Practical articles for dealership teams on the service drive, the sales floor and in the F&I office.
327 articles
Service Drive
Dealership service department door rates are averaging beyond $175 per hour - or more. A technician with 100% productivity generates $1,000 + of revenue per day in labor alone, and some technicians…
Ted Ings1 min read
Sales
If you want to make long term connections with your customers and build brand loyalty, you need to learn to speak their language. It sounds easy enough, but every customer is unique and you need to…
Ted Ings5 min read
Service Drive
When you visit a dealership, where do you find the service manager? Typically, hiding in the office, buried under a stack of papers and a load of emails. But it shouldn’t always be that way. To engage…
Ted Ings3 min read
Leadership
“A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes. It is a catalyst and it sparks extraordinary results.” Attitude is everything. When you walk into a dealership…
Ted Ings5 min read
Service Drive
Imagine you have a major appliance like a washing machine that’s stopped working. It’s been good to you and it’s an expensive appliance, but you head to the store to find its replacement. Now picture…
Ted Ings2 min read
Service Drive
Business is good. Really good. Unfortunately, all that work has saddled you with a four-week backlog. What’s a service manager to do? Get caught up with a backlog of work Shops across the country are…
Ted Ings3 min read
Sales
A long time ago, in a faraway galaxy, there was a Star Cruiser dealership located on a planet riddled by intergalactic turmoil. The cosmic unrest stressed out the dealership’s customers, causing them…
Ted Ings3 min read
Service Drive
A long time ago, in a faraway galaxy, a Star Cruiser dealership was struggling to meet service and parts fulfillment. The problem stemmed from supply chain issues brought on by intergalactic turmoil…
Ted Ings4 min read
Service Drive
Everyone is short on time, and the pinch is felt by everyone in the service industry. Fast food chains make their money on feeding people quickly. Speedy service centers promise an oil change in ten…
Ted Ings2 min read
BDC and Marketing
Let’s be honest, fixed ops doesn’t get a whole lot of love online. Most dealership landing pages are awash in new car promotions, while the service and parts departments are relegated to an…
Ted Ings3 min read
Customer Experience
Are your CSI scores tanking? Take charge and turn things around with these strategies. The Customer Satisfaction Index is one way manufacturers rate their dealerships. Bigwigs at the very top pay…
Ted Ings3 min read
Service Drive
So, your top service advisor is a Rockstar when it comes to selling. Unfortunately, they’re also surly and impolite. To make things worse, because their sales figures are so high, they’re cocky and…
Ted Ings3 min read
Service Drive
All too often, there’s confusion regarding a service advisor’s job description. Fortunately, we have a definition that makes the role crystal-clear. Global employment website, Monster, says a service…
Ted Ings5 min read
Service Drive
Service and parts have always been major money makers for dealerships Most locations count on these “fixed ops” departments to bring in a fixed income great enough to cover operating costs; hence the…
Ted Ings3 min read
Customer Experience
As you get older, you begin to realize it’s the little things that count, like a good book or a call from an old friend. And the same holds true in business. Customers pay close attention to the…
Ted Ings3 min read
Service Drive
Both the sales floor and the service drive emphasize a walk-around process. It takes the customer along for a journey that involves them with the vehicle. On the showroom floor, it’s to explain…
Ted Ings2 min read
Service Drive
You may think you know as much as the technicians in the back, and perhaps you do, but that doesn’t mean you should do their job. Diagnosing vehicles on the service drive is a risky habit that can…
Ted Ings4 min read
Leadership
Everyone has something they want to achieve. We all have professional and personal goals, and yet so many of us struggle to achieve our goals. This is not because our goals are unattainable, or…
Ted Ings6 min read
People
In the retail automotive sector, there’s a workforce disparity. Look across all aspects of the industry, manufacturing, OEMs, and executive, retail dealerships, and independents. There are many more…
CPI2 min read
Technology
Connected navigation, Bluetooth phone and streaming audio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are just a few examples of tech features now commonly found in new cars. It’s no surprise some customers are…
Ted Ings1 min read
Service Drive
Tool Debt Hurts Technicians and Crushes Team Morale Most people don’t know a Snap-On toolbox can cost as much as a new car, nearly $20,000. High-end models can push $30,000 (Google the 144″ 26 Drawer…
Ted Ings4 min read
Service Drive
Hours Per RO is an important metric that indicates whether a service team is sitting back selling oil changes, or eagerly hunting down additional work. Mathematically speaking, it’s the number of…
Ted Ings3 min read
People
There’s no denying the fact automotive technicians are at a premium throughout the United States. Even “borderline” techs are getting scooped out of trade school well before they graduate. How can you…
Ted Ings3 min read
Service Drive
Every vehicle has them. Those black and round rubber rings are mounted on every rim that rolls out the dealership’s doors. And, in more than 87 percent of cases, it’s the last time the dealership will…
Ted Ings2 min read