Woodriff Smash Repairs is just in the final stages of rebranding, getting all the old apparel and logos out of the business and presenting the Woodriff Preferred Auto brand. How this all came about was through an exercise with their business coach Terry. With Terry being the consultant, he was there to support, and he had a more elevated view of the business than what Joe had. They extracted themselves from the business for a couple of days and went to a real quiet space with no operational interruptions. They got rid of all the noise and just explored and asked the question; “What is it that we do? What is Woodriff Smash? We are doing mechanical, we are doing collision and we are detailing cars, we are not just Smash Repairs, we are much more than that.”
The company needed to be perceived as more than that, so they did a value proposition for what they would like to be, and they just called it Woodriff. The exercise involved setting out columns with different things associated to them such as, who were their customers, where were their revenue streams coming from and what services did they provide and how long were they going to be around for? It was all listed on paper, and they created some mind maps on all the different things, long story short, Woodriff Preferred Auto was born.
The four pillars they wanted to be based around are Collision, Mechanical, Detailing and Aftercare – a one-stop vehicle repair and service centre. Woodriff have a great customer base from all the hard work that his father Laurie and mum put in 30 years ago. They have a trusted name, and it was about presenting the brand and diversifying, having more streams, and having their customers understanding Woodriff Preferred and that being the first thing that popped in their head when a service comes around.The
Gavin likes what they have done, Woodriff Preferred Auto, because that instantly has a connection for the team. From a psychological perspective, Woodriff Preferred Auto, when shared with your leadership team and then the leadership team is sharing to their team, then they are all thinking as Preferred Auto, and starting to engage from that perspective. A vehicle has arrived onsite, has it been upsold yet? Has it been upsold through our Preferred Auto brand, as opposed to our Smash Repair scenario where we just repair the car and move it on? This is where you could be missing out on even more profitable dollars by the diversification opportunities.
That scenario was exactly what was happening and that was what the value proposition was all about. Creating that to share with the leadership team and then with the whole squad so they are all moving toward the same common goal – Woodriff Preferred Auto. Now if they see a car come in with a bald tyre, that’s Woodriff Preferred Auto, not just Smash Repairs. “Mrs. Jones, we noticed your tyres are bald, we have done up a quote for you if you are interested? We can do it while your car is onsite now or when you come back in for your service?”
It is about putting yourself out there and working on how to expand on your brand. Do you want to stay channeled down that one path? That is a decision that you must make, and Joe and his team decided to move from Woodriff Smash Repairs to Woodriff Preferred Auto and that will bring its rewards over time. The facility is geared up for it and they have everything in play. They are going through some huge changes in their paint shop environment, new spray booths going in, sideloading facilities, all geared around efficiencies, and those efficiencies will drive output, and the output will drive sales and turnover and that, ultimately will lead to higher profits.
Woodriff Preferred Auto is situated on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast which is renowned for hailstorms and coming off the back of summer the demand is there, so it was the right decision. They needed to scale up and it is paying off.
The numbers will tell the truth
Gavin asked Joe what the future looked like for Woodriff Preferred Autos? “Good Question!” They are gearing up for the future. They have third generation Woodriff’s starting to pop around so they are setting up for sustainability and not going anywhere. They love what they do, they love the culture that they are building and that they are a part of, so they want to go next level. They want to get things absolutely dialed on this side and see where that takes them. The Numbers will tell them the right route to go down – the numbers will tell the truth.
Two big words they have used a lot over the past twelve months are dynamic and flexible. That was a bit of an ethos for the design and all that they have done. They called it open heart surgery to dissect the site, so it is flexible and dynamic with everything they do.
Outside of the business, Joe, being a coast boy enjoys surfing, skating, running and fitness. This year he set himself some goals to spend more time on himself. It has been quite busy but that must be a priority now.
That morning Gavin introduced Joe to some Wim Hof breathing techniques down on the beach at Sunrise. They did a bit of meditation and then went for a swim, a great way to start the day which Joe feels will probably be standard now, 5 days a week. You need to be mindful of looking after yourself, or how can you look after anyone else? It is not all business; it is making sure you get out and do things for yourself.