You just hired the perfect person: great work ethic, positive and upbeat, they show up early, leave late, take ten minutes of a fifteen-minute break, and do more than expected and more than you ask for. Now let's take that person and put them into an environment where people are negative, aren't held accountable, take three days off for a hang-nail, show up at 8:05 then spend 45 minutes "getting ready" for their day, start preparing to leave at 3:30 and leave at 5:00 like there's a fire drill. What happens to that perfect hire? One of two things: they either become just like everyone else after about a month, or they leave. See more here. Source: John Chapin

The independent vehicle aftermarket is clearly one of the great success stories in the United States economy. Despite the increasing sophistication of vehicle systems and attempts by vehicle manufacturers to capture marketshare, independents continue to grow and prosper through innovation and just plain good customer service. However, the ability of independents to compete is based on full access to the vehicle and the tools, information and software needed to provide repairs. See more details here regarding CAWA's support of our national partners, the Auto Care Association and the Coalition for Auto Repair Equality, in search for solutions to the independent aftermarket's access to secured vehicle data. Source: Aaron Lowe, Auto Care Association

Selling an intangible idea can be tough. When you are trying to sell your competitive advantage, it can be challenging to verbalize the concept in a powerful way that resonates with your prospect. Intangibles leave a lot to the imagination, and that doesn't necessarily work in your favor. If you're running into trouble, you may be relying too much on your prospect's ability to absorb information via their sense of hearing. Your differentiated advantage is on the line, so it's best to deliver that message via more than one sense. Coupling sight with sound can be a game changer that helps prospects better understand exactly what you have to offer. I have discovered that translating the intangible idea into a graphical process delivers strong results. See more explanation here. Source: Ron Karr

See here for the roster of the Board of Directors and the roster of the Manufacturers Advisory Council. CAWA thanks these individuals for their time, effort and resources to strengthen and promote the automotive aftermarket industry, as well as, the Association itself. Should you be interested in serving your industry and the membership of CAWA, contact [email protected].

Recall, if you employ 5 or more employees all must have completed mandatory Sexual Harassment Prevention Training and Education in 2019 (not just your managers/supervisors). Not only does this training now have to be completed by your staff every two years, but it also applies to temporary or seasonal employees. All CAWA members have access to this valuable training module (required via a new California law in 2019, SB1343) at no cost. 

The Training360 Learning Management System delivers high quality courses to satisfy training a variety of requirements for employees of all levels, with easy-to- understand videos and tools for management tracking.  

Beyond the sexual harassment training module, other course topics include: 

• OSHA Compliance and Safety Training 
• Workplace violence and stress prevention 
• And more! 

Remember, this training is available at no cost to CAWA members (whereas some training companies are charging as much as $25 per employee)! Contact Mat Nabity at CoreMark, [email protected] or 866.340.2247. Another member benefit.