As we’re helping people with some of their biggest investments, it’s our moral duty to be there for our customers by following up on services they’ve initially declined. Ethical practices in the car business go a long way in retaining customers and increasing referrals. 

You won’t be setting yourself up for disappointment. It’s not a lost cause. Here’s…

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Tired of boring fixed ops training for your automotive service advisors? sw Service Solutions offers online training sessions that are relevant, innovative and engaging. Check out Fixed Ops University at …

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See what Scott Sparks has to say about the Zeck Ford Service Department!

Their President's Award Winning Service  Department is second to none ! They deliver Award Winning Service through a combination of a Professional Well Trained Staff. A Clean Modern Facility, State of the art Equipment , and Computerized Invoicing, Record Keeping and Information Systems. Zeck Ford provides friendly…

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There’s a famous Seinfeld episode where George is at a very low point in his life.

Nothing is working and he doesn’t know what his next step should be.

You can watch it here: http://youtu.be/cKUvKE3bQlY

What would happen if YOU did the opposite of what your instincts (fear) tell you? If what you’ve been doing has been delivering the wrong results, what would…

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Whenever I ask this question, I’m usually very disappointed with the answers that I receive. This past week, when I queried a group enrolled in the NCM Institute's regional Service Management training class in Charlotte, NC, only 20% responded with a “Yes.” My disappointment continues, and…

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At last week’s semi-annual meeting of NCM’s divisional directors, 20 Group moderators, Retail Operations consultants, and NCM Institute faculty members a good discussion developed around the topic of Service Advisor Compensation. The common questions that several on our staff were seeking answers for were as follows:

1. Has there been any significant change in advisor compensation…

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When I was teaching the Sonic Dealer Academy from 2001 through 2008, my co-instructor, Steve Hallock, became famous for asking each class why they thought we spend so much time talking about the service department. He would explain that it’s because, at a 75% gross profit margin on labor sales, the service department offers, by far, the greatest incentive to increase sales. "So why bother?" Steve would ask. "Because it’s only75…

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Part one of this topic was published here on January 19, 2012. In that article I discussed the four no-cost or low-costactivities that, when executed flawlessly, will increase a service department's customer R.O. count by at least 10%. Today I’ll address several other proven strategies to increase your customer-paid service…

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As I’ve written previously, the two most important elements of effective Accountability Management are 1) measuring what you need to manage and 2) inspecting what you expect. In the Service Department, the repair order analysis process is one of the essential steps in executing these two accountability elements.

The R.O. analysis is intended to provide information about Customer-Paid (C-P) sales that is supplemental to that available in the typical DMS. The proactive Service Manager…

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Very few dealers are both aggressive and effective in selling Extended Service Agreements (ESAs) after the new or used vehicle has been delivered. If you are so fortunate to be among this minority, you don’t need to read any further. Since most F&I departments don’t seem to have the inclination or motivation to work these post-delivery opportunities, let’s explore an alternate strategy…structuring a process to have our service advisors aggressively and effectively sell ESAs in…

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A new year is right around the corner and before we know it 2012 will be upon us.  The New Year is typically a time of renewed commitment to better habits and personal growth.  That makes it the perfect time to focus on your compensation plan and insure that your plan rewards and encourages your staff to excel in ALL the areas you expect them to perform.  For example, you may have a staff member that sells really well on the service drive, but their retention rates and… Continue