8 minute read
HANDLE TOTAL LOSSES? – PART
CONTENTS May 2022
24 $ COVER STORY BY CHASIDY RAE SISK
Repairers review insurance carriers.
WMABA FEATURE 10 IS IT BENT? WMABA LEARNS ABOUT STRUCTURAL
DIAGNOSIS AT ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP DINNER
BY CHASIDY RAE SISK
Local learning, live.
DEPARTMENTS
NATIONAL FEATURE 14 OEM REPAIR PROCEDURES: DEBATE OVER
RECOMMENDED VERSUS REQUIRED CONTINUES
BY CHASIDY RAE SISK
OEM representatives share their thoughts.
COLLISION INDUSTRY FOUNDATION UPDATE 20 CIF URGES SUPPORT FOR TECH BURNED
IN SHOP ACCIDENT
BY JOEL GAUSTEN
A call to help an industry member in need.
INDUSTRY ADVICE: ASK MIKE 32 HOW CAN SHOPS AND CONSUMERS BETTER
HANDLE TOTAL LOSSES? – PART 2 4 Editor’s Message
6 Executive Director’s Message
7 WMABA Member Application
17 WMABA Sponsors
28 Around the Industry
34 Advertisers’ Index
EDITOR’S MESSAGE
STOP PEEING ON PROGRESS!
“We change our behavior when the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of changing.” - Henry Cloud
Change is scary. Just ask my chihuahua, Apollo. He’s a rescue that came to live with me and my other four-legged critters at the end of 2020. While we don’t truly know his history, it’s fairly easy to deduce that he didn’t come from the best environment based on some of his behaviors.
Patience, love and positive reinforcement – that’s what all the articles recommended. I’ve got plenty of love and often bestow it in the form of belly rubs (positive reinforcement), but I’m a little short on patience. Still, I try my best. And those efforts have yielded vast improvements…He’s less prone to flinching when I reach for him and doesn’t shake as hard when there’s a loud noise, but I can’t seem to break him of his proclivity for cocking his leg and relieving himself on any new item I bring into the house. (Nope, placing things on the counter doesn’t work; he’s a ninja, and scrubbing urine off my counter is worse than simply mopping it up!)
I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s the “NEW” aspect that’s creating his reaction; he simply doesn’t deal well with change. Apollo resembles a lot of us in that respect. Does anyone truly like change?
People are hardwired to resist change because it also brings fear of the unknown, loss of control and the stress associated with learning and doing something we’ve never done before, in many cases.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the type of industry that provides room for that sort of reluctance – technology advances every day. Between hybrid/electric vehicles, ADAS and repair procedures that could be updated daily, repairers need to stay on top of what’s happening, but one of the common concerns shop owners raise during training
WMABA OFFICERS
PRESIDENT
VICE PRESIDENT
TREASURER
Steve Krieps
steve@gregclineauto.com 304-755-1146
Rodney Bolton
boltonconsulting61@gmail.com 443-386-0086
Kris Burton
kris@rosslynautobody.com 703-820-1800
SECRETARY Phil Rice
phil@ricewoods.com 540-846-6617
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Torchy Chandler
Torchy Chandler torchy.chandler@gmail.com 410-309-2242
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Don Beaver (donbeaver3551@gmail.com) 443-235-6668 Barry Dorn (bdorn@dornsbodyandpaint.com) 804-746-3928 Bill Hawkins (hawkinswilliamjr@gmail.com) 510-915-2283 John Shoemaker (john.a.shoemaker@basf.com) 248-763-4375
ADMINISTRATION
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Jordan Hendler (jordanhendler@wmaba.com) 804-789-9649
WMABA CORPORATE OFFICE
P.O. Box 3157 • Mechanicsville, VA 23116 sessions is: “How do I get my team to embrace this change?”
Don’t sell them on “change;” sell them on progress! Progress requires change, but it’s so much more than that: Progress is change that signifies positive forward movement.
People are more likely to change when they can envision the advantage of investing the effort, and as a leader in your organization, you must paint that picture for them.
Examine the current system, and explore why it’s flawed or where shortcomings exist. Define the pain points, and help your team understand the deficiencies that you’re hoping to overcome.
Educate them on the planned improvement(s), and clearly explain how these changes will benefit the organization. More importantly, identify the value that each individual will enjoy once this new progressive step is enacted.
Engage your team in developing an action plan with small steps that move your team in the right direction, toward progress.
It’s likely that your more tenured employees exert the most resistance to progress since they have more experience – and are therefore the most likely to have recollections of “trauma” associated with a previous change – so be sure to meet them with a little extra patience and understanding.
Whether we like it or not, whether we want to accept it or not, change is inevitable, and few industries experience the continual influx of technological advancements quite like this one. That’s one of the things that makes the automotive and collision world so great… Something new is always happening; we’re constantly faced with
STAFF
PUBLISHER Thomas Greco
thomas@grecopublishing.com
SALES DIRECTOR Alicia Figurelli
alicia@grecopublishing.com
EDITORIAL/CREATIVE Alana Quartuccio Bonillo COORDINATOR alana@grecopublishing.com
MANAGING EDITOR Chasidy Rae Sisk
chasidy@grecopublishing.com
OFFICE MANAGER Donna Greco
donna@grecopublishing.com
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Joe Greco
joe@grecopublishing.com CONTINUED ON PG. 31
PUBLISHED BY TGP, Inc. 244 Chestnut St., Suite 202 Nutley, NJ 07110 973-667-6922 FAX 973-235-1963
Reproduction of any portions of this publication is specifically prohibited without written permission from the publisher. The opinions and ideas appearing in this magazine are not necessarily representations of TGP Inc. or of the Washington Metropolitan Auto Body Association (WMABA). Copyright © 2022 Thomas Greco Publishing, Inc.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
DO YOU REALLY WANT ANOTHER SURVEY?
The Shops Rate Insurers survey results (in this issue beginning on page 24) outline the feedback received from a small number of participants from our region. I’m confused as to why we had less participants in this iteration than the last one, and - I’ll say to you here - it was less than the number of people who ask me about or call to complain about insurer relations. This combo leaves me at a loss. I just don’t know what you want us to do, if you don’t want to do this option.
What is it about surveys that bugs us so much?
Is it we dismiss it as something someone else can do? Is it that we are over-surveyed? I think it’s a far deeper issue. I believe it’s a combination of busyness and skepticism. I know the complications you face daily in shop life, and I also know the inner spirit of conspiracy you all carry around.
There’s so many logistics in every part of our life, and we’re constantly bombarded with requests from all fronts. If we get just a coffee, we suddenly get a survey request. Really? For coffee? And God forbid you order food through Door Dash… It’s a lot of surveying, but not a lot of help.
Healthy dose of Skepticsm?
Adding to the hurdles, you all wear tin foil hats. I say that with my own permanently affixed, so don’t think that’s a judgmental statement. Repairers have every reason to wear this hat, and maybe even proudly. I think skepticism is a healthy trait, and one that can be utilized to problem solve and keep you out of trouble.
I wondered if, given current market fluctuations, you weren’t worried that somehow your responses would be made public. They will not, and not ever. This was the perfect opportunity for you to give your proverbial finger to the worst and the thumbs up to the best.
It’s not Ours, it’s Yours
This survey was your survey; you asked for it from WMABA. It was for your benefit and information. I don’t see it as the same endeavor as just taking from you your opinion without making it mutually beneficial. This is giving you what you asked for. The next survey we plan will be our Labor Rate survey. I strongly urge you to consider these aspects when requested for your input on matters that affect you so directly and definitively.
We want what’s best for our industry, and specifically all the collision repair members we serve!
Jordan Hendler
(804) 789-9649 jordanhendler@wmaba.com
Check the WMABA website and newsletters for regular updates and reports from the Executive Director’s perspective.
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