Page 14 - Australasian Paint & Panel May-June 2020

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News • In Focus
PAINT&PANEL MAY / JUNE 2020
WWW.PAINTANDPANEL.COM.AU
FRESH THINKING AT NEXT GENERATION
NEXT GENERATION SNUCK IN AS ONE OF THE LAST INDUSTRY GATHERINGS ON FRIDAY 13 MARCH AT SYDNEY’S OVOLO HOTEL. THANK YOU TO THE EVENT SPONSORS, IBODYSHOP, PARTSCHECK AND BMW.
Branding is important and your brand should look uniform on every platform from clothing to signage and online pres- ence. Spiteri explained the difference be- tween the primary audience that makes the decision and the secondary audience that influences the decision. He also de- tailed a marketing assets for businesses and how to leverage the most sales and customer/potential customer interaction.
Next up was Adam Davey from the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust who offers overseas scholarships aimed at the automotive industry. The scholarships can pay for individuals to learn internationally for four to eight weeks - this editor is seri- ously thinking about applying for one.
Chad Buckley from Peter Kittle Toyota in Adelaide compared managing a fami- ly-owned business to running a dealer owned bodyshop and working in a com- pletely different way. He outlined a com- pletely different way of working which actually means a much better workflow, as dealerships demand much forecasting and detailed planning. Of course having dealer support makes many parts of the business that much easier with parts sales, the service centre, a tyre shop, de- tailing and vehicle transport.
Buckley’s fresh thinking includes set sales goals and budgets, holding people accountable, evaluating all staff and their potential, investing in people and culture and always seeking opportuni- ties for improvement. The business is the first in South Australia to achieve I- CAR Gold Class and is OEM approved for both Toyota and Holden.
Covid-19 isn’t the only virus that could stamp on the brakes of your business. Cy- ber crime is on the rise and these busi- ness hijackers literally hold you to ran- som. Nsure's Gerry Power and Rami Fahmy outlined the dangers and how you can protect your business. Power is the National Head of Sales for Emergence In- surance, the only specialist cyber under- writer in the Australian market.
It really was a chilling presentation and they were able to use the experience of one of their clients who is a collision repairer. Power explained the top five risks (number one is an insider threat) and how much malware costs business- es each year. Ways to protect your busi- ness include backing up religiously (cy- ber thieves threaten to destroy all of
FROM TOP: The Ovolo was a great venue. Kevin Spiteri of Menace.
K
ICKING OFF WITH A DELICIOUS
lunch, delegates gathered in the
stylish hotel conference room. The first speaker was marketing supre- mo Kevin Spiteri of Menace that spe- cialises in digital marketing. He’s also the author of I Just Want It To Work: A Guide to Understanding Digital Marketing and Social Media for Frustrated Business
Owners, Managers and Marketers.
Spiteri shared important marketing strat- egy information. The most obvious but of- ten overlooked process of marketing is set- ting your objectives. What business do you want, what generates the best returns, are you looking to grow the businesses? It’s also important to not hop onto every platform. Another mistake is considering your mar- keting a cost rather than an investment. If you are investing do you have the time/ex- pertise to do your own marketing and if not,
why not pay an expert to do it for you?