To say that we are excited about our employee development programs would be an understatement. We know that what we do is groundbreaking for our industry, and a positive movement for employers, employees, and customers alike.
For too long, training budgets were non-existent. Now that we have clear paths forward for employee growth and excellence, the video below shows you a glimpse of how a Learning Without Scars program works.
The time is now.
Magic words: increase profits. Service Management is a very simple term to cover the many variables it contains: planning, organization, customer retention, job descriptions, praise, criticism, time management, personnel management. I could go on with this list, as the Service Management includes so much within the Dealership.
With so many moving parts, how can you train your staff to provide service and satisfaction to your most important asset – the customer?
Our Service Management webinars offer 1 hour programs on the varied topics and skills necessary to run a successful business, without the demands on time or travel that are required in traditional, face-to-face training.
We are back in full swing with our webinar learning series, and we would love to see you this week.
For more information on Service Management webinars from Learning Without Scars, please visit our website on the Service Management – Webinars tab to read short write-ups, and sign up for training.
The time is now.
Overcoming Objections – PTS-WE-U09
The sales process is complicated. Determining the right customers to call on the telephone is not easy. But all of that work is undermined if the individual on the telephone with the customer does not know how to handle the objections that the customer might present.
How these objections are handled can make the difference between a sales success and a failure. This webinar deals with the methods to employ: the “how to” of overcoming objections. In the sales process typically you are looking for an order or at least a positive outcome of the sales call. In order to achieve that outcome, it has to be understood that the customer has to learn about what it is that you are selling. In many cases, an objection is simply an indication that customer does not have enough information yet to make an informed decision.
From keeping your cool, to making the objection specific, and providing compensating factors, everything about the “how to” overcome an objection is exposed. If you no longer want to run the risk of losing a sale, you can’t miss this one!
The time is now.
Service has changed. Have you? Are you staying current? YOU must maintain your skills and knowledge. That is accomplished through reading and attending learning opportunities. We have management seminars in Dallas in a few weeks. Don’t miss out. The following might provoke some more thinking on your part.
I recently viewed a show on YouTube from BMW showing a technician replacing a radiator core. Nothing very fancy, right? Well, this technician walks up to his tool box and puts on a pair of glasses. Makes adjustments and pushes on them to start. He is standing in front of the car and an image is transposed over the engine compartment and shows in color the items to be worked on and then tells him vocally what to do. When he has completed a step he says “next step.” What a wonderful use of technology. As our world becomes more of a remove and- install of components and things, the technical skills needed from mechanics is reduced; at least for some categories of the work.
One of my many complaints about the operations of a service department that many of you have read over the years is that we have a peanut butter mentality to the work. We charge the same price no matter the skills of the technician, nor the tooling required, nor the degree of difficulty of the work— did we spread it equally, like peanut butter. We don’t schedule labor but we do give completion dates to customers for much of the work. How do we do that when we have variable skills required for the work and variable skills available from the technicians? Peanut butter. This is why we rarely meet completion dates and have lost so much of the available labor market.
We now have new technological tools and new uses of longstanding technology. Who will buy this technology and have it available for use?
We now have new technological tools and new uses of longstanding technology. Who will buy this technology and have it available for use? Hopefully it will be the authorized dealers and distributors.
In another direction, we also have technology roaring to our assistance but it isn’t loud enough yet, as I don’t see many dealers rushing to implement it. It seems that the rental industry has leapt ahead of the authorized distributors in how they treat their technicians. How so?
Well, the technician can stay in the bay and look up on a computer terminal and determine their parts requirement. Okay, some of you are saying that you already do that. Now, let’s start from the make, model and serial number of the machine they are working on and automatically go to a library of schematics and select the appropriate one that will allow them to select the parts they need. Do you do that, too? Oh, and they do that with a touchscreen. You do that, too? Well, then the parts list, which is in a “shopping cart,” is processed as an order in their computer system and prints a pick ticket in the warehouse, their store, so that the parts group can pick the part and deliver it to the technician in their bay. Do you do all that too? I didn’t think so.
It is long past time that we start putting technology to better use. These two illustrations are examples of where and how we can improve labor efficiency on the job. My estimate is that this will increase in labor efficiency by 30 to 60 minutes each day for each technician. Yes, that is right. The time that a technician spends each day walking back and forth to the parts department wastes that much time every day. If you think I am wrong, go watch the floor for a while. In the field it is worse because the technician has to drive to get the parts. And all that time the technician is on the clock.
I think we better get serious, and what better time than now?
The management of a service operation is aimed at two specific major elements: labor efficiency and quality. If we can keep the technicians in the bay where the work is done we can improve their labor efficiency. If we can deliver current accurate schematics from which they can order the necessary parts we will improve the quality.
Are you ready for that? This is not a question of if you will use technology effectively; it is a question of when. This is coming to us and we don’t have any control over it. In this market and these conditions I believe the sooner that we implement these technologies the better. The choice is yours.
I began my career as an educator. There was nothing I enjoyed more than seeing the light go on for a student – unless, of course, it was shocking them with my unorthodox methods.
Today, the landscape of education has shifted. We have moved from the traditional classroom to the world wide web. Webinars have become one of the most convenient and cost-effective learning tools for continuing education, and even mainstream university programs.
A webinar is typically a static process.
We are throwing that idea out the window.
We use a projector at a 16:10 aspect ratio, and a high definition camera. Instead of our students watching Power Point slides go by, we present information, and then switch to conference format. I move in front of the camera, and our webinar turns into a classroom discussion.
There is no better way for you to receive the training you need to advance personally, and advance your company, than to try one of our webinars.
I have pooled the knowledge of the past 45 years of my experience, as well as incorporating the latest, cutting edge theory and practice across the industry, to help the light go on for all of you.
Move forward in this New Year.
The time is now…
What sets you apart?
It is all too easy to recognize the similarities among service departments, parts departments, and product support salespeople. In order to stand out amongst the crowd, your training helps you make your mark. Your training teaches you what your work looks like when it is right.
I have been working in the capital goods industry for 45 years. I have implemented new systems, and worked in nearly every product support position within the dealership. With this knowledge under my belt, I have moved into the newest teaching module: the webinar.
Webinars enable students to take a course in a brief format, from the comfort of their own office or home. By and large, webinars are becoming the preferred method for training across industries. The trick is in finding the right program, with the right instructor.
Without any exaggeration, I can tell you that there is no one in our industry doing what we do. There is no other place for you to learn WHAT we can teach you, in the WAY we teach it.
That is what sets us apart.
At Learning Without Scars, we don’t want you to passively receive information.
We’ve ramped up the webinar into a truly interactive, multi-media event. Our webinars take not only my 45 years of background and knowledge, but present the material in an “internet conference.” As a student, you will see, hear, and be able to actively participate in each webinar.
In 2015, why don’t you join us? Set yourself apart, professionally, and start one of our series of webinars.
For more information on the 40 different webinars we will be offering, please visit https://learningwithoutscars.org/webinars/
The time is now…
How can we create a successful and interesting retail store in our Parts Businesses?
Next week, on December 2, 2014 at 9:00 a.m. PST you can find out in a one hour webinar from Learning Without Scars.
You will learn:
– how our walk-in business has changed over the years
– other examples of successful merchandising from companies like Harley Davidson, Ski Doo, and Arctic Cat
– what an appealing layout looks like
– how to keep your retail area fresh and vital
– how to increase revenues through the instore merchandise available to walk-in customers
Our retail space is an often overlooked area in our Parts Businesses. By merchandising our brand, we can drive traffic back into the Parts Business, and improve our visibility among our customer base while expanding that base.
Please sign up to join us for this informative session by using the following link:
https://learningwithoutscars.org/webinars/parts-management/instore-merchandising/
The time is now…
October 28th and October 29th
Don’t miss any of the four webinars being offered on Parts Operations.
For more details please go to www.learningwithoutscars.org and review the webinars available.
Don’t forget to purchase your membership and receive a 30% price reduction on all of our learning offerings for a full fifteen months.
The time is now
Upcoming Webinar Notice!
October 21st and October 22nd
Don’t miss any of the four webinars being offered on Service Operations.
For more details please go to www.learningwithoutscars.org and review the webinars available.
Don’t forget to purchase your membership and receive a 30% reduction on all learning offerings for a full fifteen months.
The time is now
