Body Shop Owner Provides Business Tips
May 28, 2009

Body shop owner Bruce Hutchins of Bruce's Super Body Shops in Richmond, Va., recently provided several business tips to a group of auto glass shop owners. Among these, he reminded shops, "You have to run your business similarly to how other businesses are run."

Hutchins has made a name for himself by advertising consumer choice rampantly on television commercials in his area.

"We live in fear of insurance companies," he said, "and we shouldn't."

He also talked about businesses that depend on insurance networks and advised this isn't necessarily the way to go.

"Shouldn't we actually think more about our marketing strategy?" he asked.

Hutchins also prides himself on the customer service his business provides. His technicians dress in white uniforms and are trained in handling customers, he said. He also is very adamant that he should be paid for his work in full.

"When I deal with insurance companies, my techniques are completely different than my competitors'," he said. "If I'm going to do that operation, they're going to have to pay me for that operation."

Though Hutchins has been off the networks for several years, he recently went back on State Farm's network as an experiment-and said that his business from the company has actually decreased by 25 percent over the last two months.

"I'm doing things other businesses do," he said. "I shouldn't have some third-party destroying the relationships I've spent 30 years building."

Hutchins spoke at the recent Independents' Days Conference in Fort Myers, Fla.

Need more info and analysis about the issues?
CLICK HERE to subscribe to AGRR magazine.