Auto Care Association Hosts Successful Trade Mission To Peru

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Auto Care Association Hosts Successful Trade Mission To Peru

The eight participating companies were Cloyes Gear and Products Inc., ACL Distribution, Performance Friction Corp., Gates Interamerica, APW Knox-Seeman Warehouse Inc., CARDONE, Meyerban LLC and Gabriel.

Counterman Staff
By Counterman Staff
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http://gty.im/181753552

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BETHESDA, Md. — The Auto Care Association hosted eight companies on a trade mission to Lima, Peru, May 17-19, the first in a series of trade missions that will be organized as part of the Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP) award from the U.S. Department of Commerce.  The association received the award to help the automotive industry increase exports to free trade agreement partners in Central and South America.

Day one of the trade mission included a country briefing presented by U.S. Embassy personnel, representatives from the Automotive Association of Peru and a local legal and regulatory expert. Trade mission delegates were then escorted to on-site visits at a local dealership and a local family-owned parts store. On the second day of the mission, the delegates participated in personalized business-to-business matchmaking meetings with foreign industry executives, pre-screened to match companies’ specific business objectives.

The eight participating companies were Cloyes Gear and Products Inc., ACL Distribution, Performance Friction Corp., Gates Interamerica, APW Knox-Seeman Warehouse Inc., CARDONE, Meyerban LLC and Gabriel. Staff and members from the Overseas Automotive Council (OAC) of the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association also participated and helped recruit participants for the trade mission.

“I had not anticipated that this trade mission to Lima, Peru would be as productive as it has been,” said Mick Jordan, vice president, marketing, Cloyes Gear and Products, an Auto Care Association member and current OAC chairman. “The briefings presented Tuesday by Peruvian and U.S. Embassy officials, and from the representative from the Automotive Association of Peru, were thorough and very informative. They clearly put into context the opportunities and challenges that exist in the Peruvian aftermarket. The site visits, as well as the one-on-one meetings that were pre-arranged, were very effective. I am certain that I will develop significant new business from this trade mission. Auto Care did an excellent job in organizing and executing this event.”

“We are very excited to have completed our first trade mission to Latin America and we are thrilled that early feedback has been so positive,” said Bill Hanvey, president and CEO, Auto Care Association. “The developing automotive market in Latin America holds tremendous export, business development and job creation opportunities for U.S. companies, and we look forward to working with the Department of Commerce, OAC and other partners on future successful missions.”

For details about the Auto Care Association’s trade missions, visit www.autocare.org/trade-missions.

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Customer Service: How It’s Done

Customer service should be your number one priority, and it all starts with the greeting.

Eric Garbe
By Eric Garbe
Eric Garbe is a graduate of Columbus State Community College with a degree in Automotive Maintenance Technology. He has extensive independent and dealership field experience as a technician and shop owner and is an ASE Certified Master Technician and former Adjunct Automotive Professor. He has been professionally writing automotive technical articles and documents for many years and in his free time enjoys restoring old cars and creating custom interiors and upholstery.
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This is always an important topic to discuss, because I consider excellent customer service one of the most important tools you can have to earn trust, respect and repeat business from the customers that come through your door. Whether that customer is do-it-yourselfer from across town or the professional repair shop across the street, your business depends on a solid relationship.It’s a subject that I am passionate about, and it’s one that many people are losing touch with. Whether you are communicating to someone in person, on the phone or using some type of social media, good customer service and bad can both exist. You can’t afford the latter, so this is the first in a series of topics which can and should be shared from the front of the shop to the back. No matter which role you hold, you represent the shop and yourself. Customer service should be your number one priority.First on the list is the greeting. From the second a customer walks in the door, they need to know you appreciate them coming in and how important they are to your business. First impressions are everything and here’s the correct way to do it each and every time: look them directly in the eye, smile and say hello!Of course, you can say “Good morning” or “Welcome to Joe’s Autocare,” but it should be a formal greeting and the most important thing is that you have smiled, looked them in the eye and recognized that they have walked through the door.You should always retain a formal greeting until you are on a first-name basis with a customer. Only once you have established that level of relationship is it OK to use the less formal greeting of “Hi,” followed by the person’s name.This greeting does more than just indicate respect and appreciation for someone walking through the door. Most likely there are customers both new and old who are in earshot of your conversation. For newer customers, this continues to build rapport and reinforce their positive view of your shop; they see that you demonstrate respect and treat everyone in the same manner. For repeat customers, even ones that have been coming for years, the greeting is important because the way you treat them is the reason they continue to come.And when a long-time customer comes in and you greet them with “Hi [First Name],” this indicates your appreciation for them and that you’re glad to see them as a person, more than just a customer. New customers that witness this will see that your repeat customers are comfortable enough to be on a first-name basis, another indication of the trust they have in you.

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