Episode #197- Choose a Better Path: The Power of Collision Performance Groups

Episode Notes: 

 😬 If you missed the mid-90s collision repair landscape, most body shop owners fiercely guarded their "secret sauce," proudly declaring "I don't need anybody's help" while paint companies hosted product-focused events that many viewed as time away from fixing cars rather than investments in growth. Fortunately, those days are long gone. ⌛

Today's successful collision repair professionals face a pivotal choice… ⚔️You can struggle alone against the overwhelming tide of evolving equipment needs, paint & materials, training requirements, DRP relationships, OEM procedures, safety regulations, and staffing challenges… 🧲or you can join forces with fellow shop owners who've already navigated these waters and are willing to share their hard-won wisdom.

After attending countless industry events since the 90s, I recently experienced something transformative at two major collision conferences that left me both humbled and inspired. The sense of community was undeniable – shop owners celebrating each other's achievements, forging deep friendships, and demonstrating genuine respect for their coaches and peers. This wasn't just networking; it was belonging to something greater than any individual business. 🧰

🏎️ Performance groups from all the major paint companies, as well as Collision Advice's Spartan 300, Certified Collision Group and a few others now offer structured coaching, financial education, accountability, continuing education, and powerful networking opportunities. The results speak for themselves – 80% of coaching clients report improved confidence, and 99% express satisfaction with their experience. 🚀

Your network truly equals your net worth in this industry. The question isn't whether you can afford to join these communities – it's whether you can afford not to! 🤔

🔓 Ready to condense years of learning into days by tapping into collective expertise?... Then this episode is for YOU! 💪

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Chapters

• 0:00 Industry Events: A Personal Journey
• 3:28 The Evolution of Industry Conferences
• 4:53 Two Paths for Shop Owners
• 7:01 Historical Power of Mastermind Groups
• 8:56 Today's Collision Performance Groups
• 10:13 Key Benefits of Industry Communities
• 13:20 The Choice: Alone or Together

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Today I want to talk about something that's truly resonated with me lately, something I feel absolutely compelled to share with you the hardworking shop owners and managers who are the backbone of this automotive collision industry. Now, for those of you that know me or have been tuning in for a while, you know I've been around the block a few times. In fact, I've been attending industry events since the mid-90s yes, you heard that right, since the mid-90s. It's a lot of conferences, a lot of handshakes and a lot of insights gained over the years. But recently I had a unique opportunity I attended not one, but two major collision conferences for some of the largest repair groups in our industry. Events that I've never experienced before and, honestly, the immersion into their culture, the celebration of achievements, the palpable sense of community. It was a humbling and, frankly, inspiring experience for me.

Speaker 2: 0:54

Welcome to the MindWrench Podcast with your host, rick Sellover, where minor adjustments produce major improvements in mindset, personal growth and success. This is the place to be every Monday, where we make small improvements and take positive actions in our business and personal lives that will make a major impact in our success, next-level growth and quality of life.

Speaker 1: 1:24

Hey, what's up everybody? Welcome to the MindWrench Podcast. I'm your host, rick Silover. Thanks so much for stopping in. If you're a returning listener and haven't done so already, please take a minute and click the follow or subscribe button, and then rate and review the show. When you rate and review the show, the algorithms for Apple, spotify, google Podcasts, iheartradio, amazon Music and all the other platforms will see that it's valuable and show it to more people that have never seen it before, and hopefully it can help them too. I would really, really really appreciate your help, sharing this word with your friends and family as well, and if you're a brand new listener, welcome. I hope you find something of value here that helps you in your personal or professional life as well. Please make sure to click the subscribe or follow button so you never miss another episode. Hey everybody, welcome back to the MindRidge podcast.

Speaker 1: 2:11

Today I want to talk about something that's truly resonated with me lately, something I feel absolutely compelled to share with you, the hardworking shop owners and managers who are the backbone of this automotive collision industry. Now, for those of you that know me or have been tuning in for a while, you know I've been around the block a few times. In fact, I've been attending industry events since the mid-90s. Yes, you heard that right since the mid-90s. It's a lot of conferences, a lot of handshakes and a lot of insights gained over the years. But recently I had a unique opportunity. I attended not one, but two major collision conferences for some of the largest repair groups in our industry, events that I've never experienced before and, honestly, the immersion into their culture, the celebration of achievements, the palpable sense of community. It was a humbling and, frankly, inspiring experience for me, and that's why I'm so excited to dedicate this episode to you, especially those of you that might be newer to the industry or have never taken a plunge into attending these kinds of events. My goal today is simple to shed some light on the incredible value and tangible benefits of joining a performance group. Maybe, just maybe, I can pique your interest enough for you to dip your toes in the water and see what you've been missing.

Speaker 1: 3:28

Think back to the mid-90s. The conference landscape was different. Right, it was mostly the paint companies hosting events along with NACE. Before it came part of SEMA and occasionally the local job or trade show. The focus was often on the latest products, like maybe a new 2K primer, an improved body filler, maybe a new putty, and while those things are important, they didn't always have the sizzle to pull busy body shop owners away from their base. Back then, many body shops as we called them before the term collision center really took hold viewed taking time away from fixing cars as a loss, not an investment. Plus, the repair methods and technology was relatively stable.

Speaker 1: 4:08

The urgent need to constantly keep up wasn't the same as it is today and, let's be honest, there was a certain pride, shall we say, amongst many shop owners back then. Some might even say a reluctance, to share the idea of revealing your secret sauce to the competition. Unthinkable Phrases like I don't need anybody's help, I know everything I need to know, or even the classic I'm doing great. I still have money in the bank after paying all the suppliers those were common sentiments. Right, it was a different mindset. We're good on our own. I don't want the shop down the street knowing my business Listen, I handle all the estimates, I fix the cars and the answering machine takes care of the rest. Sound familiar? But fast forward to the 2020s and the landscape has completely changed.

Speaker 1: 4:53

Right Today, I truly believe there's essentially two paths you can take in this industry. Path A you can continue to go it alone. You can try your best. Stay on top of the ever-evolving equipment needs, the dizzying array of paint material options, the constant stream of training opportunities, the often complex DRP requirements and concessions, the critical OEM recommended repair procedures, stringent vehicle safety regulations and the ever-changing environmental and governmental laws. Then consider the competitive pay landscapes, and the list goes on and on and on. It's a monumental task, a constant uphill battle. Or path B you can choose to join an industry group or a paint company performance group. You can surround yourself with a network of fellow shop owners that have already navigated these challenges, who have identified the best practices and who have learned from their mistakes, and who have found the answers to the very questions that might keep you up at night. These individuals might not have written the entire playbook yet, but they're several chapters ahead of you and, crucially, they are willing to share what they've learned. Think about it you can literally condense time, shrink years of learning into days by immersing yourself in the collective wisdom of your peers.

Speaker 1: 6:11

The idea of sharing knowledge and collective power isn't new. When you have more than two people working together on a concept or a business, the combined focus creates something truly powerful, what's often referred to as a mastermind or a third mind. The old saying two heads are better than one is more than just a cliche. Interestingly, while the concept of peer support can be found in various forms throughout history, one of the earliest documented samples is from 1727, when Ben Franklin formed the Junto Group. This group consisted of 12 members from diverse professions who met weekly for 36 years to promote useful knowledge and get this. In the early 1900s, even US President Harding was part of a mastermind group called the Vagabonds. Even US President Harding was part of a mastermind group called the Vagabonds, which included industry titans like Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone. Talk about masterminds. These were the individuals that shaped the future of our country. If you're looking for a competitive edge for your business or a more effective jumpstart to your personal development, I'll make your first step super simple.

Speaker 1: 7:16

It is a fact that an incredible number of the most successful business owners, nearly half of the Fortune 500 companies, top-earning professional athletes, entertainers and industry leaders like Microsoft's Bill Gates, former President Bill Clinton, oprah Winfrey, richard Branson, amazon's Jeff Bezos and Salesforce's Mark Benioff all have one thing in common they all have at least one coach and some have several that they work with on a consistent basis, someone that helps guide, mentor and support them, challenge them, help them set and achieve goals that move them forward and then hold them accountable to follow through, driving personal and professional growth. Working with a coach has many substantial benefits. Just for an example, 80% of coaching clients report improved self-esteem or self-confidence thanks to coaching. 99% of individuals and companies that hire a coach report being very satisfied and 96% would do it again. If, deep down, you know it's time to make those improvements in your business or your personal life that you've kicked down the road year after year. If you're tired of knowing there's a better version of you waiting to shine, but unsure of how to bring that version to light. If you're tired of wanting to enjoy a more successful business but not sure how to start. And if you don't want to go another 12 months without better results, but you don't want to go it alone, then take the first step. It's super simple. Sometimes talking to the right person can make all the difference. Go to wwwrixelovercom contact and I'll set you up with a free consultation. Call with me to see if one-on-one coaching is right for you.

Speaker 1: 8:49

Now bringing it back to our industry, there are several types of groups that you can get involved with. Today, there are large, performance-based structured coaching organizations that address every aspect of running a successful collision repair business. Today, there are groups specifically focused on the unique challenges and efficiencies of small to medium MSOs medium MSOs and then there are the high performance groups offered by major paint companies, such as Axel Noble's A-Coat Select, ppg's MVP Business Solutions, exalta's Local Performance Groups and Business Councils, sheridan Williams' Collision Corps and BASF's Vision Plus. Now, many of these paint companies also host large regional or national conferences which, as I recently experienced, are incredibly valuable in themselves. Now, beyond the paint companies, there are also dedicated coaching and mentoring groups, like Collision Advice's Spartan 300 group, and then the Certified Collision Group, dave Luehr's Body Shop Solutions and Collision Hub. Now, these offer a mix of virtual and in-person support, with the first two of these hosting major annual conferences supported by vendors and other industry stakeholders. From my own experience attending many of these events, both from the paint companies and the coaching groups, I've seen firsthand the key advantages and benefits of being part of these organizations and I want to share some of those with you.

Speaker 1: 10:13

Number one structured coaching, direction and focus. These groups lay out clear roadmaps for growth in various areas. Whether it's process improvements, advanced estimating and blueprinting, front office training and culture, or profitability's best practices. Having that expert guidance and a consistent focus can propel your shop forward at an incredible pace. It truly makes a massive difference. Number two financial education or growth. You'll gain a deep understanding of the crucial financial aspects of your business what to measure, how to measure it and how to make necessary improvements. Learning to know your profit and loss statement like the back of your hand and maximizing your actual net profits becomes a reality. Having financial experts dedicated to working with you could significantly improve your bottom line.

Speaker 1: 11:04

3. Being held accountable. Learning new strategies is one thing, but actually implementing them is another, and it's much more difficult. These groups provide a crucial element accountability. Your coaches and your peers will help you stay on track with your goals and implement the changes needed for success. Accountability truly breeds success.

Speaker 1: 11:26

Number four continuing education. In this rapidly evolving industry, continuous learning is non-negotiable. These groups foster a culture of personal and professional development, constantly feeding you new information, innovative ideas, strategic thinking and valuable lessons learned from both successes and failures. It keeps you hungry for more knowledge and growth. Number five your network equals your net worth. This is a fundamental truth in business. The most successful shops tend to have the strongest and most extensive networks within the industry, and that's not just a coincidence. Collision groups excel at fostering connections and actively helping their members expand their own networks. If you want to increase your worth, connect with more people in your business.

Speaker 1: 12:12

But there's one benefit that's harder to quantify, harder to put into words, but incredibly powerful A feeling of belonging. It's about being part of something bigger than yourself or your individual business the genuine sense of brotherhood and sisterhood that forms within these groups. I witnessed this firsthand at my conferences I recently attended. There was a distinct family atmosphere in the air. Most shop owners had forged deep friendships with other members and the level of bonding was truly remarkable. New members were welcomed with open arms and made to feel like they belonged. There was a genuine celebration of each other's success and deep respect and admiration for their coaches and leaders, all driven by a shared commitment to continuous improvement.

Speaker 1: 12:56

Frankly, I see a level of commitment to excellence within these groups that is often missing in the thousands of shops that choose not to participate in these organizations. So while I've outlined several compelling reasons to consider joining a collision shop community, perhaps the most powerful driver is the fundamental choice you face. You have two paths before you, and those choices will undoubtedly shape your future. There's incredible strength in numbers. We can win together or we can try to go it alone, but the choice, ultimately, is yours.

Speaker 1: 13:30

Well, that's all I had for today. Thanks for tuning in today. I sincerely hope this has given you some food for thought and maybe even sparked some interest in exploring the power of performance groups. Do your research, reach out to these organizations and see if one is the right fit for you. Trust me, investing in yourself and your network is one of the smartest decisions you can make for the future of your business. Thanks again for tuning in. I really appreciate your support and I hope you have a great week. I can always be reached at wwwrickselovercom, where you can find all my social media links podcast episodes, blog posts and much more.

Speaker 2: 14:10

We've got a fire in his soul, helping shops reach their goal. In the booth where colors lie, mind Branch Podcast making waves high.