In the service drive, the way you communicate matters just as much as the work being performed.
And sometimes, small habits—like how many times you call a customer—can make a bigger impact than you think.
In Service Drive Revolution #356, Chris Collins and the team tackled two critical topics: how SERVICE ADVISORS should handle customer communication, and what it actually takes to grow into leadership in the automotive industry.
Both come down to one thing: effectiveness.
The One-Call Rule: Simpler Is Stronger
A question came in from a SERVICE ADVISOR asking whether it’s better to call a customer once with everything—or split it into two calls (one for the original concern, another for additional recommendations).
The answer was clear: make one call.
When you call a customer:
- Address their original concern first
- Then walk them through any additional findings
- Present everything clearly with one total
Why?
Because from the customer’s perspective, multiple calls create friction—and worse, suspicion.
No one likes hearing: “Oh, and by the way… there’s more.”
That’s how trust erodes.
Instead, a single, well-structured conversation shows professionalism, transparency, and respect for the customer’s time.
This is a core principle in strong Fixed Ops processes—clarity builds confidence.
Respect the Customer’s Time
Your customer isn’t sitting around waiting for multiple updates.
They’re at work. With family. Living their life.
Every extra call:
- Interrupts their day
- Forces them to re-engage mentally
- Increases the chance they delay or decline work
Top advisors understand this and aim to handle everything in one efficient, intentional interaction.
It’s not just about convenience—it’s about trust.
Plant the Seed, But Tell the Whole Story
There’s a right way to do this.
If a customer comes in with a specific concern, you don’t overwhelm them upfront with everything else their vehicle might need.
Instead:
- Set expectations early (“We’ll take a full look at everything”)
- Gather all findings
- Present a complete picture during the call
This approach avoids surprises while still giving the customer control.
It’s a balance between guidance and transparency—and it’s what separates average advisors from top performers.
What This Has to Do With Leadership
The second half of the episode shifted into career growth—and it ties directly into how you communicate.
A listener asked why she was struggling to move into a higher role despite having degrees in automotive management.
The hard truth?
In this industry, experience beats education.
If you want to become a SERVICE MANAGER, you need:
- Front-line experience
- A track record of performance
- The ability to connect with people
Because leadership in the service drive isn’t about theory—it’s about execution.
Results > Titles > Degrees
Dealerships don’t promote based on credentials.
They promote based on:
- What you’ve done
- How you perform
- How you handle real-world situations
That means:
- Writing repair orders
- Handling difficult customers
- Managing expectations
- Driving revenue and retention
You can’t shortcut that process.
Adaptability Is the Real Leadership Skill
One of the most powerful takeaways from the conversation was this:
Leadership isn’t about being right—it’s about being effective.
If customers, coworkers, or managers are reacting negatively to your approach, doubling down won’t fix it.
Top leaders:
- Read the room
- Adjust their communication style
- Focus on outcomes, not ego
Whether you’re a SERVICE ADVISOR talking to a customer—or an aspiring manager leading a team—the goal is the same:
Connect first. Then lead.
The Bottom Line
If you want to improve:
- Make your communication clearer
- Respect the customer’s time
- Focus on delivering everything in one conversation
- Build real-world experience
- Stay adaptable in how you lead
Because in the end, success in the service drive isn’t about doing more…
It’s about doing the right things—better.
FULL VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Welcome and Team Introductions
Welcome to the big show. We have an exciting conversation for you today. We’re going to answer questions; one of them is like some pretty good deep career advice. We have a company meeting here, so we have part of our team that is going to participate in this, and we’ll just go around the table. Introduce yourself to Gene.
Jean Giurguis. Hoagie. Hunter Blake. Adam. Jared Avery. I mean, I don’t need an introduction, but Cliff. Oh my goodness. Wait till you get a load of Cliff on this show coming up right now on Service Drive Revolution.
Team Reflections and Late Nights
Have you guys had a good week so far? We’ll start with you, Cliff. It has been a great week, like so much stuff to unpack. I think some of the dialogue that we’ve had as a team, even last night having fun and cutting up but still having some of the conversation—a lot of self-reflection for me, so it’s been really, really good.
How late were you up last night? It was only 11, but it felt like 3. When’s the last time you were open till 11? It’s been a long time. My favorite thing right now—this is how you know that you’ve arrived—is when you can be in bed, showered, ready to go to bed at 8:30. Like that’s a good night. That was me. Last night I was in bed by 9; that was late for me. Yeah, I probably will tonight. Do me a favor, brag about your son really quick, my middle one.
Family and Courage
Yeah, he’s incredible. He’s part of the team that took over the boats down in Venezuela. Actually, if you see the first video on December 10th, he was number one out of the helicopter. If you watch that video, you see two coming down on ropes, and he’s the first one. It gives me chills to think about it. I’m proud, and it’s still like we were texting one day and, as parents, you’ll appreciate this , but I was just like, “Man, it doesn’t make sense to me. I can’t wrap my mind around this”.
He’s firing back—it’s me, him, and my oldest son—and he was like, “What do you mean it doesn’t make sense?” I was like, “Well, it doesn’t make sense to me that the kid that I screamed at about cleaning his room is now doing all this incredible stuff”. You have to tell him to take a shower. That’s funny, but being an American, you’re super proud. I can’t imagine being a father.
It’s incredible and the sacrifice he’s making for us; we take that for granted. And he’s the guy that you want doing that. You kind of see it as your kids get older. You’ll see the things that they’re going to do and you look back on it and you’re like, “Yep, kind of saw that that was going to take place.”
He is that guy. You guys did a great job. Thank you, and the word that comes to mind too is just courage—high self-esteem and courage. Maybe a little stinky, but that’s okay. I think in tight quarters that’s expected. It’s a small sacrifice.
Late Night Pizza and Spirits
How late were you up, Gene? Just a little after that, so 11:30. How many slices of pizza did you have? Cliff had 4. I had 2. When the first set of pizzas came out, I actually didn’t indulge at all, but when the second set came out—I mean, you guys ordered two sets of pizza. It is crazy over there. The first ones went pretty quick, so we could have done without the second order. You eat off the first order? It’s 4 total; I had 2 on that one. I’m pretty sure I had 2. There might have been more on the second.
I’m remembering you were going hardcore too, right? You were drinking wine. Yeah, I’ve got a friend that—you ever had the friend that you know you can’t be around because they’re just kind of a bad influence? Hoagie’s my friend. I’ve never seen Hoagie do anything risky or out of turn, but it feels like you have your cup and you’re like, “I’m going to have a little bit of wine,” but you’re going to accuse him of being a good host. That’s exactly what happened. Then he pours and then he pours more and you’re like, “No, no, no, I’m good,” and it’s like, “Oh no, I got you”. With all that pizza, I wanted to make sure you had something to wash it down.
This is how it went down. Cliff finished his wine and then he was like, “I’m not drinking.” He’s like, “We’re going back to Hope or wherever,” and then he was like, “I’m not drinking anymore”. And then Hoagie says, “No, you’re good,” and gets it, and you could just see it on Cliff’s face. He was like, “This isn’t going to end.” He was shaking. Why the choice of wine over beer? Because it was just what they served. We just had it in. It kind of started with that. You felt it this morning because when you walked in, you’re like, “Oh”. 3:30 came super early because we were talking last night.
We’re like, “Oh yeah, we’re working out at 3:30. We’re ready to go”. You were going to go to the gym? I was going to meet him up there, full intentions of meeting up there. I woke up at 3:30 just thirsty. So that’s the first thing I needed to do was get—that might have been the pizza as much as the wine. That’s one thing when I travel that I try to avoid is a lot of salt because you can tell by your ring finger as soon as it gets tight. But I did work out this morning, so that did make me feel better.
Well, you were drinking whiskey, right? I did—did you say the bottle broke? The tequila, whatever we had, the cocktails. So I had a few of those, and then a few—by a few, a few is however many number you want. It all started with dinner, and then it rolled into a glass or two of wine. I came in here to say goodbye and you guys were having a pretty good time in here. And then someone said Eagle Rare, and I was all in. I was like, “Whatever”. You’re welcome. Someone had Eagle Rare.
I was like, “Okay, let’s figure this out”. Was that the bottle I drove you to get? I got another bottle. Adam kind of always has to have that around. I think he was a little hurt that it was gone. Eagle Rare, Buffalo Trace, anything—that whole company makes a great product. You endorse it? 100% have a stamp of approval. Mississippi stamped right there. It’s hard to find, but when I can find it, I try to get it in bulk. That’s brand loyalty right there. I don’t sway; very loyal when it comes to alcohol, when it comes to a lot of things.
Question 1: The Inspection Call Process
Okay, so we have two questions from the audience. We’re going to play them and then we’ll talk about them. Let’s play the first one.
“Hey, this is Barbara Wispo calling back. I do have a question for the Chris Collins show. I was wondering what are your thoughts on when you return the call to the customer to let them know the results of their inspection—the one-call process where you address everything, or the two-call process where you just address the issue they came in for and then call them back later with the results of their multi-point inspection?”
So that’s interesting because is there somebody out there teaching that you call them for the original concern and then you call them back for additional stuff they need? Somebody must be teaching them. I’ve never heard that. So Barbara, the system that we would use is you would address their original concern on the same call and then you would tell them the additional things. I guess we should maybe unpack that a little bit. If you’re writing up a customer and they have a diagnostic issue,
I would not recommend a bunch of fluid exchanges or things upfront. I would plant the seed—it’s kind of what we teach—but give them a full picture of how much everything is altogether. In our advisor training, we have a thing called the table of contents technique, which is how you present this, but I would not call them twice. I would call them once. I would address their original concern first, and then I would tell them the additional items that they need and then give them one price at the end.
That makes sense. I wonder if she was meaning that maybe if it’s a very long inspection. We kind of talked about that yesterday. If there’s a lot going on with the vehicle. Maybe I’m still—I would just treat this how I would want to be treated as a customer. I would want to know everything. I wouldn’t want, “Oh, and by the way, there’s another $1,500 worth of”—wait, there’s more. As soon as you hear “Wait, there’s more,” you’re like, “Oh no. This is a scam”. Her starting off and calling it an inspection form—I don’t know why, but I appreciated that she didn’t throw out the MPI or whatever.
I just like how you’re old school like that. Part of respecting the customer is obviously taking time out of their day. So when we’re talking to clients about calling customers back, I certainly want to have as much of that conversation all at once as I can. Instead of having to call them back and revisit the conversation, they’re probably at work or with their kids or busy doing something else. Yeah, so I do it all at once. Barbara, thanks for the question.
Question 2: Career Guidance for Savannah
Let’s go to the next one.
“Hi, my name is Savannah. I’ve called in before and you have answered a question of mine, and I just want to say thank you so much. I was driving on a random Sunday listening to your podcast and I just heard my voice come on the radio, so that was actually really cool. But I do have a question again. I’m trying to get some guidance on promotion and being in a higher position in the automotive industry. I have my associate’s in automotive technology and I just graduated with my bachelor’s in automotive business management.
I’m struggling very hard to try to find a job or have someone take me seriously. I am very strong-opinionated; I’m a very strong woman when it comes to leading. I’ve been in the industry for about 3 years, but I get a lot of pushback from that, so I was seeing if you can help me in the right direction of how I need to present myself and what I need to do to be good in this industry”.
Thanks for the question, Savannah. I would just preface this by saying we’re going to answer this question in the most constructive, truthful way, even if it might land a little off in the long run. The first thing that I would say is if I see a resume for somebody that has a degree in automotive management but no experience, I’m not even calling them. So the first thing I would do is probably get some sort of a role as an advisor or a warranty administrator, something in the business that gives you experience on the front lines. Then work your way up. In a management position, I’m looking for a track record of performance, not an education.
The car business is still one of the few businesses out there where you’re judged more on your performance than your degree. I’ve seen that before on resumes and it’s zero interest to me. I’m way more interested in what have you fixed? Where have you been? I’m looking for somebody who’s been somewhere a while, doesn’t jump around, and has a track record of high performance and net to gross. For me, I don’t have a college degree. I didn’t go to community college. I don’t think most of us did. I’ve done every role in the store except for parts—won’t do parts. I think a couple of people at this table have a vocational degree as a tech.
I’ve got the same thing she’s got. Master’s degree in political science and business. Wow, I didn’t see that coming. How did we not get to that? So I’m like Savannah; I had my associate’s and then I went to automotive management, but I knew at the same time I had to get experience on those frontlines. But you didn’t go to the dealership; you went to the factory, and the factory looks for that. What are the factories looking for?
When I went for hiring and recruitment, I found myself looking more for experience because coming straight out of college, there was no perspective. I can kind of mold that, but if I looked at it from who was I talking to—we were in customer support or tech support. If I have all the book knowledge or manual knowledge, it doesn’t help me because it’s not real world. You had to have some sort of wrenching experience, some of that frontline exposure.
The reason why we’re all sort of saying the same thing is that when someone is trying to teach us something, knowing that they’ve done the same thing or sat in the same seat adds the gravitas or cachet that will help us be willing to listen. Being a manager is a big job; you’re looking for a little saddle time. If we cut our teeth the same way where you started from the ground up, we have that common ground and it makes sense. That’s why people don’t like their DPSM; a lot of those corporate guys come from outside the business and they don’t know how to write an RO or what the advisors go through on a daily basis.
They’re just saying push parts, and nobody takes them seriously because they don’t know. For Savannah, I’m assuming she has no dealership experience. She said she had 3 years, but she didn’t say in what. If you saw the degree for a service manager position, would you call that person in? I would call her and offer her an advisor role. I would say the education is great, however, we need boots-on-the-ground experience to be a successful service manager. You’ll be a better service manager if you do this job beforehand. It’ll be a shoe-in for the role you’re looking for.
Analyzing Leadership and Resistance
She also had a couple of qualifying statements. She says, “I’m a strong, opinionated woman.” That is a red flag. We have a lot of very talented, successful women in our program who have incredible results. It has zero to do with their gender. It has everything to do with how effective they are. Whenever I hear, “The reason I’m not succeeding is because I’m female and opinionated,” you’re meeting resistance in the marketplace because of your approach, and you need to analyze that. It has everything to do with the outcome and how you’re perceived. If you’re perceived as opinionated, then figure out a different way.
For example, in my experience, I’m intimidating. People meet me and say, “Oh my God, you’re so much taller than I thought you were”. I have a big presence and I’m confident, and that can make people who aren’t confident feel intimidated. I could walk around and say, “Well, it’s just who I am,” but that doesn’t get me anywhere. What I have to do is read the person in front of me and change my posture, change my energy, and adjust to it because my goal is to connect.
Even to this day, I have to understand that when people meet Chris Collins, they have a certain expectation. I want to make them feel important. I can be big and tall and make them feel small, but that isn’t my intention. So I have to change the way I approach people to meet them where they are.
It isn’t about being a strong anything; it’s about being an effective leader. Savannah, I will send you my leadership book because one of the things I talk about is androgyny—true leadership has nothing to do with gender. We use the Bruce Lee analogy about being like water. You have to fit into the situation and the outcome you’re trying to achieve; it’s not about you.
Leadership is becoming the thing that people need you to become to accomplish the mission you’re inviting them on. Changing to the situation. It’s easy to externalize it to, “I’m female,” or “I’m tall,” but if you want to be effective, you have to get rid of the excuses and try some different things. Everything matters—your tone, the angles, how you look at people. There isn’t one magic pill.
Authenticity and Strategy
This week we spent a lot of time on being authentic. While that is a valuable characteristic, there is a time where tact or a little bit of strategy is needed to make your—if you’re a powerful, opinionated person, there’s a time to not be that person. It’s easier to mold yourself into what you need to be if you’re authentic. I just want to win; I don’t want to be right. The good news, Savannah, is that you’re able to see why you have this roadblock. We all know people who have a roadblock but can’t see it. The fact that you have the wherewithal to admit to what you believe is causing this means you’re halfway there. As soon as you know what that is, you know exactly what to do to harness that same energy into something more productive.
We always say if you can’t go through the front door, go through the back or side door. There’s a bunch of ways to skin a cat. Guess where Adam’s from: Mississippi. If she keeps finding these roadblocks, maybe she’s missing the bigger picture. Going to her boss and putting it on the table would be strong. “Hey, look, this is what I want to do. Can you show me the roadmap?” But you can’t take it the wrong way. You have to drop your ego a little bit because you’re asking them to mentor you. If he says you come off a little strong, all of us probably have had to change something about ourselves. What was something you had to change early on, Hogi?
Personal Growth and High Performance
There’s a bunch of things I had to change about myself. For me, it was looking to people who were already having success and being open to what they were doing. In the shop, everybody talks about how the other guy does great because he gets all the gravy work. There was a hyper jump in my performance when I was able to turn that off. When techs decide to create their own opportunity, their hours just go up.
Everybody avoided warranty; I would take all the warranty. When I learned to turn that thing off, it made a difference. Savannah, asking questions is a telltale sign of a high performer. Don’t ever let go of that. Seeking out a mentor is important. Seek out the high performers because the low performers are often the quickest to give advice that won’t serve you.
I had to change delegation. High performers like to control it all, but you’ll hit a ceiling and burn yourself out. Women’s power in this business is the fact that they’re not the big, overbearing guys; they’re silent assassins. You get a good girl as an advisor or manager—a million dollars there easily. I’ve seen girl advisors who don’t come off overbearing. They have the customers in a hypnosis and they just buy stuff because it doesn’t feel like they’re trying to get you. But it all goes back to performance.
Adam, what about you? I first started with patience. I really had to focus on being patient. It’s taken some years. The two little girls helped. I’d say the intentionality and really thinking things through has been the biggest thing. For me, it’s becoming more coachable. I was in the military, so I’m pretty regimented. I’ve run too fast and needed to be coached and absorb what’s being told to me.
For me, it was setting clear expectations and not writing people off, but coaching them through it. I was super young when I became a manager and had a little bit of ego. Maybe some jealousy towards people who inherited things because I wanted to be a dealer and everybody told me there was no way unless you’re born into it. As soon as I ignored that, I figured it out.
Final Reflections and Closing
I may not be 6’1″, I’m 5’10.5″, but certainly my presence can come off as aggressive or intimidating. I purposely try to watch myself during an interaction in real-time—disassociate—and think about how this is being received. How it’s received is what matters. I have to be more delicate in the delivery. It’s funny because you’re a really sweet guy, but people might perceive you as intimidating. As people get to know me is when I really start to do well; I’m playing the long game. The longer I’m working with someone, the more traction I have because they know it’s never my intention to be aggressive. I feel like all of us can agree we got to know you on a way different level last night. He’s a big teddy bear.
We’re opening a loop because we’re about to start SDR, Hidden Uncut. You have to subscribe to that to find out what happened. Let’s just say it was super intimate. Oh, the banana hammock, yeah, well, that’s it. Gene loves love. He very much loves love, and I’ve been working on my tan enough so you don’t see me blush. Well, that’s not working for you right now. Thanks for the question, Savannah. Best of luck. Thanks everybody and we’ll see you next time on Service Drive Revolution.
Final Outro
Thanks so much for watching this episode of Service Drive Revolution. We’re uploading new stuff every day, so make sure you subscribe and click the bell icon so you don’t miss out. If you have a question you’d like us to answer on the show, call 833-ASK-SDR, and we’ll answer your question on the show. That’s 833-ASK-SDR. For special deals on our books and training, head over to offers.chriscollinsinc.com. I’m Chris Collins, and I’ll see you in the next video.
đź”— Related Resources
- Fixed Ops Leadership Lessons Service Managers Can Use in 2026
- 9 Reasons Service Managers Fail in Fixed Ops (And How to Avoid Them)
- Why Fixed Ops Systems Matter More Than People in Dealership Service
Feel free to explore the linked articles above for deeper insights into each strategy. If you have any further questions or need additional resources, don’t hesitate to ask!
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