Thoughts
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I know how important it is to voice my opinion and take action if I’m not satisfied or would like to improve a situation. I learned the hard way a long time ago how true an old saying is “a promise is a comfort to a fool”. I could wait for someone or association to step up and echo my concerns with the Auto collision industry lack of direction or resolve …however that has not happened since the twenty plus years I’ve been working in the industry.
Being a person of strong conviction I decided at the beginning of 2008 to launch a simple web site [url]www.tektalk.net[/url] that introduces DPM Dontek Proposal Manual and create this blog [url]http://dontek.tektalk.net[/url] journaling my daily activities as I drill down into participants’ point of view concerning the auto collision industry.
As a participant in the auto collision industry, what are you doing or your thoughts on to improve one of the oldest and economically strongest industry’s future directions?
Any effort to unify the auto collision industry is a step in the right direction. I think the biggest challenge starts with working off of insurer estimates at low labor rates. Many local associations attempt to have the shops stick together on these topics, but their will always be 2 shops in town that are willing to undercut the competition.
From their it flows to less money for the techs & it attracts few people to the trade.
I also applaud any effort to unify the training and repair techniques among technicians. A big problem with this industry is their are many unqualified techs being employed. Many resist change and don’t have the desire to upgrade their skills with modern techniques.
Has anyone ever thought of getting techs involved with assosiations or groups. I would think it would have a bigger impact than just shop owners.
In reply to Jimmo from [url]www.refinishnetwork.info[/url] forum, I agree that there is a communication breakdown between insurers and repairers concerning labour rates as wells a slue of other issues. Insurers and repairers turf battles have been going on for years, it’s like “if I don’t get you, you will get me”. The battles and the pointing of fingers has been documented and overly stated (it’s a distraction) I read this article today – Fed Up – Excuse me, but your foot is on my neck by Tom Bissonnette in the Collision Repair magazine online site. [url]http://issuu.com/mediamatters/docs/crm722v2?mode=embed&documentId=080516191433-aea16e5c00344530a98a4ed5b9403945&pageNumber=15&layout=grey[/url]
You’re not the first person that has mentioned to me the lack of unity when it comes to repairs standing together to confront the big bad insurance wolf. If it is not two shops trying to under cut the competition it would be one shop, if its not one it would be a banner network, if not them it’s a DRP, if not them it’s an independent. Do you see what is going on here?
Insurance companies no, ENTERPRISES are very wealthy, smart and register to the art of “divide and conquer”. Actually insurers don’t care about the internal fighting in the auto collision industry, they see it more as a joke. They are able to see our industry from the out side looking in and manipulate it with an estimate here and there. And, what the big joke is we fall for it.
Insurance companies are not the problem with the auto collision industry’s issues nor, are the door rates they pay out. Insurance companies have adapted better and created a beneficial advantage in a fractional auto collision infrastructure that lacks foresight.
We as participants in the auto collision industry allow insurers to feel like they are powerful and control the industry. We continually reinforce this thought by complaining about their actions and its effect on present and future industry directions. This complaining, justifying or laying blame is insurers’ barometer to the impact of their control…if we are complaining they must be profiting.
Okay, insurers don’t control the industry consumers do!
They is no use in complaining, pointing fingers or trying to change insures profitable stance unless what you have to say to them is compelling and can change the auto collision industry’s landscape as we know it. I believe, we need to look at the industry from a different angle to create new solutions. Dontek Proposal Manuel (DPM) is that solution looking at the industry from an angle of implementing human resource procedures.
Support Dontek Proposal Manual as a start to positive change in the auto collision industry by visiting [url]www.tektalk.net/d_p_m_overview.html[/url]
After visiting [url]www.tektalk.net/d_p_m_overview.html[/url] post your comments on either one of these locations.
[url]http://dontek.tektalk.net[/url]
[url]http://www.refinishnetwork.info/index.php/Articles/892-ReThoughts.html#892[/url]
[url]http://collisionrepairmag.com/forums/760.html#497[/url]The thread has been moved to management->general. It will get viewed better here.
that’s why all these sites are so important to the future of the industry
as well as our continued communication.you can’t build things from the top down you need to start with the foundation at the bottom and is the tech’s and the unity of the tech’s that will begin to bring about change
when we become educated , and start standing up for our rights , then the power will transfer , and the resistance to improvement will be futile.
like stones corner says “the world is a great mirror”
once we get this ball rolling , there will be no stopping it. B)
Given each auto repair shop (or group of shops) is an entity unto itself, serving the needs of the individual owner, owners, or investors, realistically speaking, there is not sufficient motivation for a unity among all shops. It just takes one shop to bow to pressures from the insurers, and all the other shops are left with the choice to either play along, or risk losing that business.
I can’t imagine there will ever be a time when there isn’t going to be that one shop.
It’s not about unity among repairers, that’s old news. If repairs want to slash there prices and work for next to nothing under cutting the market that should be there problem…that’s what you call competition.
When a whole industry is affected by this kind of business practice you must look towards the internal structure of the auto collision industry. Imagine the Financial, Medical and Real estate industry operating with out a governing infrastructure.
What I think has a lot of implication (far more than shop unity) for insurers, independent repairers and techs is the controlling desires of banner networks and their push for accreditation. You want motivation then you better start taking a good look at who is setting your industry agendas.
This industry’s situation is bigger than repairers uniting in order to compete with insurers, it’s more about total unification – all participants’ insurance, repairer, tech and supplier must collectively consort on a transparent compromising effort for a better internal process.
I have the answer to the issues affecting the auto collision industry – I’m not willing to say what my answer is “based on some sound advice”. However talking from a place of assurance there is a solution to the industry’s problems allowing, me great resolve. To understand what I’m truly writing about you must read in between the lines only then will you start to realize change for a stronger and unified industry is possible.
Now you’re talking, sites like these are great for the industry. Keeping informed, participating in industry forums, reading and responding to articles and magazines, just been part of the auto collision industry discussions on a whole is a step in the right direction.
The majority of techs in the industry like to play the victim roll…HOOO… look at me pretty little me, the industry is taking advantage of me. Complaining it’s who they have become or it’s what the industry has turned them into. For years I used to complain to my family, friends, co-workers and boss but, now I realize there’s no resolve in complaining.
Complaining is what repairers are doing with insurers, look where that is getting them and now we complain about repairers.
The truth of the matter is repairers don’t have the power to change things in the industry that would be satisfactory to techs financial and technical needs.
If you do think repairers have the power to change things for tech lets us here your response.
In the mean time let us keep the ball rolling. Every time you talk to a tech that is complaining suggest to them the only way you can resolve your issues is to be proactive, take charge of your own direction by get involved in online forums, blogs, reading magazines and attending industry trade shows, conferences, symposiums, conventions what ever you here or can do that pertains to your profession.
Lets increase the communication activity in all tech portals and resources.
Are you a tech? Have you tried to get involved with your industry association? It’s a frightening and discouraging experience attending an auto collision industry gathering as a tech, all by your self. However it was one of the best experiences in my life… I observed and learned a lot about the auto collision industry in that one day of attending a Canadian Collision Industry Forum (CCIF) [url]http://www.ccif.net[/url] meeting than I learned in the twenty plus years I’ve been working in the industry.
If your interested stop by my blog [url]www.dontek.tektalk.net[/url] I wrote all about the whole experience from the very first day [url]http://dontek.tektalk.net/2008/01/ccif-meeting-request.html[/url] I contacted CCIF.
It’s hard to get techs involved in anything other than them selves more or less attend an industry association or group. Anyhow, if a group of techs (5) got involved with an association it would send shock waves throughout the auto collision industry.
The industry just might start to improve!
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