Relighting the Spark
by Kris Burton, WMABA President
I’m writing this after just getting home from SEMA. There were plenty of highlights from the week. Personally, it was the busiest SEMA week I have ever experienced.
Everything comes together that week. From OEM conferences, the Collision Industry Conference and the industry awards dinner to training classes, student networking and being hands-on with all the new tools… I could go on and on! The most important thing is being present and taking time away from working in your business to working on it. We are all busy, but we make time for what is important.
We are all dealing with many of the same challenges daily, and taking time away from the shop to network and interact with other businesses around the country really gives renewed enthusiasm to tackle everything back home. Sometimes, there is value in just being reminded that you are not the only one, that there is an entire community of businesses working toward the same end goal.
Whether it be rising costs, challenges finding and hiring staff, keeping pace with vehicle technology changes, investing in and upgrading equipment, marketing and educating the consumer and insurance company policies and pressures – it can be a lot. As an owner, it is my responsibility to ensure my team has everything they need to be successful. It’s my job to remain enthusiastic about our mission and to impart that excitement for what we do to those I’ve asked to help deliver on that mission. We are fortunate to have all the training opportunities that are available to us today. There is more OEM training than ever before, available online and in person. Even if you don’t take training directly from the automakers, there are also amazing options from your equipment and paint companies with really exceptional presenters. The more educated and knowledgeable your team is, the better equipped they are to serve the customer.
What we do can be exhausting. Especially when you have the vehicle in your shop completely disassembled and you’ve researched all the repair instructions allowing you to write everything needed to perform a quality repair, only to get back a partial, uninformed estimate from a carrier that disregards so much of the repair plan that you thoughtfully documented. Dealing with people who are several states away telling you that you are not “market competitive” when they just click a button saying they found a headlamp across the country for a thousand dollars less than the OEM (with no OEM warranty, no defined return process and cash on delivery, etc.). The business we are in is not an easy one, and it’s not for the faint of heart. But we have chosen to put the customer first in our facility, and I take a lot of comfort in knowing that’s the reason why we do the things we do. It makes those conversations easier to overcome when we know our purpose. We work with the customer and will not deviate from that. Not every repair fits here; it is okay to say NO, and we’ve learned – through our interactions with others and our training – how to make qualifying our culture with our customers’ expectations part of our intake process.
This is not a sales pitch, but joining WMABA and being an active member is step one. Being an active member who participates is such an opportunity for growth. That then leads to the ability to give back to your community. Every Board member is passionate about this industry and pushing it forward for everyone involved in the repair community. We all volunteer our time to advance the industry, and we are constantly looking for others with the interest to do the same. There are also 20 groups that can help you analyze your business and compare to others who will hold you accountable to improvement, and if you are interested in growing even more, consider joining the Society of Collision Repair Specialists as the national association is pushing our industry forward.
I am looking forward to seeing everyone at the Southeast Collision Conference (more details on page 10) in May, where you will have plenty of opportunity to relight that spark of excitement for what you do within this industry!
Want more? Check out the January 2025 issue of Hammer & Dolly!