Why your 2012 Business Plan Will Fail and What to Do About It

I have heard all the excuses why Fixed Operations all over the country did not hit there 2011 projections, goals, budgets, etc. The number one excuse was the economy!!! What a perfect airtight alibi for lack of training and a coach! They know all the reasons why they believed they failed! So I decided to call some of these dealers and see how well they answered the phone. (which was not on the list as one of the reasons they  failed!)

This is one item out of many that does not take a lot of evaluation to determine what your customer is experiencing. Just pick the phone up and call your dealership and you will experience the Moment of Truth! Wow!...What an eye opener! I'm told 90% of the time that the economy was the reason, when in fact all they need to do is call their dealership and get the facts.

 I won't go into details however, the economy is not the problem or any other excuse. The truth is they would have never hit a projection, goal, or budget without some sort of daily guidance from an outside professional trainer and coach to assist them in improving every single day.

My mother always told me if you want to be great at something, you need someone to train and coach you who knows how to do it. When my brother and I wanted to learn how to swim, she went to the YMCA at the local pool and hired the Swimming Coach to teach us everyday after school.

She learned how to swim the hard way in a Rock Pit with a rope tied around her waist with my grandfather telling her to swim! When she started to drown he would just pull her back up and repeat Swim! You learned how to swim from fear or else. The one thing my grandfather got right was consistency!

My mom could have taught us how to swim however she wanted us to learn the right way from the start! I also wanted to learn how to play the Clarinet. My Mom searched out the local music store and found a teacher who played the clarinet and the lessons started.

My Mom made me practice everyday for an hour until I mastered each sheet of music my teacher/coach gave me each week to do. I was not allowed to play outside with my friends till I finished. It went on to Tennis Lessons, Saxophone Lessons and the list goes on. My Mom always searched out a Coach for us to learn the right way from the start.

She is an accomplished Figure Skater only because she hired a Skating Coach who trained the U.S. Figure Skating Team. She always told me it's the only way you can get better and better is by having another set of eyes watching what you do then making adjustments to your routine and practicing until perfection.

Who is Training/Coaching your Fixed Operations?

Here is a Simple Self-Evaluation on Two Basic Key Fundamentals to review:

1. Appointment Process: Show up to your Service Drive when they open for two or more days. If there's two or more customers waiting in line for your service advisor(s) your Appointment Process is Broken and you are headed to Achieve the Same Results you did Last Year or Worse! 
2. Daily Action Plan: (Caution! If you did not Pass #1 do not attempt this!) Again show up on  your service drive when they open and see how many customers are greeted by name and they have a pre-work order with all there history, recalls needed, and service needs ready to present!

 If you Failed either Test you will be one of the 95% of Dealers who will not  achieve your Projections, Goals, or Budget for 2012! Without these Two Key Fundamentals, forget about any other training you might be thinking about. It's a waste of Time and Money! Get Training from a company who will achieve these goals for you and you will have a Great Year!

As you may have noticed this takes no special equipment/technology to accomplish. Just hard work everyday, and a Performance Trainer/Coach to steer you in the right direction for the next twelve months. No Excuses, No Alibis!


How many Service Managers, Parts Managers, or Owners have had the proper training and coaching on how to Lead and Manage your Fixed Operations for Top Performance?

Guy Salkeld is the President and Head Performance Coach of Automotive Consultants Group Inc. The only Low Risk High Return Training, Coaching, and Consulting company in the world! To learn more go to www.smartservicetraining.com  Have a question? E-Mail Guy directly at guyacg@aol.com or Call me direct at: 305-331-3373    Follow @smartserviceguy