LKQ of Washington invests $2.5 million in recycling ... - Parts & People
LKQ of Washington invests $2.5 million in recycling ... - Parts & People
LKQ of Washington invests $2.5 million in recycling ... - Parts & People
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Return<strong>in</strong>g to rotation, ASRW ’11 is deemed a success with <strong>in</strong>creased attendance<br />
Keynote speaker Chris Brogan, a bus<strong>in</strong>ess<br />
market<strong>in</strong>g consultant, speaker, and writer,<br />
tells ASRW attendees that us<strong>in</strong>g social<br />
media takes time, but so does any<br />
effective way to attract customers and<br />
referrals.<br />
hundred people who follow him on Twitter,<br />
ask<strong>in</strong>g what they’d like him to tell those<br />
who repair cars for a liv<strong>in</strong>g.<br />
Brogan said several recommended that<br />
shops build trust by educat<strong>in</strong>g customers<br />
and do<strong>in</strong>g simple th<strong>in</strong>gs like call<strong>in</strong>g<br />
customers when promised.<br />
“But the No. 1 word I saw over and over<br />
and over aga<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> people’s tweets was<br />
‘honesty,’” Brogan said. “Be honest.”<br />
Brogan drew lots <strong>of</strong> laughter from ASRW<br />
attendees as he shared a number <strong>of</strong> his own<br />
suggestions:<br />
• Go digital <strong>in</strong> your shop wait<strong>in</strong>g area,<br />
<strong>of</strong>fer<strong>in</strong>g wireless Internet service and maybe<br />
even an iPod for customers to use. “<strong>People</strong><br />
aren’t go<strong>in</strong>g to walk away with them; you<br />
have their car,” Brogan joked.<br />
• Th<strong>in</strong>k <strong>of</strong> social media <strong>in</strong> a similar way<br />
— as an extension <strong>of</strong> the customer’s<br />
experience with your shop. Twitter and<br />
Facebook <strong>of</strong>fer a way for a customer to<br />
ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> a relationship with you when their<br />
vehicle isn’t <strong>in</strong> your shop, Brogan said.<br />
“You want people to th<strong>in</strong>k <strong>of</strong> you before<br />
they’ve had their accident or they need your<br />
service,” he said. “You want to be top <strong>of</strong><br />
m<strong>in</strong>d and back <strong>of</strong> the head. It’s a really<br />
weird spot. It’s right about where people<br />
start go<strong>in</strong>g bald first.”<br />
• Keep it light and personable. Social<br />
media are about conversations, not just<br />
advertis<strong>in</strong>g, Brogan said. Comment and<br />
respond, don’t just post your own content.<br />
Send your emails from a person’s name at<br />
your shop, not just “<strong>in</strong>fo@” or “sales@”.<br />
Use a photo rather than your logo as the<br />
icon on your Facebook or Twitter accounts,<br />
Cont<strong>in</strong>ued on page 14<br />
by John Yoswick<br />
Orlando, Fla.—A new location and new<br />
features such as a symposium for multishop<br />
operators (MSOs) helped organizers <strong>of</strong> the<br />
2011 International Autobody Congress &<br />
Exposition (NACE) and Congress <strong>of</strong><br />
Automotive Repair & Service (CARS)<br />
attract about 2,000 more people than last<br />
year’s event did.<br />
“Com<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to this year, we said if even<br />
one more person showed up this year than<br />
last year, it would be a success,” said Ron<br />
Pyle, executive director <strong>of</strong> the Automotive<br />
Service Association (ASA), which holds the<br />
two events together under the Automotive<br />
Service & Repair Week (ASRW) label. “But<br />
we went beyond that significantly.”<br />
After seven years <strong>in</strong> Las Vegas, ASRW<br />
organizers have returned to a rotation <strong>of</strong><br />
cities host<strong>in</strong>g the event, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g Orlando<br />
this year and New Orleans next October.<br />
Pyle said attendance was up about 15<br />
percent this year over last, putt<strong>in</strong>g it well<br />
above 18,000 people.<br />
The four-day event <strong>in</strong>cluded almost 90<br />
tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g sessions as well as a trade show that<br />
cont<strong>in</strong>ued to demonstrate the ongo<strong>in</strong>g<br />
impact <strong>of</strong> the economy and growth <strong>of</strong> other<br />
sales avenues; about 240 companies (30<br />
fewer than last year) filled a comb<strong>in</strong>ed<br />
50,000 square feet <strong>of</strong> booth space<br />
(compared to 90,000 square feet <strong>in</strong> 2009).<br />
But Pyle said the return to mov<strong>in</strong>g the<br />
show to locations other than Vegas clearly<br />
paid <strong>of</strong>f, with a significantly larger<br />
percentage <strong>of</strong> the attendees from the<br />
Southeast region <strong>of</strong> the country, and with 40<br />
percent <strong>of</strong> those who pre-registered<br />
<strong>in</strong>dicat<strong>in</strong>g they had not attended the event <strong>in</strong><br />
the past.<br />
Mak<strong>in</strong>g social media work<br />
Social media was a common topic at this<br />
year’s ASRW, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g a keynote address<br />
by Chris Brogan, a bus<strong>in</strong>ess market<strong>in</strong>g<br />
consultant, speaker, and writer.<br />
Brogan said that just prior to his ASRW<br />
address, he sent out a tweet to the several<br />
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©2011 Mitchell Repair<br />
Information Company.The Mitchell 1 name is used here<strong>in</strong> by permission from Mitchell International, which<br />
h has no ownership <strong>in</strong>terest <strong>in</strong> Mitchell 1.<br />
<strong>Parts</strong> & <strong>People</strong> November 2011 Page 13