One benefit I have in my position is the ability to attend a lot conferences.
I get to listen to nationally renowned motivational speakers and
business consultants. I get to be a fly on the wall at high-level business workshops and training events. I receive advice on selling parts and service, on marketing, on succession planning. You name it.
If someone’s offering tips for improving your aftermarket operation, I’m there.
And afterward, I try to present that information to you.
It’s with that in mind that I relay this recommendation from Bob Greenwood, president and CEO at Automotive Aftermarket E-Learning Centre: “I want you to spend at least two hours per day, uninterrupted, on your business. I want you to really analyze your business and what you do.”
An aftermarket veteran who offers business consulting in the automotive and heavy-duty markets, Greenwood made that statement last month at the HDA Truck Pride Annual Meeting.
I’m sure some of you were there.
For those who weren’t, Greenwood’s statement was received about how you’d expect.
The distributors in the audience were completely receptive to his presentation and business advice. They were engaged, and interested in his thoughts for making their business better.
But when that two-hour figure came up … yeah, there was some hesitation.
In an industry as fast-paced and hectic as this one, finding just two minutes of silence can be tricky. Two hours seems nearly impossible.
It’s with that in mind that I offer a compromise. Can you spare an hour?
Maybe you can use that first hour of the day, before the other employees and customers start streaming in? Or maybe you can sneak away as the day winds to a close?
Step away from the action for a bit and survey the scene. Think about what you just witnessed. “How did we do today? How can we do it better?”
I think Greenwood’s advice is sound. Two hours a day might not be feasible at this moment, but the concept of taking time every day to step back, to think about the bigger picture, is an excellent idea.
Just think about your business. Is there anything you’d like to improve? Maybe a process you know is flawed, but haven’t been able to nail down how to fix it?
I’ve got to imagine five hours a week
for your thoughts would get you moving in the right direction.
Greenwood admits change is difficult. It can take months to build a strategy for improvement and years of implementation before you reap the rewards. He admits that can be discouraging, but says that’s what needs to be done to drive real change and improvement.
And Greenwood believes change is absolutely coming to the heavy-duty aftermarket.
He cites shifting customer purchasing trends as one area where change is most visible. Customers today don’t just want parts, they want solutions. They want to be able to turn to you the instant they have a problem, and they expect you to immediately respond.
If your business isn’t capable of doing that, Greenwood says it doesn’t matter how impressive your product offering is or how low your prices are. That customer isn’t coming back.
So take a second to look at your calendar. See what’s on the docket for today and the rest of this week. Do you have an hour free?
Do you think it’s worth it to spend that time analyzing your business?
Greenwood says “history has never been kind to people that want to stay the status quo when there is dramatic change taking place.”
If he’s right, it will be an hour well spent.
