MVP – your business development and support program

This is a news entry dated: August 02, 2016

For well over a decade, PPG’s MVP Program has been supporting collision repairers across New Zealand with a wide variety of solutions aimed at enhancing business performance. Whether it’s financial planning, process improvement, ‘lean’ strategies, benchmarking, management classes or any of the other valuable options, it’s all available to PPG customers as part of their support package.

Learning under the ‘golden arches’ – with Helen Aird, MVP Manager New Zealand

It’s fair to say that McDonalds has a highly successful business model so we were very pleased to get franchisee (McDonalds Ashburton and Rolleston), David Whalley, along to give a really interesting presentation to the MVP Advanced Lean Management 2013 Group. David is a wealth of knowledge and his talk really resonated with the group. Perhaps surprisingly, there are close similarities between the fast food chain and collision repair.

David talked about the challenges as McDonalds responds to changes within its industry, much like most collision repairers are having to do. Maccas started out with very simple, limited choice but has had to change to meet market demands via initiatives like the latest ‘Create Your Taste’ menu. It’s meant investment in his franchise in terms of equipment and staff training. He also highlighted another key similarity – effectively managing and motivating staff. Maccas is the biggest hirer of people who are taking their first step into the workforce so it tends to be working with young generations who have no work experience. David says he has developed his own criteria for the type of person he’s looking when they apply for a job. He has had to understand what motivates his ‘people’ and then enforce standards and processes through an encouragement and reward system.

Perhaps the most important message David delivered was to have a business plan in place and that fitted nicely with the group’s current theme. Whether you are operating in fast food, collision repair or any other industry, business planning helps us think ahead in order to identify and avoid future issues and discover new opportunities. A good business plan can be a vital tool when seeking finance, leasing premises, engaging staff and liaising with work providers. Next time you visit a Maccas store, take a closer look around – you might just come out with more than fast food!

 

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