Customer spend most of their time in the service department. How can you translate that into sales for your side of the business?
Every customer who buys a vehicle from you comes through your door, but it isn’t always the door that’s closest to your office. There are potential vehicle and F&I product buyers in your service department, and you may be missing out if you aren’t targeting them there.
“We don’t do enough from the service side,” said Paul Reed, a dealership designer who heads up The Showroom Guy dealership service in Montreal. “The drive-through has to be a welcoming area, not just a weather shelter. The advisor greets them, and in the background, there can be signs marketing the paint protection, the extended warranties.”
Naturally, the service department is going to want the bulk of the available area to advertise its own wares. But sharing at least some of the space can be beneficial to both if it’s done properly.
Reed suggests that when a makeover is imminent for the drive-through, it should be more than just painting the cinderblock walls. “It needs to be a warm and friendly environment,” he said, as an extension of both the service department and the dealership overall. While dealers will usually go with the colours of their brand identity for the scheme, digital monitors are best if placed on a white section of wall that has a red panel over it, which acts almost like a frame when the monitor is attached over the panel. “It will stand out more, and won’t blend in. You always frame anything that you want to catch the eye. Otherwise, it’s just part of the drive-through and you don’t get that messaging across.”
Whether you interspace your messages with those of the service department’s advertisements, or have your own monitor dedicated to F&I, you should be selling service customers on the products you offer – especially if they’re related to vehicle longevity and value. Products such as ceramic coating, paint protection film, or rustproofing will appeal to people who are already maintaining their vehicles and understand the need to look after them. This is also where you can advertise the potential savings and peace-of-mind behind extended warranties, for those who didn’t purchase them with their vehicle but are still eligible to do so. “Starting in the service department, you’re programming them to guarantee their car longevity with the rustproofing, with the paint protection as they’re looking at the stone chips on their hoods,” Reed said. “Put those messages in early enough, and when they go to buy a new car, they’re already asking questions about it.”
The service department can also be a starting point for trade-ins and sales. Use the monitor to display photos and information of vehicles on the pre-owned lot or coming in soon, or all-new or refreshed models that your OEM will be launching in the near future. Also include messages encouraging owners to consider what their vehicle is worth as a trade-in, should they want something newer, or if life changes require or encourage them to move into a different vehicle segment.
Any time the showroom is quiet, give some thought to going back to the service department. Don’t overshadow the service advisors, but when applicable, introduce yourself to customers who are waiting for their vehicles, or just bringing one in, and talk to them about what they’re driving. If they’re open to it, have them come to the showroom for a coffee and see what’s new for the current model year. You might even consider working with the advisors to let you know when a vehicle is coming in that’s close to its warranty expiration. They’ll be even more encouraged to contact you if you sweeten the deal with a “bird-dog” finder’s fee to the advisor if a customer upgrades to something newer.
The service department shouldn’t be considered an entirely separate area of the business, but as a valuable starting point for potential sales. In many cases, these vehicle owners were initially your customers. Now they’re back in the building, and you should capitalize on that. “You can make more money selling in the drive-through than anywhere,” said Paul Reed. “Once you’ve sold the first car through sales, every car after that is sold through service. You need to send that message across, and your customer will want to come back to you.”