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How to Make Your Training Sessions Pay Off

-by Sally Whitesell for Auto Success Magazine. Are you conducting training sessions without getting results? Are you having problems getting your team to retain information and effectively implement your processes? If you answered yes to either of these questions, you may not be presenting material in a way that triggers the memory banks of 90% […]

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Why Advisors Don’t Advise

-by Sally Whitesell for Dealer Service Magazine. Every time I do a seminar I am reminded about how confused advisors, and even managers, can be about the true responsibilities of a service advisor’s position. We simply need look at the title “Service Advisor” to get a clear understanding that this job is to advise every […]

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How to Beat the “Good Enough” Syndrome

-by Sally Whitesell for AutoSuccess Magazine. Is your top performer good enough to set the standard for your entire department? If everyone settles for reaching that advisor’s performance level, will your store truly be great? If having all of your advisors step up to your top performer’s level is your dream come true, you need to […]

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How To Turn Rings Into “CHA-CHINGS!”

-by Sally Whitesell for AutoSuccess Magazine. When a potential guest calls your store, they want your store to be the place they will spend their money. The sale is yours to lose. Unfortunately, we often think of phone calls as something we need to “get handled” and hire a minimum wage employee with a nice […]

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They’ll Love You or Leave You…

5 Keys to Building Customer Loyalty -by Sally Whitesell for Fixed Ops Magazine. These days we’re all focused on making sure our guests are completely satisfied. We seem to think that if they are, they will become loyal clients. This simply isn’t true. Loyalty is not built through a satisfactory experience, it is built through […]

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Every Client’s Crazy ‘Bout a Sharp Dressed Advisor

-by Sally Whitesell for AutoSuccess Magazine. Does your team dress for success? If they want to be treated as professionals, they must look like professionals, so it’s time to suit up. We’d all love to wear our comfortable weekend clothes to work, but if we want to be treated with respect and taken seriously, we […]

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3 Reasons Your Service Advisors Are Leaving

-by Sally Whitesell for Autosuccess Magazine. Keep your customers by keeping your employees. Employee turnover in the automotive industry has increased to 43%(1). We know that turnover takes a big bite out of our profits in every department, but in the service department, it’s also costing you customers. Your clients like to see the same […]

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Why Should We Focus on Women? Part 3

-by Sally Whitesell for AutoSuccess Dealer Service Magazine. In my two previous articles (Part 1 and Part 2), I shared the importance of creating the right environment for your female clients on the drive, in the waiting area and even in the restrooms. Why? Because women are the primary purchasers of almost everything! Decades of […]

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A Convenient Truth

-by Sally Whitesell for AutoSuccess Service Magazine. For today’s client, convenience is everything. Just ask the top online retailers; Amazon, Walmart.com, Apple, and Staples. Fortune.com reports that 51% of all purchases in America are made online and that number increases every year.¹ This is proof that Americans are growing more and more accustomed to shopping […]

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How to Engage the Visual and Kinesthetic Learners on Your Automotive Team (video)

Joe: Sally Whitesell has spent more than two decades providing service advisor training in service departments across the country. Her professional training products have been utilized at dealerships by individuals, service teams, managers, and of course, at the corporate level. She is the founder and CEO of sw Service Solutions, and also, which we love, […]

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Gone in 60 Seconds

-By Kristopher Hampton for AutoSuccess Magazine. When we’ve been in the automotive business for a long period of time, it can be hard to relate to what our guests are experiencing. But when I go into automotive service facilities as a customer, I often end up with some extremely valuable insight. Recently I took my […]

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Why Should We Focus on Women? Part 2

-by Sally Whitesell for AutoSuccess Service Magazine. You know from Part 1 that women are crucial to your business. So are you making women a top priority? If you meet the expectations of women you will exceed the expectations of everyone. Please keep this in mind as we focus on the importance of your waiting room and […]

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Consistency in The Service Drive (video)

Joe: Sally Whitesell has spent over two decades providing service advisor training in service departments across the country. Her professional training products have been utilized at dealerships by individuals, service teams, managers and at the corporate level.  She is the founder and CEO of sw Service Solutions, and also a contributor to CBT news. We […]

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How responsible are YOU for KPI scores?

-by Sally Whitesell for AutoSuccess Magazine. These days you cannot walk into a supermarket or fast food restaurant without getting asked to fill out a survey. “You might even win a prize!” However, most of us do not take the time to fill out surveys unless we have had a bad experience or someone has […]

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Words That Sell Service (video)

Joe: Sally Whitesell is the CEO and founder of sw Service Solutions and Fixed Ops University. She has provided service advisor training in hundreds of drives across the country for more than 23 years at an individual and corporate level. She is also a contributor to CBT News, and we welcome her, and now Sally, […]

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(Not So) Radical Ideas – Critical Changes for a Millennial Work Force

-by Sally Whitesell for Fixed Ops Magazine. I recently spoke at a conference in Orlando. After my presentation, I noticed a workshop on the schedule: “How to recruit and keep your technicians.” I ran down the hall to a room packed like sardines. The conference-goers were anxious to attend because someone was finally going to […]

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Why Should We Focus on Women? Part 1

-by Sally Whitesell for AutoSuccess Service Magazine. Why should we focus on women? The facts may shock you! There has been a lot written about the importance of catering to your female clientele. Unfortunately many dealerships don’t completely understand why this is so crucial to current, and more importantly, future business. I’m a woman who […]

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Training New Hires to Impact Your Bottom Line (video)

Joe: It’s a pleasure to have on once again to CBT News, Sally Whitesell. She’s the founder and CEO of sw Service Solutions, and a recent speaker at the Women in Automotive Conference. Sally, we appreciate you taking the time. We know you are busy, you’re always on the road training, so thank you so […]

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Give Your Clients What They Want. Text Them!

-By Kristopher Hampton for AutoSuccess Magazine. One of the biggest complaints in our industry is “No one ever called me.” Most service managers hear this at least once a day. After you have established that a call was actually made, you may hear, “I never listen to my voicemails anymore so I didn’t get your […]

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Service Writer vs. Professional Service Advisor

-By Sally Whitesell for Fixed Ops Magazine. Which do you have on your staff? Every department has its standouts and its under-achievers, but have you ever considered what makes them so different? Both work in the same environment, with the same guests, and the same pay plan; but their productions levels and customer satisfaction scores […]

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5 Aspects of a Successful Service Department (video)

Joe: It’s a pleasure to welcome to CBT news for the first time, Sally Whitesell, founder and CEO of SW Service Solutions. Sally, thank you for taking time with us today. Sally: Well thank you for having me, it’s a pleasure. Joe: So let’s get right to it Sally. We are always hearing about how […]

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Don’t think training fits in your budget? Just look at your rear end.

-by Sally Whitesell. Most dealerships are used to focusing most of their time and attention on their sales team and profits from the front end. Unfortunately, the profits made on each sale are dwindling and new car sales are down. Lost revenue on your front end makes everyone want to tighten their belts. The question […]

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Your Million Dollar Chair

-by Sally Whitesell for Fixed Ops Magazine. Have you ever put a price tag on each of your service advisor’s chairs? Well, you should! It’s probably worth much more than you realize. This chair has the potential to be the most valuable seat in your dealership. Just think about it. The person in this chair […]