Conferences

Past Conferences Seminars on Industry-Related Topics

Accelerated Repair Strategies

NEW ORLEANS, LA, FALL 2011—Facilitated by: Dave Knapp and Mark Mueller, PPG Business Solutions • Many high performing collision repair businesses protected or even improved their market position during the recent economic downturn—demonstrating a direct correlation between short cycle times and strong relationships with work providers. While cycle time reduction is the predominate focus of most work sources, the simple truth is that all stakeholders in the repair process benefit from accelerated cycle time and improving hours per day performance. This program will review the market opportunity and strategies for accelerating cycle times for several segments of the repair mix. Participants will learn an overview of defined repair processes for Quick Repair, Same Day Repair, X-RAY Estimating, and X-RAY Repair Planning and how each have been used successfully to meet the performance needs of collision repairers.

DRP Strategies: A Panel discussion on successful initiatives to market performance and manage relationships

NEW ORLEANS, LA, FALL 2011—Facilitated by: Robb Power, PPG Business Solutions • We are seeing increasing evidence of collision shops gaining, or losing access to work based on hours per day & cycle-time performance. It has become imperative that these work-provider relationships be managed proactively. Keeping our heads down, hoping the work will return, or that we will magically be able to improve our performance, is no longer an option. This will be an interactive session with a panel of Collision Industry leaders answering questions and discussing real-world strategies. After registering for this seminar, participants will be contacted and given an opportunity to submit questions for our discussion in advance.

Performance Measurement

NEW ORLEANS, LA, FALL 2011—Facilitated by: Jim Berkey, PPG Business Solutions • We have all heard the clichés “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it” or “What gets measured, gets done” or “If you can’t recognize failure, you can’t correct it”. Measurement is one of those things that we all know we could be better at yet when we discuss it we say, “Sure I measure things in my business”. We all measure things within our businesses but what should we be measuring? How can measuring the right things in the right way help drive our organizations to new levels of performance? This workshop was designed to take us beyond the buzz words and explored:

1. What are the most appropriate Lean measures for my business?
2. What are Lead and Lag measures and how do I use them?
3. How do I link strategic level measures to those that would be more meaningful to my work force?
4. How can score boarding engage my team in our improvement process?
Yes, this is an age old topic but one where most of us talk a better game than we actually play. There in lies the opportunity.

The Social Media Catapult

NEW ORLEANS, SEPT. 2011—Increasing your revenue through social strategy
Facilitated by: Neil Reeve-Newson, LinxSmart Inc.; Ryan Barichello, LinxSmart Inc.; Norm Angrove, PPG Canada Inc. • As the technology revolution advances it offers new opportunities. Social media is a product of this revolution and is here to stay. As companies who use it effectively benefit greatly, more jump on the band wagon hoping for the same result. In this seminar you’ll learn how social media will benefit your business. We’ll discuss how Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn can benefit you and specific techniques to follow to maximize their return. You will also learn how to create viral content your audience will love and share, and why SEO and social media are tied together. As people continue to share this content and their experiences online, you will learn how to manage your online reputation.

Hire the Best, Forget the Rest!—How to Hire and Retain Top People Each and Every Time - With Greg Smith

PALM SPRINGS, CA, SPRING 2011—The key to business success is the ability to attract, hire and retain skilled and talented people. The cost of hiring the WRONG people is tremendously more costly than most realize. When you add the money spent on recruiting, hiring, orientation, training and employee turnover costs, it can be equal to 2.5 times the person’s annual salary. During this seminar you will learn to avoid the typical hiring mistakes made by most businesses. Learn the skills, processes and the knowledge you need to identify and hire top performers each and every time -- those that will perform in the top 20%. According to the Gallup organization, good employees generate 38 percent higher customer satisfaction scores, 22% higher productivity and 27% higher profits. This seminar shows you how to design a comprehensive strategy for not only attracting and hiring skilled employees, but for motivating and engaging them to achieve a higher level of performance. As a result, you will generate greater customer loyalty, decreased employee turnover and a higher profit margin for your business.
 

The 7 Qualities of the Leader As Coach - Secrets To Leading in the Inspiration Age - With Tom Heck

PALM SPRINGS, CA, SPRING 2011—Motivation -- It's been the number one tool of leaders throughout history. Motivation worked during the “Industrial Age” and even the “Information Age” but times have changed. Leaders that use the old carrot-and-stick motivation strategies find they are struggling today. What happened? Evolution. We have evolved into the “Inspiration Age” which requires a new leadership approach with individuals and teams. To build and lead inspired teams you must use a new form of leadership called the Leader As Coach. In the 7 Qualities of the Leader As Coach seminars you'll learn proven strategies, tactics and tools for building and leading inspired (i.e. high performing) teams. When you learn to operate as a Leader As Coach you won’t need to rely on motivational “techniques”, seducing team members with carrots that speak only to their outer lives and superficial selves. You’ll learn how to inspire superior performance by speaking to the inner lives and deeper needs of team members and anyone with whom you have a business relationship.

360^o Marketing Systems—With Norm Angrove & John Martin

PALM SPRINGS, CA, SPRING 2011—Successful marketing doesn’t just happen! In fact, in many situations past marketing successes means very little when the rules of marketing change. In this rapidly changing world of new technologies, including the exponential growth of social media, are transforming the way customer’s access information and make buying decisions. Today’s collision centers can no longer rely on traditional approaches to promote and sell their services to the four generations. To reach all customers you must re-engineer your marketing strategy to capitalize on the latest technology, tools, and systems.

360º Marketing Systems is great way to reenergize and innovative your marketing approach for a successful future. Participants will learn about current industry and social trends that will reposition the focus of your marketing plan:

• Social Media
• Generational Insight
• Community Relations
• Insurance Agent Education
• Elevating the Customer Experience
• Image Management

Inspiring Creativity, Disney Institute

ORLANDO, FL, FALL 2010—Built from a cornerstone of creativity, Disney continues to search for new ideas that will lead to even greater success. Where is creativity found? It’s all around us. Companies can tap into the diversity and depth of their workforce to unleash a constant source of new and creative solutions to everyday business challenges. At Disney, engaging and organizing the creative power of our employees gives us a competitive advantage in maximizing our potential.

Founded upon creativity, Disney continues to engage and organize the creative power of its employees with great success. In this course you will learn to benefit from the diversity and depth of your workforce to unleash a constant source of new and creative solutions to everyday business challenges. You gain the skills to analyze your own organization and create action steps to maximize the flow of creativity within your organization. This program includes a behind the scenes “backstage” tour of a Disney theme park. You won’t want to miss this rare opportunity to see how Disney creates their special brand of magic. Learn How To:

• Adapt proven Disney concepts and practices to optimizing creativity
• Employ techniques for developing a collaborative culture within your organization
• Maximize your organizational identity to make the best creative decisions
• Encourage risk taking with a strong, well-communicated organizational identity
• Improve business results through effective internal structures
• Evaluate the links between leadership and organizational creativity

Panel Discussion—The Future of Collision Repair 2.0

ORLANDO, FL, FALL 2010—Join our panel of industry experts consisting of: collision center owners, vendors and information providers for an insightful look into the future of the collision repair industry and how technology and information systems will play a critical role in shops success. Moderated by the Director of our own Business Solutions Group, Jim Berkey you will have a chance to ask these industry leaders questions about today’s industry realities, future needs and trends from their perspective.

White Collar Lean—With Scott Klososky

Most organizations are wrestling with finding the most productive and efficient means for getting the front and back office tasks done. The more this can be accomplished, the more profitable we will be. The concept of Lean Manufacturing, or Lean Operating has been around for nearly three decades, and has had a powerful impact on how companies do mechanical processes. White Collar Lean is the specific process of combining lean thinking with technology in order to improve how we do office tasks. Through the philosophy of White Collar Lean, you will learn about concepts like crowd sourcing, ad hoc electronic workflows, selling with Social Technologies, and building rivers of information. This seminar will be thought provoking and practical and Scott guarantees that you will take three to five ideas back to your operation that will either save money, or help you increase revenue without increasing sales expense! Learn how to improve areas such as:

Becoming A Creator of Business!—With Richard Flint

ORLANDO, FL, FALL 2010—There is business in any type of market! The challenge is keeping your business focused on finding the business! Join Richard for this thought-provoking program that will show you how to make next year more successful than the last. Using easy to understand steps you can implement immediately, Richard will guide you through the process of moving beyond current challenging business situations and back to experiencing success and wealth in a big way!

You will leave prepared to go back to your business a leader armed with the insights that will prepare your people with the process that can be implemented to build, strengthen and improve the quality of your company.

Introduction to Problem Solving—With David Knapp & Mike Gunnells

ORLANDO, FL, FALL 2010—The problem solving process is fundamental to the Toyota Way, and is an essential part of any continuous improvement effort. The Training With-in Industry (TWI) programs were also a key part of the development of the Toyota Production System. In this program we are melding the problem solving methodology with the TWI model of training delivery to teach problem solving and to support companies in their efforts to learn and apply this valuable ability.

A fundamental principle of the Toyota Way is that all problems must be surfaced so that people can apply kaizen (continuous improvement) thinking to develop creative and effective solutions. In this program the participants will learn the basic methods for identifying problems quickly and easily.

Participants will also learn how to effectively “frame” a problem and understand the implications of unresolved problems. Participants will learn tools and techniques for analyzing and identifying root causes, and methods for identifying and evaluating potential countermeasures to the problems. In addition the course will provide basic methods of collecting and analyzing data to understand the causes of problems and to focus on the critical issues.

Marketing in the 21st Century—With Norm Angrove and John Martin

ORLANDO, FL, FALL 2010—There has been a fundamental shift in the competitive nature of the collision center marketplace. If you desire to innovate your sales and marketing efforts then this seminar is for you. This seminar will help participants develop a marketing focused vision which will promote a supporting culture throughout their entire organization. Topics Covered:

• Traditional Versus 21st Century Marketing
• Contemporary Insurance and Consumer Marketing
• Untapped Marketing Opportunities
• Innovation at the Verge
• Consultative Selling in Marketing
• Marketing across Generations
• Marketing through Social Media
• Enhanced Customer Experience

It takes More Than Chatting!—Special Spouse Program - Richard Flint

ORLANDO, FL, FALL 2010—Drawing from his years as the Minister of Counseling at First Baptist Church in West Palm Beach, FL, Richard Flint addresses the #1 challenge most couples face in their marriage – communication! Richard believes it takes more than chatting to handle the issues that can weaken a relationship. It takes learning to communicate facts and feeling and connect the two through resolution.

In this humorous, but highly insightful 2-hour presentation, you will:
• Tour Richard’s highly acclaimed 4 Room Stress House.
• Examine the 6 groups of opposites that are attracted to each other.
• Explore the 13 factors that constantly weaken communication.
• Learn the 13 Secrets that will guarantee the strengthening of the
communication between marriage partners.

You will laugh, you will nod in agreement, you will wish your spouse was here, you will leave wanting to share this information with your spouse and your family.

Remember, for any aspect of the relationship to get stronger, there must be strong, clear communication. When there is no communication, each establishes their own agenda guided by their feelings leading the way.