Net/Gross went from 18.6% to 44.36%

Effective Labor Rate (ELR) increase of $19

CSI rise from 86.3 to 88.1

Watch the interview below with Amanda H., the winner of our Top Dog 2021 You Vs. You Service Manager Challenge, and scroll down to read her story!

Leaders are designers, stewards, and teachers. They are responsible for building organizations where people continually expand their ability to understand complexity, clarify vision, and improve shared mental models. Taking this stand is the first act of leadership, the beginning of inspiration.

I started in the oar industry in 2002, working in sales under the management of my father. I stepped into the family business, thinking I could easily take on a role in sales- after all it’s what I grew up watching! It turns out, that adventure only lasted two years cycling through a multitude of positions and resulted in me getting fired by my own father.

This was a hit to my pride, but the result of this life lesson was being absorbed and I was welcomed into the service side. I started as an assistant advisor, then moved on to writing service on my own and dove headfirst into management.

I have worked with many brands including Pontiac, GMC, Hummer, Hyundai, Jaguar, Land Rover. All of this has led me to my current position with Honda. Fixing service department requires you to submerge yourself within the brand, the department, and the employees.

It requires you to become a chameleon within the brand and personnel- to learn, accept and appreciate, and then mold the future with unique experience and skills.

Over the years I have had the pleasure to cultivate my own unique processes within the service drive. Upon discovering The Chris Collins culture, we have embraced the new knowledge and procedures with ease.

Petting the dog is similar to our 12-step training process, but with fresh and insightful perceptions. Stepping into any of the Checkered Flag Service Departments will warrant you the same top of the line treatment, the same enthusiasm for our clientele, and the same strive to exceed customers’ expectations.

Incorporating the pet the dog culture has allowed us to expand the satisfaction of both our employees and consumers.

Building the perfect team is the first step to revamping a service department. I take the time to make sure that each personality is the right fit. A consistent and cohesive team can make all the difference in the overall presentation of a service lane.

The demeanor of each employee is important- it is a point of pride for me to make sure that I’m honoring each employee’s needs within my team. My advisors become a team, a community, a family. Cultivating the right team is my quickest triumph, and easily the most important step to improving morale.

Once all the players are in place, training and implementing process and procedure is next. Petting the dog is a successful way to build rapport with your clients. In a fun environment, we can cohesively serve our customers with knowledge and competence.

We monitor this process daily- requiring that all key points of service writing are implemented with each client. We are able to adapt this process as the world around us advances, but the foundation remains the same. Kindness and understanding needs are what make success. 

The next step is to ensure profit. The profit/loss margins for any service department require constant monitoring. Ensuring that you have competitive pricing, and also that you are providing top of the line service that is worth the bottom line can make or break a company.

Doing bubble pricing and product packaging for gamification purposes inspires higher sells and consistency.

The Chris Collins gamification makes selling more entertaining- with this creates personnel enthusiasm.

A personal point of pride for me is my ability to create games for each employee that is fine tuned to their personality. For my music buffs we have karaoke, for my sports fans we have trivia, the literature fanatic has word games and we play family feud for group games.

I include our valet, parts, and technician staff as well to create an umbrella of camaraderie. We truly have FUN at work, every day, with lighthearted competition fueling our productivity and fiscal advancements. 

My journey with Checkered Flag Motor Car Company has taken me to many stores and proven my skills at adaptation and management. This has since warranted me the title of the “Company Fixer”. I have taken my skills and utilized them to rebuild morale, create consistency, and boost sales through many service lanes within our company.

This requires frequent change and perseverance and an open and honest intent. The inclusion of Chris Collins has been a major improvement. Seamlessly falling into line with my own personal beliefs as a leader, it has been absorbed with ease.

I like to believe I have become a better role model and allowed myself to be more open to suggestion and change by embracing the skills I’ve learned through this strategy.

I believe that humans will always have an ingrained ability to rise above any situation. As my trials and tribulations, my growth and success, the tears and joy have changed me in life, so have I within my career.

Life is meant to be challenging- living requires consistent moderation and diligence. By default, life is difficult because we must strive to earn happiness, to earn success. Buddha said it with honest simplicity, “Life is Suffering.” Life can be more fickle than we can imagine; it can change at any time. The hard work and diligence we apply to our circumstances is how we succeed. I plan to succeed.