Leonard Buchholz's Blog (95)

R this and R that

R this and R that.  Which one is the right R for our Dealership?  If we concentrate on ROI, what do we lose in ROR? Is it possible to have too much focus on ROR?

Wait. I didn’t explain what I am talking about very well.  Ok.  ROI is referring to Return On Investment.  This “Investment” can be anything. Time, Money, Parts, Labor…anything.  And when we…

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Added by Leonard Buchholz on March 23, 2012 at 10:30am — No Comments

Why would you need something "new"?

Nearly every week someone says "What's new?" in the Fixed Ops Training world as if there is something wrong with what works.

And every week, the answer is the same. When it comes to Fixed Ops Training, Coaching and Mentoring..."Not much."

Oh to be sure, there are "new" things in Fixed Ops every day.

There are at least a zillion ways to keep in contact with the Customer. And there must be a bazillion CRM companies that can manage a "lost souls" campaign. And, yes, there…

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Added by Leonard Buchholz on March 20, 2012 at 10:00am — 1 Comment

Commodity or Original...which one are you?

The world is full of commodities.  Everything from cell phones to toothpaste.  It is the glue that binds all of us together.  We can’t live without them.  Nearly everything we use today is manufactured and produced this way.  In fact, we would collapse as a species if it was not. 

In the past 150 years we have morphed from a “handcrafted” industrial base to “mass…

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Added by Leonard Buchholz on March 16, 2012 at 10:30am — No Comments

Empowerment, Action, Solution...why does Andy Succeed and Fred does not?

Professional Service Advisors are Action oriented. They don’t spend a lot of time worrying about what is The Right Thing To Do because they already know what the Right Thing To Do is.

These Advisors have a sense of Empowerment and that leads to Empowered Action.

Empowered Action by definition is when one has the ability to do something with the Customers Best…

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Added by Leonard Buchholz on March 13, 2012 at 10:45am — 4 Comments

What are you paying attention to?

What are you paying attention to? 

In case you are new to Fixed Ops, I'll give you a little clue. We are “results driven.”

There is nothing that we do that is not measured, quantified, compared, sifted through, arm chaired, discussed, metered, broken down, dissected, eyeballed or run up the flagpole.

Everything we do is subject to verification. Professionally run Fixed Operation Departments know, live, love this.

And what they pay the most attention to is "The…

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Added by Leonard Buchholz on March 5, 2012 at 10:40am — No Comments

Your EOY is a CTA

By now you have a completed December 2011 Financial. (If you don't, all I can say is WOW)

Look in the box that says "Profit/Loss".

Are you happy with what you see? Would you say that 2011 was a good year an   average year or a "I'm gonna have a stroke!" year?

Whatever your results your EOY(End of the Year) statement is a CTA (Call To Action) for 2012.

Here are 3 Calls To Action you might want to look at if you a looking to KSA in 2012. (You can figure that one…

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Added by Leonard Buchholz on February 27, 2012 at 10:27am — 2 Comments

One word every Service Department needs.

What would be the one word to describe what a Service Department needs these days to compete?

There are so many to choose from. However, the one word that keeps coming up when I visit Dealerships across the country is adaptability.

The Dealerships that are doing well, adapt to changing market conditions and Customer demands.

Even if this is your first day in a Dealership, you know that the ability to adapt is the key to Exceeding Expectations.

The dictionary tells…

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Added by Leonard Buchholz on February 24, 2012 at 11:00am — 1 Comment

Not sayin' this is happening at your Dealership...

In many Dealerships lack of Profitability in Fixed Operations starts with just 3 processes that are not getting done with every Customer that comes in the door.

Everything starts with building a relationship. It sounds easy, we say it all the time and there is not one Sales book, cd, mp3…course…whatever that does not have some chapter on building relationships.

The Service Department is no different. Studies show that Customers who do not feel taken care of find a reason to do…

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Added by Leonard Buchholz on January 23, 2012 at 9:37am — No Comments

"Missed it by that much"

There is an old saying carpenters use. "Measure twice, cut once."…

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Added by Leonard Buchholz on January 17, 2012 at 9:09am — No Comments

Smothered by the Rut Blanket

What would a Professional Service Advisor do?



Professional Service Advisors are prepared for the day ahead of them and don't get caught in the "why bother because everyday is the same and nothing changes" rut.



Now, why is this so important? I mean, c’mon, isn't every day just the same?



Open the door, reset the alarm, start the coffee, turn on the computers, check for night drops, check your email, flip through the stack of carry-overs, etc, etc,…

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Added by Leonard Buchholz on September 5, 2011 at 10:30am — 4 Comments

Exceeding the Expectation

What would a Service Professional do?



A Professional understands their Customers Expectations.



Now this has got to be the easiest “no brainer” post you

have read in years! You would think that every person who works in the Dealership has heard of Customer Service (here’s a little hint: WE ALL DO) and would take the time to understand their Customer expectations. And then try to EXCEED them!



You would think.



And every day in the field at a Dealership there… Continue

Added by Leonard Buchholz on August 26, 2011 at 8:24am — 7 Comments

Was Your Last Month Defined By Two Words?

Was your last month defined by these two words…”If only”?



“If only…”



The Dealer Principal



“If only” I had asked my Managers “What is your plan for

increasing Profit this month?” and held them accountable for their replies.



“If only” I had taken a walk every day and made it my

mission to talk to Sales and Service Customers, introduce myself and say “Is

there anything I can do to help you today while you are here at our

Dealership?”



“If… Continue

Added by Leonard Buchholz on August 3, 2011 at 7:00pm — 3 Comments

The Professional Service Advisor and Leader

What would a Professional Service Advisor do?

Professional Service Advisors are Leaders.



You have a unique place in your organization. You are responsible for not only providing the highest quality Customer Service Experience, you are also responsible for your own training and your own Attitude.



In the increasingly connected world, your job is becoming more and more difficult. Not only do you need to take care of the Customers needs, you have to do it faster, with… Continue

Added by Leonard Buchholz on July 26, 2011 at 9:48am — 2 Comments

Rules for Managers

Over the years I have made plenty of mistakes. Rather than keep track of the mistakes, I just made a list of the things I learned.



If you are an aspiring Manager, print this and keep it handy. You might find a helpful thought in there to use and make a difference.



Here is the list as it stands now. I have made changes as I learned something new. Hope you can use it to do something different or make a change.



Rules for Managers



1. You get all of the… Continue

Added by Leonard Buchholz on July 21, 2011 at 10:30am — 20 Comments

The one word every Advisor needs to hear...

There is one word every Service Advisor needs to hear.



This word is the key to their future...whether they become a top-notch superstar a middle of the road average Joe or a washout...they need this word.



It defines greatness as well as highlights deficiencies.



The word is...No.



Since our Company trains in Dealerships all over the country, we are exposed to every possible version of Service Advisors imaginable.



From the greenpea who is day… Continue

Added by Leonard Buchholz on July 15, 2011 at 9:30am — 1 Comment

Use the "3T System" to make more money in Fixed Ops.

Making more Money in Fixed Operations is everyone's goal.



Think not?



Just go tell your Dealer Principal that this month you've decided that making money is not important... and see what happens to you, Mr. /Ms. Jobless.



Making money is much easier when you use a system to do it and it is much better than just wishing for more Money. Use the "3T System" to drive more dollars to the bank.



The first T stands for "Tell Everybody" what you want to… Continue

Added by Leonard Buchholz on July 11, 2011 at 12:00pm — 1 Comment

Hater or Creator?

It has been said that “the world is divided into haters and

creators.”



Creators are people who believe in themselves and their ability to find solutions and act on them to Create whatever it is they desire in every aspect of their lives.



The first step to becoming a Creator is embracing the role of being a Creator because you will soon find yourself besieged by Haters.



So, how do we become Creators?



Creators are people who decide which direction… Continue

Added by Leonard Buchholz on June 20, 2011 at 1:15pm — No Comments

A recent study of Fixed Operations and what it reveals about Service Sales, Profitability and more...

Recent studies show that Service Advisors that hand out menus during the write up process experience an increase in Customer Maintenance Sales. The study also shows that this corresponds to an increase in the Service Advisors pay.



These recent studies also show that Technicians that completed a Multipoint Inspection on every vehicle flagged more hours than Technicians who did not. An interesting side note to the study, Technicians who completed the most Multipoint Inspections made the… Continue

Added by Leonard Buchholz on May 23, 2011 at 5:30am — No Comments

Disgruntled Service Personnel Need A Take

Ever find yourself with "disgruntled" Service Personnel and wondered "How did it get this bad?" You know people are getting "fed up" when you have top personnel (like a Superstar Service Advisor) give notice from seemingly out of nowhere or Customer complaints suddenly increase overnight or accidents start happening.



These are all signs that something is amiss.



You need to have a "Take."



Take a Moment and begin by opening the door of two-way communications… Continue

Added by Leonard Buchholz on April 13, 2011 at 4:19pm — No Comments

The 7 Measurables and the Financial Statement

There are 7 Measurable and Improvable Key Performance Indicators that every Fixed Operations Director/Service Manager needs to be aware of.



They are RO Count, HPRO, Labor Gross Margin, Parts Gross Margin, EFL (Effective Labor Rate), Total Gross Profit and Total Net Profit.



When you have a constant update on these measurables and a mandate to improve their numbers you can have a really impressive Financial Statement at the end of the month.



Think about what a 10%… Continue

Added by Leonard Buchholz on March 30, 2011 at 2:05pm — No Comments

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