Over the years I’ve made thousands of visits to dealerships throughout the United States. I could spend several weeks telling stories and using examples of knowledge shared and gained without coming to completion. Throughout the good times and bad what makes it interesting to me is the privilege of watching growth in individuals achieving beyond their imagination.
 
A Facebook memory came up this morning in which the service manager Mike Kann emailed me the day of his retirement, thanking me for my involvement and working with him. Recalling the initial visits they were full of skepticism and that won’t work here attitude. It didn’t take long for Mike to realize changing a few things can make a dramatic difference in the way his service department ran. As the department’s numbers skyrocketed so did his personal income along with the other staff.
 
There is never one specific thing that you can point to turn around the service Department. Instead it’s thousands of little things that alone might seem insignificant yet make the difference. Through the many years of experience these things are coachable and achievable through anyone that desires to make a difference in their department. Everyone gets distracted and wants to stay in their normal, let’s face it change is never comfortable.
 
Zig Zigler had a saying I still use today. “It’s hard to remember when you’re up to your armpits in alligators the original objective was to drain the swamp.” And that brings us to the title of today’s message, keep it simple. Whenever you’re doing anything in the service Department it all comes down to the customer. All of the processes we at Fixed Performance teach and share are designed to make the customer experience better. Your customer can have an incredible experience even though they really never want to be in the service Department. It’s always an inconvenience for them. I want to challenge all of you to keep it simple and understand the mission is to make it all about your customer! Just keep it simple.

Sincerely,
Rob Gehring, President
Fixed Performance Inc.
rgehring@fixedperformance.com

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