For the past 13 years, I have belonged to and have been active in a service dealer group sponsored by my local parts supplier. In July, I had the honor of participating in a regional advisory meeting held in Chicago. We covered interesting and pertinent topics, such as marketing ideas, industry trends, political issues, business management and training options.
But one of the highlights of the gathering was the opportunity to meet shop owners from all around the country. Sharing experiences and ideas with people who are in the same business gives me the opportunity to learn and to bring ideas back to my business. Likewise, I hope that I can help a fellow repairer who has questions about his or her business.
In the days when full-service gas stations stood on every corner, owners competed with product giveaways, gas pricing and service offerings. In many cases, the person across the street was considered the "enemy." Shop and station owners made few opportunities to meet and get to know one another.
As time went on, the oil companies formed dealer groups to help the people leasing their stations be successful and professional representatives of that company. They also began to offer marketing and advertising programs, technical training, branding help, signage resources and sources for branded parts. In these programs, station owners often met with other dealers from the same company, and they enhanced their business skills by learning from each other.
These offerings were very effective for many years, but as the industry changed, the oil companies changed their focus from vehicle service to convenience stores. The station operators that continued to service vehicles no longer had a resource to rely on.
But now, many parts suppliers have stepped up to fill that void, offering programs independent shops can use to grow their businesses. These programs are only effective if both the service dealer and the parts supplier embrace the program and are active participants.
Through our monthly dealer and board of directors meetings, I have built great relationships with other dealers and my parts supplier. Our dealer network has reached such a comfort level that shop owners call each other for repair information, loan each other specialty and diagnostic tools and exchange business information.
I have gained a great deal of understanding about the parts business, and my parts supplier has learned a lot about the repair business. Instead of guessing about each others' business needs, we have formed a mutually beneficial partnership that helps both our businesses to grow.
Additional offerings of our service dealer program are local and national marketing campaigns and tools, as well as technical and management training programs. Our group has been so successful that we've even seen our ideas implemented on a national level.
Looking back, I truly believe my business would not have grown to the level it has if I had not been an active member of this service dealer program. Whether you're a parts jobber or an independent repairer, I strongly encourage you to get involved in a service dealer group that's available to you. Putting time and effort into it is just one more way of investing in the future of your business.
Chuck Hartogh is vice president and co-founder of C&M Auto Service Inc. of Glenview, Ill. and Vernon Hills, Ill., and is an ASE-Certified Master, L1 Technician. (ASA).
