Practical articles for dealership teams on the service drive, the sales floor and in the F&I office.
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Service Drive
Picture it now: the service manager, service advisors, and the rest of the front-end service team have just completed an intense training session. The difference is palpable. There’s a fire in their…
Ted Ings2 min read
Service Drive
It’s no secret there’s an industry-wide shortage of automotive technicians. These 5 strategies will help your shop beat the drought by hiring the best in the business. Firestone Complete Auto Care has…
Ted Ings4 min read
Service Drive
Two departments that seem worlds apart are service and the F&I office. One deals with vehicle financing during the sale and the other only comes into play months later, right? As automotive…
Ted Ings2 min read
Service Drive
A friendly and efficient walk-around is undoubtedly a best practice in the service drive. The service advisor should greet the customer with a smile, welcome the customer by name, and be genuinely…
Ted Ings2 min read
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
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
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
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
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
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
Service Drive
A service walk-around is undoubtedly the best tool a service advisor can use to increase sales at write-up. The benefits carry throughout the service visit, opening the door to estimate sales and…
Ted Ings2 min read
Service Drive
Picture this: you sit down to a meal at your favorite restaurant. Of course, you have a tried-and-true selection on the menu, and you’ll probably choose that. Imagine if the waiter read the daily…
Ted Ings2 min read
Service Drive
A service walk-around should be performed on every vehicle in the service drive. The customer should be asked to participate, but how do you know when you’re doing it right? When the customer kneels…
Ted Ings2 min read
Service Drive
Customer satisfaction and enhanced profitability are two reasons to incorporate a formalized service process at your dealership. So how do you get started? Your service process should begin exactly…
Ted Ings3 min read
Service Drive
Consistency needs to be a cornerstone of any business if you want to succeed. In customer service, in the application of company policy, in training methods and sales techniques, consistency is a…
Ted Ings4 min read
Service Drive
Most customers don’t have a clue about proper vehicle maintenance. At best, they know to change their oil every few thousand miles. If you don’t use a service menu to remind these individuals of the…
Ted Ings3 min read
Service Drive
Join us for a complimentary, interactive roundtable among industry peers, featuring an in-depth discussion of strategies and concepts that will forever change the way your fixed-ops team works with…
CPI1 min read
Service Drive
The dealership service experience doesn’t end when the customer picks up their vehicle from the cashier. For the next three to six months, the service department needs to communicate with their…
Ted Ings2 min read
Service Drive
Imagine getting trained to sell, then being left to do your job for years and years. It doesn’t sound like the way to grow and improve, does it? Your product has changed significantly, and the way to…
Ted Ings2 min read
Service Drive
Wouldn’t it be great to improve your hours per RO, and subsequently your dollars per RO? That’s one of the goals in every service department nationwide. For a small store that averages 500 repair…
Ted Ings2 min read
Service Drive
The service department used to have red-hot sales and top CSI in the zone. But lately it has plateaued, maybe even started slipping. General Managers and Dealer Principals want to see continual growth…
Ted Ings1 min read
Service Drive
Consider the multi-faceted role of a service advisor. It involves customer service, selling, mediating between the customer and technician, mechanical understanding, and financial aptitude. It’s a…
Ted Ings2 min read
Service Drive
Pick up one of the flyers from your local newspaper. Find an item that looks like a great deal. Compare its sale price with the small-print retail price at the bottom of the ad. Now imagine going to…
Ted Ings2 min read
Service Drive
"What's in it for me?” In sales, it’s critical that you answer this question. A famous sales quote says, “Customers don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Showing customers…
Ted Ings2 min read