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Compare & Save!

David Turney - Wednesday, October 28, 2009

In our line of business, there's a lot of rational processes in making decisions.  There are high costs and squeezing margins, so you need to be crystal-clear about what to invest in that'll add value to the experience and satisfaction of your customers via the service that you give them.

To do that you want choices, features and benefits.  You also want to get all of the most valuable aspects in as few choices as possible, otherwise you end up spending more time thinking about what to do than actually doing it.

Although using guard and fender covers enhance your business image, also providing promotional value and additional revenue through merchandising, when used in your workshop they're an offset cost.  This means that they cost you up front but over time they will save you (potentially, significantly by reducing damage liabilities).

Once you've made the right decision to use them, you need to compare.

Apart from the style, colour and branding options we offer, our guard and fender covers incorporate all of the required features that are sometimes offered as options by our competitors.  That way your choices are down to the exciting stuff like choosing colours and print graphics.

So ask yourself of guard covers, are they made of tough, durable vinyl?  Do they have a soft, fleece backing to protect the paintwork?  Do they use sand-filled channels to hold them in place instead of magnets that attract metal fragments?  Do they have a tool channel on the top of the cover?  Do they have a generous overhang to cover as much of the fender on just about any car?  Do they have a wheel-arch cutout so the front wheels can still turn and not rub on the cover?  Are there cutouts at either end so they can butt up close to the firewall while clearing bonnet hinges, etc?  Are they available in a variety of colours?  Can they be custom-branded with your business name, logo or visual identity? Are they available in several styles, including single, 3-piece and 4-piece wrap around sets?

Compare our guard covers and sets to Brand X and if you can't answer yes to all of these questions, then contact us about the save part.

 

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Hot products, but not that hot!

David Turney - Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Been quiet in the blogoshpere last month for Smart Automotive; we're busy working on some great new products & promotions that we'll announce soon.

Bit of excitement at the Smart Automotive offices today though, which I thought I'd share with you.  We think our products are pretty hot and are the best thing for covering & protecting your customers' cars, but even we have to concede that there wasn't much we could do for this poor guy.  Take a look at the picture....



Right out the window, in a carpark right at the base of our offices, a Ford Cougar decided to spontaneously combust.  It went from a small lick to this in about 2 minutes (as you'd expect) with a thick column of black smoke billowing skyward and all the smells of burning car plastics going with it.

Even more spectacular were the fireworks of exploding electrics and the loud pops of sealed parts, glass popping and pipes exploding with the heat (some loud enough to shake the windows).  This shot was taken right before the fire truck arrived on the scene and about 5 minutes into the Cougars demise, when the heat had turned the previously rolled up windows into rivers of glass.  One fire fighter, getting in close with the hose, got a faceshield full of white firecracker when something under the dash exploded with a loud bang.  Undeterred, they got the fire out real quick and what was once clearly someone's pride and joy (as any surviving Ford Cougar in Australia probably would be) was burned to a well-done crisp.

Later reports in the day revealed that the owner had pulled up right in that spot and become instantly aware of electrics burning.  When they saw a lick of flame come up from under the bonnet, they and passenger swiftly egressed (hence the doors still swung open) and could only stand by and watch helplessly as their Cougar went up in flames.

So sure, it was exciting to watch at the time, but when I went down there later and saw that car still smoldering away, sitting on its rims and all filled with water and foam, I had only a small part of the sinking feeling the owner must've had.

Smart Automotive can cover and protect anyones pride & joy in most ways, but this was definitely one situation where even we couldn't.

(Thanks to Paul Ridoutt at Smart Web Marketing for the pic)

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    Suite B, Level 3
    14 Central Road
    Miranda NSW 2228

    Smart Automotive is a proudly Australian owned & operated part of Smart Group Enterprises founded in 2003. We provide protective solutions that add to your brand & your customers' experience, improving customer retention & your bottom line.
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