An Open Letter to Dealers and General Managers…

Dear Dealer & General Manager: All the economic indicators and the automotive industry analysts are optimistic about the remainder of 2012. I even saw one prediction that said new car sales will flirt with a figure near 14 million units. Used car
Mar 22, 2012

Proper Warranty Denial Procedures

Almost every dealership deals with warranty coverage issues of some kind. Whether it is a manufacturer’s warranty, a parts warranty or an aftermarket or extended warranty, all warranties have excluding coverage of certain repairs. Common exclusions
Mar 15, 2012

Time to Focus on Fixed Operations

I just attended a meeting with the Minnesota Auto Dealers Association. The dealers were upbeat and enthusiastic after a tremendous month. Profits are up and the biggest concern is whether the good days will last. Similar reports have been reported by
Feb 24, 2012

Older Cars & Higher Mileage: Is your Service Department Ready?

The future of the automotive maintenance and repair business is coming into sharper focus now that the economic challenges of the past three years have begun to diminish. Almost all of the consultants, analysts, columnists, pundits and professional a
Feb 13, 2012

Training Vision for Rookies and Geezers

So what is training? Why is it necessary? When does it begin? When does it end? Is it true your face can get stuck that way? All these important questions and more will be answered in the following personal soliloquy to training – long past due and
Feb 5, 2012

Let’s Talk about Pay Plans!

It’s time to re-think how we compensate service salespeople This is the time of year when everyone is reviewing financial performance for the past year, and the subject of personnel compensation usually crops up early on. Unfortunately we, as an in
Jan 30, 2012

Consumers Want Love Too ….

The annual fall Las Vegas based AAPEX (Aftermarket Auto Parts Expo) and SEMA (Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association) shows feature thousands of parts manufacturers, tool vendors, equipment makers, custom cars/trucks/what is the hell is that?
Jan 8, 2012

Turn your Advisors Loose to Sell Service…Don’t Hold Them Back!

Happy New Year! I hope you had a chance to rest and unwind as you celebrated the holidays with your family and friends. We begin 2012 with some great news from J.D. Power & Associates: contrary to popular perception, vehicle owners say the up-sel
Jan 1, 2012

Consumers Want Love Too ….

The annual fall Las Vegas based AAPEX (Aftermarket Auto Parts Expo) and SEMA (Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association) shows feature thousands of parts manufacturers, tool vendors, equipment makers, custom cars/trucks/what is the hell is that?
Dec 11, 2011