Grab More Market Share: How to Wrangle Business Away from Lazy Competitors

Body Shops Are Like Wedding Planners

It is hard for me think of a more male dominated business than the automotive body industry. You've all seen reality TV shows like Pimp My Ride, American Body Shop, Orange County Choppers, and so on. These men are tough, smart guys who know how to create dream cars and motorcycles by reshaping iron and painting museum-quality artwork on metal and fiberglass.

So what could they possibly learn from a wedding planner? Enough to revolutionize their industry.

PPG industries make OEM (original equipment manufacturer) automotive finishes for these gifted artists. If you have ever taken your damaged car to a body shop, you automatically take it for granted that the newly repaired section of your car will match the paint on the rest of the car. Companies like PPG hire expert colorists from all over the world to make sure your paint matches; regardless of how old or new the car.

But, as you can probably guess, automotive paints must evolve and innovate in order to stay relevant. PPG is a major force in this field, constantly trying to maintain a superior position in the paint world. For example, PPG wanted to create a “greener” product that also had state-of-the-art performance qualities, so they invented a new line of water-based paint products. To give you an idea of the complexity of this innovation, PPG's Enviro-Prime 2000 lead-free electrocoat contributes to increased vehicle life spans without environmental concerns. Topcoat products like EnviroBase ...