Professional Distributor - 7

COVER STORY

CATERING TO

collision repair customers
Determine and provide solutions, so body shop
owners can take their business to the next level.
by Tyler Fussner, Assistant Editor

mobile tool distributor may visit a plethora of shop types along their
route - from general automotive repair shops and dealerships, to
marinas, factories, or agricultural businesses. Each of these varying
businesses and locations utilize different tools and equipment from one
another. Collision repair facilities are one of those businesses that require a
unique set of tools and equipment. While they stock the usual tools found
in the mom and pop shops, they also have some unique equipment and a
range of specialty tools regularly required for body work. As a distributor,
understanding the nuanced differences in the tool and equipment needs
of a body shop compared to other stops along your route will allow you
to successfully provide your customers with the products they need to do
their job.

EVALUATE THE BODY SHOP
Steve Johnston, independent tool dealer
and owner of SJ Enterprises, runs his
business in rural Alabama. Although
he acknowledges that body shops are
not the most common shop-type that
he visits, he still does a fair amount of
business at such locations - particularly at a stretch of road known locally
as Bondo Alley.
"[Bondo Alley] amounts to a subdivision-type setup of commercial buildings
all in a row that's about a quarter of a
mile from one end to the other," Johnston says. "Every business on that road
is automotive oriented. There's a mix of
body shops, frame shops, cleanup shops,
mechanic shops, and wholesalers that do
minor repair and preparation of cars."

"I've never seen another area like it. I
came from the Metro Birmingham area,
which obviously has a lot of shops, but
they're not lined next to each other like
it is in this small area," Johnston continues, speaking of Bondo Alley.
Johnston has a game plan when
approaching a body shop, particularly
for a first-time visit. "Initially, you've
got to categorize the body shop," Johnston says. "There are [varying] levels and
qualities of bodywork and skill levels,
just like there are with mechanic shops.
You have to be able to make a judgment
call and decipher that when you go in."
Not only should a tool dealer understand the quality of work the body shop
is doing, but also the tools, equipment,
and materials being used for such work.
"You've got to judge the body shop

when you get there. You also better pay
attention when you go in as to what
kind of equipment they are using and
what kind of materials they are using,
and tailor your approach to them,"
Johnston says.
After the initial assessment, a tool
dealer then needs to understand what
they can offer that shop. Not only can a
dealer offer shop owners the tools they
need to continue the work they are currently doing, but a dealer should also
understand the tools and equipment that
can help that shop owner take their services to the next level ... products which
might enable technicians to complete
body work not currently offered.
"I am not so much asking [technicians what they need, but rather] observing what is going on in the shop," Johnston says, speaking to his approach to
selling to body shop technicians. "Current vehicles have collision avoidance
systems and cameras, and require scan
tools to calibrate systems after, say, the
shop replaces a windshield; they have
to recalibrate cameras and sensors on
the bumpers, too. And honestly, from
what I'm seeing, very few shops are
doing service at that level. Late model
cars are requiring that kind of capability,
so you can make a lot of decisions on a
body shop through the simple observation of how current the cars are that

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