University Forum to Present S.W.O.T. Analysis Of OE Dealers
It goes without saying that our industry continues to change before our very eyes. Distribution channels and methods continue to change. What worked as recently as a year ago might not be working now. The University of the Aftermarket’s annual University Forum can help you stay competitive, and keep pace with our ever-changing market. The event takes place on Sunday, Oct. 31 prior to the kickoff of AAPEX 2004. This year, University Forum will feature — Bill Hanvey, vice president of marketing for Motormite/Dorman; and Jon Owens, AAP, publisher of Counterman magazine, aftermarketNews.com and AAPEX Today at Babcox Publications. At University Forum, Owens and Hanvey will lead a presentation titled: “S.W.O.T. Analysis Of OE Dealers,” which will address this major supplier to traditional channels of the aftermarket.
Herman Trend Alert: Domestic Job Growth
With the political campaigns heating up, expect to hear more noise about jobs going to other countries. Even with all the movement, only a small percentage of jobs have gone overseas.
DST Asks: How Do you Make Strategic Business Decisions
There are almost as many sources of reference for making strategic business decisions as there are choices for planning and securing your future. Our respondents to last week’s question were in agreement that it takes collaborative efforts to design and implement a corporate roadmap, including internal management, consultants, observing and copying competitors’ strategies, industry journals and publications and technology supplier partnerships.
DST Asks: How Do You Plan to Stay Competitive?
Daniel H. Burnham, the 19th century architect and city planner who designed the first skyscraper and conceived the master plans for Chicago and other great cities was quoted as once saying, “Make no little plans, for they have no magic to stir men’s blood. Make big plans, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never die.” Trying to follow Mr. Burnham’s advice to make big plans can easily be precluded by the focus needed for just handling day-to-day activities, as described in another saying that goes something like, “When you’re up to your neck in alligators, it’s hard to remember that your original objective was to drain the swamp.”
DST Asks: Are Some Business Processes in Our Industry Flawed?
When the question is “Why do we do it that way?” and the only answer is “Because that’s how we’ve always done it,” red flags should be going up all over the place in the minds of management. Technology can greatly enhance business processes. But do you think some business processes in our industry are fundamentally flawed?
Leadership for Change — Aligning Resources and Setting Expectations
In this series on change leadership, we’ve talked so far about creating a vision, identifying key initiatives, and limiting active initiatives to a manageable number. Another critical task for leadership is to make sure that functional departments are aligned with active initiatives.
DST Asks: Is Your Company Part of a Technology Users’ Group
Scientists can’t actually agree on when mankind first discovered fire. Some think as recently as 100,000 years ago, but others claim evidence of campfires as old as 1.6 million years by carbon-dating them. In any case, whenever fire was discovered, everyone is in agreement that the first thing needed was a users’ group to share knowledge and techniques about this new, mysterious technology. Cavemen and their cavewomen traveled far and wide to assemble and discuss fire and trade new ideas and stories about its benefits. Can’t you just imagine the program agenda for that first Users’ Group? Probably workshops with titles like “Cooked Meat: A Whole New Paradigm” and “Heating Your Cave: Why a Chimney is a Good Idea” and “Stay Awake after Dark with a New Source of Light.”
DST Asks: How Do You Track Sales Force Activity?
In his movie role as a high-maintenance NFL star in “Jerry Maguire,” Cuba Gooding Jr. won an Oscar and created an enduring pop culture catch phrase with his unique delivery of that memorable line — four words that perfectly sum up the objective of a successful sale. In the final analysis, sales management is all about maximizing the ability of your sales force to “Show me the money!!”
Ninth Annual GAAS Kicked Off in Chicago
While the theme of this year’s Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) — Leaner, Faster, Better — may connote the automated efficiency of a well-run machine, the true focus of the day’s numerous presentations was on the talented pool of people who make up that machine and how to make better use of them. “The core of any great business is the people,” said GAAS founder and chairman Mort Schwartz, who welcomed approximately 400 aftermarket executives to the event.
Dan Daniel Talks about the Future of ArvinMeritor’s LVA Business
Dan Daniel, president of ArvinMeritor’s Light Vehicle Aftermarket (LVA) division, shared his predictions and plans for the future of ArvinMeritor’s LVA unit during an exclusive presentation on May 11 to Babcox editors and media representatives. ArvinMeritor is an $8 billion dollar company, with $850 million in annual sales at its Light Vehicle Aftermarket division, which Daniel leads. Two-thirds of the company’s business is in North America.