GREENWOOD: Is it time to re-assess your business?

Want to transform your business into one that is indispensable to your clients? Here are some questions you and your staff need to ask yourselves:

1. What would ASP clients say are our unique strengths? It’s tempting to be falsely humble and downplay your strengths. But for the purpose of this exercise, you really want to list the things you do well.
2. What are our top three strengths? These are the qualities you are known for, the areas where you surpass all of your competitors.
3. What are our hidden strengths? These are the corporate priorities and processes that you don’t necessarily talk about but that are actually quite significant in your success. Too often companies just assume that they’re well appreciated for their unique approach. They make the mistake of not boasting about them.
4. What are our biggest weaknesses in the minds of the clients we serve today? Answer honestly. Where are you most likely to mess up? This is a key step in fixing the business.
5. What are the three weaknesses most frequently cited by our clients? You may not be able to straighten everything overnight, but you can focus on the worst problems. Correcting these alone will generate tremendous goodwill from clients.
6. What assets do we have that people really need? Sometimes your clients don’t even know they need these things. But, as industry experts, you can see that they do. It is time to market these solutions your clients. Make sure you’re positioned to deliver them and exceed their expectations.
7. What is our business mission? In other words, why do you come to work Monday morning? What is your ultimate purpose, your vision, for the next three years? What will it look like in 2022? Writing this down will force you to crystalize your thinking. And outlining the steps you must take will help you reach your ultimate goal.
8. Given our strengths, weaknesses, marketable assets, and mission, what should be our top three goals? If you can summarize your top priorities, you will have a powerful marketing package that will impress and entice the industry.

You can see that this process is much more than simply parroting the objectives that every other jobber has. This forces you to create a clear and unique path for your business, and it will lead to substantially better results.

Here’s why it is so important to define your path. ASP clients expect sharply higher levels of service and quality these days. Your competitors are constantly trying to lure them away from you with promises of better service.

If you’re near the top of the industry in your area and you don’t have an aggressive plan to continually improve your service quality levels, you’re already falling behind. You may, in fact, be headed for serious trouble.

In today’s aftermarket, you have to re-invent yourself every three years. The industry is changing, the auto repair business is changing, and you, their jobber, must change too.

Be the parts store that understands your clients’ business, and how to help them get the results they need to grow and be profitable.

Bob Greenwood is an Accredited Master Automotive Manager (AMAM), offering personal business coaching and ongoing management training. You can reach him at greenwood@aaec.ca.