Shop Management: What is a Shop Foreman?
A few years ago, it seemed that nearly every shop had a foreman.However, over the years I’ve noticed that the foreman position has beendissolved. Little by little, shops have gotten away from having aforeman and simply have a manager with direct control over thetechnicians. Why? Is it to “downsize” and save the costs associatedwith this
Herman Trend Alert: Small Businesses Will Likely Lead the Recovery
Previous Herman Trend Alerts have stated that most job creation occursin small- and medium-size businesses. While we have witnessed recentwidespread job losses, small business’ historic net job creation willmake it a key player in our economic recovery. Not surprisingly, manypeople who have not been able to find employment have chosen to go intobusiness for themselves.
Ten ‘Must-have’ Features of a Shop Website
Research conducted among our readership indicates that only about half of you have a shop website. For those of you who haven’t unleashed the power of the Internet as ashop tool, what are you waiting for? You already know that it’s aneasy, fast way to find the information and answers you need to help youdo
Customer Engagement Today and Tomorrow
Consumers are spending less and expecting more. In the third quarter of2008, U.S. consumer spending fell by 3.1 percent, the steepest declinesince 1980. Concurrently, customer satisfaction is suffering. For thepast 18 months, the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) hasalso decreased. The companies that will survive are the ones that engage theircustomers. Recently, PeopleMetrics issued its
Winning the Business Championship, Made Easy
Several years ago, a friend of mine, who had just retired from Indy Carracing asked me to give a dinner presentation to a group of young racedrivers. "Tell them what you learned as a business executive that canhelp them mount a successful racing effort," my friend requested. As Ithought about it, I realized that while
Cash for Clunkers: A Mixture of Promise and Pitfalls
By Matt Scruggs, Research Analyst, Frost & Sullivan’s Automotive Practice The Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Act, otherwise known as "Cash for Clunkers," is expected to be signed into law, after being voted in by the House and Senate earlier this month. While programs of this sort have been successful in Europe, boosting new
Herman Trend Alert: Consumer Confidence Looking Up
For the fourth month in a row, The Conference Board Consumer ConfidenceIndex has increased sharply in the United States. The Index now standsat 54.9 (1985=100), up almost 35 percent from in April (40.8). TheConference Board’s Present Situation Index increased to 28.9 from 25.5last month and its Expectations Index rose to 72.3 from 51.0 in April.The
Restoration Market Holding Strong
In 2008, the restoration market held its ground and fended off economictroubles. With the overall market shuddering in the wake of myriaddisasters, enthusiasts looking to restore their automotive passion andcollector cars came through decidedly. Despite a small dip in retail sales, the restoration marketplacesurvived 2008 with $1.45 billion in retail sales, just 3% off theprevious
Show Your Muscle
Since the dawn of time (well, since the invention of the SECOND automobile), man has been on a quest. A quest to be faster. A quest to be more powerful. A quest to be the best. The true hotrodder uses talent and skill to design, fabricate, analyze and invent in the hopes of rising above
10 Ways To Recruit New Employees for Your Shop
You never know when you’ll be in the market for a new employee. You maybe fully staffed right now, but what if you were to expand your shop,offering additional services, and needed the extramanpower to handle the increased service volume? Or, what if you were to lose an employee to the competition? In eithersituation, would
Profiting From Personal Performance
Ifyou’ve been following my articles over the last year, you may bestarting to get some new ideas for finding profits in selling highperformance engines, parts and accessories. We’ve discussed various sales techniques to battle internet and catalogparts sales, or “walk-in parts,” as I like to call them. I wrote aboutstrategies and gave them creative names
EPG President says Engine Rebuilding Offers Simpler, Lower Cost Way to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Several plans are currently being debated in the public forum in an attempt to find a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Most of these concepts have been debated for years – setting higher mileage standards, implementing advanced technologies, and passing “cash for clunkers” legislation. The head of one of the country’s largest engine parts