“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” What a powerful quote by Superman actor Christopher Reeve. I have been reading a book, Business Made Simple, by Donald Miller. In the book, he explains how most stories you read always have four main characters: a villain, a guide, a hero, and a victim, much like in real life. He delves into this when he talks about how individuals usually have a hero or a victim mentality. As usual, this got me thinking about how this applies to our industry. Are you a victim, or are you a hero?
A victim does not feel in control of the narrative. Instead, they think the industry is against them in several ways. New technologies are changing rapidly, and just when they feel they know something...it changes again. The economy is strained, and it trickles down to their business. They wonder why they should even bother fixing something since they assume they won't get paid for it. They can’t find a technician qualified enough. All these pressures can be excuses to a victim. They want things to stop progressing and go back to how things used to be.
Now take the heroes in our industry. These are the individuals that see advances in technology as a thrilling challenge. They are eager to do what it takes to learn how to fix the new vehicles of today. They find ways to make money and adapt to the economy’s ebb and flow through the years. They are happy to have new technicians that they can help grow and mold into qualified workers. They allow older technicians to learn new technologies and grow in their skills. They support community programs and colleges that will instruct the next generation of our industry.
I have been in this industry a long time and realized long ago that our main objective should be a complete, safe, quality, and certified repair for the benefit of our customers. I know there are many forces in our industry that can cause you to fight unnecessary battles, but you have to choose to overcome and be the hero rather than the victim. You do not want to be the victim who gives up and just accepts things as is. How do we keep a hero mindset? It begins with educating each consumer on why it is necessary to perform the repair the way the vehicle manufacturer states. It includes encouraging the technician who says they don’t need training because they already know how to perform the procedures. Don’t accept “no” or “I can’t” as an answer. Don’t give excuses. Provide the solutions on how you are going to make it happen. Look up the proper procedures. Document, document, and then document some more. The technical complexities in our industry are great, and we need to make sure we know what we are doing. We have to make sure that everything we do is right, because someone’s life depends on it.
This goes for the entire industry; there is no gray area in collision repair. If something is right, then it is right; but if something is wrong, then folks, it is wrong. Period. We have to stop playing the victim and allowing shoddy repairs to permeate the industry. This should not stand any longer. It is no one’s fault but our own if we are not providing a complete, safe, quality, and certified repair. Be the hero in our industry.
