Kimberly Long - To the casual observer passing by DeBoer’s Auto in Hamburg, N.J., the dealership might appear to be a small, rather unassuming-looking used car lot. To be sure, DeBoer’s isn’t a gigantic operation – they stock about 20 used vehicles at any given time – but the area in which the store truly excels is its fixed operations.
Don Reed - A worthy goal for every dealer would be to sell a new or used vehicle today and keep that customer coming back to your dealership for life. You want them coming back for all their service needs, for parts, for body repairs, to buy additional vehicles for their family and of course, to trade in the vehicle you just sold them to buy another. Makes sense, right?
Don Reed - Most dealers today understand the value of an F&I department, and history shows that this department can be a significant profit center when the right processes are implemented, enabling managers to sell additional products and services to every customer who takes delivery of a new or used vehicle.
Jennifer Murphy - Would you like your service department to gross tens of thousands of dollars more each year? The answer seems like a no-brainer, but many dealerships aren’t taking advantage of additional profits that can be had by selling service contracts on the service drive. Chuck Fairbanks Chevrolet’s service department, however, is grossing an extra $7,000 a month by doing just that ...
Don Reed - After spending the last nine years working with hundreds of dealerships all across our country, I have discovered an amazing phenomenon permeating fixed operations. One could compare this phenomenon to cancer. The good news is this cancer is 100 percent curable for every single dealer who really wants to be cancer-free! The cancer is called “Lack of Accountability.” I find maximum accountability for everyone’s performance in the sales department ...
Gary Kay - There are things you just never forget. It happened in the spring of 1994. Something that unexpectedly shakes your business soul so dramatically that you swear you will never go there again ... we hit a small slump, not a major downturn in service volume, ... Service is a little cyclic, just as sales are, although the swings are usually much less dramatic. I was determined that my service department was not going to dip further even if ...
At Key Auto Mall – one such example – overall business is good, and the 20-bay service department is booming. The auto mall, which spans two city blocks, is located in Moline, Ill., and has three separate sales showrooms encompassing Buick, Pontiac, GMC, Dodge and Mazda. However, all service is completed in a centralized ...
Harlene Doane - Often, it’s the service department that keeps the dealership doors open during down sales cycles, but this is only achieved when the dealership drives ...
Economically speaking, Newton’s third Law of Motion – for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction – is certainly applicable today. Applied to the automotive industry, the action is decreased vehicle sales and the reaction is increased sales in service and maintenance. The question is: Are customers bringing their vehicles to you or your competitors for service? Now is the prime time to rev up fixed operations to gain more service and maintenance ...
Hal Scott - A few wrong decisions today and even those dealers fortunate enough to have old family money could easily be gone. This is not a revelation for many of you, as fear for financial survival has savagely ripped through every...
Hal Scott - Success today requires strong fixed coverage. Your service, quick service, parts, body and detail departments have to be “dialed-in.” Adding 0.5 hours to each repair order in service, quick service and body shop is not just...
Joe Benson - Automotive dealerships are on the lookout for innovative technology that requires a minimum investment, while creating excitement, building customer retention, increasing profits. ... is easily understood, inexpensive to incorporate...
Gary Simmons - Consider the usual dealership scenario: the sales person sells the vehicle and assumes their job is done. Instead of introducing the customer to the service team, showing them the bay, and explaining that their services are...
Jennifer Rincon - The service directors, who are interacting with customers, constantly collect ideas for improvement. The seeds of these ideas, though frequently shared at the monthly meetings, can get choked by a busy schedule.
David Boyle - Why is it with all the advances in technology and processes, the way we sell service and interact with our customers hasn't changed in decades?...
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