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A word that seems to be coming up often these days is patience. Many companies incorporate it into their script while you’re on hold or inconvenienced by the company using it. They are so bold you will be thanked for it even when you are not feeling it. Whether or not you are practicing it, […]

When looking at the definition of professional you can note several different thoughts. The one that captures me is “participating for gain or livelihood in an activity or field of endeavor often engaged in by amateurs. Being a professional has some foundational core beliefs that differentiate them. The first one is the attitude towards clients […]

Recently I visited a dealership and talked with one of their service advisors. When we started talking about maintenance sales, I was shocked when he said he doesn’t sell tires. I spent about one-half hour trying to understand why anyone would refuse to sell tires. It turns out he was concerned his bonus would be […]

Most dealerships have said they desire customers for life. The fact is, as the warranty expires, customer retention falters. Your customers must feel treasured and have a positive experience they can depend on when getting their vehicle serviced at your dealership. I recently went to our small local bank and found the ATM was out […]

Thinking about this newsletter, the words of Rodney Dangerfield come to mind “I get no respect.” Imagine trying to track down every part a technician asks for while answering the phones. As if that wasn’t enough, try placing an order, dealing with vendors, pulling items to go back to the manufacturer, aged inventory, and the […]

The most precious thing that we all have is our time. It fascinates me that we all have equal amounts yet use it so differently. Take smoking as an example. We all understand it’s not healthy however imagine the amount of wasted time is taken for smoke breaks. Scanning social media or playing games are […]

I have met thousands of service advisors over many years of coaching in automotive dealerships. It has been a privilege to work with these individuals and be able to see growth in their job satisfaction and income. Today we’re going to look at some common characteristics of a successful service advisor. The first characteristic is […]

No matter what business you’re in asking the right questions makes a huge difference in results. The most important questions seldom get asked or even considered when evaluating a product, individual, or company. One question that I particularly like to ask is; “what makes you different?”. The truth is this should be every salesperson’s presentation […]

What if employees were given a satisfaction survey every time a member of management coached them for improvement? Fixed right, the first visit might take on a whole new meaning. The way that management interacts with the staff is critical towards the dealership achieving strong, consistent customer satisfaction scores. Managers should expect team members treat […]

It’s that time of year when many dealerships struggle to keep repair order count high. My favorite way to build repair order counts is to perform outbound calls with open safety campaigns. If this is a daily exercise repair order growth never seems to be a struggle and customer retention is never a concern. During […]