Deliver Consistent Service in 2012
1/18/2012
By Allen Markowitz and Allan Gerber
As 2012 begins, here are a few business concepts that should be reviewed and reinforced annually.
First, follow up with your customers. Customers need to know ... more
Are You Trained?
1/18/2012
By now, many of you have figured out from some of my references in this column that I have spent time as a counterperson. Yes, it was a while ago but not long enough that I can’t relate to what all of you go through on a daily basis. All I can say... more
Counter-Tech: Still Looking For It At AAPEX 2011
12/9/2011
One sure sign of the passing of time for my generation is how the best rock music of the past, even those obscure alternative bands that I craved as a teen, have now been redeployed in the 21st century as background music for our collective mass consumpt... more
Are You Ready To Innovate?
11/11/2011
For more than 27 years, I have been involved in the business of selling auto parts into export markets. The exposure to customers and vendors outside the American domestic market has enriched my career in ways I cannot describe, not to mention the m... more
We're Lucky To Be Part Of This Industry
10/10/2011
Hello from the offices of Counterman magazine.
As we head into the automotive aftermarket’s busiest season,I want to
reflect on how lucky we are to be in this great industry and how good
things really are. As is t... more
|
Counter-Tech: Three Tech Trends... at SEMA 2011
1/18/2012
I never thought the words, “I’m a writer for Counterman magazine” would ever roll off my tongue; but here I am. For several months now, I have been fortunate to be given the opportunity to write a column for you folks and going forwa... more
Why Some Shops Fail
1/18/2012
Repair shops come and go and often we look around and wonder why they failed. Sometimes the economy gets them and sometimes a vast combination of negative factors point to a failure. Good technicians don’t necessarily make good business owne... more
The Evolution Of Key performance Indicators (KPI)
11/11/2011
By Allen Markowitz and Allan Gerber
As we look at the how our industry changes and evolves, we observe how efficient today’s parts stores have become.
Efficiency can be calculated utilizing spreadsheets a... more
From The Publisher: Take My Word For It... We Are Better Off
11/11/2011
Many of you do not know that my first experience in the aftermarket was at an independent jobber in Ohio. While much of my time was spent in the engine rebuilding portion of the organization, I probably did a 50/50 split between rebuilding and counter du... more
It's Been A Real Disaster
10/11/2011
By Allen Markowitz and Allan Gerber
We are three quarters of the way through 2011 and look at what is going on around us. No, we are not speaking about our industry. The automotive industry is actually doing quite well; it is growi... more
Using Apps To Sell Parts: Dropbox and SugarSync
10/10/2011
Do you back up? This is by far the most used question any IT support person asks when your computer has clunked out, which happens to be the worst time to ask that darn question. I learned many years ago, that “yes, often and repeatedlyȁ... more
|