Google is really starting to piss me off.

On the one hand Google is making my job more important and vital to busy business owners like you. And our growth is certainly beginning to reflect this new growing demand for our…

I recently read an article “Robots Ate My Road Trip” in my July Automobile magazine.  In the article David Brancaccio wrote about how he traveled across the United States without dealing with a human, and described the various types of robots that helped him.

Reading this article stirred some thoughts about some shops I have walked into where the humans have become robotic.   You have seen them, they hand you a clipboard, tell you to have a seat, fill out the form and somebody will be…

As e-commerce has become a bigger part of our daily lives, the data flow between trading partners has expanded wider and deeper into the repair process.  Data that was once exchanged between only the body shop and insurance company is now shared with a number of companies providing a wide range of services in the collision process.

Continue reading for more information:…

Mobile marketing is changing the way marketers and automotive businesses think about marketing. Smart phones have changed the dynamic forever.

No matter whether marketers care about social media, local marketing, email marketing, phone calls or web traffic—mobile marketing is changing them all.

If you don’t believe that mobile is changing marketing forever…you’re wrong.

Hopefully a few of these stats will open your eyes.

• There are 7 billion people on Earth.…

Marketing your customer base is important to maintain workflow.  When talking about marketing to shops I hear "I have five DRP's, they keep me busy".  My question to them is how many of them are repeat customers and how many are new.  My bet is most of them are new. Relying on your DRP to market for you makes you susceptible to their ebbs and flows negatively affecting your workflow.

By marketing your customer base you retain your customer regardless of their insurance company…

Your website can create more sales than your best sales people, you just need the right process.

I just recently started working with a mold remediation specialist (www.the molddr.com)who had a decent website and was blogging, tweeting, doing Facebook, paid search and email marketing. By a lot of people's standards he was doing all the "right…

Severity has been a buzz in shops lately, not that it is a new buzz but shops I have been in lately seem to have it at the top of their mind.  Makes sense since the top three insurance focus points are Severity, Cycle Time and CSI.

There are several ways to control severity, I think the quickest way to make an impact on severity is by repairing bumpers.  Bumpers have become more and more costly as they become a major portion of the front of a vehicle. Take a look in your trash…

A few weeks ago I was proudly standing next to Mayfi eld Collision Centers’ owner and founder Tom Griffin while he was receiving an award from the city of Bedford Heights for MCC’s contribution to the K-9 program. As the mayor was gushing about our business, and members of the community were offering him hugs - I…

“Auto Body”, “Autobody”, “Body Shop”, “Collision Center” – all the same right? 

We recognize all these name iterations as simply different terms for auto body repair businesses, but do search engines see it the same way as we do; and could selecting one over the other influence our visibility to search engines?  Po-tay-toe or…

Is there value in change – absolutely, is there value in change for the sake of change – doubtful!  Change for the right reason is always good; some will say if you are not changing you are not growing and I can agree with that.  The problem lies when change happens for the wrong reason which affects stability and this is especially true in personnel changes.  Something isn’t going right so you make a personnel change and hmm, that didn’t work, let me make another change.

A big issue…

BEDFORD HEIGHTS, Ohio – May 3, 2012 – Bedford Heights City Council passed a special resolution recognizing Mayfield Collision Centers’ contribution to the city’s K-9 program. Mayfield Collision Centers refurbished a 2006 Police Cruiser which will serve as the law enforcement vehicle for the city’s newly-established canine unit. Tom Griffin, President and Founder of Mayfield Collision Centers, accepted the award on behalf of the company. Mayfield Collision Centers donated the labor and…

CIECA plays a vital role in the Collision Industry by developing  IT standards, codes, and best practices that make it possible for the Collision Industry to save money.

To most of the industry, developing electronic data exchange standards and codes is not exciting work.  Most would equate it to watching paint dry. To those that volunteer their time at CIECA, the work is rewarding and beneficial to the entire industry.  As a direct result of CIECA and the CIECA standards, the…

Hi.

I'm on a bit of quest to tap into how people really feel about their business and what they need to ensure long term success. I've created a 5 question survey and if you're a shop manager or shop owner, I would appreciate your input. We need feedback like this out on the market, so businesses have access to the resources they need most.

I understand there are many 'value-add' companies out there, however, do they ever ask you what you want? I think they assume what you want…

Spear Electric Co. owner Dave Deck made an unusual donation to The Chardon High School Memorial Benefit Fund, he let members of the community sign his Tek-Craft Hydroplane Outboard Racing Boat to raise money and show support for the community. “It just came to me,” commented Deck. “It was a way to combine my life-long love for boat racing and Spear Electric Company’s commitment to the Chardon community.” Over 200 people signed the boat, which was part of a 2-day fund raising event held at…

http://http://www.bedfordtimesregister.com/news/simple_article/5184927…

ST. GEORGE, Utah – May 2, 2012 –LogMyCalls, the smarter call tracking, recording and customer intelligence solution from ContactPoint, emerges from Beta today.

LogMyCalls beta period began in January. During Beta,…

If you're a shop owner or a manager and want a chance to win the New iPad, check out the link below to learn more about the contest....

Don't wait too long, May 31, 2012 is the deadline.

https://qe989.infusionsoft.com/app/page/win_ipad

All The…