Unlocking Excellence: Insider Secrets of Elite Automotive Service Managers
Hey there, Chris Collins here! I’ve been in the automotive industry trenches for over 25 years, and I’ve seen it all when it comes to service managers. Some struggle to keep their heads above water, while others seem to effortlessly lead their teams to success. So, what’s the secret sauce that separates the average from […]
Why Your Service Manager Fails at Driving Profit
Far too often Dealership Principals ask me – why can’t my Service Manager optimize shop profitability? They handle the day-to-day fine enough, keep customers happy and techs busy. Yet our bottom line never seems to improve. What gives? I’ve been fielding this question for years but there’s a reality you may not want to hear, […]
Why Leadership Training Fails to Inspire True Followership
Let’s have an honest chat about leadership training for maximum followership. I’ve been to hundreds of seminars and workshops over my career. Read endless books detailing the qualities and behaviors that supposedly make great leaders. But in my experience, most miss the core point. They mistake management training for leadership training. Most so-called leadership training […]
9 Critical Mistakes Service Advisors Make and How to Fix Them
A few common oversights turn even the sharpest Advisors into profit leaks. I’ve seen behind the curtain…I know exactly why about 50% of customers now bounce from Dealership service bays, never to return. But here’s the good news – these faults are totally fixable. Let’s walk through the 9 common mistakes Service Advisors make that […]
Is Repair Order Count Really The Problem? A Better RO Strategy To Skyrocket Profits
Well, it’s January again, and you know what that means – every dealership in the country is panicking about their repair order count! “RO count is way down! We gotta pump those numbers up, or we’ll go under!” Then, the madness ensues as Managers demand more and more volume without an ounce of strategy behind […]
5 Mistakes That Sink Newbie Service Managers
So you just got promoted to Service Manager, congrats! You’re feeling pumped to make your mark on the shop and take things to the next level… until stuff starts going haywire. Angry calls pile up as Techs shrug off solutions. Falling CSI scores, but expectations stay sky-high. That shiny title now feels more anchor than […]
Winter Mindset Shifts That Grow Service Revenue
For many, the first frost ignites dread rather than delight. Plummeting temperatures seemingly usher in declining sales and icy greetings from customers. Most Service Managers resign themselves to a slow season of short, frozen days with little action. But what if that winter mind funk proves totally false and self-imposed? I recently sat down with […]
Behind the Scenes: My Lessons Writing the Irreplaceable Service Manager Book
It was never my goal to be an author. I fell into the car business at 17 and built my career turning around dealership service departments. Writing a book was never part of the plan. But in 2006, a mentor suggested I share my approach to help more Service Managers succeed. Thus began a 3 […]
Strategies to Boost CSI Score with Customer Loyalty and Retention
It’s more lucrative than ever to enter the EV space, just like the early 1900s when all these hundreds of car companies were trying to make their name in the marketplace. In creating brand perception, they focused on their CSI score and customer loyalty and retention. A ton of new EV companies will soon enter the […]
Service Manager Training: Why Dealerships Lose Customers To Independents
Why are dealerships losing customers to independent shops? How could we apply service manager training to monitor other department issues? For years, the narrative has been that dealerships are the vehicle repair experts. It could be because they have warranties that require dealership service as part of the binding contract. Or because customers see dealerships […]
Traits of good service managers versus substandard managers
Many good service managers struggle in their job. That’s probably why we see an almost 50 percent turnover annually in service managers. Not only is that ridiculously high, but it also runs up costs for service companies. When you consider it, service departments are spending money for recruiting, hiring and training new managers. When managers […]
Service Manager Tips to Having Saturday’s Off
Get your notebook and pencil ready for you will be enlightened with Service Manager Tips from these two experiences finalists. On today’s episode of Service Drive Revolution, we have two of the finalists in the You versus You, Jeep challenge. We’ve got Christopher and Casey with some great interviews. If you work at a Dealership […]
