Page 20 - Australasian Paint & Panel May-June 2020

BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY SPECIAL
20
PAINT&PANEL MAY / JUNE 2020
20 USE DOWNTIME TO IMPROVE BUSINESS • 20 LOCKDOWN 28 LEADING HYOUR TEAM IN A CRISIS • 30 MARKETING AND
EMERGE A BETTER BUSINESS
PAINT & PANEL HAS PRODUCED A WEBINAR AND PODCAST WITH IDEAS FOR SPENDING ANY DOWNTIME PRODUCTIVELY AND LOOKING FOR WAYS TO EMERGE FROM COVID-19 BUSINESS CONDITIONS BETTER THAN YOU WENT IN.
W
E PRODUCED A GREAT WEBINAR
on strategies for building your collision repair business dur- ing a downturn in association with business coach Ben Fewtrell from MaxMyProfit. You can watch the webinar free by visiting maxmyprofit- au.lpages.co/paintandpanelonline/or
listen to the audio as a podcast.
While these are uncertain times and claims have plummeted – there are still plenty of people who have money to spend and they are spending it. Some business are booming right now includ- ing DIY outlets, office stationary suppli- ers, some furniture companies, sport and leisure companies and a number of
other market sectors.
Fewtrell talks about using your time
effectively working on the business.
Communication with your customers has never been more important. Com- municating that you are open, that you are Covid-19 hygiene compliant, that you are an essential service and that you will pick up and deliver cars. Fewtrell discusses some of the ways that you can do this using your phone and posting on your website and social media. Many customers may assume you are closed and have anxieties about the repair pro- cess that you can allay.
SWOT ANALYSIS
Fewtrell says this is the best time to carry out a SWOT analysis and talks through the process. Consider shifting your business philosophy from some- one who repairs cars to being in the business of serving people. Look hon-
estly at what level of service you give, check out all of your online reviews. Discover what new op- portunities may be out there if you diversify. Promote yourself to local media.
SPENDING LOCK DOWN
PRODUCTIVELY
Fewtrell shares ideas about what you can do to improve your busi- ness and upskill/cross train your staff if work slows. He explained the vital importance of tending to and using your customer database. Fewtrell discusses new revenue streams that have good margins that you can bring into the busi- ness and market to your database.
Marketing and different ways to sell your business was next on the agenda. Fewtrell also points out that this is a great time to reach out in your community to poten- tial alliance partners who can
promote your business.
The webinar is just one hour and re-
ceived fantastic feedback from partici- pants - make the time to listen and profit from the content.
WHERE TO LISTEN
A number of Paint & Panel podcasts will be dedicated to information helpful to repairers during these difficult business conditions. You can listen to
the podcast, The Edge, on paintandpanel. com.au/podcast or subscribe on your favourite app or streaming service.