Three Simple Rules

I have been doing quite a bit of travelling lately, which has given me cause to commune with quite a few people in the aftermarket.

Clearly, from the discussions I have had, challenges are faced by the industry in terms of image, profitability, and training, to name just three. Read any magazine on this industry and that will be clear. What is not always clear in the reports on those discussions is the resolve to address these issues. For all its faults, this industry has managed to grow and prosper, in a way unique to North America, for the better part of a century.

Having said that, there are three points I want to make that I believe will help you, personally, and professionally. Call it a pledge, if you will–or maybe they’re just the ramblings of a guy who has spent too much time on the road.

Point One: Dress for success. While this industry is not the fashion industry, and not even a fashionable one at most times, this is not an excuse for a shoddy appearance. How often do you hear people in the industry complain about not getting the respect they deserve? The easiest way to show you’re worthy of respect is in your appearance. How you look has a direct relationship with how people view our industry. In the old days, a sales rep who showed up at a call without a hat would be summarily flung out the door. I’m not talking about having to wear a suit and tie every day; dressing appropriately is the key. That faded black T-shirt may be great for machining cylinder heads in, but you shouldn’t be wearing it to the engine rebuilders event.

Call me crazy, but when you’re looking to drop $100,000 on a machine, I think you should at least look like you can afford it. If you want respect, you should look like you deserve it.

Point Two: Push for excellence, accept reality. You probably have a few customers out there who simply refuse to listen to, or to believe, the value proposition you are offering. If you are a progressive jobber, you have tried to counsel these shops on how to improve their bottom line, and how their commitment to you can be returned manifold in terms of the performance of their business. And, no doubt, some have nodded approvingly at everything you had to say, and then told you they’d buy more from you if you dropped your prices.

You have only so much time. You need to focus on those areas that will provide a return. At some point, especially for those businesses on the brink of failure, you have to accept the fact that you cannot save everyone. Learn how to say goodbye.

Point Three: Be a capitalist. How often have you felt that a competitor, especially one that doesn’t have a sustainable business model, simply should not be allowed to be in business? How many times have you heard of service providers complaining that you’ll sell to anyone who brings in a big cheque? Who wouldn’t? I have even heard of moves to stop businesses from selling parts over the counter to DIYers and greymarket shops.

While I do not support any illegal shops’ activities, to suggest that you police them or your fellow jobbers is just plain wacko and potentially dangerous. The auto parts business is, for the most part, not a highly regulated industry and needs to stay that way. And you can never legislate good business sense anyway. Do your business ethically and profitably, take care of your people and your customers, and you have done your job.

You must be able to decide whom to sell to and how. Let the other guy do the same. It is what the entrepreneurial spirit is all about.

It is important that we understand that everyone has the right to determine how they want to run their business and their lives, within the bounds of safety and law, of course. Yes, you should choose the best path for yourself, and urge others to do the same, but you can’t force them. Some will never get it. As the old saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.

And if he dies of thirst, that is his choice and his alone.