Spring Cleaning? Ya, me too. If you haven’t taken a look at your work area lately, step back and take it all in.

See that pile of papers on your desk? And those spare parts you were saving for the factory in the corner…how long have they been there? What’s up with that chair with the padding falling out? Are you saving that for someone special?

Hey, this is not limited to the Service Managers office. There are many GM’s and DP’s offices that look pretty darn close to that…

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Was your last month defined by these two words…”If only”?



“If only…”



The Dealer Principal



“If only” I had asked my Managers “What is your plan for

increasing Profit this month?” and held them accountable for their replies.



“If only” I had taken a walk every day and made it my

mission to talk to Sales and Service Customers, introduce myself and say “Is

there anything I can do to help you today while you are here at our

Dealership?”



“If… Continue

Over the years I have made plenty of mistakes. Rather than keep track of the mistakes, I just made a list of the things I learned.



If you are an aspiring Manager, print this and keep it handy. You might find a helpful thought in there to use and make a difference.



Here is the list as it stands now. I have made changes as I learned something new. Hope you can use it to do something different or make a change.



Rules for Managers



1. You get all of the… Continue

Ever find yourself with "disgruntled" Service Personnel and wondered "How did it get this bad?" You know people are getting "fed up" when you have top personnel (like a Superstar Service Advisor) give notice from seemingly out of nowhere or Customer complaints suddenly increase overnight or accidents start happening.



These are all signs that something is amiss.



You need to have a "Take."



Take a Moment and begin by opening the door of two-way communications… Continue

There are 3 Strategies for Failure that many Service Managers and Fixed Operations Directors use (with little Success) to facilitate changes in their daily operations and the behaviors of Service Department Personnel.



Yet, these 3 Strategies are the most common response many otherwise capable Managers (and Dealer Principals) use over and over again with little to no results. This in turn leads to a downward spiral of resentment followed by anger followed by the inevitable angry… Continue

Still not too late to sign up. Send an email to freetraining@dealerprotraining.com for phone access and workbook.

Make 2011 the Year of Results!

In the Dealership we can find ourselves in a position where we are Managing more than Leading.



Typically, as the level of responsibility grows, so grows the level of administrative duties. These administrative duties include responsibility for how much to spend on light bulbs for the showroom floor to changing the shop supplies vendors.



Everything in the Dealership somehow manages to come across your desk, right?!



This is part 3 in the Leadership for 2011… Continue

“Maintain your profit margins at 45% C/P Parts and 75% C/P Labor” says Don Reed, CEO of DealerPro Training Solutions.



Maintaining your profit margins is not always easy, and it’s not getting any easier! If you are struggling with profit margins, the first thing you must do is measure what you are getting.



The financial statement is the place to look. On your financial you will find month end data as well as year to date. What we want to take a look at it is the month end… Continue

In our world there is a constant search for “better.”



Better personnel, better systems, better procesess, better sales…you get the idea.



Is there “better” out there in Fixed Operations?



Sure. In recent years software and computers have made getting every conceivable report possible and as easy as a press of the button.



Software applications like ASR Capture from Reverse Risk is a prime example. Here is an application that does nearly everything that old… Continue

100% of doing exactly the same thing next year as what you did this year will yield you 100% of the same results.



100% of Personnel in your Dealership who do not receive any Training will perform exactly the same next year as they did this year.



100% of the Processes you used this year to get the results you now have will give you exactly 100% of the same results next year.



100% of the of the Profit you made this year comes from 100% of the Personnel you… Continue

The greatest single feeling of accomplishment you can experience as a Trainer is one where someone you are Training suddenly…Gets It.



And right in front of you… before your very eyes, there is a Change.



See, in Training, change is mostly slow, frequently subtle, hard to see and sometimes hard to measure. It requires energy, time, committment, belief, knowledge, skill, communication, background, application and mostly… Will Power.



So, when someone “Gets It” and… Continue

Yesterday I had the privilege of addressing a room of Service Managers and Factory Personnel. And I have to believe that everyone in that room was there to find or gather some new information that would help them take action on something that might be causing them some problems at their Dealerships.



Why would you attend if you had no hope of getting something, right? I hope that everyone one of them got something that they can use right away at their Dealership this week, something…

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