Difficulty…or Opportunity?
by Burl Richards, ABAT President
As I write this month’s message, I’m freshly home from Las Vegas where I attended SEMA 2025.
Outside of ABAT’s Texas Auto Body Trade Show, SEMA is one of my favorite industry events to attend each year because it presents a great opportunity to check out new tools and equipment, expand knowledge through the available training and catch up with industry friends and colleagues from all over. More often than not, those conversations are the most enlightening since they provide an opportunity to find out what’s going on in other markets, to step outside of Texas and see what’s happening around the country.
Now, this isn’t the first time I’ve used this space to lament about the slowdown in volume in my market…and I’m not the only one who has been contending with this challenge. Conversations with friends from the east coast, the west coast, the midwest and around the US confirmed that most markets are struggling with the same decreased workload. Some markets have managed to avoid this difficulty – for now at least – due to weather-related conditions and natural catastrophes that have kept them busy. But the majority of shops are struggling.
Of course, there are outliers. A handful of shop owners aren’t feeling the crunch, and when I asked how they were maintaining their volumes, the answers were pretty consistent: they’ve figured out ways to adapt to the situation by changing their business models. Some are trimming back in certain areas to focus on specializing, while others are going after different types of sales than they did in the past.
Albert Einstein once said, “In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity,” and that’s exactly the mentality that these shops are embracing. Rather than rolling over because it’s hard right now, they’re seeking out the opportunity; they’re willing to adapt their thinking and try something different. Easier said than done, I know, but I truly believe that’s the secret to getting through this.
At my shops, we’ve been doubling down. This situation isn’t going to defeat us! We’re still investing in tools and equipment to keep up with the constant changes in vehicle technology, but we’re also looking at other opportunities to bring in sales. We’re operating more like an auto center by performing some smaller mechanical repairs and stocking tires; we’re willing to branch out and try something new since the old way just isn’t working right now. I’m convinced that business breeds business and sales breeds sales. Even if a customer comes in to look at tires, at least we’re getting people through the door.
That’s not to say that it’s been easy. In my many years in collision repair, I cannot recall the industry ever being in such a poor state as it is right now, and the change happened relatively quickly. It seems like ADAS suddenly started doing its job, reducing the number of accidents, at the same time that total losses spiked and increases in premium rates deterred many customers from filing claims. There are definitely a lot of factors coming into play in this situation, but together, we can rise above the challenges.
Each month, I share my experiences in hopes that others will reciprocate because ABAT wants to hear from you. We want to know what you’re doing differently, and that requires starting the dialogue. We want to know who has found successful ways to adapt their business models and what they’re doing differently. Are you finding new ways to boost sales, or have you implemented lean strategies that allow you to remain profitable with fewer sales?
In the coming year, the association will be largely focused on the state of the collision industry. We’ll be planning lots of virtual meetings with nationally-recognized presenters as well as getting back out to markets all over Texas for in-person meetings. The goal of these events is to provide opportunities to show up, engage with your peers, share your experiences, learn from others and identify ways to adapt to the new market.
These difficulties don’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, so rather than moan and complain, we are going to find a way to deal with the challenges we’re facing in the market. We’re going to find the opportunities that will allow us to all thrive!
Want more? Check out the December 2025 issue of Texas Automotive!