Fix Auto - Index

Fix Auto - Magazine02-en - Index

Our customers are not only flooding us with
new demands, they’re now redefining the
playing field. While body shops are taking a
local approach to doing business, the forces
underlying the industry are imposing a different
logic and a broader vision.
In their isolation, today’s body shops waste a lot
of time trying to reinvent the wheel. But they
can’t hold out for long against competition
that’s no longer limited to the neighborhood
body shop, but organized on a large scale. Of
course, some operators with multiple shops
(MSOs) and agreements with insurers think
they measure up. But do they?
Being the best shop in your area is one thing,
but if you don’t have a voice to communicate
it, then you’re going nowhere.
First we have to recognize that body shops
need a voice more than ever before. They need
it to present a new image to the public, communicate
effectively with insurance companies
and communicate with each other.
Communication is what a network is built on.
However, a network like this has to be at the
service of the shop owners. It has to understand
their business. It must bring people together
and facilitate relations with insurance companies.
And it needs to be completely unbiased.
A network worthy of its name must be capable
of managing today’s challenges while planning
for tomorrow.
This network already exists, and it’s about to
change your future.
At Fix Auto, we know from experience that
helping body shops is not a difficult thing to
do. It’s a matter of adding value through innovation,
organizing relations with customers,
and in particular making sure your work gets
the right recognition.
But convincing body shop owners to work
with others is another story!
The habit of doing everything alone, mistrust
of competing shops, fear of falling under the
domination of a big organization, concern
about losing one’s identity – these are some
of the reasons for the stagnation and financial
pressures that exist in the industry today.
How can we be so sure?
Everywhere our brand has been raised, we’ve
noticed the same initial hesitations and the
same needs. Yet all the body shops in our
network worldwide will tell you that, far from
being gobbled up, their identity and energy
have carried over into the network, increasing
tenfold as a result of the group’s outstanding
synergy, expertise and high profile.
The group approach may have been new and
different, but the members soon realized it
offered an affordable springboard toward a
whole new range of opportunities.
Fix Auto members have discovered some highly
effective tools and, above all, a very dynamic
team. It’s an organization that respects the
profession and knows the industry inside out
– because Fix Auto got its start in the body
shop community.
Some independent operators stubbornly cling
to the trial-and-error method. They’re already
bearing the cost for that, sometimes without
realizing it. Others see that time is running
short, you can’t stand in the way of progress,
and an organization tailored to the needs
of our customers in the insurance industry
is essential.
These shops are taking action, adopting a
proven concept that is breaking the mold
established by the industry.
Far from being a threat, pooling resources
within a qualified network is an opportunity
to take the future into your own hands and
grow – both in terms of quantity and quality.
A strong identity gives us leverage and a voice
in seeking the recognition we now need in
the industry.
If body shop owners have no say, then they
will continue to suffer the consequences of
changes occurring beyond their control, and
will have to live with solutions that may not
be in everyone’s best interest.
Right now, you are holding in your hands an
analysis of our industry, full details of the
concept that has brought Fix Auto success
and information on our way of doing business
– in fact, all you need to answer the following
question:
Do I take this turn in the road, or stay stuck in
the slow lane?
Happy reading!
Jean Delisle
MARK MAGAZINE || 05