Business Moves Fast (Some Of Them)
I subscribe to a newsletter by a business that runs auctions. What they auction isn’t important for the purposes of this discussion, but suffice it to say, the prices the items yield can be quite high. The other day, the CEO of the auction company sent out an email saying the company would be providing
Houston, We Really Got a Problem Now!
Have you ever had to pull the plug on an IT initiative that would have brought true innovation to your business because it was too expensive? Sure, anyone that answers “no” to this question is probably not investing enough, or at all, in their innovation strategy. Innovating in business is never a sure thing. Anyone
Think You’re Not A Customer Service Representative?
Parts professionals are a curious bunch. Many of us don’t want to be considered “customer service representatives.” And many don’t want to be known as “salespeople” either. Funny thing is, we’re both. Essentially that is what we do: we sell. Our pay depends directly on our ability to sell, does it not? I went to
What About Everyone Else?
Employee recognition is not just a nice thing to do for a few people.
A Declaration of Innovation
“Never before in history has innovation offered promise of so much to so many in so short a time.” — Bill Gates “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” — Steve Jobs During a recent family vacation to the island of Manhattan, we marched into the world’s famous Madame Tussaud’s wax museum on 42nd
Change is the Only Promise We Have
Our business is about change. It is the only guarantee we have. Over the years, I have seen many store acquisitions. Just about every situation turns out the same, but the journey is always full of twist and turns. Acquisitions occur for a variety of reasons. Some are on terms that are less than ideal;
It All Starts With Us
By Allen Markowitz and Allan Gerber In our roles as trainers and consultants we are constantly speaking to parts store counter professionals, repair shop owners, service writers and managers. One topic that seems to be a constant with shop owners is that of pricing parts to the vehicle owner. Very often, we are asked what
More Than Pizza Is Being Delivery
I’ve always marveled at something that a lot of people probably take for granted: home pizza delivery. If you think about it, it’s a beautiful concept: With a phone call or few clicks of a mouse or swipes on a smartphone, a car will show up in front of your home with a driver who
Using Apps To Sell Parts
How can you find the time to learn all that? This is a question often asked of me. I tend to poke around new tech stuff more than others. In the end, I pick up enough tools that actually save me time, and yes, the inner geek likes it, too. Sometimes you can tell the
Allen & Allen: Where Are We Headed As An Industry?
By Allen Markowitz As an automotive business trainer and industry consultant to parts stores and repair centers, my mind does not always see a black and white world. While most people are enjoying the nice weather, I am usually analyzing my surroundings. I had the opportunity in 1973 to open my first auto parts store
Stop-And-Go Traffic Isn’t So Bad After All
You may not like stop and go traffic on your commute, but the aftermarket sure does. While miles driven increased only slightly in 2010, product volume in the aftermarket rose 3.2 percent, according to a recent study by Lang Marketing. How can product volume rise significantly while the miles driven increase was a paltry 0.8
Making The Case For Selling Powersports
It’s no surprise that gas prices are having an effect on miles driven. In March of this year, Americans drove about 3.5 billion fewer miles than in March 2010, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The overall economy, gas prices, competition and whatever other reasons you might cite have forced all of