A Service Driver Revolution (SDR) YouTube Q&A where a field technician asks about moving to a service advisor role at a local GM dealer. Hosts Chris Collins and Christian advise that the main challenge is changing mindset from diagnosing to questioning/transcribing customer issues, building rapport, and avoiding shop animosity. They also analyze pay: technician reports ~$50,000/yr (≈$24/hr); dealer offers low base hourly (~$10–12) plus 4% gross commission; hosts explain how advisor gross is calculated (sale minus tech cost) and estimate needing about $60,000 in gross per month to match current income. They recommend making the move for career growth and commute/savings benefits if pay is similar.
Chapters
Hey Chris. I am currently a service technician, a field service technician for a large forklift company. I'm actually looking forward in looking to possibly switching to being a service advisor at a local GM dealer. I'm currently getting paid about 50,000 a year. It varies just because I'm actually paid non flat rate hourly. And I am wanting to do this just because currently I'm working usually about two to two and a half hours away from home, whereas the GM dealer is about 20 minutes from home. They said they can start me out at a very low hourly with a 4% gross commission and that includes internal warranty and customer pay. I'm just wondering if that would be a. Approximately what I'm doing, you know, what I'm getting now. And also they write between 5 and 700 ros a month between two advisors, currently just one advisor with the service manager and that's why they wanted to hire me. I also am looking for anything I need to do to possibly make this transition easier as I've had four years of industry experience between working on semis as a tech and then being a Forsmith tech and I'm just, it's time for a change. So I'm just wondering what kind of tips you have.
That's a really good question. But you know what else I thought about?
What's that?
What if Nada asked us to do SDR live from Nada, Would we do it? Yeah, we would.
I think it'd be fun.
I don't think we would. You think we would?
Why do you think they would?
You would do it?
You're.
That you're, you're, you're, you would do it.
You're just going to call me a cheap. Yeah.
Okay, first thing with, with this. So let's talk about a tech going from the shop to being an advisor first. Then we'll talk about the money. Is that fair?
Yep.
Because it's a, it's kind of a two part question. So the thing that I have learned over the years with a technician becoming an advisor is the hardest thing for you to do is to stop diagnosing and just put it on the ro. Ask the right questions, verify and put it on the ro. When you, when you diagnose as an advisor you do a couple things. One is you.
If you diagnose it wrong, you're not the one to fix it. So you're setting up another technician for failure. You also are losing the value in what we do with the customer by cutting right to the chase. And then the.
Yeah, I Mean, I guess it's those two things. But you, you really hurt the process by assuming in the drive and diagnosing it. So you have to retrain your mind to be a detective, ask a lot of questions and build rapport with the customer. That, that's really your job as an advisor is to build rapport and gain trust and be there, be their liaison and collect customers. Right. You want key throwers, you want customers just come in and like hey Christian, whatever it needs, just do it. You only do that by building trust over time and really taking care of them in delivering. So it is possible. I've seen a lot of technicians become very good advisors and incredible managers and service directors. But that little thing in the beginning is the hardest part is you, you will get yourself in a lot of trouble if you diagnose.
All technicians turn advisors would agree with that. As a matter of fact everyone that I've said that and it can be.
It can be trained out. You just, you just have to, you have to really catch yourself.
Yeah. And then as you're generating the ro. I really think the big thing with that is it kind of goes along with diagnosing. But you want to transcribe what the customer's saying, not translate. Yeah, right. Don't turn it into Carlingo. Don't turn it into tech lingo. Let it be. Cause the other thing that happens after a while is I really think that one of the things I'll see techs turn advisors get into is that the shop starts to really dislike them and have animosity towards them.
Yeah. Cause it's hard.
Yeah. It can get ugly.
And the technician turned advisors heart's in the right place.
They just 100%.
They just, they're building rapport by jumping to the punchline.
Yeah. But you know they're, they're always really, really good at is getting answers on upsells.
Well, yeah.
Cuz they know because they understand.
Yeah.
That's the thing is like that, that clarity of what it's like to do both jobs. They also appreciate within the first couple of days how hard it is to be an advisor.
Okay. Now let's help him with his, with the pay part. So I did the Math. What is $50,000 an hour?
$50,000 an hour. A lot of money.
So it's $24 an hour if he's working a 40 hour work week.
Yeah, roughly. And then he's getting, he said he's getting a minimal hourly plus.
So would we assume that's like 12 bucks or something?
I figured it is 10, which is roughly about $20,000 a year.
And so.
Then the thing that you want to know is you want to know what the other advisors are writing in gross. So gross is, is the sale less the cost of the technician. So let's say their effective labor rate, what they actually collecting from the customer is $100. And the average technician is getting paid 25. You're getting paid commission on the $75 left over after they pay the tech, by the way, worst way to pay the advisors ever.
Stupid like you, you have nothing to do with the gross profit. But these guys went to an NADA 20 group meeting and they told them to pay the advisors on gross, and that's what they're doing. But this is an example of how hard it is to explain to an advisor what gross is that you don't see or control.
Like, yeah, I bet the speaker was polished.
Yeah, for sure. Yeah, very. Wasn't rough? Cause I'm rough.
I'll show you rough. Just kidding. I'm sure you're a nice guy.
So the math is a sweetheart to make. Exactly.
You don't beat your wife or.
Ready?
Yeah.
The math is that I'm sure.
Your mom would say good things about you.
No, but the math is that you'd have to make 60,000 in gross per month to match what he's making now.
Which is very doable. So, you know, I think in. In context of this, you wouldn't regret having advisor on your resume. You would learn a lot. If the money is a wash, it's probably a pretty good move.
Well, I also think if he has aspirations to become a manager hands down.
And save and commute and everything.
Yeah. So if I'm looking for a manager, somebody that's got technician and advisor experience, they're at the top of the list.
I say do it. Thanks so much for watching this clip of Service Driver Revolution. We're uploading new stuff every day, so make sure you subscribe and click the bell icon so you don't miss out. If you have a question you'd like us to answer on the show, call 8333-ASK SDR 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 to offers.chriscollinsinc.com now that's offers.chriscollinsInc.com I'm Chris Collins and I'll see you in the next video.
