AAPEX To Debut New Service Professionals Program At 2014 Event

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AAPEX To Debut New Service Professionals Program At 2014 Event

Customized program enhances value for AAPEX's growing audience of shop owners and repair professionals.

Counterman Staff
By Counterman Staff
Published:

MOKENA, Ill. – In response to the increase in the number of service and repair professionals and independent shop and store owners participating in the annual Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX), the co-owner associations today announced the new Service Professionals Program for the 2014 event, slated for Tuesday, Nov. 6, through Thursday, Nov. 6, at the Sands Expo Center.
 
“Service professionals attend AAPEX each year for the opportunity to see the newest products and latest technology, gain valuable industry knowledge and management tips and network with industry leaders,” said Bill Long, president and chief operating officer of the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA), the light vehicle aftermarket division of the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA). “We’ve joined with our partner association, the Auto Care Association, to provide additional value to this important AAPEX constituency.”
 
“AAPEX has evolved far beyond a traditional trade show to a premier industry event, known for its quality educational opportunities for repair and store owners and managers, jobbers, WDs and professional technicians,” said Kathleen Schmatz, Auto Care Association president and CEO. “As auto care industry professionals find the demands on their time to attend trade shows, conferences and events on the rise, the AAPEX business model is gaining traction for busy businesspeople at all levels,” said Schmatz. “Recent focus groups of service and repair professionals resulted in requests for more education and training, which we are delivering.”
 
Attendee evaluations consistently rank the ROI of AAPEX for being the one annual venue where all the education, training and networking and all the products and people from around the world convene at one place at one time during the year, according to the Auto Care Association and the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association.
 
AAPEX 2014 will feature a customized program specifically designed for service professionals. The 2014 AAPEX Service Professional Program will include:
 
•Expanded AAPEXedu education track sessions including:
•Branding, mobile apps, and relationship and digital marketing
•Management training to increase repair shop profits
•Best practices for mobile diagnostics in the shop and diagnostics for connected cars
•Facilitated roundtable discussions:
•Dialogs on common challenges and best practices
•Networking and peer problem solving
 
In addition, in-booth technical demonstrations on the AAPEX tradeshow floor will focus on new products, diagnostics and new vehicle technologies. Shop owners and managers also will have the opportunity to attend unique events hosted by leading aftermarket companies and network with the industry’s leaders during AAPEX.
 
AAPEX will partner again in 2014 with the AVI Training Conference, set for Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 3-4, during the event. The 2014 AVI Conference will feature more than 20 high-end technical classes and management classes, all designed to give attendees a competitive edge. For more information, or a full list of classes and instructors, visit the AVI Conference website at www.aviconference.com or contact AVI directly at 800-718-7246.
 
The 2014 AAPEX is expected to feature more than 2,400 exhibitors, 5,000 booths and 39,000 targeted buyers. More than 130,000 automotive aftermarket professionals from nearly 125 countries are projected to be in Las Vegas during AAPEX. To register for AAPEX, visit: www.aapexshow.com/register.
 

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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.
Published:

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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