We've "scene" it all--The SceneExchange Blog

Facebook as a Marketing Tool

With over 200 million users Facebook provides companies with a great opportunity to reach new and existing customers, and not just high school or college age users anymore.  The fastest-growing demographic on Facebook right now is users over 35 years old.

Back in 2007 Facebook began allowing users to create "pages" separate from their personal accounts but with similar functionality.  This feature can be a great way for companies to interact with Facebook users who may never find their website but could stumble across their business page on Facebook.   Some recent re-designs of the business page layout have added functionality as well.

One of the main benefits to promoting your company, such as a repair shop, on Facebook is the  potential to reach an ever-increasing number of potential customers.  Because updates to, and user interactions with, business pages post notes to user's mini-feeds it's possible to reach Facebook users 2 to 3 connections away.

These pages are still free to setup, require relatively little maintenance and finding helpful advice on using Facebook to promote your business is easy.  For shops looking to increase their visibility a business page on Facebook is a great start and can be used to direct users back to the main company website if not giving them all the information they need right on the page.

--Jen

Your employees know more than you think

Are you looking for ways to increase profits, decrease costs, and improve morale in these uncertain times? Your best resource for fine tuning your business lies right within your business--your employees!

When I was consulting with various groups of Collision Repair centers, it was not uncommon for me to perform an employee survey in order to understand (from their perspective) the conditions of the business, their opinions of management, other employees, and how their job could be improved. With every business case review I conducted, I was able to get a pretty good understanding of the operations within a day of review and observations. However, every time I conducted an employee survey I learned something new, confirmed my observations and discovered a new element of the business.

Surveying your employees is relatively easy, especially with today's technology. You can remain totally anonymous (which I highly recommend). The most difficult part of conducting a survey is determining which questions to ask. In order to uncover the best questions, you need a firm understanding of what it  is you are looking to find out.

Some ideas you can survey your employees about include:

1: Confirmation of marketing ideas or "your brand image"

2: Cost cutting ideas within each department (even provide a dollar incentive to the winner)

3: Ways to improve process flow and operations

4: Perceptions of managers and management

Getting your employees' input is a great source of information and it also creates an atmosphere that demonstrates you care.

Check out some of the online survey sources available to you, they are easy to administer and provide you with automatic results, graphs and details. Constant Contact and Icontact are a couple of my favorites. You can also use the traditional paper method, however I really believe keeping the information administered from a third party is best; you will get more depth and honesty from the employee if they believe the information is not management administered.

Try a survey of your employees today! You will be happy with the results.

- Alan

Testing Volvo's Collision Avoidance

Here's an interesting link to the auto blog at the New York Times.

Testing Volvo’s Collision Avoidance System

The short article describes testing out Volvo's new system from behind the wheel. The City Safety system uses laser and radar to detect cars up to 20 feet ahead of the vehicle by picking up reflections from license plates, tail lamps, rear glass, even body paint.

Pretty cool--and worth a read.

--Beth

After auto pulls out, what might save Michigan?

With GM's struggles and plant closings shaking the foundations of what modern Michigan has been built upon, what can take the industry's place?

How about the Motown Motion Picture Studio, housed in a former GM truck plant? Using aggressive incentives, Michigan drew 25 film crews to their state last year--including Clint Eastwood (Gran Torino). Still, a movie studio might equal 3,000 jobs; over 800,000 have been lost in the state since 2000.

They are also courting wind-power, building railroad cars--any industry that could help employ the engineers who have been laid off and can't find similar work.

The state has instituted at 2 year "No Worker Left Behind" free college program--and the colleges are jammed with former autoworkers looking to retrain.

Still, this is the heart of automotive engineering and innovation. There is a concentration of talent--how can Michigan harness these men and women? Imagine what it would look like if a start-up that really changed the game for the auto industry came along. Your thoughts?

--Beth

Nominate an instructor

Beginning August 3rd, the I-CAR Education Foundation will open its call for applications for the I CAR Education Foundation's Instructor of the Year award. The winner will receive an expense-paid trip to NACE 2009 and the instructor will be recognized for his or her selection.

This award is open to all collision repair instructors teaching at career and technical schools as well as colleges that utilize the I-CAR Live Curriculum. You can nominate an instructor for this award at www.ed-foundation.org.

It's a great way to thank someone who has taught you and gone the extra mile.

--Beth

Kudos to the Car Care Council

The Car Care Council was awarded the highest "Award of Excellence" by the International Academy of Visual Arts. (IAVA) for its Car Care Guide.

The project was designed to appeal to consumers and had two purposes in mind:

• To promote and provide information to motorists through the media and online
• To respond to requests from repair shop owners and parts store counter personnel who are looking for  credible third-party vehicle information to use at point-of-sale with customers

It was designed to fit in a glove box and uses non-technical information that is easy to understand. The guide was selected out of 7,000 entries from around the world. Congrats!

--Beth

Saving the environment or needlessly draining the bank account?

As part of our country's push to become more environmentally aware and less fuel dependent President Obama recently announced new fuel emissions standards for vehicles.  However, critics and advocates alike are questioning the overall impact this will have on our country's fuel consumption and environmental impact. 

As a counter to the hybrid vehicle push, VW is promoting their clean diesels as a way for vehicle owners to get the best of both worlds: additional fuel efficiency without losing the fun-to-drive factor.

In general a lot will depend upon consumers. With gas prices once again creeping up there are incentives to "go green", but is the higher price tag associated with hybric vehicles worth it? Sites such as Edmunds.com have fuel consumption calcuators to help consumers figure out if they will actually be saving gas, and therefore money, by purchasing a more fuel efficient vehicle. Many of these same sites help consumers calculate the "real cost" of owning a car, i.e. how will the costs of oil changes or repairs change.

New Ford Taurus--Once a Rental Always a Rental?

With the 2010 Ford Taurus, Ford Motor Co. is taking on the Toyota Avalon and the Chrysler 300...and maybe even Audi and Lexus. There are numerous aspects of re-engineering and restyling--ranging from collision warning and blind spot detection. But, is it revamped enough?

The Taurus was a best seller in the 1990s, and it was groundbreaking when introduced in 1986. After all, its aerodynamic design was unique in the mid-size sedan segment of the day, and it offered tremendous value versus the competition. That's what made it a bestseller--"hot" design, priced for affordability by the average Joe. It didn't fall from grace until a series of bland redesigns took away its edge. The last one was produced in 2006--and sales to the public had ceased. It became a fleet and rental car.

Today, Ford wants the public to forget that the Taurus was ever a rental/fleet car (or even a cheap car, for that matter) and cough up between 25-37k for the vehicle. Will the public bite on a brand revamp that's going against where the brand began? Cheap to expensive, no frills to frills, head-turning design to respectable design.

Brand redesign and re-introduction

When brand names return to the public, they can usually count of eliciting both nostalgia and sales. However, the most important thing is that it be re-introduced in a way that evokes a sense of excitement and passion. Has Ford succeeded on this point? What's your opinion?

--Beth