service writers

[GM PARTS]

how do i get my tech and writers to up sell more work. in the last months we have had a couple of campaign and the tech dont even try to up sell not even a air filter or write anything on the ro for the writers to tell the customers. i get upset because its work comming into the dealer and nobody else sees it but me.i tell the manager but he tells me im to aggresive.

[Doug]

Sounds to me like the techs and advisors are in a "comfort zone" with their jobs and/or pay plans.

As far as "agressive" goes....well...they really don't have to be agressive. In fact, to some degree, they really don't even have to "sell". If the techs just write down what they see, and the advisors simply *inform* the customer, a fair number of customers are gonna want the work done. Once they all get into that groove, then some "selling" can begin.

Anyhow, if the advisors are not doing their job then, soon enough, the techs will stop doing theirs....what's the point ?

Cheers
Doug

[callbob]

More years ago then I care to discuss Gates Rubber Company would have someone come to town in a vehicle that needed a new fan belt or hose. If the Service Station attendant pointed this out he got cash on the spot as I recall. It seems like $5 which was a about a half days wages at that time as I recall. We spiff our NC and UC sales people why not the techs. I am a firm beliver that instant cash works for many reasons including WIFE DOES NOT GET THE CHECK. Excuse me SPOUSE does not get the check. As I write the I am thinking about contacting one of my customers that is scheduled in for service or I know will be in soon and put a $50 in the Air Cleaner. Worth a try.

[chucks]

How about first asking the techs why they are not up-selling. Is it because they are already too busy, or maybe they are discouraged by advisors that wont try to sell what the techs are recommending? And dont expect the techs to push to sell things like air filters and wiper blades that are generally zero labor items. You need to find out the techs reasons, address them, then make sure the writers are going to follow through and attempt to get the sale. But beware, if the items you are hoping to up sell dont translate into a serious monetary return on the time and effort investment by the participants you are wasting your time.

[This message has been edited by chucks (edited 11-03-2003).]

[Mike Vogel]

You might want to track your techs and advisors to see who is selling and who's not. Try using a form such as additional service request, make them fill out on every car this way they know they are being watched by management and management can actually measure who's doing a good job and who is not.

[GM PARTS]

The reason the techs dont up sell in my shop is that they are too comfotable with making the min hours, and the guys are very spoiled in the shop.We are not very busy so that is why i want them to up sell.We changed owners about 3 years ago.The last owners were known all over the area and use to sell about 500+ cars a month and have the service lane filled all day that was about 5 years ago. They cant seem to get rid of the past. Luckly i have a couple of new tech here and the up sell on almost every car but i still have the old school techs.Im not looking for everthing to up sell just the basics to inform the customers on the condition of their car. The service writter is only as good as the tech giving them the information .

[coyotekid]

Something that I've been using for years now. I spiff the techs and I spiff the advisors on all up-sells. The shop I'm in now was doing NO up sells when I first arrived, and now the techs "compete" to see who can find the most up-sells.. the advisors HAVE to be the ones driving it, however, because without them following through on the phones and with the customers, the techs will sour on the whole deal. I spiff the techs $1.00 per hour up sold, and sometimes increasing that to $2.00 for a short time to generate interest. I spiff the advisors a set figure for each of the menu items they sell and also for each up sell that they do for the techs. The parts manager got into the flow by setting up his own spiff for the techs for certain parts that are sold.. changing them once and awhile and varying the amounts. It takes some monitoring and some time, but it really does work...!!

[Ted@ADP]

All the replies to this thread are right on the mark. I went to work at a different dealership in 1990. When I asked the tech why he had found no problems on a six year old Civic, he pointed out about seven or eight problems, but then said "but it's an old car - they won't want to spend any money on it." I phoned the customer, and he got most of the problems fixed that day. The problem was twofold, the tech thinking the customer would think about his car the way the tech thought about his, and the previous advisors being "sorry" that a customer had problems with their car. The story has a happy ending. The following year was "bumper crop" (pun intended,) just because we started telling customers what was wrong with their cars!

[Ser Sol]

Selling service is not an event driven issue, it is part of a "corporate mindset" that should be driven by the service manager. Selling service should be expected as a normal part of a legal and moral responsibility to the customer. It should be "what we do" as a normal part of our day and it should not be seen as an event set aside as special or out of the norm.

Service management drives this mindset. If the job description does not include a written description of the selling process for both technicians and advisors, then it's no wonder sales are based on individual policies. When it is important enough to control as a shop written policy, it will be important enough to do --- untill then, it's whatever by whomever and no standard will apply. If you controlled vacation policy the same way you handle selling policy the place would be chaos.

Most service departments are run like a Jr Achievement company with everybody doing what they want to do. The fun stuff gets done and the hard stuff is left to the few that will do it. Stop begging for sales and getyour hands around the issue.
1. Develop a sales process
2. write it down.
3. make it a condition of hiring
4. coach and counsel your guys into compliance
5.Track and measure compliance
6. Use a lot of positive reinforcement
7. Use a selling tool in the lane to enhance the customer understanding of their need
8.Tell the customer at the reservation time that you will be talking to them about the issue.
9.Require a decision by the customer and his initials for the file when he/she declines
10. review all the cash repair orders daily with you advisors to identify sales process non-compliance and to correct those areas.
11. Always sell at the car -- never sell from behind a computer screen!!!!

If you do those things you will see 20% increase in shop sales over night. I did it for 15 years in a dealership and I teach it now.

John
Ser Sol