Hot Rods & Custom Stuff is a part of the Southern ... - Parts & People

Targeting specific vehicles helps Stuart Terry Auto Repair increase business
Continued from page 3
“People can go on our website and learn a
little bit more about us to help them feel at
ease with us, which is a great thing.”
The shop also uses Demandforce, Terry
said, which is an automated marketing and
communications solution that helps the
shop in many ways. “It integrates directly
into our management system and our
customer base and provides a separate
website where customers can read reviews
and make appointments.”
Demandforce also sends e-mail specials
to customers. “They take our ROs and see
what repairs have been done, what repairs
are needed, and notifies the customer,” he
said. “They even send ‘thank you’ texts or
e-mails out, depending on which type of
notification the customer requests.”
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Technician Manuel “Chito” Aguilar, at Stuart
Terry Auto Repair, handles much of the
shop’s domestic vehicle diagnostic and
repair work.
Terry said he has also used Customer
Link for quite a few years, even though
there’s some redundancy with
Demandforce. “The big difference is
[Customer Link] does a lot with
Brad Davis, Program Director
bdavis@armstrongprofessional.com
personalized printed postcards
and ‘call-to-action’ specials.”
The shop also sends out
handwritten “thank you” cards,
Terry said. “I have a lady who
comes in a few hours a week
who goes through our invoices
and generates ‘thank you’
cards,” he said. “Everything is
so automated today our
customers tell us it’s nice to
receive something handwritten
in the mail.”
Terry said the hardest part of
a repair for the customer is
being without their car. “We try
to educate people to take better
care of their cars so they don’t break down,”
he said. “When they do need work, we help
them by pre-ordering parts.” n
New Rotary Lift technology increases lift speeds
Continued from page 5
batteries, which are continually charged with
a battery charger, Dirksen said. The battery
pack is attached to a post along with a threefoot
control panel.
“The important thing,” Rylee said, “is
they are standard automotive batteries that
are easily rechargeable with a battery
charger, so you no longer have the extensive
electrical installation and associated costs to
operate the lift, which is also resistant to
power outages.”
Shockwave is suitable for shops that
service a variety of different makes and
models that require different lift points and
adjustments, Dirksen said. It uses a patentpending
laser system that projects a green
laser line into the center of the lifting area
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800.575.6891
that allows technicians to accurately position
a vehicle without the need for further
adjustments, he said.
“We have a lot of video data that we’ve
monitored, measured, and recorded that
shows how difficult spotting can be even for
seasoned technicians,” Rylee said.
Shockwave-equipped two-post lifts,
which range in capacity from 7,000 to
10,000 lbs., offer technicians three choices
of superstructures: standard arm packages
for a wide range of vehicles; low-profile
pads that slide into place to lift unibody
vehicles; and the new hybrid pad, he said.
“The patent-pending hybrid pad offers the
best of both worlds using a rear arm and a
pad in the front,” Rylee said.
Shockwave-equipped SmartLift inground
lifts, which have a lifting capacity of
8,000 lbs., are available in two patentpending
superstructures: one that features
low-profile three-stage arms with extended
reach with the industry’s widest drive
through; and a moveable pad superstructure
that features an ultra-low profile and fast
positioning, they said.
Rotary Lift also provides a Shockwave kit
that can be used to convert in-ground
SmartLift lifts, though not surface lifts,
Rylee said.
“There are a lot of cost savings packed
into this technology when factoring in
amount of time saved with its speeds up and
down, as well as the setup using the laser,”
he said.
“This is revolutionary in our industry.” n
www.ascca.com
866.923.7767
Armstrong & Associates Insurance Services
800.632.2777 | www.armstrongprofessional.com
Woodland • Sacramento • SF Bay Area • Fresno • Los Angeles
Stuart Terry Auto Repair Technician Mark Boykin
is factory trained to diagnose and repair Volvos
and Saabs, including this Volvo, owned by a
Swedish native.
Stuart Terry’s
top three
reasons
to join ASCCA
Stuart Terry said he joined the
Automotive Service Councils of
California (ASCCA) in 1995 and has
held numerous positions in his local
chapter and on the state board,
including director, vice president, and
president in 2010. “I’m past president
this year and I’ll be helping President
Tracy Renee quite a bit because I’m
also a board director this year.”
There are many reasons for a shop to
belong to ASCCA, Terry said, but three
really stand out. “I’d say the top
reasons to join ASCCA are
representation in Sacramento, savings
through vendor providers, and the
friendships developed with other shop
owners.”
Terry said ASCCA has full-time
legal representation at the state level to
keep an eye on pending legislation that
might affect shops. “Jack Malodanof,
our legislative advocate, does a terrific
job.”
The ASCCA-approved uniform
vendor saves Terry enough in two
weeks to pay the monthly dues, he said.
“If a shop takes advantage of all
ASCCA benefits they can save more
than $8,000 a year.”
Perhaps the greatest benefit to
membership is the camaraderie, Terry
said. “Being able to talk to other shops,
get ideas from them about what’s
working, and developing a network of
other good repair shops are all reasons
to join. Also, if a customer relocates to
another city, I know a shop I can
recommend to them.” n
Page 6 February 2012 Parts & People www.partsandpeople.com