit, Yep you are right, what should we do to fix it, making the tech part of the solution.  Great presentation and I certainly did not do it justice in my little recap but I had to share what I saw and hope you enjoyed it. SCRS Afterburner Party First I will say “What happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas”.  SCRS had a closing party in the Las Vegas Hilton, Sky Villas suite and I must tell you it was amazing.  It was the suite Elvis would stay at when he came to Vegas.  A very large four-bedroom suite that gave you a very picturesque view of Las Vegas.  One of the bathrooms had two showers and two of the others had wet rooms with roman tubs and huge showers.   The bedrooms had TV’s that popped up from the footboards.  It was a perfect networking opportunity as I met several friends that I only get to see at conventions.  I could tell you more but in remembering my opening statement let me just tell you is was a great time and I thank SCRS for inviting me. abrn nonadult false SEMA - Thursday text blog abrn 425 0 0.0 http://workshop.search-autoparts.com/service/displayKickPlace.kickAction?u=28425453&as=31710 http://media.kickstatic.com/kickapps/images/31710/photos/PHOTO_11756971_31710_28425453_ap_160X120.jpg false United States VA Newport News 23606 0 ABRN 0 5435332 28425453 Member 250