Three Clues You Have a Service Advisor Problem

“It's easy to look back and see it, and it's easy to give the advice. But the sad fact is, most people don't look beneath the surface until it's too late.”  Wendelin Van Draanen

"Greg" and I were struggling to figure out why his car count wasn't improving. He had ten five star google reviews. When I Googled all of the primary automotive search terms for his area, I found him on the first page and in the top spot.

His website was so strong that I would send the link to my other clients as an example of what to do. "Steve," his service advisor, had been with him for seven years and had forgotten more about the automotive business than the average person knew.

The Hidden Secret to Growing Your Car Count

"You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read." Charlie Tremendous Jones 

Hard work doesn’t pay off. I know Shop Owners who work around the clock but still have low car count. They arrive early, stay late, but have a low retention rate.

They work hard to fill their racks, but their customers don’t come back. These examples lead me to believe that hard work doesn’t pay off.

Now, before you work hard to close this post, allow me to clarify my point.

How to Get More Buy-In at Your Shop

“When a team takes ownership of the problem, the problem gets solved.” Jocko Willink 

Think back on all your extended vacations. How many times did you take the rental car to the car wash? I conducted an official survey of a select group of leaders who have high attention to detail.

I added their combined total of lifetime rental car washes and placed their numbers into my special spreadsheet. The total came to ZERO!

You have NEVER washed the rental car!  Why?  It’s because you didn’t own it, and you place a higher value on things that you own.

How to Conquer the Car Count Paradox

"The greatest gift to give yourself is the willingness to change your mind." Marianne Williamson

Have you ever seen a fight break out at the dentist’s office? Let’s think about your last visit. The receptionist handed you a card and said, “Your next appointment will be on May 1st.”

She didn’t ask, “would you like to come in on May 1st?” or, “You don’t want to schedule your next appointment, do you?” She just told you the date and assumed you would accept it.