Every level of business operation depends on services provided, whether those services come from employees or outside vendors. The vendors themselves need resources to be able to provide for their customers, and it continues up the chain. How do you make sure you are getting what you need from your service providers? It starts with understanding what each role should be ready to provide you with and how it affects your business in the long run. Let’s take a look at each of the main roles and what to expect from each one.
Account reps serve as your day-to-day contact. They are the main liaison between the shop and distributor, acting as a trusted partner that can answer questions, provide guidance and share information on new products that are coming available in the near future. An account rep should be up on the latest and greatest technology and getting you excited about new products, presenting you with a summary of what each can provide. They don’t necessarily have to be the most technical person in the room but should be able to compare differences between new and current products either verbally or on paper, helping you understand why one might be better than the other. Account reps, as in every role, should be continuously building and maintaining a strong relationship with the business owner.
Who helps put together this business plan? Many times, this role is labeled as a Business Development Manager, or BDM, and works closely with business owners and managers to set goals for their business, developing and helping the business execute a solid plan that ensures growth and profitability. Your BDM should be adding value to your facility every time they stop by, making regular efforts to guide you in the right direction and serve as your information link to the business side of things. They should be sharing best business practices – helping you decipher key performance indicators (KPIs), work through processes and collaborate to make things run smoother. A good BDM communicates well, shows empathy, drives change and thinks positively.
What did you purchase last month? How many gallons? How did that work based on sales out, and does your usage and purchase line up with what you’re doing? Asking these types of questions makes your BDM proactive and reliable. Much of their work complements the efforts of other service providers, forming a true, solid vendor-business partnership that is crucial for success and goal attainment.
Your business also needs someone with deep technical knowledge to complement the above roles. A technical representative should be proactive in supporting the technical needs of the business. They should provide you with information on training and development opportunities that are available – for example, training or recertification for painters in a shop. They are more hands-on and process-oriented, utilizing their technical knowledge to drive profitability by helping techs in the shop work through the finer details of their work, such as choosing the best refinish techniques and knowing how much material to use on a vehicle. By doing this, shops can eliminate redos and freebies that waste labor, effort and time.
A technical service rep also acts as a “firefighter.” They deal with quality issues, vehicles that didn’t come out the way the shop thought it should, color matching issues and process issues. Your tech rep should work with you to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it. If your tech rep is being proactive, the amount of “fires” they need to help put out should be minimal. If they put in the effort to prepare themselves through additional training on different application techniques and materials, they will be able to handle a variety of concerns that need to be addressed quickly.
An example of one of these concerns could be a vehicle that comes out of the shop with orange peel and mismatched color. The shop repaints the vehicle and it still doesn’t come out right. A well-trained tech rep will go through the process and products used to figure out what happened. He or she will examine the performance of the shop’s color matching software and see if the problem originated there. A lot of times, this type of troubleshooting can be solved remotely, although in some cases they need to physically come in and handle certain problems in person.
What makes a tech rep proactive besides keeping up on their training? They make sure that the products are standardized and the best ones to complete the job. They help with process improvements in the paint shop. They review application techniques to ensure a consistent, uniform color match and that techs are mixing the proper amounts of products to minimize waste. They regularly review tracking reports. They make sure product lists are controlled. And they collaborate with the business to make processes run smoother.
While they are typically seen as the most technical resource in the room, they should also be able to talk about things from a salesperson’s point of view that would help the shop, including knowledge on new products and technologies. New product demos can and should be performed by both your account and tech reps during their visits, with the tech reps being able to go into more detail about the technical aspects that the account rep may not have knowledge about.
Many times, account reps and business development managers who spend a significant amount of time in their roles eventually move into a more strategic account role, typically referred to as strategic account managers. In the refinish industry, they focus on different market segments – dealerships, multi-shop operations, banner networks (i.e. CARSTAR, CCG) and independents who present strategic market-specific opportunities. Working with a SAM means you are working with a well-rounded, experienced individual who can offer advice and expertise on their focused market segments to drive sustainable and profitable growth.
“One of my favorite things about my role is building relationships,” said Marty Martinez, Strategic Account Manager for BASF Refinish. “This allows me to develop a clear understanding of how we can help our customers and focus on the things that are most important to them. My role enables me to work as a total solution provider, helping customers understand that we provide services that go beyond paint. I make sure they know that we have an entire team dedicated to giving them the tools and services they need to be successful.”
Having a better understanding of what to expect out of each service provider involved with your business will help maximize time and efforts from each contributor, knowing how each person should connect to your business and what they should be bringing to the table. The right people in the right roles will be just as passionate as you are about improving business operations and growing your bottom line. These providers will carry the burden with you, follow through appropriately and put your needs first all the time, every time. If you are not having an exceptional experience with any of your providers integrated into your business, it’s time to start evaluating the gaps in your business needs and how each of these roles should be filling them.
About the Author
Troy Neuerburg
Troy Neuerburg has experience working in various roles in the automotive refinish business, bringing him into his current role of National Sales Manager for BASF Automotive Refinish NA. His extensive experience has allowed him to understand what customers should expect out of each service provider they interact with. Building strong relationships and driving profitable growth are the main goals he strives to achieve with his team.