Page 41 - Australian Paint & Panel Magazine May-June 2019
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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Mark Debono and Cara Lewis; Window from reception give customers a great view of the workshop; iBodyshop has delivered so many improvements in the first few weeks of using it; Painter Harry Singh; One of two new Jollift benches.
ABOVE: Cara Lea Lewis and Mark Debono
quired, probably a Car-O-Liner Point X. All of their equipment purchases have been paid for by the business without having to use any credit.
The couple also benefited from net- working at the show. They have been in- vited to join Car Craft and enjoyed the networking drinks after the Expo on Friday night, impressed with how friendly and open to sharing informa- tion and help members are. Then it was off to the Valspar dinner. “It was so great to talk to other people who totally understand what you experience every- day,” Cara says.
They also enjoyed a couple of the many seminars on offer and dropped by the I- CAR stand to discuss a training program for the business.
REPAIR COST RISING
As ECPP's reputation for quality and great customer service has grown so has the scope of the repairs they are being asked to undertake. The average repair cost has risen and is likely to rise again once the measuring system is in place.
It's also allowed the couple to be more picky about the work they under- take. “We're not interested in custom- ers looking for the cheapest repair pos- sible anymore, we're looking to grow our profitability.”
They also turn away insurance work when the assessor has cut quotes to a level where they feel they can't under- take the repair. “We're not prepared to cut corners, if we can't do a quality job for the money then we won't do it at all.”
MAKING PROGRESS
It's easy to be self-critical and Cara says that they really didn't credit themselves for keeping the business running smoothly despite the many challenges they have taken on.
“We haven't dropped the ball in the day to day running of the business and we've still maintained our focus on keeping our customers happy.
“Now we have everything in place to to be approaching new fleet customers to increase our customer base.
“While it's been a tiring and stress- ful time, we're in a great place where we fully understand our financials and the direction we want to take the busi- ness and expect to have a smooth start to the new financial year.”
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