News Articles
Two RLO clients featured in Top 50 Service Dealer list
Article by Bob O'Connor featured in February 2006 MOTOR Magazine
Bob O'Connor and Dave Scheer co-presented seminar at the first-ever Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week
R. L. O'Connor & Associates, Inc. clients received top web sites award
RLO to bring Service Advisor training to NAPA AutoCare Center
Mitchell 1 partners with R. L. O'Connor & Associates, Inc.
Four RLO instructors presented multiple seminars at the 2005 NAPA Expo
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Management Expert Bob O’Connor Returns to AAPEX
Seminars to Help Increase Profits, Improve Partnerships
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September 12, 2006
FEDERAL WAY, Wash., September 12, 2006 - Management expert Bob O’Connor, RLO Management Solutions™, returns to the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX), Oct. 31 – Nov. 2, at the Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas, with seminars on how to increase profits and better partner with customers.
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O’Connor’s seminars are renowned by and geared toward key segments of the automotive service industry, including suppliers, remanufactures, shop owners and managers, and service advisors.
There is no cost to attend the seminars, however, registration is required and can be done on the AAPEX Web site, www.AAPEXShow.com. O’Connor will teach the following:
• Understand How to Better Partner with Your Customers (Oct. 31, 1 p.m. – 2:30
p.m., Room 303),
• Enjoy Increased Profits with Sales of Major Components (Nov. 1, 1 p.m. – 2:30
p.m., Room 303),
• Achieve Additional Profits Through the Synchronization of Marketing & Sales
Efforts! (Nov. 2, 1 p.m. - 4 p.m., Room 303).
AAPEX is the annual business-to-business trade show representing the global automotive aftermarket and features more than 2,000 exhibitors.
View RLO Calendar for more information
www.aapexshow.com
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Two RLO clients featured in Top 50 Service Dealers list
March 06, 2006
FEDERAL WAY, Wash., March 06, 2006 – Every year, Aftermarket Business magazine publishes a list of the Top 50 Auto Chains and the Top 50 Service Dealers, collectively known as the Annual Top 100 Report.
The 2006 lists, published in the magazine's January edition, included two automotive service shops who are clients of R. L. O'Connor & Associates, Inc. – Greulich’s Automotive and The Auto Shop, Inc.
This is the fourth year that the magazine has published its list. The magazine researched automotive service dealers across the United States |
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and narrowed the list down by selecting those that are operating successfully
and have proven themselves to be industry leaders in their respective areas.
Greulich's is owned by Chris Greulich, and has ten locations throughout Arizona. Seven of the locations are automotive repair shops while the other three are auto body and collision shops.
Dan Dumbauld owns The Auto Shop, Inc., located in Phoenix, Ariz. Dumbauld has plans to expand his company by opening a new location in Portland, Ore. in late 2006 or early 2007.
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Article by Bob O'Connor featured in February 2006 MOTOR Magazine
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March 03, 2006
FEDERAL WAY, Wash., March 3, 2006 - Motor Magazine published an article by Bob O’Connor, president of R. L. O’Connor & Associates, Inc., in its February 2006 issue.
The article, titled "What is Your New Business Model?" was featured in the Business Sense section of the magazine.
"The challenges that today's shop owners must deal with in building a new business model – revamping |
their business – include becoming more open-minded about additional income streams, acquiring and utilizing professional sales strategies and staying abreast of their competitors by finding and employing every competitive advantage they can," wrote O'Connor.
O'Connor outlined in the article the expectations of today's customer and ways to meet their needs.
O'Connor is well-known in the automotive service industry for his high-energy presentations. He has over 30 years experience in the industry. His company,
R. L. O'Connor & Associates, Inc., is a leading provider of management and sales training and consulting in North America.
Click here to read O’Connor’s full article, "What Is Your New Business Model?"
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Bob O'Connor and Dave Scheer co-presented
seminar at the first-ever Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week
January 31, 2006
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FEDERAL WAY, Wash., January 31, 2006 – Robert "Bob" O'Connor, president of R. L. O'Connor & Associates, Inc., presented a seminar at the inaugural Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW) jointly with Dave Scheer, president of Inland Truck Parts Co.
The seminar was titled "Shop Management and Adding Service to Your Operation" and contained methods and benefits to adding service operations to parts distribution companies.
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Scheer shared his personal experiences in adding service operations to 13 out of 26 of his company locations and the significant benefits it has created with additional sales and increased gross profit. O'Connor's portion for the seminar, which he entitled "4 Cornerstones to Service Operations Success" discussed the nuts and bolts of timekeeping, sales and technical staffing and labor inventory management.
In addition to the training opportunities offered during HDAW, the event also provided attendees with the unique opportunity to network with other industry professionals. There were over 1,200 one-on-one business meetings between suppliers and distributors held throughout the week. HDAW was held January 23-27 in Las Vegas, Nev.
The tradeshow that was part of HDAW featured over 230 exhibitors. Attendees were able to view and learn about the latest trends and technologies in the heavy duty aftermarket. For example, Mitchell unveiled their newest repair information software, "Truck and Trailer." Reviewers of the new software were impressed and excited about its features and capabilities.
"This event exceeded my expectations," said O'Connor. "It was well worth the time and a great platform for distributors and suppliers to come together in a joint effort of understanding each other and working together."
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R. L. O'Connor & Associates, Inc. clients receives
top web sites award
Success of web sites depends on 'redirective marketing' strategy
January 27, 2006
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FEDERAL WAY, Wash., January 26, 2006 – Since the popularity and growth of the World Wide Web over the last ten years, there have been billions of web sites created which cover such a vast range of subjects that it can boggle the mind. |
A recent search done on a popular search engine for the keywords "automotive repair" brought up nearly two million hits alone. Considering these facts, there are probably a wide range of web site designs on the Web that range from very professional and sophisticated to just the plain bizarre.
Despite these staggering numbers, AutoInc. Magazine, a publication of the Automotive Service Association (ASA), has been publishing an annual 'AutoInc. Top 10 Web Sites' list since 1998. The magazine combs through a plethora of web sites made by ASA members and narrows the top web sites down to just ten of the best for the year.
The criteria by which AutoInc. judges web sites include design, navigation, content and innovation.
For the second year in a row, clients whose web sites were designed by the creative services team at R. L. O'Connor & Associates, Inc. (RLO) have made it to this list. The 2006 Top 10 Web Sites list, published in the January 2006 edition of AutoInc., included the following RLO clients:
• Jerry Griebling, Jerry's Auto Repair in Pullman, Wash.
• Mike Suddeth, Suddeth Automotive Service, Columbia, S.C.
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RLO to bring Service Advisor training to NAPA
AutoCare Centers
Over 50 workshop dates scheduled in 2006 throughout
United States
January 26, 2006
FEDERAL WAY, Wash., January 26, 2006 – Mike Phillips, Vice President of Organization Development at NAPA, announced in December a training partnership with R. L. O'Connor & Associates, Inc. (RLO) in which RLO will provide NAPA's wholesale customers with two-day Service Advisor training in 2006.
Beginning in February 2006, RLO has scheduled nearly 60 dates throughout the calendar year in which their two-day Service Advisor Skills workshop will be delivered throughout the United States. These workshops are available to NAPA AutoCare Centers and other NAPA customers.
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Mitchell 1 partners with R. L. O'Connor & Associates, Inc.
January 03, 2006
POWAY, Calif., January 03, 2006 – Mitchell 1, the leader in providing innovative repair, estimating and management software solutions to the automotive aftermarket, has partnered with industry expert Robert "Bob" |
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O'Connor, President of RLO Management Solutions™ a division of R. L. O'Connor & Associates, Inc., an automotive operations and management training and consulting firm. The partnership is the next logical step for Mitchell 1 following the recent launch of its new business services product offerings under the "M1 Business Solutions" banner.
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"We are thrilled to partner with one of the industry's cutting-edge consultants," said Brian Warfield, senior product manager for Mitchell 1. "Bob's knowledge of the ever-changing, highly competitive automotive service market is directly aligned with the goals for our new M1 Business Solutions products."
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Four RLO instructors presented multiple seminars
at the 2005 NAPA EXPO
January 01, 2006
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FEDERAL WAY, Wash., January 01, 2006
– At the invitation of John Hanighen, Vice President of NAPA, R. L. O'Connor & Associates, Inc. sent four instructors to present seminars at the 2005 NAPA Expo that was held in Las Vegas, Nev., December 5-8.
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"We were excited to have been invited by NAPA to present these seminars," said Robert "Bob" O'Connor, RLO President. "These seminars are brand-new, packed full of proven methods that we couldn't wait to share with those who attended them. The Expo was, in my estimation, very well-attended and a first-class event."
RLO was scheduled to present four seminars, which were repeated several times over the course of two days. The company sent four instructors to accommodate the seminar schedule that had some of the workshops scheduled concurrently.
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