How To SUCCEED As A Service Advisor!

When you pretend like you know it all, it can create this awkward thing in the interview, but it really does have the reverse effect and work to your advantage if you ask really good questions about the job to understand it because the whoever's interviewing you kind of starts to sell you on it even though they don't know they're doing it.

Yeah.

So don't be afraid to ask questions with enthusiasm and, you know, excitement for, for the industry and the job. But don't be afraid. Don't pretend like you know it all. Be honest. Understand that there's a learning curve.

Right.

And also I would say be willing to come in as a porter or in the business development center, answering phones and making appointments because you'll learn a lot about the industry there. Like, I, I don't know that I would have been a good advisor if I didn't start off as a porter. And then when I was a porter, I would offer to write the internal repair orders for the advisors and close them out. So I learned how to open and close a repair order long before I ever got a chance to be an advisor. Right. Because the computer system and the way, you know, most of the industry has, has proprietary systems that you will never know until you work there. How to, how to write up a customer and create a repair order, how, you know, to check on things and history and all that. Oh yeah, and they're a little cumbersome once you know them, you know them. But it takes, it takes repetition.

I remember a similar situation where I was an express rider and I was just yearning for the time I was going to become a full blown rider. And I would always remember people complaining about extended warranty. And I'd be like, why, why, why are they all mad that they're on extended warranty call? And this one guy that moved from parts over to service, his name was Danny Becetta. And I ended up asking him one day because I always, he was always open to teach me as he's learning. And I asked him, what is it about extended warranty that everybody hates? He goes, it's not that they hate it, it's just they, they make you go through loops and hoops and they try to cut your hours and you got to get strategic of how to get your, your text diag time and additional hours. And I said, hey, why don't we do this when you're on a, on one of those calls, I'll be on the call for you. You can go write up other cars, but you got to teach me what it is that I have to learn in order to get my technicians the additional time that you guys are talking about. You said deal. And so, you know, I come from a dealership, we have 25 advisors. And then, you know, most of them are like, hey, he's taking advantage of you. You shouldn't let him do that. In the meantime, I knew exactly what I was doing. He's taking advantage of me, but I'm taking advantage of the opportunity and learning that. So when I became a full blown rider, I knew all the little ins and outs of getting that extra hour and getting a little time for the technicians. Right. But yeah, that's interesting.

And then the last thing that I would say is that if you do interview for a job as an advisor or just anything in the service department, I would right away, as soon as you leave there, write a handwritten note card and mail it to the post office where that dealership is so they get it the next day. But it may be send a couple thank you notes like that because it shows that you can follow up and that you're attentive and that's what we're looking for. Advisors in advisors is that little extra that nobody else does. And not too many people write handwritten letters anymore. So an email's okay, but a handwritten letter is a nice little touch. And even more if you notice something about the manager that was interviewing you or something.

Something that compliments that, like, say, for example, Captain, who's one of our elite managers in San Diego, in our elite group, is super into Star Trek and you couldn't go in his office and not notice it, not notice it. So if you sent him, like, even if you just put a Star Trek, you know, logo on the card or whatever, you didn't, you don't need to spend any money on it. But just showing that, that you understand how to connect with customers quickly. Because like Mario was saying, selling door to door, it's the same thing in the service drive is you got seconds to decide how you're going to connect with the customer. And so if they have a vanity plate or they have chrome wheels or a cool pair of shoes on or something, you're gonna notice that. And you're gonna go to that first. You can say like, oh, wow, those shoes are cool. Where did you get them? Because people love to talk about themselves and they love that attention. So, you know, if anybody is putting chrome wheels on their car, modifying their car, it's a cry for help in the way that they want attention for that so if you can notice that about the manager that interviewed you and notice something in their office like their hunters or fishing or sports or whatever it is, those little things are a nice touch and will put you above everybody else because of that attention to detail. Because that's what we're looking for.

Yeah, but I think it's really important to, to remind everybody it's attention to detail. It takes an art to pay attention to everything else besides yourself. We're so narcissists. So we're so worried about how we're going to sound and so on. Narcissistic.

Speak for yourself, son.

Which a lot of times we're so focused on ourselves that we don't pay attention to what's around us. Right. What do you think we. I think we should bring up the topic, which goes without saying. But I think one big thing that's going to help you get hired is how you're dressed, how you dress up to the interview.

I say you go into the interview, dress like Borat with that onesie. What is that thing called, Chris, you're.

Trying to get them. We're trying to help them. Call it a one piece sling earrings.

But it's like a. What do they call that? Like a banana. Banana hammock.

A banana hammock or something. We want to help them get a job, Chris, not get kicked that of there.

Guaranteed they're going to talk about you for weeks.

They could have interviewed a hundred people. They're going to talk about you and then send the thank you card. That would confuse everybody. Right.

I want to see that, guys. Right back to us. Let's see.

To be the best. Nobody does that.

That is definitely no.

What do you think they should wear? A tie?

You know, just a shirt and tie, Some slacks. I, I mean you want to pay attention to detail on how you look. They're going to be looking at. One of the things we train people is before you even talk, they're, they're, they're sizing you up. They're looking at who you are before you even say hello. Right. And we have seconds, a matter of seconds. I think it's like nine and then it goes down to about six or seven if it's a female. They, they think about you right away, how you look, how you're walking. And so I think it's important that you give them that right impression in order for them to at least want to hear what you have to say.

Right, yeah. No, I agree.

So dress up.

Dress up.

Jacket.

No, I think I like the banana hammock after all.

Can you imagine? That'd be so fun. If anybody does that, please videotape it and send it to us. I would love. I would love that. Yeah. Nothing more rewarding than working in our industry.

Like, definitely.

It's great. It's crazy. So if you're lucky enough to get hired, approach it like a pro. And remember that your role as an advisor is to collect customers. That's your job. Selling is the easiest part.