Cactus

The most underused social media platform is…

In the past posts I have been covering extensively the marketing tools a smart bodyshop owner or paint supplies trader should use. Email marketing, professional magazines ads, old school direct mailing, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, you name it. However, I would like to draw your attention to another social platform, which is very popular among young …

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Row materials shortage. Real or artificial?

For the last couple of weeks I have received several unpleasant letters from our suppliers. Unpleasant because the main subject was the price adjustment due to the sharp and unprecedented increase in raw materials. Information is scarce. All we know is that prices for MDI (methyl di-p-phenylene isocyanate), butanediol and derivatives went up. Well, nobody …

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Inventory management in auto paint supply stores. 6 problems and solutions. Part 1.

If you own an auto body repair supply store, you know how many product codes you must have in stock. Besides keeping your mixer full and running, there are a handful of other products you cannot afford to be missing. Abrasives of all grits and shapes, various primers, fillers, clears and other consumables are all …

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Is “buying” bodyshops business by paint companies sustainable?

After rubbing the shoulders with businesses involved in car refinishing for more than 15 years, I can surely state that certain paint companies implement aggressive market share acquisition as their main growth strategy. In practice, a paint supplier invests in the potential customer -bodyshop- by offering equipment, tools, spray booths and even cash money against …

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Inventory management in auto paint supply stores. 6 problems and solutions. Part 2.

Poor delivery times from suppliers When we select our suppliers, we usually consider two main parameters: quality of the goods and price. Nevertheless, a third parameter for the decision making is of utmost importance – delivery times. On many occasions, it is better to choose slightly higher priced supplier, who guarantees faster goods delivery. You …

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5 traits of quality in auto body repair job

Everyday we are bombarded by advertising of various goods and services. In most of the communicated messages there is a reference to a high “quality” of advertiser. Quality is high, incomparable, excellent, unsurpassed and unbeatable. Car repair industry is no exemption. Bodyshops claim that their service is of high, incomparable, excellent, unsurpassed and, at least, …

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Collision repair management 101: You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Part 2

Variable costs In the previous part of Collision repair management 101 we discussed fixed costs in a bodyshop. Actually fixed costs, apart probably advertising expenses, are very difficult to decrease quickly. Whether your bodyshop is fully loaded with work or not, fixed costs still come in form of bills end of each months.  Variable costs, …

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Collision repair management 101: You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Fixed costs.

For those of you, dear readers, who follow Etalon Refinish blog, it is probably clear that throughout the articles I try to convey a simple, but, from my point of view, very important idea. Collision repair workshop is first of all a Business, which was set up to make profits. Therefore, as every Business, regardless …

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