Collision Advice's Mike Anderson delivered an emphatic message to collision repair professionals to do their job safely and properly as the opening speaker for the Southeast Collision Conference on in the Greater Richmond Convention Center on May 2.
Anderson shared his core purpose for why he does what he does – his father suffered life-changing injuries in Vietnam when his parachute was improperly packed by the parachute rigger and didn’t open. Collision repairers face the same situation every shift.
“My dad instilled in me and said, ‘Son, whenever we fix a car, we are packing that person’s parachute,” he said. “I was programmed in my life to always pack the parachute properly or to fix cars safely and properly.”
Anderson spoke for 90 minutes about the importance of not sacrificing safe and proper repairs for cycle time. He challenged shop owners to make sure they stay informed and to keep speaking out about the challenges they face.
“If you don’t belong to SCRS, and you don’t show up at CIC, and you don’t show up at these events, then you’re giving up your seat at the table. So don’t cry to anybody if you don’t like your circumstances,” Anderson said. “Ladies and gentlemen, if we want change, we’ve got to show up…when you walk away because you don’t like what they’re doing, you’ve given up your right to have a voice. Don’t walk away.”
Anderson’s presentation set the tone for the rest of the conference, held May 1-3 and presented by the Carolinas Collision Association and Washington Metropolitan Auto Body Association. It immediately followed the Collision Industry Conference and provided attendees a variety of Collision Professional Repairer Education Program sessions presented by WMABA.
Kyle Bradshaw hosted a lunch & learn panel on OEM industry relations. Panelists included American Honda’s Dave Rounkles, Rivian’s Casey Hamilton, GM’s John Eck, I-CAR’s Bud Center, and Barry Dorn of Dorn’s Body and Repair.
One of the primary issues the panelists focused on is the lack of training or lack of understanding. The panel spoke about the importance of fostering a culture of learning. Center pointed out that, in the automotive industry, the mechanical segment trains because they want to do it, whereas collision repairers tend to do it when they’re forced to do it to meet a requirement.
“In the collision industry it tends to be more we’re doing the training because someone is forcing me to do it,” Center said, “when really it should be more about the culture of your shop and your team understanding you’re investing in them, you’re investing in you’re future, you’re investing in the business. It’s the right thing to do.
Andrew Batenhorst, body shop manager for Pacific BMW Collision Center, hosted a session about the “Death of the Estimator.” Batenhorst shared a strategy he uses at his shop where the several roles including the repair planner and repair planner assistant share the estimator duties.
Batenhorst engaged the audience with group activities to emphasize the importance of everyone knowing standard operating procedures and standards for repairs. Attendees split into three groups and created a detailed SOP on how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Despite its reputation as “the world’s simplest sandwich,” the outcomes were all quite different.
Batenhorst used the exercise to show the importance of SOPs and standards for complex car repairs. He uses it at his shop for each stage of the repair process. If something is done outside of the SOP, it’s a potential learning opportunity or waste. He encouraged each attendee to go back and try it in their shops.
“I have found that having these SOPs…[my employees] like seeing that there’s a visual route to do whatever it needs to do,” he said. “If you have apprentices that are lost…they can come back to this SOP and know what step to do next or they know what the output of this SOP should be.”
DEG's Danny Gredinberg and Kyle Motzkus, trainer and repair planner at Quality Collision Group, held a discussion about how to overcome information overload and streamline repair planning. They stressed the importance of “slowing down to speed up,” and to focus on repairing the broken bond repair shops have with consumers, starting with better communication and building trust.
“Empathy is one of the best ways to begin a conversation. The industry lacks empathy,” Motzkus said. “First thing I do is ask if they’re okay [and] build trust. Ultimately, they want to know if you’re the expert to do this job properly.”
Motzkus shared how he evaluates potential customers during the initial consultation to see if they’re a good fit for each other:
- Look at body language. Are they listening to respond or active listening?
- Are they willing to be involved in the process?
- What can you do for them?
- Present the facts, not opinions. You are an extension of the OEM brand. Don’t get upset if they say “no” to something.
- Set clear expectations. Don’t overpromise and underdeliver.
- Start educating the consumer the moment they first walk in. Helpful consumer resources include owner’s manuals, OEM consumer lines, position statements, state consumer protection agencies, and consumer advocacy groups.
In between sessions, attendees explored the tradeshow floor. More than 40 vendors set up booths to showcase their latest products and offerings. Representatives performed hands-on demonstrations of tools to interactive screens and displays for software and ADAS calibration equipment.
