Mark McHugh Body Works

AAMI/AP&P AUTOBODY REPAIRER OF THE YEAR REGIONAL WINNER (SMALL SHOP) QLD

Passionate is certainly one way to describe Mark McHugh’s feelings towards the autobody repair industry.

And this passion has flowed into a marketing strategy that is helping to ensure a solid business base for his shop, Mark McHugh Body Works.

Helping with this strategy Ron Hailes, an ex dealer principal who is working with McHugh to take the marketing of the business to the next level, introducing such things as loyalty cards and full-time representation.

McHugh, formerly of Miami Smash Repairs fame, opened his Bundall-based shop on Queensland’s Gold Coast four years ago.

To make sure he had the success he was trying to achieve, McHugh has invested heavily in promoting and marketing the business, not just to potential customers through robust television advertising, but also to existing customers with a video presentation at the shop, a customer satisfaction survey and post-repair follow-ups with clients.

The other major investment is in staff.

“To be the best you need the best,” McHugh says, and in Andrew Maddicks and Beryl Wollschlager, he has two very valuable employees who work with and support all of his staff.

This was again highlighted when customers voted Mark McHugh the monthly winner of the Breeze FM Business awards.

He gives clients a glove-box wallet which includes a promotional brochure and the company’s lifetime guarantee card, and when cars come in for a quote, the owner receives a specially printed shopping bag which includes a Mark McHugh Body Works cap.

A week after a client has picked up their repaired car, a thank you card is sent in the post.
The shop was developed after McHugh had a break from the industry. He had a vision to develop a shop for prestige repair.

So far that has resulted in the shop being an approved repairer for Subaru, Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge, and also preferred repairer status on the front of the building for Cartwright Euro Renault. McHugh says more manufacturer endorsements are coming.

Other badges on the front of the shop include QBE, Suncorp, and Lumley Insurance.
McHugh has a workshop staff of three qualified panelbeaters and one apprentice beater, three qualified painters and one apprentice, and a detailer.

Another four in the office, including McHugh himself, who handles the quoting, rounds out the staffing.

Equipment in the shop includes two Car-O-Liner benches as well as a Car-O-Liner Speed. All the pulling and measuring equipment associated with the Car-O-Liner benches is stored, neatly and out of the way, behind doors that line the workshop.

The same applies to the Weldmaster and Multispot welders that are stored out of sight, and out of the way, in these purpose-built storage areas.

In fact, this is one of the features of this workshop: no clutter. Everything has its place and is in it.

The paint shop is dominated by a pair of Masterbooth spray booths separated by a three-bay prep area with rail-mounted Master Cure infrared. The clean mixing room features the Sikkens paint system.

Rupes KS260M mobile dust extraction units are dotted through the shop.

The business is using Ferris Administration for development of a new OH&S policy for the shop, having recently moved from the Monit system of auditing OH&S policies. It uses Quoteplus for quoting its jobs.

McHugh says he prefers to repair rather than replace, emphasising that quality is important, adding that his panelbeaters are “old school” and file finish as many jobs as possible.

He says advertising had been a key to the success of the business.

“We don’t sit and wait for the jobs to come, we go out and get them,” he says.
He also believes that the quality of the premises has helped to secure work on prestige cars, saying he wants to repair cars that fit the premises.

The final piece of the puzzle is Loan Cars , according to McHugh. “They are a must and they need to match your customer profile.”

Following his appointment as a Subaru repairer he ordered two Subarus. He has also just added two Audis to the fleet bought locally at James Frizelle, a dealer with whom McHugh shares a great working relationship.

He hopes have a 25 loan cars within 18 months.