7.2.18 –  On June 25, 2018, nearly 70 members of AASP/NJ gathered at Ultimate Collision in Edison to get an informative, useful and “eye opening” look at how to strategically improve their businesses.

Jerry McNee, owner of Ultimate Collision and president of AASP/NJ, and John Niechwiadowicz (QLC, Inc.) presented “Open Your Eyes…And You Will Become a Game Changer” using real day-to-day examples which spurred a healthy interactive discussion on everything from identifying Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to practicing effective communication and leadership and how to best manage challenges.

“We are not talking about problems. We are talking about solutions,” said Niechwiadowicz upon opening the lecture. “There is a lot of opportunity out there. How do you know where the opportunity exists?

“KPIs identify what your strengths are. There is only so much time in one day to work on something so when you do work on something it better have the best possible return.”

McNee stressed the importance of KPIs. “If you are not putting in, you are not getting anything out.

“As a leader, you must know and understand your KPIs because you have to be able to gauge your performance against them,” suggested McNee – that is the secret to success.

The audience was asked to identify their KPI factors in an anonymous poll; the results were used as part of the discussion to help them see the importance of each major factor: Total Sales, Total Labor Sales, Total P&M Sales, Average RO (Severity), Paint Hours Per RO, Technician Efficiency, Cycle Time, Touch Time and Sales Per Repaired Panel.

A conversation about insurance companies and proper repair techniques was sparked as a result. McNee told his fellow AASP/NJ members to stand up to the insurance companies.

“You have to stand up to the insurance company and tell them what you need. If everyone started pushing in the same direction this stuff would start falling into line.”

“Have you ever had the pleasant surprise of putting something on a ticket and it gets paid? It doesn’t hurt to try,” Niechwiadowicz suggested. He pointed out that hours spent researching OEM repair guidelines to fix a vehicle should be counted as a billable expense, something which many shop owners don’t take into consideration when writing an estimate and supplement.

Both referenced the John Eagle case emphasizing the risks of what can happen if a vehicle is not fixed properly.

In addition, building a good work culture and leadership team are also crucial factors shop owners must embrace. ”

You want to be a game changer; you have to have a positive attitude. Accept personal responsibility. Sometimes we are all running 100 miles per hour. You have to slow down and smell the roses and pay attention to what is going on around you,” said McNee. “If you don’t know what is wrong, how do you know what to fix?”

AASP/NJ thanks everyone who attended the June 25th meeting and the association looks forward to future AASP/NJ events. For more information on upcoming events please visit www.aaspnj.org or call the AASP/NJ Administrative Office at (973) 667-6922.