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Dealers Should Gravitate To Groupon With Their Promotional Service Deals
Your real goal is the contact info of people who respond favorably to e-mails and digital coupons. BY PETER MARTIN I am an avid coupon user. I travel frequently and am always trying to score a good deal on a hotel, rental car, dinner or entertainment. My preferred discount search …
Take Extra Care To Manage Your Dealership’s Customer Reputation On Facebook
The friends-and-family aspect of that platform means you want the domino effect to be positive, if possible. BY DAVID KAIN We’ve all heard the phrase, “It’s all fun and games until someone gets their eye poked out.” I think the auto industry’s current relationship with social media is like that. …
Resolve These Fundamental Issues In Crafting A Pay Plan For Service Techs
Too many dealerships emphasize total hours sold at the expense of other important factors. BY DAVID LEWIS A historical perspective to start: In the 1990s, the automotive industry was booming, and dealership service departments enjoyed healthy customer counts and consistent growth. Additional staff were needed and technicians became a very …
A Forthright Approach And Smart Use Of Meetings Forge Better Relationships With Techs
Both staffwide and individual sit-downs will reveal how to motivate techs, if you pay close attention. BY BRENDA STANG Dealer 20 Group meetings present a great way to forum with fellow dealers and managers to share best practices. Frequently at 20 Group meetings, I’ve been asked by dealers and service …
You’ve Decided To Go With Quick Service Lanes; Now Make Them Really Deliver
Take these steps to ensure the promise of express service strikes the right chords with your customers. BY RICH HOLLAND It should come as no surprise that the biggest challenge your dealership service department faces today is customer defection to the ever-encroaching aftermarket shops and chains. There’s a simple reason …
Follow These Steps To Manage Your Service Department’s Effective Labor Rate And Profits
The process starts with drilling down into pricing of both routine maintenance and more complex repairs. BY JOHN FAIRCHILD The goal of any service department’s retail pricing strategy is to retain as much labor gross profit as possible while remaining sensitive to giving customers an economical price and perceived value. …
Sharpen Your Service Marketing E-Mail Messages And Get More Opens, Fewer Deletes
Don’t go overboard on the frequency of e-mails, vary the content and personalize the tone. BY AMY FARLEY Your service department can be reaching out to your customers and prospects through many different means. E-mail is one of them, and as a marketing channel, it’s here to stay. Is your …
Feeling Confident That Your Service Department Complies With Safety And Environmental Laws And Regs
Non-profit group offers tools to evaluate whether your compliance and training are thorough and structured. BY JON MCKENNA Think of the potentially hazardous situations in which your dealership’s service techs and advisors work routinely – walking beneath cars on the lift and across slippery floors, etc. Ponder the containers of …
Service Managers Shouldn’t Train On Inbound Phone Skills But Should Insist On Following Basics
You can at least police for politeness, speed of response and professionalism with customers. BY MICHAEL ROPPO The telephone remains a dealership’s lifeline to influencing service and sales business performance. As a service manager, you already know (or at least suspect) that customer service telephone technique is critical to your …
Your CRM May Be A Bad Fit With Your Dealership Business Model
Be alert for these warning signs that you should look for a different kind of CRM. BY ZACH KLEMPF Today’s car buying marketplace demands nothing less than a connected, personalized customer experience. Consumers want dealerships to know who they are and what their interests are, and to anticipate the types …