GIVE YOUR BUSINESS NEW ENERGY ACDelco Pr<strong>of</strong>essional Electrical View our video to learn more about ACDelco alternators. Give the vehicles you service and your bus<strong>in</strong>ess a boost with ACDelco. Our alternators <strong>in</strong>clude 100 percent new regulators and our starters have 100 percent new solenoids on most <strong>of</strong> our top-sell<strong>in</strong>g models, plus the batteries that carry our name are virtually ma<strong>in</strong>tenance-free. With ACDelco, no matter how much you see, you’re only see<strong>in</strong>g a small part <strong>of</strong> what we’re do<strong>in</strong>g for you. It’s all part <strong>of</strong> someth<strong>in</strong>g bigger. And powerful. ©2011 General Motors. All rights reserved. Page 26 November 2011 <strong>Parts</strong> & <strong>People</strong> www.partsandpeople.com
Cooper’s Keys to Auto Repair Pr<strong>of</strong>its Trends <strong>of</strong> the <strong>in</strong>dustry: The future <strong>of</strong> your bus<strong>in</strong>ess There are a number <strong>of</strong> changes that are occurr<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> our <strong>in</strong>dustry, and there is no question that some <strong>of</strong> them will have a pr<strong>of</strong>ound, long-term impact. To name just two, automobiles are be<strong>in</strong>g built better and, as we all know, service <strong>in</strong>tervals are constantly be<strong>in</strong>g extended by the manufacturers. Although this is all good for consumers, better-built vehicles means they’ll need fewer repairs, and extended service <strong>in</strong>tervals means you’ll be see<strong>in</strong>g your exist<strong>in</strong>g customers less frequently <strong>in</strong> the com<strong>in</strong>g years. The way most shop owners Bob Cooper are deal<strong>in</strong>g with this is by try<strong>in</strong>g to persuade all <strong>of</strong> their customers that they need to br<strong>in</strong>g their vehicles <strong>in</strong> more frequently than the manufacturer recommends. They tell them that their oil needs to be changed more frequently and that it’s a good policy to have their vehicles <strong>in</strong>spected every 3,000-5,000 miles. Although I agree with that reason<strong>in</strong>g, those shop owners are fight<strong>in</strong>g an uphill battle s<strong>in</strong>ce one <strong>of</strong> the many reasons people buy new vehicles is because they like the idea <strong>of</strong> extended service <strong>in</strong>tervals. So rather than try<strong>in</strong>g to fight this trend, I’d encourage you to understand it, and rather than try<strong>in</strong>g to sell each and every customer on the value <strong>of</strong> com<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> more frequently, I’d encourage you to take a different approach. First <strong>of</strong> all, as <strong>in</strong> any bus<strong>in</strong>ess, you should explore every opportunity to provide additional services to your customers. They already trust you and your recommendations, so services such as door d<strong>in</strong>g removals, tire <strong>in</strong>stallations, glass repair services, cab<strong>in</strong> air-duct clean<strong>in</strong>g services, and detail<strong>in</strong>g services are good examples <strong>of</strong> other services you can <strong>of</strong>fer. Not only will services that enhance vehicle appearance or customer comfort put smiles on the faces <strong>of</strong> your customers, but at the same time those services will <strong>in</strong>crease your average dollar amount per RO, which will help <strong>of</strong>fset the fewer number <strong>of</strong> times you’ll see your customers throughout the year. When it comes to additional services, I would also encourage you to consider the trend <strong>in</strong> In-Vehicle Infota<strong>in</strong>ment (IVI) <strong>in</strong>tegration. This category <strong>in</strong>cludes accessories such as navigational systems, cell phone <strong>in</strong>tegration, MP3 <strong>in</strong>tegration, “You should explore every opportunity to provide additional services to your customers.” and communication systems. I f<strong>in</strong>d it <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g that technology seems to be well ahead <strong>of</strong> the auto <strong>in</strong>dustry at this time. However, you can rest assured that <strong>in</strong> the com<strong>in</strong>g years you will see more <strong>of</strong> this type <strong>of</strong> technology on vehicles, not less. That is because technology is an <strong>in</strong>tegral part <strong>of</strong> the lives <strong>of</strong> our emerg<strong>in</strong>g market: the Y Gens. Those are the people who were born between 1980 and 1990, and there is no doubt <strong>in</strong> my m<strong>in</strong>d that they are go<strong>in</strong>g to have an expectation that new vehicles will be able to provide those types <strong>of</strong> technological features. I am very confident that the manufacturers are go<strong>in</strong>g to f<strong>in</strong>d themselves <strong>in</strong> a position that <strong>in</strong> order to be competitive <strong>in</strong> the com<strong>in</strong>g years, they will be forced to <strong>in</strong>corporate more IVI features <strong>in</strong>to their vehicles. In order to be fully prepared for those trends, you will need to make sure that your service advisors are very well tra<strong>in</strong>ed. Any services that are not authorized dur<strong>in</strong>g a visit will more than likely be lost sales because it may be six months or longer before you see that particular customer aga<strong>in</strong>. By then, your service recommendations will either be forgotten, viewed as unimportant by your customers, or if they experience subsequent failures, they may very well have it repaired somewhere else. Worse yet, if it’s a safety item that you discover, and if it’s not repaired dur<strong>in</strong>g their <strong>in</strong>itial visit, your customers will be at an even greater risk. There is no question that the age-old expression, “We’ll take care <strong>of</strong> that the next time you’re <strong>in</strong>,” is go<strong>in</strong>g to vanish from our <strong>in</strong>dustry. Lastly, with the understand<strong>in</strong>g that you will be see<strong>in</strong>g the majority <strong>of</strong> your customers less frequently as time goes on, <strong>in</strong> order to keep your service bays filled, you will need to ensure that you have a well-constructed market<strong>in</strong>g plan <strong>in</strong> place that will br<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the right k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong> customers. In order to stay ahead <strong>of</strong> your competitors, you need to <strong>in</strong>vest at least 60 percent <strong>of</strong> your advertis<strong>in</strong>g budget <strong>in</strong>to nontraditional advertis<strong>in</strong>g programs (sponsor<strong>in</strong>g little league teams and charity events, host<strong>in</strong>g car care cl<strong>in</strong>ics, etc.), and you should <strong>in</strong>vest at least a fourth <strong>of</strong> that 60 percent <strong>in</strong>to advertis<strong>in</strong>g programs that are directed toward the Y Gens. I’d also encourage you to avoid fight<strong>in</strong>g the evolution <strong>of</strong> automobiles and try<strong>in</strong>g to sell your customers on a service schedule that they have little or no <strong>in</strong>terest <strong>in</strong> buy<strong>in</strong>g. Instead, look for other ways you can help them when you do see them by provid<strong>in</strong>g additional services. If the services you <strong>of</strong>fer are cosmetic <strong>in</strong> nature, if they cater to the emerg<strong>in</strong>g market, or if they provide added comfort to the customer <strong>in</strong> any way, all the better. You will need to have talented, welltra<strong>in</strong>ed advisors, and there is no doubt that you’ll need to have a market<strong>in</strong>g plan <strong>in</strong> place that will br<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> even more <strong>of</strong> the right k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong> customers. . . . . . . . . . . . For the last 20 years, Bob Cooper has been the president <strong>of</strong> Elite Worldwide Inc., an ethics-based company that <strong>of</strong>fers shop owners sales, market<strong>in</strong>g, and management solutions <strong>in</strong> the form <strong>of</strong> downloadable audio tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g courses, sem<strong>in</strong>ars, and web<strong>in</strong>ars, coach<strong>in</strong>g services, and service advisor tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g. You can contact Cooper at contact@eliteworldwidestore.com, or at 800-204-3548. n Portland, Oregon Portland, Oregon Exchange Cyl<strong>in</strong>der ➔ Exchange Cyl<strong>in</strong>der Heads and Cams Heads and Cams Complete Cyl<strong>in</strong>der ➔ Complete Cyl<strong>in</strong>der Head Head Repair Repair Weld<strong>in</strong>g L<strong>in</strong>e ➔ Weld<strong>in</strong>g & L<strong>in</strong>e Bor<strong>in</strong>g Specialists ➔ Complete Import & Domestic Coverage ➔ 12-Month/12,000- 12-month/12,000 Mile Warranty We Specialize <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> Hard Hard to to F<strong>in</strong>d F<strong>in</strong>d Cyl<strong>in</strong>der Heads! Heads! (503) 230-0852 (503) 230-0852 1-800-978-4323 1-800-978-4323 www.alum<strong>in</strong>umheads.com Congratulations to Motor Trucks <strong>in</strong> Everett on their new dealership facility! Jam<strong>in</strong> Woody, service manager at Motor Trucks <strong>in</strong> Everett, stands next to the two Columbia waste-oil fired boilers used at the dealership. Call us for <strong>in</strong>formation on used oil fired boilers and heaters for your bus<strong>in</strong>ess – Help the environment and save on utility costs! Now Available from NORTHWEST INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT, INC 22023 - 70th Avenue S., Kent, WA 98032 1-800-261-1041 www.oilburners.com <strong>Parts</strong> & <strong>People</strong> November 2011 Page 27
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