The MSO Project - October 2019 by EndeavorBusinessMedia-VehicleRepairGroup

MASTER

HEALTHY COMPETITION PAGE 29

BUILD BETTER

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS PAGE 17

4 WAYS

TO CONTINUE GROWING PAGE 22

S T R AT E G I E S A N D I N S P I R AT I O N F O R M S O S U C C E S S

OCTOBER 2019

Servant Leader Tom Martin works closely with his employees to develop leaders and carve out meaningful career paths.

THE NEXT LEVEL EMPOWER YOUR MANAGERS TO BECOME AUTONOMOUS LEADERS PAGE 12

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17 | Give Back to Your Community

Partnering with local nonprofit organizations can increase a shop’s presence within its community.

20 | How I Work: Jonathon Best

A focus on teamwork can help boost both employee morale and retention rates.

WHO’S BUYING

6 | Acquisitions EDITOR’S LETTER

| Lessons in leadership

How to ensure that your shop remains relevant in the minds of potential customers.

25 | Exceed Shop Benchmarks

The keys to surpassing established shop floor goals.

Achieve your goals

GROWTH PLAN

T R E N D S + A N A LY S I S

29 | Fuel Friendly Competition

10 | Embracing Change GETTY IMAGES

22 | Focus on the Future

Main Auto Body used a change of locations in Oregon to spur growth.

Inspiring healthy competition among employees can virtually ensure consistent shop growth.

OCTOBER 2019 | THE MSO PROJECT

WHO’S BUYING

ACQUISITIONS J U LY

GERBER ACQUIRES 16 NU-LOOK COLLISION LOCATIONS The Boyd Group acquired an MSO consisting of 16 collision repair centers located in New York. Three locations, which include a dealer intake center and another specializing in the repair of large commercial vehicles, previously operated under the branding of Nu-Look Collision Centers. Nu-Look originated in 1981 and opened its most recent locations in 2017. The majority of these locations are in the Rochester, N.Y. market area, with two repair centers in the Syracuse area and one in Hornell.

FIX AUTO ADDS VANCOUVER LOCATION Fix Auto USA continued to expand with the addition of Fix Auto Vancouver North, which is locally owned and operated by franchise partner Andrey Stefanco. Fix Auto Vancouver North continues Fix Auto’s recent trend of expansion in the Pacific Northwest region. The company also recently entered Idaho. AUGUST

HUDSON’S COLLISION CENTER ACQUIRES VA.-BASED MSO Joe Hudson's Collision Center (JHCC) in late August announced the acquisition of Stallings Collision Center. Stallings Collision Centers operated locations in Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee. JHCC 6

operates in nine states throughout the southeast, and the MSO now operates 102 locations in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia and Texas. Stallings Collision Center has been repairing vehicles since 1991, when they opened their first location in Virginia.

CARSTAR ADDS CANADIAN LOCATION CARSTAR opened a new collision repair facility in New Brunswick, Canada. CARSTAR Fredericton North is the second CARSTAR location for owner Roy Kennedy, who also owns CARSTAR Fredericton. With Kennedy interested in modernizing collision repairs, store manager Steve Knox was able to focus on state-of-the-art equipment with the new location.

CRASH CHAMPIONS ACQUIRES THREE LOCATIONS MSO Crash Champions announced it has acquired three new facilities in Bolingbrook, Elgin and Chicago, Ill. With those additions, Crash Champions continued its rapid growth strategy and expansion in the Chicago market with 11 locations. Crash Champions acquired All Line Auto Body, Hy-Tech Auto Body and Accurate Auto Body.

CALIBER COLLISION ACQUIRES HERB’S PAINT & BODY Caliber Collision acquired Herb’s Paint & Body locations across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.

THE MSO PROJECT | OCTOBER 2019

Herb’s was founded in January 1956 by Herb Walne at his Humble Oil (now Exxon) service station at Northwest Highway and Easton Road in Northeast Dallas.

FIX AUTO EXPANDS WITH FIVE LOCATIONS Fix Auto continued expansion in established west coast markets with the addition of five new franchise locations. The additional locations expand Fix Auto USA’s footprint to now include Tucson, Ariz., while further penetrating existing regions of California. The new locations include Fix Auto Kearny Mesa in San Diego, Calif., Fix Auto Orangevale in Orangevale, Calif., Fix Auto Phoenix-Sky Harbor in Phoenix, Fix Auto San Mateo in San Mateo, Calif., and Fix Auto Tucson-Thoroughbred in Tucson, Ariz.

GERBER COLLISION & GLASS ACQUIRES ALA. SHOPS Gerber Collision & Glass acquired two collision repair centers in Alabama. The locations previously operated as Auto Collision Experts. Auto Collision Experts originated with the Moody, Ala., location in 2013. The Anniston, Ala., location was added in 2018. Moody is one of the fastest growing cities in Alabama and is located 22 miles east of Birmingham and 9 miles east of Gerber’s recently opened Trussville location. Anniston, meanwhile, is located approximately 65 miles

east of Birmingham and is home to the Anniston Army Depot, a major U.S. military facility that produces and repairs ground combat vehicles.

PRIVATE EQUITY FIRM ACQUIRES JHCC TSG Consumer Partners (TSG), a private equity firm focused on the branded consumer sector, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire a majority stake in Joe Hudson’s Collision Centers (JHCC) from Carousel Capital. SEPTEMBER

GERBER ACQUIRES LEFLER COLLISION On September 6, Gerber acquired Lefler Collision & Glass. The MSO has four locations in the Evansville, Ind., area. Jimmy Lefler, owner of Lefler Collision & Glass, has a staff of 70 with a total combined annual revenue of $12 million. Lefler, as well as COO Ed Dietz and CMO Megan Williams, stayed on for 30 days to assist with the transition and serve as consultants. Williams told FenderBender that all three intend to stay in the industry. Gerber Collision & Glass has over 400 repair center locations in 27 states in the U.S. and in five Canadian provinces. “I am excited for the opportunities and benefits that Gerber brings to our team,” said Lefler. “Gerber is the perfect fit because they have the same core values and care for both the team and our community.” In 1952, Leroy Lefler started Leroy’s Paint and Fender Repair.

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OCTOBER 2019 | THE MSO PROJECT

EDITOR’S LETTER

Taking the Lead

FINDING A PATHWAY TO REACH YOUR GOALS It’s not a major point in our cover story of this month’s issue of

The MSO Project, but in the piece, “Leaders Within” on p. 12, staff writer Melissa Steinken gives a little background information on three-shop owner Tom Martin. His entry into the collision repair industry went like this: With his single mother on welfare, Tom did whatever he could to earn money for his family. One day he offered to paint the exterior of a local body shop. The work ethic of the 15-year-old made an impression on the owner, and soon he had a part-time, after-school job. He worked there for the next 22 years, before buying it— and opening two more stores, now all part of the CARSTAR network. It’s funny because before reading Melissa’s synopsis, I already knew this story. I interviewed Tom for a piece in FenderBender back in 2013. Tom’s journey always stuck with me. Personally, I love stories like this, and it’s one of the reasons I feel so passionate about the publications we produce. Whether it’s in The MSO Project or FenderBender, we strive to give our readers the strategies and knowledge to better their businesses and, hopefully, their lives and the lives of those around them. To do that, though, you need examples of people who have been through the tough times, worked to push past obstacles, and found strategies that helped them become successful. Without seeing those examples, how can you really understand that it’s possible for you? There are other examples throughout this issue, but Tom’s is a standout for me. His leadership advice in this story is spot on, and hopefully hearing him tell it can give you some motivation to make the positive moves toward growth that are in your plans. After all, that’s the point.

Bryce Evans Vice President, Content and Events

THE MSO PROJECT | OCTOBER 2019

Auto Data Labels

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VEH. MFD. BY HONDA OF AMERICA MFG., INC. 06 ⁄ ’10 RIM SIZE C ⁄ T R : 4GVWR Q 2 ⁄ L A2200KG 4 3 ( A4894LBS C V 3 0 L) --CTIRE E P GSIZE KA --01A F⁄ 1155KG U 2 4 1 E( 2546LBS M A D) P235/55R18 E I N U . S .99V A . 18X7 A ⁄ T M : GAWR 0 812⁄ 72J0 GAWR R 1080KG ( 2381LBS ) P235/55R18 99V 18X7 1 ⁄ 2J THIS VEHICLE CONFORMS TO ALL APPLICABLE FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY AND THEFT PREVENTION STANDARDS IN EFFECT ON THE DATE OF MANUFACTURE SHOWN ABOVE. V.I.N.: 5J8TB1H26AA000000 TYPE: MPV

STK

AA5

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-- A

VENT SOL V

EGR

IPS MAN VAC (END)

9.22 3.46

9.08

14.15

33.06

G 500 5MBXT05.0LBI

33.21 20.01

EVAP SERVICE PORT

PCV

SEATING CAPACITY TOTAL 3

EVAP purge valve throttle body

air valve

IMT actuator check valve

Ford Motor Company FRONT VEHICLE EMISSION CONTROL INFORMATION

A 463 584 50 46 / Code 494

Adjustments: Spark Plug Gap: See Spec. Book. No other adjustments needed.

MSL

CATALYST

air pump

022 010 497 A

VACUUM HOSE ROUTING ALTERNATE VIEW

EMPTY VENT HOUSING SOL V

CAN VENT SOL V TO FUEL TANK

REAR P265/70R17 SPARE P265/70R17

air cleaner

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FRONT 3

REAR 0

more information. R-134a REFRIGERANT UNDER HIGH PRESSURE System to be serviced by qualified personnel only. Improper service methods may cause personal injury. General Motors Corporation, Detroit, MI SAEJ639

TIRE AND LOADING INFORMATION

SEATING CAPACITY TOTAL 4 FRONT 2 REAR 2 The combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed 352 kg or 776 lbs.

TIRE

• Do not lean against the door. • See owner’s manual for CAUTION

SIZE

COLD TIRE PRESSURE 240 kPa, 35 PSI 240 kPa, 35 PSI 420 kPa, 60 PSI

215/55R16 97H FRONT 215/55R16 97H REAR ATTENTION T125/85R16 99 SPARE FLUIDE FRIGORIGENE R-134a

SOUS HAUTE PRESSION L’entretien du systeme doit etre effectue par un personnel qualifie seulement. Des methodes d’entretien incorrectes peuvent causer des blessures. General Motors Corporation, Detroit, MI SAEJ639

NOTICE

AVIS

AIR CONDITIONING Use only R-134a Refrigerant and Polyalkylene Glycol oil (PAG oil) with dye. System Charge: 0.61 kg (1.35 lbs.)

CLIMATISEUR Utiliser le fluide frigorigene R-134a seulement et de l’huile au polyalklenegylcol (huile PAG) avec colorant. Charge du System : 0,61 kg (1,35 lbs.)

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DE L’USAGER

COLD TIRE PRESSURE SEE OWNERS 303kpa 44psi MANUAL FOR 303kpa 44psi ADDITIONAL 303kpa 44psi INFORMATION

SIZE TIRE FRONT P265/70R17

ROUTING DIAGRAM VIS ACTUATOR to EVAP EGR VALVE WITH canister SWITCHING VALVE AIR PUMP to leak AIR VALVE detection pump CHECK VALVEintake MAP SENSOR manifold SWITCHING VALVE, AIR vacuum reservoir SWITCHING VALVE, VIS

This vehicle conforms to U.S. EPA regulations applicable to 2005 model year new light-duty trucks. OBD II certified. TWC/HO2S/SFI

PRESSION DES PNEUS À FROID

AVANT P175/65R15 240kPa, 35PSI VOIR LE MANUEL

The combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed 505 Kg or 1114 Lbs.

CATALYST

9.08 9.22 14.15 20.01 33.06 33.21

COLD TIRE PRESSURE

TIRE AND LOADING INFORMATION

TO BLOCK

This vehicle conforms to U.S. EPA NLEV regulations applicable to gasoline fueled 2002 model year 20VBGJJY new ULEV motor vehicles and to Spark Plug Gap: .052-.056 2.0L-2V-2FMXR0080BBE California regulations applicable to 2FMXV02.0VJ3-TWC/HO2S(2)/EGR/SFI IMPORTANT VEHICLE INFORMATION 2002 model year new ULEV 2W7E-9C485DAIMLERCHRYSLER passenger cars. OBD II certified. AG J L C VACUUM HOSE SFTP certified. TR=Transparent 8.11 3.46 8.11

PNEU DIMENSIONS

SIZE

ARRIÈRE P175/65R15 230kPa, 33PSI POUR PLUS DE SPARE T125/70D16 420kPa, 60PSI DE SECOURS T125/70D16 420kPa, 60PSI RENSEIGNEMENTS

VMV

FRONT OF VEHICLE

TIRE

SEE OWNER’S FRONT P175/65R15 240kPa, 35PSI MANUAL FOR REAR P175/65R15 230kPa, 33PSI ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

MAN VAC FRONT

P EFCA

RENSEIGNEMENTS SUR LES PNEUS ET LE CHARGEMENT

CANISTER

EGR

Ford Motor Company This vehicle is equipped with electronic engine control systems. Engine idle speed, idle mixture, and ignition timing are not adjustable. See Powertrain Control/Emissions Diagnosis Manual for additionalh information.

TIRE AND LOADING INFORMATION

SEATING CAPACITY: TOTAL 5 NOMBRE DE PLACES : TOTAL 5 FRONT 2 : REAR 3 AVANT 2 : ARRIÈRE 3 The combined weight of occupants and Le poids total des occupants et du chargement ne cargo should never exceed 380 kg or 845 lbs. doit jamais dépasser 380 kg ou 845 lb.

IPTS

CC29

TO FUEL TANK

TO BRAKE BOOSTER

THROTTLE BODY

PCV

GVWR 4 2 3 3 L B GAWR F R 2 6 6 81LNB6AAR 68LB 06RB662N6000000 T H I S V E H I C L E C O N F O R M S T TYPE O A: LTRUCK L A P P L634 ICABLE , AND F E D E R A L M O T O R V E H I C L E S AMODEL F E T :Y ,BPKMLVK-EUN B U M P E R0Z000 T H E F T P R E V E N T I O N S T A N D A R DCOLOR S I N TRIM E F F E TRANS CT ON T H E D A T E O F M A N U F A C T U R E SK12 H O W N KA B ORE V E5R05 . A S SI.NEC A R 4 T 1 B E 3 2 K 9 4 U 0 0 0AXLE 0 0 0 P AENG

VACUUM HOSE ROUTING

VEHICLE EMISSION CONTROL INFORMATION

SOL V

MFD. BY FORD MOTOR CO. IN U.S.A.

DATE: 01/03 GVWR: 5880LB/ 2667KG FRONT GAWR: 2735LB REAR GAWR: 3325LB 1240KG WITH 1508KG VEH. MFD.WITH BY NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD. P235 /70R16SL TIRES P235 /70R16SL TIRES 03/ 06 16X7.0J RIMS 16X7.0J DATE RIMS 6522 LB AT 205 kPa/30 PSI COLD AT 240 kPaGVWR /35 FR.PSI COLD 3577 GAWR LB WITH P265 ⁄ 70R18 TIRES THIS VEHICLE CONFORMS TO ALL APPLICABLE FEDERAL 18X MOTOR 8 . 0 RIMS AT 35 PSI VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS IN COLD SINGLE EFFECT ON THE DATE OF MANUFACTURE SHOWN ABOVE.GAWR RR. 3800 LB VIN: 1FMFU18L74L000000 WITH F0085 P265 ⁄ 70R18 T I RES TYPE: MPV 18X 8 .T0183 0 RIMS AT 35 PSI COLD SINGLE THIS VEHICLE CONFORMS TO ALL APPLICABLE FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS IN EFFECT ON 13 UA RC: DS0: EXT PNT: THE DATE OF MANUFACTURE 3U51B WB BRK INT TR TP/PS R AXLE TR SPR ABOVE. 114 4 GP K 45 V DBSHOWNF05 V E H . M F D . B Y : T O Y O T A M O TUTC O R MSEEA NOWNERS U F A CMANUAL T U R I FOR NG, ADDITIONAL K E N T U C K Y , I N C . 0 2 ⁄ 0 4 INFORMATION.

04N52

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Carrier

(

SEE OWNER’S MANUAL FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

)

WARNING

5:30 PM

Shop Name: ACME Auto Body Address: 123 Main Street Phone: 800-123-4567 Message: PLEASE DELIVER BY FRIDAY MFD. BY FORD MOTOR CO. IN U.S.A.

DATE: 01/03 GVWR: 5880LB/ 2667KG REAR GAWR: 3325LB FRONT GAWR: 2735LB 1240KG 1508KG WITH WITH P235 /70R16SL P235 /70R16SL TIRES TIRES 16X7.0J 16X7.0J RIMS RIMS AT 205 kPa/30 PSI COLD AT 240 kPa/35 PSI COLD THIS VEHICLE CONFORMS TO ALL APPLICABLE FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS IN EFFECT ON THE DATE OF MANUFACTURE SHOWN ABOVE. F0085 VIN: 1FMFU18L74L000000 T0183 TYPE: MPV

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OCTOBER 2019 | THE MSO PROJECT

TRENDS+ANALYSIS

Overhauling a New Shop Location

HOW TO PROFIT FROM A SHOP’S CHANGE OF SCENERY

Main Auto Body Location:

Albany, N.Y. Staff Size:

24 (8 in office, 16 in body shop) Size:

20,000 square feet Monthly Car Count:

108

Annual Revenue (2018):

$3 million

BEFORE YOU START, HERE’S A REMODEL EXAMPLE

BRYAN BASS MANAGER MAIN AUTO BODY ALBANY

AS TOLD TO MELISSA STEINK EN

THE MSO PROJECT | OCTOBER 2019

Our company invested roughly $1 million to redo the old dealership building and turn it into the new Albany location for Main Auto Body. The entire electrical system was pulled out and upgraded. All air lines were removed and new lines installed with drops in the right places. Every light in the building was replaced with LED lighting so the shop would be well-lit and ownership would save on energy usage.

COURTESY MAIN AUTO BODY

Main Auto Body recently underwent a complete overhaul of its new location to create not just a body shop, but a top facility of which ownership could be proud. The body shop has grown from one location in 1977 to nine locations today in Oregon. Bryan Bass, manager of the Albany location, knew he had to do something because his shop building had too many drawbacks and workflow issues, like only on-street parking and small office space. As luck would have it, Bass was driving home after work one day and noticed a “for sale” sign posted in front of what used to be a dealership. The owner decided to purchase the building in 2018 and it underwent an extensive remodel. The team moved into the new building approximately five months ago. Since moving, the shop has expanded its estimating team to include three more estimators, and compared to last year, the business is producing about 20 percent more in sales since May. Bass discovered during the process that simply expanding the team’s space couldn’t make the shop more profitable or efficient. In fact, Bass learned that, in order to switch over to running a new MSO location, he needed to focus on a hands-off leadership approach. “The biggest moment in my career as a leader was the moment I realized I can’t do everything by myself,” Bass says. “I need to empower my employees to do their job or else they’d never learn and grow.”

files that were visible to the customer and move everything digital. For instance, the team schedules cars through the CCC production screen instead of a production board like a white board. At the old location, there were racks on racks with files for all jobs coming and copies of papers that detailed which technician was working on which job. Now, there are no hard racks of files that the team is used day to day. I have my team write everything in CCC. I still have my team print out papers and write down some notes that I keep in a hard file and cabinet file but my goal was to go clutter free when we moved. I also hired on a full-time mechanic. The mechanic works on any sublet work for diagnostics scans and recalibrations. He also performs suspension repair work. Now, instead of that sublet money going to an outside business, we’re able to keep the profits in-house. Our shop’s average monthly car count was 112 cars for the second quarter of 2019. In 2014, the shop brought in about $2.5 million and in May 2018, was producing about $3 million. Now, sales have increased 20 percent.

Better than Ever A location change helped Main Auto Body clean up a flawed process.

STEPS TO ADVERTISING THE NEW LOCATION

We also brought in two new GFS paint booths, two new Chief frame racks, a new ProSpot I5 and SP5 welders, all new Innovative parts racks and materials carts for technicians. Approximately 6,000 square feet of space was added on to the facility to accommodate the paint booths. It was great because the city allowed us to add a certain amount of square footage to the building and we pushed it right to the limit. I also recommend that if a shop manager is looking for recommendations on

the type of tools and equipment for the space, to go to your local paint supplier and jobber. That’s how I got most of my brand recommendations. As one of the final steps to keeping everything running smoothly, we use our CCC management system to schedule jobs and to communicate internally.

STEPS TO FINESSING SHOP PROCESSES

After moving locations, I made sure to get rid of one process I had in the old place. I decided to remove any racks of hard

To kick off the move to the new location, I decided to host a grand opening party at the shop. This was an opportunity for people in the community to come in and see how clean and new the building was. We had about 200 people at the event. The local fire department came and demonstrated extraction skills to the public. I also advertised the new facility not only on television and internet ads but also by promoting new job openings at Main Auto Body. I used sites like Indeed and Zip Recruiter to run job advertisements in different markets. It was really beneficial to have my business associates in the community spread the word via word-of-mouth. OCTOBER 2019 | THE MSO PROJECT

Inspiring Employees Tom Martin, the owner of CARSTAR Sidney in Ohio, has created a stellar shop culture by empowering employees.

THE MSO PROJECT | OCTOBER 2019

LEADING IS BEST DONE BY SETTING A GOOD EXAMPLE

BY MELISSA STEINKEN

OCTOBER 2019 | THE MSO PROJECT

LEADERS WITHIN

Developing Leaders Employees at CARSTAR Sidney (Ohio) benefit from shop leaders’ open-door policy.

particular technician was working at CARSTAR Sidney for seven months. Like almost every technician in the collision repair industry, he came in every day, completed his work, and left at the close of business. One day, during a routine check-in with employees, Tom Martin’s wife decided to find out if the technician was happy in his current role. When Martin’s wife approached the technician, she decided to ask, “What kind of job do you want to do in the long run?” The technician looked over to Tom Martin, who was standing off to the side, and pointed to him. “I want his job.” Since that interaction, Martin, owner of CARSTAR Sidney, has worked to groom that employee into a future leader. As a leader himself, he was not immune to the struggle of working one’s way up in the business or struggling with feeling like he could be a leader himself. In fact, he started in the industry as a car washer and used to spend his afternoons during high school washing cars or helping clean the shop (See Sidebar: Martin’s Move to Management). Today, that technician is now a manager of one of Martin’s shops. Through the process, Martin learned that one of the most important things a leader can do is work to empower his or her employees. While he started out small with goals that followed in his mentor’s footsteps, Martin now runs three shop locations in Ohio and his leadership skills have paid off. The shop produces over $6 million in annual revenue between all locations. Martin shares his top tips for leading in a body shop environment.

THE MSO PROJECT | OCTOBER 2019

CARSTAR Sidney Locations:

3 locations in Sidney, Ohio Owner:

Tom Martin Staff Size:

Size:

15,000–17,000 square feet for all three locations Monthly Car Count:

220

Annual Revenue:

$6 million for all locations

MARTIN’S MOVE TO MANAGEMENT When he was 15 years old, Tom Martin painted the outside of a body shop. His parents divorced and his mom went on welfare so he needed a way to make some money. He had ambitions. He wanted to buy a car and drive. After a while, the owner of the body shop hired Martin to work there. He rode his bike to the shop after school and made money by helping wash cars or was put to work wherever he was needed. Martin worked for that body shop owner for 22 years and when he was 38 years old, bought the body shop. He was in business about one year when he was driving in a new town and spotted the CARSTAR location there. He thought, “Wow, that is a professional-looking building.” He eventually partnered with CARSTAR and, soon enough, they taught him not to just be a body man but also to be a businessman.

Pinpointing a Shop Culture “Culture to me is key,” Martin says. “It took us years to develop a learning culture in which every employee wants to discover how they can perform their jobs better.” In order to get to that culture, Martin had his team organize around a common goal. He wanted every member to focus on helping the customer. In whatever task they did, he had his employees ask themselves, “How can I help the customer in what I’m doing?” It’s also important to encourage development within your shop. To do this, Martin says a leader needs to ask each person separately, “What can I do for you?” The goal is to have employees feel like they can come to the body shop manager or owner once they’ve finished their basic work and ask, “What else can I do today?” or “What else do you need me to do?” When the staff starts fitting into your desired culture, move individuals into harder roles and give them more responsibility gradually, Martin says. Pushing People to be Uncomfortable “I think it’s absolutely important to push your employees out of their comfort zones,” Martin says. “In order to push your employees out of their comfort zone, as a leader, you need to have trust in your staff.” To gain trust in your staff, start at the beginning of the process and look to hire people for their personality traits and characteristics instead of skill sets. And, look inwards to yourself as a leader as well (See Sidebar: Four Steps to Self-Improvement). For instance, Martin hired a person to start as a car washer and now he’s a technician. Even though he did not have any collision repair experience, he was very thorough, and asked detailed questions in order to do the job correctly. At the time that Martin hired him, he lacked self-confidence. All Martin needed to do was encourage him to do

to the manager or owner about problems, or goals.

FOUR STEPS TO SELF-IMPROVEMENT “The biggest thing you can do as a leader is to work on yourself because everyone is going to follow you,” Martin says. “You set the tone.” Martin shares quick takeaways to help you work on self-improvement. 1. Go to leadership courses like industry-sponsored ones or ones led by Mike Jones.

2. Try stepping outside your comfort zone and speaking in front of a large group.

3. Look for a mentor, ideally one within the collision repair industry.

4. Keep learning new information yourself, like how to manage the finances of the business.

his work and now, after about 10 years, the car washer has worked his way up to being the shop’s lead technician. Martin recommends that a leader sits down with their staff and verbally tell them, “You can do it.” Also, any office door should remain open so that everyone feels comfortable coming in to talk

Expecting Staff to be Responsible If someone is hired on at CARSTAR Sidney, they’re expected to be responsible immediately for any tasks assigned to them. Yet, how does Martin make sure his staff of over 50 people are responsible? He starts in the interview. When interviewing potential job candidates he comes to the interview with a standard list of questions. He asks the person his or her history and then asks questions to see how they would react in certain scenarios. Normally, Martin hires people for their personality and character. Then, he works on training them into the type of employee he needs. Martin delegates to his team, specifically his managers, to make sure that they can take personal responsibility for their actions. Martin says spot checks allow him to walk around the facility and observe by checking one spot in the shop. But he won’t mention if something is done wrong the first time. This way, he lets his managers step in and take action. Leading by Example Martin is always available to his staff, day or night. He takes his backpack filled with some shop paperwork and his laptop with him wherever he goes. And, since he’s a leader, Martin says he needed to show his team that he could be organized and readily available if any problems occur. To stay organized, Martin follows his schedule located on his mobile Outlook app. He keeps an action-item list in that app and checks off the items as they’re completed. He sits down every morning to make the action-item list. “You go to each shop location expecting to know the tasks for the day,” he says, “but more often than not, there’s a new issue that arises, so you need to stay on top of what needs to get done.” OCTOBER 2019 | THE MSO PROJECT

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THE MSO PROJECT | OCTOBER 2019

BUSINESS BUILDING

Helping Hands Partnering with nonprofits has helped Branning Collision Center build its brand.

Pinpointing the Right Community Partner BUSINESS SUCCESS OFTEN IS A BYPRODUCT OF CHOOSING THE RIGHT PARTNERS IN YOUR COMMUNITY

COURTESY BRANNING COLLISION CENTER

BY MELISSA STEINKEN

Kim Branning and Lisa Lupo helm the leadership group at Branning Collision Center. While Kim, the owner, runs the shop, Lisa is her trusted advisor. The pair shares an office and, as a result, often bounces ideas off the other. Lupo is the brains behind all the charity work the shop does. Lupo is not only a driving force in helping Branning run the shop smoothly, she is the mastermind behind how the shop runs its numerous community partnerships. “We never want to do something that makes our team feel too taxed,” Lupo says. Despite that goal, the shop usually has a charity event going on at all times. Even if it’s a small event, Lupo pushes the staff to think about the bigger picture. So, the team may get to dress casually on Fridays, but if they choose to do so, they donate money to the shop and it eventually goes to a local charity. Together, Branning and Lupo make a team that has kept the business going strong for the five years that Lupo has been with it. Lupo shares her tips for choosing the right community partner to make a collision repair shop thrive.

KIM BRANNING

LISA LUPO

OWNER

OFFICE MANAGER

BRANNING COLLISION CENTER

OCTOBER 2019 | THE MSO PROJECT

BUSINESS BUILDING

TIP NO. 1: FIND OUT WHAT MOTIVATES YOUR TEAM.

Say it Loud Branning Collision Center’s leaders spread their message via all forms of media.

TIP NO. 2: PLAN AT LEAST ONE, LARGE EVENT PER YEAR.

Since the body shop has six locations, Lupo says it was important to find an organization the shop could partner with for an annual event. The annual event could allow every shop location’s team to participate. In 2018, Lupo hosted a Chasing the News event in which she invited all the shops’ vendors and media to participate. Lupo asks participating vendors to donate items like an oil change or parts to customers. Enterprise also partners with the shop to donate money. During 2018, the company donated enough money to pay for a customer’s car insurance for the year. Lupo also recommends partnering with a collision repair industry event like Recycled Rides. That way, the shop can showcase its work while also giving back to its community.

TIP NO. 3: LOOK FOR INSPIRATION LOCALLY AND ABROAD.

Lupo says that while she knew about the RISE organization before deciding 18

THE MSO PROJECT | OCTOBER 2019

to partner with them, her inspiration for choosing other local partners comes from the team members around her and other people in her community. For example, the women in the company donate to United Way, which helps support communities around the world for items like building schools for children. The women in the company got together and decided to have “casino nights” in which they play casino games and then the prize money goes to United Way.

TIP NO. 4: ASK HOW CUSTOMERS FOUND THE SHOP.

It’s important for the shop staff to keep tabs on how many people are coming into the business because they found it through a charity event, Lupo says. At each Branning location, the customer service representatives ask customers how they heard about the shop. Then, the CSRs log that information in the shop’s software. One woman called the store after she saw employees’ rescue animals featured on the company’s social media during the month of December.

TIP NO. 5: STAY PROACTIVE IN THE COMMUNITY.

Partnering with a local charity isn’t enough to keep customers up to date about a shop’s events. Lupo says shop operators must advertise such events. She designs much of the graphic work that goes on event flyers and posters that get posted around town. The shops’ front lobbies always display a PowerPoint presentation that shares information on the business’ upcoming events. And, of course, Lupo notes that advertising on television and radio has a wide reach to customers. In a television advertisement that runs about once per month, Lupo showcases the shop’s most recent charity fundraiser and how much money the business raised. The shop advertises on a local FM radio station. There are typically about six radio ads going, with each lasting 15-30 seconds, Lupo notes. Paul Branning usually records all the clips so the name and voice are recognizable in the community. “People are more attracted to a business when they see other things going on and not just people working,” Lupo says.

COURTESY BRANNING COLLISION CENTER

Lupo says that at Branning Collision Centers, the staff consists of animal-oriented people. So, she took that knowledge and partnered with a local humane society. Lupo helped create a PowerPoint presentation for the humane society that was continuously displayed on a television screen in the shops’ front lobbies. It asked for anyone who had the means to donate toys to the cause. Lupo also felt that, since the shop staff already helped families get their vehicles back on the road safely, that employees might also want to assist the community in other areas of life. Lupo partnered with RISE, a community service partnership that works to help families and individuals recover from setbacks, and hosted a food pantry at the shops. They also had a drive for personal hygiene products, which aren’t typically donated to charities.

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BUSINESS BUILDING

How I Work: Jonathon Best

A SHOP CAN GROW IN NUMBERS WHEN IT FOCUSES ON CULTIVATING A POSITIVE CULTURE To be the best, Jonathon Best, had to work his way up through the ranks of the body shop. Today, he’s CEO of Fender Mender Collision Centers but he began his career as a detailer. As CEO of a team of more than 200 employees across nine locations in South Carolina, Best spends his days bouncing back and forth between shop locations and communicating with his corporate team of five. In his time as CEO, he’s been instrumental in preparing the shop for the future of repairing vehicles. He has also helped to instill a company-wide culture focused not just on the staff as a team but on the customer. At each weekly meeting, Best will make a point of asking, “What did you do to wow your customers this week?” This has helped the team’s thinking wheels start churning, the group inevitably reflects on what they’ve done that week to go above and beyond for clients. “It wasn’t anything really big, but by asking that a few times, it caught on and I realized it was an area we could all be passionate about,” Best says. By changing the culture of his shop to one that recognizes the mutual benefits of working as a team, Best discovered that one way to also keep the shop poised for expansion was to focus on showcasing the staff’s customer service efforts to potential hires. Best plans to open two more shop locations in his region within the next couple months.

J O N AT H O N B E S T CEO FENDER MENDER COLLISION CENTERS

AS TOLD TO MELISSA STEINK EN

agenda when I wake up is to have a call with all the locations. This is a time when I talk about the basic business flow with them and check in on what is on the schedule for the day. Then I try to visit every store during that week. My maximum visit per day are two stores because if I go to more and try to help out, the quality suffers. I can easily get to most of the stores because they’re all close to each other except for two that are located down south in the state. When I get into each shop, I start collecting data . When I visit a shop, I keep 20

THE MSO PROJECT | OCTOBER 2019

a data log of that. Each day, I’ll keep a log of my interactions and what took place. This is not only physical data, but I also like to gather data by observing our teams interacting with customers, insurance companies and with each other. We keep our KPI metrics as our initial drivers but numbers tell the truth with no emotion. We like to separate ourselves from other collision groups by spending an equal amount of time on culture. We believe our

culture is truly our primary focus. We do collect P&Ls and monitor KPIs to maintain margins, but we also have ways of grading our teams on the

more emotional chemistry they share with people and themselves. I’m basically a constant watchdog. The way

the profiles of the stores are set up, we’re about 80 percent DRP. This means that we often have to implement a new procedure at the shops and with that comes a learning curve. We have to train the team on the new process. This process can take two days or two months depending on the size. Last year, in 2018, we had to implement diagnostic scans in every shop location. That process took about two months to complete. We worked with a lot of consultants and followed a lot of OEM procedures to make

COURTESY JONATH0N BEST, GETTY IMAGES

My typical day usually starts with a phone call. The first thing I have on my

attend digital marketing seminars so I can stay fresh on that information. I spend a majority of my time on digital marketing for the business. Each day, I re-

ceive a daily report on our digital marketing efforts and then, each month, I go over more extensively a monthly marketing report. A large portion of my job responsibilities is reputation management for Fender Mender. I’ve given our individual shops and teams criteria on how to handle marketing and respond to digital comments, reviews or complaints. However, if something really gets out of hand, I’ll step in and respond to the customer directly. Recently, we’ve found that staffing is very difficult, especially if a shop’s growing.

sure the process was implemented correctly. Now, we have a diagnostic technician that’s trained at each shop. We are very fortunate to have created a culture of understanding the mutual benefits from each other when we work as a team. When I first got into the in-

dustry, there were parts all over the office, messy store fronts and general sense of anti-conformity. I’ve always taught them that we can’t complete jobs without each other. The body man needs the writer, the writer needs the body man, the parts manager needs estimates to be written and the manager needs his team.

Communication is important to keep schedules flowing smoothly. I use texting

a lot with my team and customers because nowadays most customers prefer to text. I like to have my team text because it is an easy way to send a short update without spending 10 minutes on a phone call. We use scheduling apps across the facilities. We use CCC ONE and that also has a task list that helps us keep track of what needs to be done for the day. I also often attend large industry events. I

always attend SEMA with some of my employees. As a team, a group of us will visit material suppliers to check out new supplies and equipment on the market. I personally

I decided we needed to focus on customer service. That’s when we started attracting more employees to the company. We started taking the team out to company lunches and lake outings. Our message to the team is that we focus on providing quality for the customer but do that while having fun. Right now, our team morale is fantastic. We push our team to be personable with customers. We ask them to take time to ask a few questions to the customer. Ask questions like, “Where are you from?” When we’re more personable, we’re able to make those connections and form meaningful relationships with the customer. I always say that it’s ok to be friends with a customer because word-ofmouth is key to our marketing success. For the last half hour of my day, I create an end of the day report for myself. I’ll compile

the data logs I made earlier in the day and then form a complete report of the day. At the end of each week, I’ll take another half hour or so to assess what I did this week, what the schedule looks like for the next week and I’ll plan out my schedule for Monday morning. I also make sure to go through my emails one last time at the end of the day. I reply to emails I didn’t have time to get to earlier or go through and discard promotional emails. OCTOBER 2019 | THE MSO PROJECT

BUSINESS BUILDING

How They Did It

WITH A CONSTANT EYE ON THE FUTURE, THIS MSO HAS EXPERIENCED DECADES OF SUCCESS BY TESS COLLINS

OFFER A CAREER PATH.

Nowadays, technicians are at a shortage, making it essential for businesses to find ways to attract quality candidates. One way to do that is to offer a clear career path rather than just offering a “job.” April Lausch, collision repair manager of Faulkner Collision Repair of Lancaster, has promoted 60 percent of her staff. In fact, the only time she doesn’t hire from within is when she needs to fill the position of someone that she’s promoting. When she adds someone to the team, she sits down with them and creates a path for them. 22

THE MSO PROJECT | OCTOBER 2019

“Wherever you want to go, I’ll take you there,” Lausch tells employees. Lausch recognizes that she is only as good as her team, so she needs to provide them with the resources and opportunities for them to be able to shine. “I have some serious rock stars,” Lausch says of her team.

VALUE YOUR CUSTOMERS.

Through the years, one aspect that has stayed consistent is the need to keep customers happy. “The customer will always want to be pampered and heard,” Lausch says.

COURTESY APRIL LAUSCH, GETTY IMAGES

The landscape of the automotive industry has changed drastically. Vehicles, which were once viewed as a status symbol and were only accessible to the elite, are now a necessity for most households (although, with rideshare options, that trend seems to be coming into question). Careers in the automotive industry, which were once sought after and viewed as a reputable trade, have now become more difficult to fill with four-year college degrees viewed as the only option for most students. However, this trend has coincided with another—the advanced complexity of vehicles. These constant changes in the structure and APRIL LAUSCH technology of vehicles require training and constant equipment updates. With information more accessible than ever, today’s customer is more COLLISION REPAIR MANAGER knowledgeable than ever before, which means customer service and creating trust is more important now than it ever was. FAULKNER COLLISION REPAIR OF LANCASTER Those are just a few examples of how the landscape has changed. The industry constantly ebbs and flows and, in order to be successful, body shops need to constantly evolve and re-evaluate their processes in order to stay relevant. Faulkner Collision Repair have been in business for over 80 years. Faulkner Collision Repair of Lancaster is the collision repair center for BMW of Lancaster in Lancaster, Pa. The collision repair center recently was awarded the On Your Side Showmanship of Excellence Award by Nationwide Insurance for it customer service and community involvement. The collision repair center ranked first out of 4,500 collision repair centers in the country. It’s not luck that has allowed this collision repair center this type of longevity. Faulkner Collision Repair has continued to evaluate what’s working—and what’s not—and look to the future to find ways to remain relevant. Here are a few ways that the MSO has adapted to stay relevant.

Customers are people—not numbers (See Sidebar: Key Questions to Ask). Be mindful of the way that your staff communicates with customers. Do they interact with a customer the way they would want members of their family treated? Remember, most customers that come in are not excited about the experience—especially in collision repair. “You have to have compassion,” Lausch says.

the key to her success. When Lausch took over nine years ago, the collision repair center wasn’t BMW certified, but she wanted to change that. In 16 months, the body shop obtained the certification, through lots of long hours, flying back and forth to get more information and training, and equipment purchases.

STAY IN TOUCH.

Today’s customer wants to be informed. Keeping them informed about where their vehicles are in the repair process is essential. Taking advantage of evolving technology is one way to do that. Lausch texts her customers once per day to keep them informed on the status of their vehicle—something that they weren’t doing five years ago. Bryant also texts his customers throughout the process through his management system. He also makes sure to contact the customer within 24 hours of the pick-up to make sure everything went smoothly and that the customer was satisfied. He also sends a thank you note as one last opportunity for the customer to let him know what they thought of the experience.

UPDATE EQUIPMENT.

“With aluminum and carbon fiber, vehicles are more and more difficult to repair,” Lausch says. Lausch makes equipment a priority. It is, after all, a requirement to obtain a certification. “You have to keep up with equipment,” Lausch says. A lot of shops, she explains, just don’t have the equipment to take in vehicles, which costs them customers. It doesn’t make sense—and isn’t possible—to purchase every piece of equipment for every vehicle; do research and figure out your customer base and make decisions on what to invest in based off of that. Equipment is a passion of Lausch’s. She says that staffing and equipment are

KEY QUESTIONS TO ASK Customers that have just been in a collision are especially vulnerable, which is not lost on April Lausch, collision repair manager for Faulkner Collision of Lancaster. Don’t treat it like a business transaction—ask these key questions before anything else: Are you OK? Were your children in the car with you? Are they OK? If there were any young children in the car, check and see if there was a car seat and, if it was impacted, help them get that figured out, Lausch explains. With collisions, every experience is different so the script needs to be adjusted, but remember that the well-being of the customer and anyone else that was involved in the accident is priority and that is what should be addressed first, Lausch says.

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How to Meet and Exceed Production Goals

SETTING GOALS IS EASY, IT’S MEETING THEM THAT’S THE CHALLENGE. HERE ARE TIPS FOR ANSWERING THE BELL ON ALL OCCASIONS. BY MELISSA STEINKEN

COURTESY KEN HUNNELL, MIKE DEWITT, GETTY IMAGES

KEN HUNNELL

You’re running down the basketball court with your teammates. Your team has the ball and you dribble, until you need to make a pass to another teammate. There’s no hesitation. You pass the ball to another player. Bzzz. The horn blows signaling the end of the quarter. On the basketball court, a team has little time to discuss a play. Seconds could be left on the clock. In the moment, players make a quick decision based off memorization and practice of a play. The team at All Angles Collision Repair in Kansas, makes decisions based on practice too, notes Ken Hunnell, the shop’s general manager. Each body shop team needs to be able to follow where the car is in the repair process and move it from department to department, without wasting precious time discussing where the car needs to go. Platinum Collision Centers also flows cars through the shop department by department, and on average, performs 6,500 labor hours per month. The MSO repairs about 220 cars per month right now—partly due to its smooth scheduling process and partly due to management’s close eye on KPIs. In fact, the California facility dialed in a refined process and was able to become Tesla certified about a year and a half ago, says Mike DeWitt, director of operations for the MSO. The business also opened its sixth location in July. It might seem fairly easy to keep vehicles flowing through a facility, but, when it comes to the shop floor, there can always be unexpected wait times, missing parts or customer issues that arise. Hunnell and DeWitt detail how a collision repair shop with more than one location can set production goals and stick to them.

SHOP MANAGER ALL ANGLES COLLISION

MIKE DeWITT DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS PLATINUM COLLISION CENTERS

OCTOBER 2019 | THE MSO PROJECT

BUSINESS BUILDING

GOAL NO. 1: SET A NUMBER OF CARS FOR EACH DAY.

Hunnell says a shop operator should set a goal of how many cars to schedule for each day. At his shops, each team typically schedules five cars per day. Cars that are expected to take less than 30 hours to repair are scheduled for the first half of the week; cars that are expected to take longer than that are scheduled for Wednesday through Friday. Hunnell also has his managers send him a car count spreadsheet every day so that he can scan it. That way, Hunnell can discuss any challenges to scheduling. Platinum Collision Centers, meanwhile, schedules about six to eight repairs a day, DeWitt says. If they scheduled even 10 cars per day, then the shop runs the risk of getting backed up with work. DeWitt says each location has a goal to disassemble and write an estimate for the car within the first 24 hours it’s in the shop. If disassembly isn’t finished, or the estimate is only partially completed within those hours, then the whole week’s schedule could get backlogged. How to stick to the goal: Have managers do a production walk of the back-end operations, once in the morning and once in the afternoon, to keep an eye on how fast cars are moving through your facility.

GOALNO. 2: REFINE THE BLUEPRINTING STEP OF THE REPAIR.

Hunnell recommends that shops minimize verbal communication and increase visual cues. For instance, every car at his facilities is pre-washed and then mapped out for damage analysis so that it can be noted where damage is. Every color has a purpose during that mapping proces. Green markings mean go, pink, red or orange mean that it’s unrelated damage or don’t do it, and then damage analysis is labeled in yellow. At Platinum Collision Center’s first location, there are four bays dedicated to the blueprinting and disassembly of vehicles. Two of the spaces have lifts for techs to see 26

THE MSO PROJECT | OCTOBER 2019

underneath the car in case they need to mark damage on the suspension. “We try to do four blueprints per day, per team, and there are two teams,” DeWitt says. “So teams have two stalls to work with and can blueprint two cars in the morning and two cars in the afternoon.” In each stall, the technician also has access to items to make blueprinting more efficient. The team can use mobile estimating stations to wheel around computers and write an estimate anywhere on the floor. And, the team also uses dedicated parts carts in which they each spend 10–15 minutes mirror-matching parts on the cart. How to stick to the goal: On a production whiteboard, indicate cars are ready by hanging the car’s keys under the department or area of the repair that the car is ready for.

a Zoom video call every week. Hunnell says he has every manager start the meeting by sharing his or her “golf shot,” or one positive event that occurred during the week. Sharing a positive event first fosters an upbeat conversation about shop KPIs. DeWitt’s management team meets once per month to review the previous’ months sales and discuss areas that did not operate smoothly. During this meeting, DeWitt meets with the shop owner, Tom Gregg, and location managers. How to stick to the goal: If possible, check on the workflow in person, because it will make it easier to see in person when challenges arise.

GOAL NO. 3: MARK OFF A QUALITYCONTROL CHECKLIST.

Hunnell has his managers report weekly on about seven key metrics. Those metrics include the following: current closed sales, customer service score, cycle time, gross profit, outstanding accounts receivables, RO delivered but not closed, cars on site and pending parts credits. At these meetings, after sharing numbers, Hunnell will ask each manager where they are at in meeting their month’s end goal. For instance, each location aims to meet a cycle time of 7 days or less. During Platinum Collision Center’s monthly meeting between management, the team discusses each shop location’s budget for that month and the sales forecast goal. These two KPIs are based on the anticipated sales, RO count and the hours worked by technicians. In order to anticipate an increase in DRP business, the team looks over the shop’s previous three months of sales forecasts and whether the business met each goal. The shop gets about 80 percent of its work from DRPs, DeWitt says. How to stick to the goal: If performance metrics aren’t on track, take a look back at the month’s parts ordered and number of supplements to see if the issue stemmed from a delay or supplement in the repair.

Hunnell has his managers do an audit of the damage analysis file before it’s uploaded into the shop’s CCC management software. If the manager puts a blue dot on the file, it is ready to go to the next department. Each Platinum Collision Center location has a quality control checklist that’s flowed between the body department, paint department and detail department. The QC checklist is available to everyone in a laminated paper copy, DeWitt says. Once the technicians sign off a step in the repair process, the paper copy of the QC form is uploaded to the shop’s management system. One important item on the checklist is checking off that OEM repair procedures were referred to, he says. As a certified Tesla repair shop, the facilities need to make sure to always read updated repair procedures because the Tesla software can be updated often. How to stick to the goal: Have a manager perform a final check of the qualitycontrol sheet and a full-write up of it in the management system.

GOAL NO. 4: SCHEDULE TIME FOR STAFF MEETINGS IN PERSON.

All Angles Collision managers meet in

GOAL NO. 5: TRACK KPIs ON A REGULAR SCHEDULE.

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DJ MITCHELL GROW TH PL AN

Fostering Healthy Competition

ENCOURAGING A COMPETITIVE SPIRIT CAN LEAVE YOUR EMPLOYEES EAGER TO IMPROVE B Y DJ M I T C H E L L

GETTY IMAGES

Competition in the workplace is a good

thing. People love and want competition, whether they admit it or not. People want to have the nicest yard in their neighborhood or a better outfit for the dinner party. Kids want to run faster and jump higher than each other. Competition is within us. Why shouldn’t it be within our shops? Not fostering a competitive nature is something I believe can hurt a shop or any business for that matter. We as leaders need to make sure the competition is healthy and fun, however. We can not forget that every competition has two things: winners and losers. The competition itself

needs to be fun, that way, whoever doesn’t come out on top still has good morale and is eager to improve. To start having a competition we must first identify what it is we want to improve. Maybe CSI is faking and you’d like to improve it. Perhaps material cost is off the charts and you’d like to compare material usage between multiple technicians. Maybe cleanliness and organization has gone to the wayside and you’d like to tidy up. There are hundreds of ideas. Once something is identified we must set the rules and criteria very clearly for

all parties involved. There needs to be no grey area up to interpretation or it could spoil the competition. We want to accomplish X GOAL. We will do so by doing X, Y and Z. Accomplishing X GOAL will help us all because of [certain outcome]. Once the criteria is laid out then we must figure out how you’ll keep track. Maybe for CSI you compare scores for each technician out of a report. For material usage you may start by tracking cost with each technician and recording it on a white board. For cleanliness you could have a scorecard: 1 point for hose rolled OCTOBER 2019 | THE MSO PROJECT

DJMITCHELL / GROWTH PLAN

they got a free lunch. Everyone loved it. We were getting phone calls on the first of the month: “Where’s my money?!?!” “We want BBQ from up the street” “Tell the other shops the view from the top looks good!” Our survey volume, customer service, and morale all skyrocketed.

Competition in the workplace can really take a group of people and move the needle in the right direction. Employees feel like the upper management is engaged, they are trying to outperform themselves and each other, and goals get accomplished in a fun way.

DJ MITCHELL is the former regional director for Joe Hudson’s Collision andthe co-owner of MITCHCO Collision Repair. He also hosts a podcast for FenderBender’s The MSO Project. E M A I L : D J M I T C H E L L @J H C C . C O M COURTESY DJ MITCHELL

up, 1 point for organized parts carts, 1 point for swept bay, 1 point for no tools laying around, 1 points for customers vehicles being protected, etc. Last, we must figure out the reward. Winning competition may feel good, but a free lunch, a tool truck gift card, a day off, or perhaps even just a better parking spot feels just as good if not better. Don’t forget to say good job and thank everyone through the process (and daily). It really goes farther than you expect. A great example of how competition can improve a shop would be a CSI competition we held amongst our locations. We kept track of CSI by using a report in our management system. We shared everyone’s results with the staff, had monthly meetings to pass out gift cards and discuss opportunities and highlights, and if the shop was perfect

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