Standard Motor Products Celebrates 100th Anniversary

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Standard Motor Products Celebrates 100th Anniversary

Elias Fife founded the company on April 19, 1919.

Counterman Staff
By Counterman Staff
Published:

Standard Motor Products announced it is celebrating its 100-year anniversary.

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Elias Fife founded the company on April 19, 1919.

During the early years of the aftermarket, Standard Motor Products was instrumental in helping earn the industry a reputation of quality and reliability, whether it was with early efforts from its sales force or the introduction of premium-quality lines such as “Blue Streak,” the company noted.

Over the years, Standard Motor Products has grown by leaps and bounds from the company that Elias Fife founded in 1919. Standard Motor Products now employs approximately 4,400 people, generates more than $1 billion in net sales, operates in more than 25 facilities around the world and is a leading independent manufacturer and distributor of replacement parts in the automotive aftermarket.

Guiding Standard Motor Products’ growth is a set of core values that have remained consistent from Day 1: premium-quality products and premium brands; a commitment to basic manufacturing; world-class training and marketing support; a sales force that’s second to none; and a time-tested ability to adapt to the automotive technologies of the day, according to the company. But most of all, a commitment to integrity has been the backbone of its growth.

“As we celebrate our 100th year in business, we reflect back on what brought us to where we are today,” said Eric Sills, Standard Motor Products’ CEO and president, and a fourth-generation descendant of the founder. “Our founders had the foresight to enter this wonderful industry with a strong set of corporate values centered on taking care of our customers, and to do so with the utmost integrity. In this highly competitive industry, we owe our sustained success to both the dedication of our talented employees as well as to our loyal customers. We are committed to entering our next centennial with the same determination and ingenuity that has made SMP the automotive market leader that it is today.”

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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.

Read Full Article

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