the Automotive World's All A-Twitter

While checking in on my "tweets" today, I couldn't help but notice a flurry of of activity from our friends at AAA. You know AAA. They're the people you call when your car breaks down and you need a tow from a "trusted supplier". They're the people who invented the "TripTik" - that personalized map that got my family from Ohio to Florida for so many years. (Though I still don't know why we got a new TripTik each year. It's not like the U.S. Government destroyed I-75 anytime during the 1970's. I guess it gave us peace of mind though.)

But I digress.

Today the folks at AAA posted all kinds of holiday season travel stats. In case you don't follow AAA on Twitter, here's the news:

• AAA expects 280,000 dead batteries during the Christmas/New Year's holidays. (Good for the aftermarket sales of batteries, good for tow truck operators!)
• Of the 1.3 million stranded motorists AAA will help during Christmas/New Years, AAA will fix 3 out of 5 issues on the roadside. Of the 1.3 million stranded, a half million will end up taking tow truck rides instead of sleigh rides.
• 77.7 million are expected to travel by auto during the Christmas/New Year's holidays, up 4.4% (Yep, my family of 4 will be part of that 77.7 million throng.)
• 4.2 million are expected to travel by air, an increase over last year of 2.9%.
• Holiday travelers will travel an average 791 miles roundtrip with 40% traveling 700+ miles. My family will be in the 800 miles traveled range. Ugh. Are we there yet?
• Airfare and car rental prices are up 2% this year, but (GOOD NEWS) hotel prices are expected to be down about 10% during the holidays. Hotel rates this year will be at their lowest average since 2004.
• More Americans traveling during winter holidays is another sign consumers are continuing to grow more confident.
• AAA will change 170,000 tires during the holiday period and retrieve another 170,000 sets of keys locked inside cars. Does that imply a correlation of some sort?

Fun on a Friday

Old school sidecar - who doesn't love a Vespa?
Does this remind anyone else of 1930's Germany?

See the USA in a Vay-double-vay

Sexy sidecar

Inspired by DeLorean?

On the road with a Red Bull?

Home is where the heart is

The Future of the Internet

I liberated this from today's AMN.com. I've never been one to "live in the moment" very well, and as the year draws to a close, I tend to think about the future more and more - waiting for this year to end, and anticipating the beginning of a new year with new opportunities.

This article discusses changes that are brewing in the way we connect as a society. One conclusion I drew from it is that it is expected we will have significantly more sophisticated connectivity in the future, but this will not necessarily lead us to be more connected to each other. In other words, we'll have all kinds of ways to reach out and touch someone electronically, but this may not automatically lead to an actual physical connection that could encourage brand loyalty, friendship, integrity or any other aspects usually attributed to a solid friendship or business relationship. I would conclude that these changes in technology may make it more difficult than ever before to get the right message to the right market. Interesting times ahead!

Herman Trend Alert: The Future of the Internet


December 10, 2009, By Herman Trend Alert



Expect the changing Internet to have new and unexpected effects on many aspects of our lives, as its user interface evolves itself into more elaborate systems.


Our phones will continue their evolution being our primary devices for online access. Improvements in voice-recognition will be significant -- especially for those whose hands are less able to operate keyboards. Artificial and "augmented" reality will become more embedded in everyday life, and the very architecture of the Internet itself will improve. These findings reflected the beliefs of select Internet leaders, activists and analysts as reported by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. The Pew Project asked respondents to assess predictions about technology and its roles in the year 2020. The panel of experts disagreed about whether this advancement will lead to more social tolerance, more forgiving human relations, or better home lives. In previous Herman Trend Alerts we have discussed the important role of mobile devices. These experts believe by the year 2020, mobile devices will be the primary connection tool to the Internet for most people in the world. For the last few years we have been reporting the rise of the mobile platform. In many countries where the infrastructure for landlines is less well developed, cell phones are the major medium for communication. The widespread established base of cell phone users will support this trend.


President Obama has long touted the importance of transparency. Technology will support the possibility of that transparency. The Pew Project forecasts that "transparency of people and organizations will increase." Unfortunately, that transparency "will not necessarily yield more personal integrity, social tolerance or forgiveness. Other key findings include that by 2020, "Voice recognition and touch user-interfaces with the Internet will be more prevalent and accepted" and globally, intellectual property law and copyright protection will continue to be a challenge to enforce, while others continue to find ways to copy and share content -- without payment. Divisions between personal time and work time and between physical and virtual reality will further evaporate with mixed effects in their impacts on basic social relations. Expect the changing Internet to have new and unexpected effects on many aspects of our lives, as its user interface evolves itself into more elaborate systems.

About the Author
Herman Trend AlertHerman Trend Alerts are written by Joyce Gioia, a strategic business futurist, Certified Management Consultant, author, and professional speaker. Archived editions are posted at http://www.hermangroup.com/archive.html

Print is not Dead - The Star Says So!

Cute Video from the Star (UK) on why Print isn’t Dead

The UK’s Best Handheld:
http://blog.junta42.com/content_marketing_blog/2009/12/why-print-isnt-going-anywhere-for-a-long-long-time.html

Thanksgiving Travel - What are Your Plans?

THANKSGIVING WEEKEND AUTO TRAVEL TO INCREASE 2.3 PERCENT

AAA expects 38.4 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more away from home over the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday weekend. That’s a 1.4-percent increase over last year when 37.8 million traveled. The number of travelers by automobile is expected
to increase 2.1 percent to 33.2 million. That’s 86 percent of all holiday travelers. Last year, Thanksgiving travel dropped a precipitous 25.2 percent in the wake of the housing and financial crisis.

I find it amazing that Thanksgiving travel will still be so low this year. The price of gas has leveled off in the $2.60 - $2.70 range here in NE Ohio and no one (meaning the local media) seems to take much notice of it. There are fewer flights scheduled and they are definitely more expensive this year than last. But the difference in the number of people traveling this year versus two years ago is still 12 million people!

Tomorrow's Technician School of the Year Update

I just finished writing more than 100 individual e-mails to various students, automotive instructors, administrators and automotive industry members who have taken the time to nominate a school for the Tomorrow's Technician School of the Year. It took most of the afternoon. You might be thinking "that's a lot of time to spend communicating with students and instructors", and it is, believe me. But think about it - almost 200 individuals took the time to nominate their school, and we still have about 5 weeks to go before the contest closes and the judging begins. A few hours of my time isn't so much.

I've done this before, and I'll do it again. I'm going to let the entrants tell you how important it is to recognize this portion of the automotive market. No matter what segment you represent, it's probably fair to assume that you haven't spent much of your career thinking about the next generation of automotive technicians.

Tony Southern, Instructor at Alleghany HS, NC says, "One of the smallest schools in NC with an automotive program. NATEF-certified program. Students compete in NC Auto Dealers competition. Very valuable program in small community under stressful economy conditions that allows students to graduate with ability to provide for their families."

Clunkers become junkers

Clunkers become junkers

Another Acquisition by Danaher

Another Acquisition by Danaher

How to Make the Most out of a Lifetime Warranty

Or, How to Get 7 Mufflers, 3 Sets of Shocks and 16 Batteries For Free

Andrew Markel, Editor of Brake & Front End Magazine originally blogged about this in August, but a friend just e-mailed this video to me today, so I had to share it for a Friday Fun-time.

Shops often sell "Lifetime Warranties" knowing the chances of the customer actually taking advantage of it are slim to none. Well, meet "slim to none", her name is Rachel. How did she do it? She took excellent care of her Caliente car for 45 years and kept the receipts. I love the fact that JCPenney's has guaranteeed her battery, but Firestone installs it for her.

Thanks to iATN for the find.

http://growingbolder.com/media/technology/vehicles/romancing-the-road-259598.html

AASA launches "Know Your Parts" Campaign

Press release from The Automovie Aftermarket Suppliers Association, dated 10/13/09:
The Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA) recently launched an aftermarket industry education campaign: "Know your Parts". The initiative's goal is to educate all partners in the aftermarket supply chain from supplier to consumer about the importance of using quality, brand name products - and the hazards to the industry and to public safety posed by low cost, low quality parts.

Professional automotive technicians have already played a vital role in galvanizing this education campaign, and will continue to be integral to getting the message to consumers, according to Steve Handschuh, President and COO of AASA. "Technicians are the "front line" in the "Know Your Parts" campaign. We are reaching out to technicians as the main point of contact with consumers - we want to help them communicate effectively with their customers the importance of quality, brand name parts."

The ambitious "Know Your Parts" campaign was initiated by the AASA Marketing Executives Council (MEC). Since its formation in 2006, AASA MEC members have studied a growing trend among various aftermarket channel partners offering lower-cost, often lower-quality parts in an attempt to offer more competitive pricing and improve profit margins.

"The AASA Marketing Executives Council was organized three years ago to address common concerns as marketing professionals working for aftermarket suppliers," explained Jack Cameron, AASA Vice President and Staff Executive for the MEC. "Very early on, we identified a major concern: the proliferation of low-cost, poor quality parts in every level in the aftermarket distribution channel," he said.

Technicians were an important cource of information in the AASA MEC's research into the issue. The Council held focus groups with more than 60 professional technicians and owners of independent repair shops. The focus groups represented a cross-section of automotive service - from Los Angeles on the west coast to the heart of the midwest in Chicago to the growing southeast in Raleigh, NC.

The results of these focus groups, outlined in the AASA MEC Special Report, "Independent Repair Industry: Focus Group Findings on Buying Influences of Repair Professionals," were enlightening. The focus groups revealed that technicians depend on their supplier partners to provide the services they need such as cataloging, sales representation, warranty, and more - BUT they are largely unaware that the full service aftermarket supplier is the channel partner providing these services.

"Technicians do not buy directly from manufacturers, so it is understandable that they do not view the essential services offered by manufacturers to distributors as a motivation for loyalty toward a specific brand," Cameron noted. "But one point made clear from all the focus groups is that product quality is the Number One priority of technicians. Most repair professionals put quality above price and refuse to put their reputation at risk by installing inferior quality parts."

"Our entire association was mobilized by the coment heard from professional technicians across the country: 'when it comes to quality, it comes down to who will stand behind their parts," Handschuh emphasized.

Unlike generic versions of consumer products, auto parts are not required to list ingredients and may or may not meet original specifications - so technicians may be unaware of the risks involved with some low cost products.

"There is the potential for these low quality, low cost products to break during installation, becoming projectiles and endangering the technician working on the vehicle and everyone in the shop." Handschuh said. "These parts also pose safety risks to the consumers driving the vehicles on which they are installed and to everyone traveling the highways and roads of our country."

And low quality parts also pose a serious risk to the entire aftermarket's reputation.

"As customers ourselves, we all know that one bad experience can turn us against a particular business," said Cameron. "Independent repair shops stand to gain business now with the closing of car dealerships and their service departmetns across the country," he explained. "But all it will take is a bad experience at an independent repair shop due to a faulty part to shake a consumer's confidence in independent shops as a reliable place for automotive service - and drive them back to the OE dealer for service."

The entire aftermarket supply chain will be the conduit for spreading the "Know Your Parts" campaign. The chain begins with "Full Service Supplier", the manufacturers which provide the essential services including product specifications, quality control, product liability, research and development, and more.....

This complete article can be found at www.aftermarketsuppliers.org or you can e-mail media@mema.org. They will also make the full reports available to you . I've read both reports by MEC, and I can tell you there is a lot of good information in them.

"As you go through life, make this your goal, watch the donut, not the hole" - Burl Ives I was recently reminded of this phrase by an article I read about sales and the importance of the personal sales touch, and it brought a smile to my face for a couple of reasons. One - my mom had eclectic musical tastes as I was growing up, so I was quite familiar with the rest of the song and the melody quickly returned and I started to hum it before I began to write. And two - to some degree, it personified the way my father lived his life. He was a "traveling salesman" in the 60's and 70's. He didn't sell stuff that sold itself (like automotive parts and tools). He sold things like DAP caulk and encyclopedias and GOOP waterless hand cleaner. I think on it today and wonder how the heck could someone support a family selling this type of stuff? Yet he did, and he did it for a lot of years. And he was always saying things like, "watch the donut, not the hole" to cheer one of us and keep us going. Another favorite of his was the Ant song (no relation to Dave Matthew's "Ants Marching".) You know, it goes "just what makes that little old ant think he'll move a rubber tree plant? Everyone knows an ant can't move a rubber tree plant, but he's got high hopes, he's got high hopes, he's got high apple pie, in the sky hopes." I think those phrases helped him through down times too.

I'm not suggesting that simple songs from the 50' and 60's are going to turn anyone's day around and inspire you to get back to basics, but consider your efforts lately. How many of us are calling clients and getting voicemail, or depending on e-mails to get the sale made then wondering why business falls flat? We have lots of excuses: we're busy, the client's busy, no one has time for a meeting, the expense of a personal sales call in a down year, no one returns phone calls or e-mails. These are all antiseptic practices and can be very impersonal.... As a result of these types of "sales activities" it's not hard to imagine that we're looking at a lot of holes is it?

Nothing beats face-to-face selling. Nothing. Not tweets, not e-mails, not text-messages, nor voicemail or video conferences. A meeting with the decision maker and a personal handshake go a long way.

Now is the time to get back to basics, call your customer, meet with your customer and remember why we're in a "relationship-selling" business and why it can work. I think mostly it's because this business is filled with a lot of nice people who like to do business with a bunch of other nice people. And by the way, we happen to have something that fulfills a need, or makes life easier, or improves productivity. We just need to find the time to tell the story. So remember,

As you go through life make this your goal, watch the donut, not the hole. - Burl Ives

AAIA Tools & Equipment Meeting

It was good to see the AAIA Tool & Equipment Committee members this past week. We met in Boston and had some lively discussion at our Thursday meeting.
The night before our business meeting, we had our networking dinner in Boston's North End. We enjoyed delicious Italian fare at L'Osteria, a delightful Italian restaurant that Stu Amols recommended.

Ida's was just down the road from L'Osteria. Typical North End restaurant.

Bill Robinson, Danaher; and Bob Hall, Schumacher Electric; appear to be enjoying their pre-dinner beverages.

Chicken L'Osteria - Chicken breasts cooked with mushrooms, spinach, mozzarella and prosciutto, served with a light lemon sauce.

A great time was had by all! Thanks for the suggestion Stu!

Cash for Clunkers Roundup

This just in: It's been reported that approximately 660,000 old vehicles were traded in for new vehicles inthe CARS program. According to the U.S. Transportation Department, these vehicles were the top movers during the Cash For Clunkers Hoe-Down:

TOP 10 vehicles sold in "clunkers" program

1. Toyota Corolla

2. Honda Civic

3. Toyota Camry

4. Ford Focus FWD

5. Hyundai Elantra

6. Nissan Versa

7. Toyota Prius

8. Honda Accord

9. Honda Fit

10. Ford Escape FWD

(Notice there are no vehicles represented by the new GM government-managed car manufacturer?)

Top 10 "Clunkers" trade-ins

1. Ford Explorer 4WD

2. Ford F150 pickup 2WD

3. Jeep Grand Cherokee 4WD

4. Ford Explorer 2WD

5. Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan 2WD

6. Jeep Cherokee 4WD

7. Chevrolet Blazer 4WD

8. Chevrolet C1500 pickup 2WD

9. Ford F150 pickup 4WD

10. Ford Windstar FWD van

(Notice there are no foreign nameplates being clunked.)

What next? How about Cash for Cons? or maybe, Assets for Appliances (get those old Maytags off your kitchen floor and into a city dump), or Funds for Furs (the fur industry has really taken a hit lately)

Source: U.S. Transportation Department

Last photos from Kenosha....

Inside the Innovation Works building, a couple of visitors take a look around. Andy Ginger, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, explains Snap-on's renewed commitment to problem solving through innovative solutions.

Another one of their new toolbox graphics.

The rear of the futuristic Carbon Motors police vehicle, scheduled to hit the roads in 2012.

Rear seat is one-piece, molded to allow for handcuffed arms.

The Snap-on Chevy. Again, just look for the cool Snap-on details.

More No Compromise Tour Photos

The Snap-on 57 Chevy. Over 1,000 hours in customization time. The lug nuts are actually Snap-on sockets. Note the trim - Snap-on wrenches.

A 1958 Rambler

I didn't realize I had taken so many photos the other day in Kenosha, but my file of photos is saying - yes... you did.

Here's a nice shot of a Ranchero, age and manufacturer unknown. (I know I'll hear from a car buff or two on that one.) a Ford!

Unconventional toolbox design, unconventional welding helmets. Target market: Younger techs

Traditional tool storage, definitely designed for the mature professional technician, or perhaps for a start-up shop or dealership.

This is not a Beetle, though it resembles one. It is a Citroen, notably the "Deux Cheveaux", for 2 hp. It was built before WWII and was designed to be able to go long distances on little fuel, be comfortable, and allow two farmers to carry a crate of eggs to market without breaking any, all the time traveling over rough roads or ploughed fields. Because it was so revolutionary, the French buried the prototype during WWII to keep it from the Nazis. The original was made from aluminum, but after WWII a new material was chosen for the body.

Snap-on uses it in their Innovation Center as a prime example of a solution to a problem that was faced by many people in Europe during the late 20's, early 30's. Roads were horrible, gas was expensive and so were cars. This had many solutions to keeping costs low - a 2-cylinder engine, a direct-drive shift stick, seats that came out for easy cleaning. And they only quit production on this in the 1980's.... The Citroen inspires the Snap-on Innovation team to think creatively about solutions to problems that techs face. This Citroen was technologically advanced and innovative, yet extremely utilitarian and deceptively simple in the bodywork. If you look closely at the car below, you'll see little red signs all over it. These point out specific solutions the Citroen provided to specific problems the car driver faced.

Another Ford, this time for the Air Ford-ce...

Lots of older vehicles brought out the Snap-on retirees. (seme, literally.)

The associates were treated to games of chance, where they could win Snap-on branded merchandise.

Or they could buy it, like the rest of us folks.

Inside a Rambler

Outside a Rambler