Ever noticed how things are changing so fast within the Aftermarket, especially with vehicle technology, shop internal technology systems and the OEM Dealer aggressiveness to take on the Aftermarket?
I have and I'm trying to figure out why no one seems to want to address these issues with any true sense of urgency?
Let me give you a simple example. Technical and Business training are an urgent matter right now in how the Aftermarket has to address the above mentioned issues yet I find every Aftermarket executive and most shop owners looking at "maybe the Fall we will look into that." What the heck..."maybe the Fall"??? Why not step out of the box and tell the industry two or three days during the summer is a definite now...plan it...as this is urgent.....with a follow-up in the Fall. We don't have the luxury any more of just sitting back with the usual Aftermarket routine.
When the industry looks at the Fall, it looks at one month, September, because October, November and first half of December are the busy silly season of the sector that no one wants to leave their business (they can't because they would not learn the math or key processes about how to change that format....they were too busy) which then leaves January and February for any other training as March is "March break" month. Oh and then January and February you will hear, "cash is too tight" so not a lot of shop owners attend in those months either. Now because of the procrastination, poor planning and lack of urgency to "get things done" you are talking one full more year before ANYTHING concrete just begins to happen which sets the Aftermarket another year to 1.5 years behind.
We are not getting it yet. The Aftermarket is a fast changing sector, however our "structure processes", our "habits" are out of the 1970"s.............we shut down all information development in the summer and most months of the year due to holidays, the shortage of staff, cash flow, coupled with "I'm too busy to address that" answers across the country.
Show me any other industry/profession that still thinks like this.
Our sector of the industry have such poor planning skills that we can't get the other months in the year to be proactive to true business development. Until we change this format and especially our attitude towards any development, technical and/or business, the Aftermarket will continue to fall behind the OEM.
When will we start to get it? Who out there will shake it up and put a sense of urgency to the messages?
Is the Aftermarket that complacent or so afraid of changing its format?
If that is the case, try to visualize what the true Aftermarket will look like five (5) years from now; please, really think about that in great detail......
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6 comments:
So true Bob, the industry that my wife is in I respect so much. They see training and education as a tool to generate more prosperity, and it works! The more training they complete the better they get at streamlining their businesses to financial freedom. I can't begin to tell you how many times I have heard a small business owner say to me "how much will it cost for training?" get over it, don't see it as a cost see it as an investment to your financial future.... Or the classical "what am i going to learn that I don't already know???" are you serious?? Maybe that is why there is so many millionaire shop owners out there because they have all the answers..... Oh Wait..?!?!
The shops in the Automotive Industry that truly want to learn and embrace change are far and few between. That's not to say that all the other shops don't care about their business, I think that they're scared...... and they should be. The changes that are happening in this industry is mind boggling. Everything from the way a shop is run, to the way technology, cars and trucks are intertwined with each other. It can be down right frightening, but the best way to over come fear is through education. It's a fact, that once you educate yourself, you over come fear. Some of the shops that I deal with that have taken a management course and are keeping up todate with automotive courses, no matter who's course it is, are today doing better than most shops out there in the market place. I see the shops that are struggling to make ends meet, I see the fear and the frustration. Today training is more available then ever and more affordable than ever. If you want to have a good life and a great retirement, then let's start to educate ourselves and get on with the business at hand so we can have the things in life that we want.
R. Glynn Jones
A.P.D.
Calgary
I struggle with the same questions. At one time it was "why do we need to train in the evening after a hard days work" I would hear that from the ASP's and arrange/invest in daytime techical training--- only to have no one register. It is a classic "HELP ME TO HELP YOU" in the aftermarket. Listen, align solutions for the needs, but at some point the ASP needs to be responsible for their own destiny.
It is frustrating when sometimes we seem to care more about our clients business than they do. That being said, it is rewarding to see those who invest in their business, accepting that they can use help. Being part of their growth to profitability is rewarding. There are a LOT of success stories out there, I only wish there were more.
"Let's take care of today and we'll worry about tomorrow when it comes" seems to have always been the attitude of the small business owner. But when the economy took a slight dip, it caught too many businesses with their pants down.
Somehow we have to open their eyes as to what's happening and what's coming and just maybe we can get a few more away from their reactive management habits so they can succeed not just survive.
I had the best intentions to reply to this blog right after I read it but here I am 1 week later.That is how I see our industry,we want to do the right thing but we lose focus and its a week,a month a year later.Someone goes on vacation,someone calls in sick and a service vehicle goes down and then its "what was I doing"?
We need to turn off the "noise" and focus on 1 or 2 things at a time and stay on task.I do feel the urgency of our industry and feel its time that I become accountable.
Great article. For such a large industry that is a laggard in technology, I think this is the appropriate question to ask to get Automotive Aftermarket Executives thinking about technology innovations and how it can provide value to the industry. There's far to much emphasis corporate and investment decision making based on short-term earnings expectations versus long term value creation.
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