Some Shops Just Have All the Luck

Everyone in this industry has heard it over and over from various shop owners and industry personnel... "Boy does that guy have all the luck; look at the beautiful operation he has. What luck he must have to attract and keep that kind of staff in place. He must of been in the right place at the right time". Is it not amazing how so many in the Aftermarket justify their circumstances? They always

Continuing to Say "No" or "Not Now" is Not The Right Answer

Let's face it, the times are different than what you are accustomed to. You have been in business in excess of 10 years and you do not "trust" the industry. Let's consider the new realities:1). Jobbers and WD's have always said they have an important message for you and they even labeled it under the topic of "Business Management" criteria. You went to their presentation on your valuable time

Times Are Different...Why Are You Comparing to Last Year?

Shop owners know that things are different this year and in fact so much has changed that measuring the business results against last year or even the year before doesn't make much sense any more. These are new and very modern times in our sector. Management must relearn the business all over again and coupled with that challenge must also instill new self disciplines to execute differently. The

HAVE YOU STARTED ADJUSTING TO THE NEW SERVICE REALITY?

Shop owners and Managers must adjust their business processes to address today's vehicle service realities.Consider the higher quality of fluids and synthetics that are now being used today in all vehicles.Consider vehicle manufacturers are now recommending 10,000, 20,000 even 30,000 kilometers between oil changes. This means that there will be many cases where the shop sees the customer/

When you're drowning, you don't say "I would be pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me", you scream!

A quote from the late John Lennon actually nailed the Aftermarket.Why is our independent shop sector of the Aftermarket not willing to reach out and ask for help? Why is our sector not willing to accept the hard message advice required, understand it and embrace it to really fix the problem? Why is our sector always looking for the quick fix and instant gratification? Why does our sector not

Perhaps It Is Time To Step Back And Take A Deep Breath

Let's face it, there has been a lot of stress this year so far, but, let's think this through. Are you caught up in your business as like the "Y" generation and expect instant gratification or do you truly realize the realistic time frame to get things done. This is not a cop out. The fact is staff must come "up to grade" faster than ever before, that is the "Professionalism" of our sector,

ONE MORE TIME - IS IT TIME FOR A NEW VOLUNTARY AFTERMARKET SYSTEM IN CANADA?

The traditional methods of operating a business within the Independent sector of the automotive aftermarket industry in Canada has been very simple. A person or licensed technician has the opportunity of having his/her own shop, raises the required cash and opens up for business. A person or Jobber sales representative has the opportunity to own a parts store, raises the required cash, and the