Articles by Don Reed - CEO

Are you starting to see my point? Most dealers and general managers will hold their sales team accountable for their performance on a scheduled basis and make any adjustments by moving their comfort zones based on what is needed NOW!

Don Reed - Here’s a possible topic for consideration in your accountability meeting. Let’s assume your retail labor is $75 (the national average) and your effective labor rate is $62.50 on customer pay labor.

Don Reed - So, let’s compare this scenario to the sales department. Since the front end sales are slowing down, do these dealers then layoff their salespeople, and instruct the new car sales manager to start taking “UPS” and stop managing?

Don Reed reminds dealers and general managers about the real opportunities that exist for service departments.

Expert Don Reed, CEO of Fixed Ops Solutions, points out that the primary mission of a service advisor is to ensure that every customer is driving a safe and reliable vehicle. Reed also teaches you exactly how to accomplish your mission from building customer relationships to holding everyone accountable to the mission.

Service expert Don Reed has observed that dealers are reluctant to push for greater sales in fixed ops. Here he looks at the cost of that reluctance.

The most important part of a manager’s day is to manage the performance of their employees. Don Reed suggests some daily tasks for a fixed ops manager that can positively affect the performance of his team.

Currently dealers are getting only about 16 percent of the parts and service market. With the average age of a vehicle today at 10.8 years, it is imperative that dealers get those vehicles back into their service departments. Don Reed examines the dilemma of inactive service customers.

For the dealer who wants to thrive and not just survive in this very competitive industry, every department in the dealership must be a profit center. Don Reed discusses the need for dealers to elevate not only their service departments but their entire dealerships beyond average.

By outlining a fixed operations marketing plan with daily, monthly and quarterly plans, industry expert Don Reed explains how dealers can realize a 20-percent increase in fixed operations traffic.