Nominate Yourself, Someone Else For CPOTY

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Counterman has been serving auto parts jobbers, retailers and distributors since 1983.
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Nominate Yourself, Someone Else For CPOTY

It's short for "Counter Professional of the Year," and yes, it's that time again. This year, the award is again sponsored by Affinia, and its brands WIX Filters and Raybestos brakes and chassis.

Mark Phillips
By Mark Phillips
Published:

It’s a funny looking word, CPOTY. But it means a lot.

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It’s short for “Counter Professional of the Year,” and yes, it’s that time again. This year, the award is again sponsored by Affinia, and its brands WIX Filters and Raybestos brakes and chassis.

Since 1985, Counterman magazine has recognized counterpros who go above and beyond the call of duty, who are well-educated in parts and who are looked to by others as leaders in the field. Our yearly recognition of a single Counter Professional of the Year includes all-expenses-paid travel to Las Vegas, where the recipient will be the guest of honor at a special dinner and awards ceremony. The award coincides with AAIW, which affords the recipient even greater recognition and visibility by the aftermarket as a whole. Additionally, the Counter Professional of the Year is featured on the cover of the December issue of Counterman magazine.

We on the Counterman team get asked every year: How do you do it? How do you select such a fantastic representative of aftermarket parts distribution? The answer is: It ain’t easy. I, personally and professionally, feel a tremendous sense of responsibility, as does everyone else on the team, to choose the absolute best candidate from the numerous nominees. The fact that it’s not easy is a testament to distribution — there are plenty of exemplary candidates every year. And every year, it seems the bar is raised by every new Counter Professional of the Year.

The only stipulation of the award program is that the counterpro must be ASE certified. Entries are due by July 8. Take a few moments today to nominate yourself or someone else by going to www.counterman.com/CPOTY.aspx.

A FEW WORDS ABOUT INNOVATION
I’ve been able to see some great stuff recently. If I’ve learned anything about the aftermarket, it’s that it innovates. In the past month, I’ve visited a factory and met with its chief scientist, who designed a battery featuring the latest technology for the newest and biggest demands 21st Century cars can put on it. And I’ve toured a training/distribution center that is turning the traditional view of training on its ear.

Previously, I toured a brake pad factory where the friction formulations are held as close as the formula for Coca-Cola. And the data warehousing and mining technology being employed in distribution is awe-inspiring. It all makes me think of a line from one of my favorite movies, “Ghostbusters”: “We got the tools and we got the talent!”

A correction:
A January story about spark plugs should have said Champion Iridium plugs were
introduced in early 2005. Counterman regrets the error.

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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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