Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/719034
www.PowersportsBusiness.com SOLUTIONS Powersports Business • September 6, 2016 • 41 I recently returned from a 20-group meeting, during which I moderated a two-day session with the dealers' service manag- ers. This was a mature 20-group that included several very large multi- line stores. Overall, they had a very sharp group of service managers. They came prepared to present best ideas relating to the theme the group had decided we would use for the service manager session: How do you maintain or increase service pro- ductivity during slow periods? As most of you know, this is no easy feat. I anticipated some lively discussions, and I was not disappointed. Interestingly, this topic tied in well to my previous article in PSB about sales prospecting during slow periods. Many of the service man- agers said that they increased prospecting for the service department through some of the same methods used by the sales managers: 1. Go to your CRM and pull service cus- tomer lists. Follow-up with service customers who haven't been in for the last six months or more and ask for an appointment. Note that you need to have a reason for this call, if you are going to get an appointment. A promo- tion on something service-related would be a typical lead-in. Certainly you can make a "touch-base" call to rekindle the relationship, but it is harder to turn this into a commitment (appointment). 2. Use your sales customer database to send out seasonal service promotions by mail or email. Work with your parts manager to create cooperative promotions that tie into ser- vice, such as tire, battery, or specific accessory item promotions that include installation. 3. If you haven't already, contact local fleet customers, such as police with motor- cycle patrols, and offer maintenance plans. Do the same thing with landscape maintenance companies (independent business and munici- palities), colleges and universities or other organizations that use ATVs or side-by-sides to maintain large properties. Offer free pick-up and delivery, if applicable. 4. If people ask about major repairs during the season, offer them special rates or pickup and delivery service, if they will post- pone the repairs until the off-season. Be sure to follow-up with them. In addition, during the off-season, announce a promotion that includes free or discounted pickup and deliv- ery for customers needing significant repairs as an incentive to get it done now. 5. Review applicable recall lists from all manufacturers and contact these customers. Lock in appointments to get them completed. During the write-up, use a walk-around checklist and work hard to up-sell services and accessories on all units brought in. 6. Pull a list of your customers who have units that are nearing the end of their manu- facturer's warranty. Encourage them to bring their units in for a free inspection. Use the word track: "Bring it in, so we can make sure we catch any issues now while they are still covered under warranty." Capitalize on up-sell opportunities and promote extended service programs, if they plan on keeping the unit. You should also plan ahead for personnel changes during the off-season. Slow periods are the time when you need to eliminate under-performers and actively pursue the hiring of talented people. To make this work effectively, you should have been gathering resumes throughout the year. We all struggle to keep our techs busy during the off-season. It can be painful to lay off good techs, since you can't always get them back. I hope this article provides you with some useful ideas on things you can do to stimulate your service business during the slow times. PSB Steve Jones is senior projects manager at Gart Sutton & Associates. He has worked in the powersports industry for more than 30 years, for dealerships and manufacturers, and as a consultant and trainer. Contact him at steve@gartsutton.com. 6 ideas for service productivity in slow periods STEVE JONES RETAIL REMEDIES 3. Train. Train new people and do refresher training for others. There is always something new to learn. 4. Do a complete review of processes and procedures. Many dealerships only complete these tasks at year-end, if at all. Do these tasks now or as part of your month-end. If you get in the habit of doing this, then the year-end tasks become less stressful and less time consuming. As you are taking stock in the dealership, take stock in yourself. We all have times in our lives where things are not going the right way or the way we want them to go. Sometimes for things to go a certain way, we have to introspect and change something that we are doing. The dealership is run by imperfect people, and sometimes those people have to recognize their own positives and negatives, then adjust as needed. It may take time to change, but you will be glad you did in the end. I encourage you to take time for a business tune-up this summer/fall, but to also take the time to relax, have fun and be thankful for this wonderful industry we get to be a part of! PSB Paula Crosbie is the training development manager with CDK Global Recreation. She has been training and consulting with powersports dealers for 14 years. She can be reached at paula.crosbie@cdk.com or 801/519-7570. CROSBIE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 40