Industry Jobbers Must Get Involved

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the Automotive Industry Association's Industry Forum in Toronto. The venue was excellent. The agenda was excellent. The topics covered by the speakers were very pertinent. Manufacturers were present. Warehouse Distributors were present. Jobbers were but a handful which lead to a weak turnout of Service Shop owners.It is frustrating to watch AIA Canada

In Negative Times - Let's Make A Positive

Anyone that knows me understands I am direct and to the point person (sometimes I am often accused of being too black and white) because I believe deeply in any message I send out. I see and understand all my messages very clearly. All my messages, however, must be proven and stand the test of time.This is a very personal message I am asking you to embrace. I have never done this before in an

Dealing with FEAR in Moving Your Business Forward

Shop owners from Coast to Coast are falling into a rut that produces an immense amount of internal fear. They have not taken the steps required to transition their business from the break down and repair model to the preventative maintenance model of doing business. Instead they hold on to the routines that seem to be familiar to them. Unfortunately those routines from the old business model do

The Independent Sector Can and Will Make The Difference....IF.... WE... Choose to Do So...Where Do You Stand?

The Independent sector of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry time after time has been voted "consumers choice" but I believe we can do so much better to make a "dramatic" impact to the consumer and to do that we first have to acknowledge "together" that we have a lot of work to do.Unfortunately the sector over the next five years will continue to shrink in numbers of effective outlets but that

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