Fixed Ops Journal - October 2022 - F19

Shine spotlight on your brand to stand out
F
ments
or many dealership service departments,
long-term planning
simply means focusing on the current
month. But Lee Harkins, president
of the service training company
M5 Management Services, says a more strategic
approach is needed.
A service department requires a strategy,
said Harkins, who kicked off Week 1's discussion
on customer retention. " And that strategy
is the master of the business - and the master
of the business is continual growth. "
Harkins asks service managers he consults
with why a customer should come to them for
repair and maintenance work. He gets the
same answers: factory-trained technicians,
manufacturer parts and fair prices.
" Th at's not what we're looking for, " Harkins
said. " We've got to be able to come up with a
strategy that sets us apart from everybody
else. "
A potential challenge for service departis
overcoming the
recent
lack of
new-vehicle sales, which have traditionally
funneled new customers into the parking lot.
Harkins said he believes a day of reckoning is
coming soon.
" Th e lack of car sales is going to hit us next
year, and when it hits us, it's going to be right
smack-dab in the kisser, " he said. " We've got
time to develop a strategy that's totally focused
on keeping that customer coming back. "
Branding the service department means defi
ning what the dealership wants customers to
think of its work. Harkins said service departments
don't manage the brand aggressively,
which can lead to customers driving the
branding instead.
" We've got to have an eff ort right now, " he
said, " that says we're going to manage what's
in that customer's mind and what they think
about us .
" Th en once we have that brand developed,
now we have our staff totally focused on delivering
that brand each and every time with our
customers. "
Being consistently good should be the expectation,
Harkins said. Th e basics never
change. Customers want their car back in a
reasonable amount of time and managing
that expectation is important.
" We've got to be consistently good ... which
requires written processes, " Harkins said. " It
requires training inside the store to those processes.
Th en it requires adherence and accountability
to those processes on a consistent
basis. "
Having more technicians turning wrenches
in service bays will speed up repair times. Th at
means recruiting new techs should start in
high school and include parents in the discussion
to tell them the most important tool will
soon be the laptop, Harkins said.
And speaking of technicians, not enough is
done to promote the value they bring to a
dealership. Th e ability of technicians to properly
repair a vehicle right the fi rst time is one
of the dealership's greatest selling points, Harkins
said.
" We've got technicians out there that that
have turned wrenches for 30-plus years, " he
said. " Th ey have tremendous value and
knowledge in our business, but we poorly
communicate their assets to the consumer. "
- Dan Shine
OCTOBER 2022 PAGE 19
Fixed Ops Journal - October 2022

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