Collision Repair Traffic

Collision Repair Traffic

Postby Art_Mopar » Thu Dec 29, 2011 2:48 pm

After years of neglect we finally have a body shop that is properly staffed and equipped. Problem is we are down to 1 DRP Program and are in dire need of increasing traffic. I keep hearing that the insurance companies are cutting back on DRP's and there is no way to get back into their program's. Is this indeed the case? Are we at the mercy of the local adjuster? Any and all suggestions on how to increase our chances would be greatly appreciated! I am extremely proud of our crew we have in place and the work that they do and I want to do everything in my power to make our body shop a success.
Art_Mopar
 

Collision Repair Traffic

Postby 69mach1 » Tue Jan 03, 2012 9:02 am

Art i sent this message to our body shop manager here is his reply.


That is mostly true. They are indeed at the mercy of the insurance carrier and the attitudes of their local adjusters.and it could be a difficult, up-hill battle.

BUT IT IS NOT IMPOSSIBLE!



To combat that I would take a four-prong approach.



Go out and visit with all of the local agents every three weeks or so and stick to it (develop a marketing planbut you have to be really consistent with your message and visiblity); or maybe have an open house at his shop and bring the agents to him. Somehow he has to make a connection with the local agents to start to win them over and allow them to see the changes he has put in place. If he does an open house he needs to make it memorable. Have it catered, hire a limo to pick up and deliver the agents and their staffs, have door prizes and/or raise money for some local charity or family in need based on the turn-out of the agents staffs.




Weigh the importance of the one last sole DRP he has. If that DRP is not providing a lot in the way of business, he may want to consider canning them too. Then what I would do is use having no DRPs to my advantage. If I had no direct repair carriers, I would immediately start to advertise/offer money off deductibles. There is a shop in Grand Rapids that does this and I understand they are quite successful. When there is no insurance carrier to hold the direct repair carrot over your head, the shop is actually free to do whatever they want with regard to offering the waiving of deductibles(up to a certain amount). I dont care what city you are located in, right now people want to see what $ they can save and I feel that could be huge.




Based on the size of his shop, he is going to have to start driving business there for other reasons if he finds it impossible to add any more DRPs. Bring in a towing or glass company. Start a rental program. Start a detail shop. Begin to do spray on bed-linerswhatever he can think of. He needs people to the door and having tenants there to provide some rent cash flow, or, thinking out of the box with regard to things you would normally not try if you had enough collision traffic will be the next best thing to attract people to the building and allow customers to start to think about him for their collision work.


Start to do some heavy marketing in the town he resides in, whether the city be small or large. Join the local chapter of the Chamber of Commerce. Do some charity work on behalf of the team through the collision shop. Get involved in the area high school technical center. He has got to do things that will create awareness about his business and the great team he has assembled there.
69mach1
 


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