Relative to our bigger neighbours, Australia is a small market. Break that down to automotive businesses in Australia and it gets significantly smaller. Despite our size and customer base the auto industry has proven time and time again that we can lead the way. We are lucky enough to enjoy a wealth of quality products and workshops that are dedicated to delivering world class services.

So why can’t we get along?

It doesn’t matter what industry you are in, you are in for a long hard slog if you try and do it alone. Working with other auto businesses is more than just having beers on a Friday arvo. (Although that is a good start!) It is about identifying strengths in another business and working towards a mutually beneficial goal. Co-Branded products are one the most effective ways to promote a product. Co-Branding builds both businesses as well as increasing your potential customer reach. Do you have a product that could be better or sell faster by using another businesses distribution network or production?

Some great examples are the Toyota – Subaru agreement that lead to the production of the 86/BRZ. Two competitor companies that managed to Co-Brand a product with incredible success. We often see it overseas, workshops that will work with parts suppliers for the R&D and the launch of the product. The part supplier gets the product endorsement of the workshop while they in turn throw their marketing and product reach behind that particular workshop.

It can be as simple as finding a business that has a similar target audience but sells a different product.
So rather than always seeing competition, or wondering what could happen if only you had the facilities, bigger reach, or customer base. Get out there, talk to other auto businesses and see what is possible. As long as your brand values align there are plenty of opportunities to advance your business.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So how do you meet new businesses?

Networking can be hard, you have a busy enough schedule as it is. Running a business doesn’t often leave you with a lot of spare time to get out to different events. It is however essential. The old saying “you have to be in it to win it” rings very true when it comes to building valuable business partnerships. The classic notion of having to be at the office 9-5 is now a relic of the past. In order to build your business and your network you need to both create and capitalise on every opportunity that arises.  It might be something as easy as being at a local motorsport event, an industry function or simply communicating further with your existing network. Jump at opportunity and learn more about what Australian businesses can achieve together.

Next time you have the opportunity to meet new business contacts, remember these few tips:

• Schedule a meeting – NOW!

Lining up meetings can be difficult, especially over text or email. If you meet someone with whom you’d like to see again, set your next catch up on the same day that you meet. This ensures that you stay on their radar and takes the pressure of yourself to remember to do so after the event.

• Make meetings, not expectations.

It is very rare that you have the opportunity to walk into a meeting knowing exactly what the outcome will be. Do your homework on the business  behind the person you’re meeting with and the rest will follow from there.

• Be genuine – no one likes a wanker.

The age of the slick salesman is over, it’s now all about genuine business relationships. If you’re honest about your business and what you stand for then you’re going to be in the ideal position to foster positive business relationships with those you meet.

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February 1st 2014 now marks the very first Ausgarage Motor Show, something I am happy I was able to witness firsthand. It was a fantastic event to say the least. Hundreds of people, ranging from enthusiasts to average families attended the event that is now known as one of the biggest up and coming events in the Australian car scene, which I will look forward to every year from now on. From an RC drifting track provided by Millenium Raceway to a crazy trials bike showcase from Flair Action Sports, there was something for everyone. Even a vintage Chevy Impala for my girlfriend to ogle. Although this was the first Ausgarage Motor Show and I think it’s safe to say that it went extremely well. Everyone was having a blast. I know I was enjoying the cars, having a chance to talk to various local business owners and especially the dyno competition.

One of my favourite things about the event was the amount and variety of cars that were on display. There was no shortage of sports, import, tuner, exotic and vintage cars. A stand out for me was the 71′ Skyline GTX (pictured above) which is one of my all time favourite cars that I never thought I’d be able to see, let alone say I’ve been inside one. Although now I can say and couldn’t be more happy about. Other standout cars at the show included a Lexus LFA, Ferrari F430, 1964 Ferrari 330GT, Mercedes 300SL, Roger Lago’s Lamborghini Gallardo GT3, Nissan GTR, Chevrolet Impala, Audi R8 V10, and a number of other cars that I will feature in the Ausgarage Motor Show Gallery.

Another great thing about an event like this is the amount of businesses that had set up trade stalls to visit. Mercury Motorsport, Drift Syndicate, 999 Automotive, Slide Industries, Koya Wheels, Grunt Files, Exclusive Wraps, East Coast Customs, Sideways Motorsport, Timeless Car Cleaning and Automotive + were all there and I was lucky enough to have a good chat to a few of them about what they do. It was great to see the other side of what makes this industry tick. I know a lot of people prefer to DIY when it comes to upgrading, painting, modding and all things cars, but these businesses are the life of our scene when you think about it. Without these businesses getting involved in events like this we wouldn’t have the strong scene that we have in Australia. All of the people I had time to speak to were really friendly and understanding considering I don’t know that much about how all these businesses work but I definitely see how lucky we are to have such friendly people running the automotive industry.

(Photo Care of Jack Duff Photography)

It wasn’t all waffling about performance tuning and drooling over cars though, there was plenty of entertainment with the Flair Action Sports trials bike display. I’m actually quite a fan of push bike trials riding and have always wanted to get into it myself but never had the guts, so this was pretty exciting for me to watch. Let me just say that they are some crazy and talented dudes, I just can’t get my head around some of the manoeuvres they pulled off seemingly without effort. They had a full course (if that’s what you’d call a 3m high shipping container with crazy ramps around it?) set up at the event which was pretty impressive. I’m glad the guys were there to break up the car eye candy. As much as I love talking for hours and hours about cars, it was quite nice to go sit down, take a break and watch some truly incredible stunts. You can check out the FLAIR TRIALS BIKE GALLERY HERE.

Another awesome feature of the show was the dyno competition, I probably would have called it a “let’s see if we can blow everyone’s ears competition” because the sheer level of noise that was coming from that display was insane! Seriously, I was at least 20m away with a bottle of water and one of the cars shook the bottle, it was like that scene from Jurassic Park with the cup of water but way more violent. Not to mention the ringing in my ears which is still pretty loud but it was all definitely worth it! The highlight for me was when one of Downshiftaus’ feature cars of the show, an R34 GTR Skyline with the number plate “GODZLR” (I love that ha ha!) nearly ran off the dyno rollers. Luckily the straps caught it and no one was hurt, nor was the car damaged beyond the bumper being pulled off. You can view the video below, the video doesn’t quite convey how scary that was but you get the idea. There was many entries in the dyno comp and all of the cars performed greatly, a real display of their owners dedication to making them the epic monsters that they are.

Video of GODZLR on dyno // Video

Here are the winners of the competition:

Category: 4 Cylinder

Winner: Glenn Ross’ MY06 Subaru WRX STI with 320AWHP

Category: 6 Cylinder

Winner: Mercury Motorsport’s R34 “NITTO” with 916RWHP

Category: 8 Cylinder

Winner: Craig Barrass’ VF GTS with 496RWHP

The overall winner was the yellow R34 GTR known as “NITTO” putting out 916RWHP at only 36PSI with wheel spin! (I’ve seen videos of it going over 1070AWHP) That is almost Bugatti Veyron territory! I was sitting very close to the car on its first run and managed to get a video, which you can view below. I had to turn the mic sensitivity on the camera right down to get it to even record the sound and I couldn’t stay for a second run cause I was legitimately worried I would explode.
*Disclaimer: You may want to turn your volume down before clicking the video below…

Nitto // Video

Ausgarage hit the nail on the head here and I am really excited to see how they step it up for the next show. Bringing businesses and fans together under the one roof is something you don’t see often but I think it’s a really good mix. Not only do you get to see all the amazing cars, you also get to have a good chat to the people behind it all which is something I have never really had a chance to do until this event.

Check out Ausgarage’s Website for more information about what they do, upcoming events and all the local businesses you may not know about!

Words //Lewis Vaughn