How to Increase Service Sales To keep dealerships viable at all times, it is vital for dealerships to focus on another area that can generate significant revenue: the Service Department. Unfortunately, the workshop is not always managed properly or is not given the attention it deserves. In order to maximize workshop efficiency, the dealer must first comprehend the importance of Service Department. A proper analysis and better management of the workshop can potentially increase revenue manifolds. One common problem in the Service Department is the lack of advisors with a sales profile. Most advisors don't realise they are selling services; so, they tend not to realise the value they can add. Nowadays, those Service Advisors who have contact with customers should become service salespeople, and even consultative sales people. A Consultative Service Advisor is someone from the Service Department with technical know-how, but also with a clear sales profile... someone who can focus on four main imperatives that will help increase workshop sales. 1.  Communicate with Customers and Detect their Needs In general, the workshop receives the vehicle keys, asks the customer what to do on the vehicle and then says goodbye. A Consultative Service Advisor takes advantage of this opportunity to interact with the customer in order to obtain key information: ▪  The customer's personal data that is essential for following up with the customer.   ▪  Asks the customer the reason they have brought it in to the workshop and not just what work to do on it.   ▪  Checks, via the dealership's DMS software, the vehicle history and the dates of the last services performed.   ▪  Loads the Repair Order with the customer information and everything that was requested. All defects and the customer's comments at the time of reception are registered there.   2.  What a Customer Requests is Not Always What the Customer Wants What the customer is requesting is not enough for Consultative Service Advisors. They know that what the customer requests is not always what the customer actually wants. For example, if the customer feels the vehicle is low on power, he/she might think the problem is resolved with a tune-up. Lack of power, however, can be caused by internal failures of the engine or by a faulty clutch, among other causes. If the person who receives the vehicle at the workshop limits his effort to performing a tune-up, the customer will probably return to the workshop unsatisfied, claiming that the tune-up was done improperly. The customer will be upset because, even after spending the money, the problem persists. We may then realise that what the customer actually wanted was for the vehicle to regain power. In that case, another type of repair was appropriate, not a mere tune-up. This is why it's important to interact with the customer and listen actively from the start. 3.  Anticipate Future Problems During the repair, hidden failures that the customer didn't know about may appear. So, it becomes vital for the Service Advisor to verify the vehicle's general state when it arrives at the workshop. The Service Advisor can, thus, detect problems that were not mentioned by the customer, and can then inform him or her about this situation and suggest the relevant repairs. If the customer accepts these repairs, the sale will be higher. If not, the Service Advisor can register the problem or failure in the repair order in the DMS in order to avoid future claims. The Consultative Service Advisor learns from experience and anticipates future problems the vehicle may come to have. 4.  Suggest Preventive Maintenance Jobs The Consultative Service Advisor knows that preventive maintenance is the best solution for the customer, and lets the customer know that. A good DMS system, which shows all repair orders performed on a vehicle, can be of great help. By knowing the complete vehicle history of each unit that arrives at the workshop (vehicle information, mileage in repair order, invoiced jobs, vouchers generated, customer comments, etc.), the Service Advisor can have the vehicle's basic information always at hand. The Service Advisor can then contact customers and suggest maintenance jobs according to their specific needs. Conclusion These four key points will help the dealer prepare true Consultative Service Advisors, which will result in increased revenue and profitability in the Service Department and also higher customer satisfaction.