A short Q&A-style video (Friday Drive By) where Chris Collins and Christian answer a question from Daniel, a fixed ops manager who wants to become a general manager. They describe a path from service to GM emphasizing strong financial results, seeking mentorship, learning sales (especially internet sales), and networking with current GMs.
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Welcome everybody to your Friday drive by where we answer your questions. I'm Chris Collins and this is Chris Joan.
Hello, everyone.
The number should you have a question is 8333-Ask-STR. That's 8333-Ask-STR. Let's go right to the question for today.
Hey, Chris and team, this is Daniel from Utah. I'm a fixed ops manager and I'd really like to set on my career path to find a way to get into a GM seat. But it seems like most of the GMs that I'm aware of have come from the sales route. So since you yourself came from the fixed side and made it into a GM role, I was wondering if you had any tips or suggestions on how to get into that career path.
Funny, we just recorded a show on this topic.
The timing is amazing.
Should we have known we might have just included this in that show.
So. Yes. Correct. I did go from service to general manager. Christian did the reverse. He went from sales to service. First thing.
That you see in the service managers that have become general managers in our elite group is they have incredible, incredible results. They are putting money to the bottom line.
To a degree that is something.
To be proud of, which I would say just a few years ago, people didn't even think most of those results are possible.
Right.
It's. It's unbelievable.
The thing that happens when you're running a department that's running smooth and putting a lot of money to the bottom line is you're held in a different esteem than a guy who isn't doing that. That's right. Now, what would you say, Christian, if he works in a dealership where they're not focused on net or sharing the financial or he doesn't know.
Yeah. So I might go up to the controller or the general manager and just say, hey, I'm trying to get a better understanding. I. I'd like to be a general manager one day. One of the things that I know that great general managers do is they understand how the business operates. Would you be willing to teach me so that I can learn and be just as effective as you are?
Most of the time we're scared to ask, but once we ask, we're surprised how much they want to share.
And the mentor takes it very seriously.
Yeah. Maybe more seriously than Dan might.
Y.
Right. So first thing is results. Second thing is ask for mentorship from your boss, basically. Right.
Third thing is start hanging out in sales.
Oh, that was going to be mine was that that you can learn a lot from the Sales tower. Like just sitting and observing. Like, watch the way that a customer comes in. Watch the way that they're greeted. Watch the way that a deal spun. Like the whole, the whole thing. You don't have to be participating, just watching. You'll learn a lot. You'll. You'll learn it's more than meets the eye really quickly.
You know what I found early on? But this is. This dates me. But I found early on too that helping with Internet sales.
They were more willing to.
Accept the help or than just the regular old dogs on the desk.
Yeah, that's a really good idea. I like that.
And it's more transactional. And so you start to see that it's just about systems and response.
Yeah, I was gonna say that. So the Internet lead is very system process oriented, where you don't get to step six without going through the first five, which I really like that. It's great advice.
So start learning it. Start being around it. A fourth one would be start hanging out with other general managers. So even ones that you're not working for or with, make an effort to hang out with them because you'll start to learn just thought processes and that sort of thing.
Well, I think that if you hang out with a group of them, don't you start to isolate similarities? Like what you see is that the recipe between general managers and how they got there doesn't have as much to do with what department they came from, is the things that they set them up for success. They set themselves up for success and.
That they raised their hand and wanted it.
That's right.
A lot of times people don't get it because they don't raise their hand.
Yeah, they think that they should get selected, but you have to announce your attentions to the universe is what I always say.
So results. Get incredible results.
Ask for insights and mentorship. Hang out with them, hang out in sales. Be around it, absorb it, and you'll get there. Yeah, that's it.
Good question.
Dan, thanks so much. Remember the numbers 8000, 333. Ask STR and we will talk to you again real soon. We'll see you later on Service Driver Velour.
Thanks for watching this week's Drive By. I hope we gave you something to think about over the weekend. We're uploading new stuff every day, so make sure you subscribe and click the bell icon. Subscribe so you don't miss out. If you have a question you'd like us to answer on the show, call 8333 asksDr and we'll answer your question on the show. That's 8333 ask SDR for special deals on our books and training. Head over to offers.chriscollinsinc.com now that's offers.chriscollinsInc.com I'm Chris Collins and I'll see you in the next video sa.
