Service Drive Revolution with Chris Collins

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Got a question for the show? Call us at 1-833-3-ASK-SDR! Chris Collins, the leading Automotive Service Manager Coach and Service Advisor Trainer in the world, discusses little known service drive secret weapons to help pull your service department ahead of the pack. Everything from hiring technicians, increasing dealership CSI, building relationships for long term customer retention, to increasing customer pay sales and more, is all discussed here on Service Drive Revolution. All from the automotive industries #1 go-to guy for Fixed Operations; Chris Collins. Listen, and enjoy!

  1. 2d ago

    SDR #368: It's Not Traffic... It's Your Techs!

    In this episode of Service Drive Revolution #368, Chris, Hogi, and Adam dig into one of the biggest and most expensive misconceptions plaguing dealership fixed operations today: the constant cry for "more traffic" and "advisor training." The team uncovers the real patterns behind hundreds of service departments and reveals a harsh disconnect—dealerships aren't running out of work; they are failing their technicians and losing their best producers. Chris and the crew break down why shoving more traffic into a shop running at 60% to 70% efficiency is an absolute recipe for disaster that tanks your customer satisfaction score. We unpack why service advisors secretly refuse to sell work when the shop is backed up, why the industry completely abandoned basic maintenance sales, and how to use the "Theory of Constraints" to treat your shop like a high-output factory. Plus: Adam talks about his $7,500 journey to becoming a certified master distiller, Chris debates the risks of blind-inducing backyard moonshine, and the guys try to figure out which "I" state they are traveling to next. 🔥 KEY TAKEAWAYS - The Advisor "Self-Preservation" Trap: Why your service advisors stop selling additional work the second your shop gets backed up with poor diagnosis turnaround times. - The 60% Efficiency Crisis: Why pouring marketing money into driving traffic to a flat-rate shop with low productivity is completely useless without fixing your technician mix first. - The Real Cost of Lost Traffic: The brutal math showing that it costs between $150 to $300 to acquire a single new customer, making retention the only profitable play. - The Flammable Flash Point of Grain: Adam shares what he learned at master distilling school, including why the first cuts of ethanol can blind you and how dry corn dust can explode. - Why "Gross is a State of Mind": How Chris took a BMW store from losing to its competitor by 20 cars a month to beating them by 150 a month, entirely by changing customer psychology and removing decision fatigue. - The 250-Year Cowboy Hat: Chris talks about hunting down his size for a special edition Stetson hat.  🛑 SDR Live Academy Online Training For Huge Results: https://chriscollinsinc.com/op/sdr-live-weekly/ 🛑 Book your Profit Gap Analysis Now: https://calendly.com/byron-webster/30min 🛑 Best Selling books on making Fixed Ops a money printer: https://chriscollinsinc.com/shop/ 🛑 Got a question? Call us at 1-833-3-ASK-SDR 🛑 Want to work with the best? https://chriscollinsinc.com/careers/ 🛑 Grab Chris' New Leadership Book I AM LEADER: https://iamleader.com

  2. Jul 14

    SDR #367: 5 Dumb Things Service Managers Say

    In this episode of Service Drive Revolution #367, Chris, Hogi, and Adam count down the top 5 dumbest things service managers say on the drive. While this list is packed with humor, it exposes the exact blind spots, excuses, and circular logic that keep service departments trapped in perpetual chaos, losing money, and alienating their highest performers. The team breaks down why waiting for "staff buy-in" is actually the ultimate form of leadership procrastination, why letting a technician walk away over a $2 raise is a mathematical failure, and why stalling execution to get a process "dialed in" is costing you real gross profit. Plus: Chris breaks down his frustrating experience troubleshooting an aggressive high-end aftermarket stereo on his new royal blue Sea-Doo 325, the team contrasts the stagnant energy of Los Angeles with the thriving, patriotic community of downtown Indianapolis, and Hogi preps for a deep dive into live financial training. (Note: Chris is away filming an automated lineup for "Books That Changed My Life," but Hogi is heading straight into the SDR Academy for a live financial statement breakdown immediately following this episode!) 🔥 KEY TAKEAWAYS - "I Got to Get Buy-In From My People": Why running your shop like a consensus-driven democracy is the quickest way to attract the wrong talent and let the inmates run the asylum. - "I Just Want to Get It Dialed In": The polarity trap of artificial perfection, and why speed and execution will always beat sitting on a process measured twice but never cut. - The $2 Pay Dispute Blunder: Why middle managers get emotionally wrapped up in tech entitlement instead of realizing the customer pays for the technician's cost of sale. - "I Wish I Had More Time to Recruit": The hidden operational cost of reactive hiring, and why failing to recruit continuously guarantees a six-month backlog of shop chaos. - "I Need to Hold Myself Accountable to Hold My People Accountable": Unpacking the circular therapist logic that stalls active department management and tortures your top performers. - The Washington "Better Brakes" Trap: A real-world look at how state-level environmental regulations create sudden, low-competition vendor monopolies that decrease parts quality.  📞 GOT A QUESTION OF YOUR OWN? Call 833-3-ASK-SDR — we answer on the show! Get special deals on our books and training at offers.chriscollinsinc.com! #ServiceDriveRevolution  #FixedOps #AutomotiveLeadership #ServiceManager #ServiceAdvisor #DealershipLife #CarBusiness #ChrisCollins #AutoIndustry #DealershipTraining #ServiceDirector #FixedOperations #BusinessStrategy #SDRAcademy #TechnicianRecruiting #LeadershipSkills #Indianapolis  🛑 SDR Live Academy Online Training For Huge Results: https://chriscollinsinc.com/op/sdr-live-weekly/ 🛑 Book your Profit Gap Analysis Now: https://calendly.com/byron-webster/30min 🛑 Best-selling books on making Fixed Ops a money printer: https://chriscollinsinc.com/shop/ 🛑 Got a question? Call us at 1-833-3-ASK-SDR 🛑 Want to work with the best? https://chriscollinsinc.com/careers/ 🛑 Grab Chris' New Leadership Book I AM LEADER: https://iamleader.com

  3. Jul 6

    SDR #366: 3 Mistakes You're Making With Video Inspections

    In this episode of Service Drive Revolution #366, Chris, Hogi, and Adam keep the energy rolling right out of America's historic 250th Fourth of July weekend by tackling a digital process that is completely taking over the industry—and failing miserably in most shops: video inspections. The team pulls no punches as they break down why so many dealerships are struggling with open rates, crashing hours per RO, and uncomfortable technicians. Chris shares why forcing veteran technicians to perform like social media influencers is killing your shop's momentum, and how standard digital video apps can actually destroy customer trust if your processes are fundamentally broken on paper first. We unpack the hidden psychology of video, what politics can teach us about camera angles and lighting, and why the person at the manufacturer who forced this software on your drive has likely never written a repair order in their life. 🔥 KEY TAKEAWAYS - The Myth of the Digital Magic Pill: Why automated software cannot save a service department that hasn't mastered a consistent inspection process on paper. - The Psychology of Trust: How messy stalls, bad audio, and visibly nervous technicians unconsciously signal to a customer that your shop isn't qualified to fix their brakes. - Stop Practicing on Live Games: The exact training blueprint you need to build technician confidence, handle intros and outros, and make it safe for your crew to fail before sending a video to a real client. - The Write-Up Hand-Off: The simple, no-cost communication shift at the service drive that solves low customer video open rates overnight. - Gamifying the Wrong Metric: Why paying technicians just to complete an inspection completely backfires, and how to correctly tie your incentives to actual upsold outcomes. - Top-Down vs. Bottom-Up: Why manufacturers value compliance over dealer profitability, and how the best operations build processes around what the customer actually experiences. 📞 GOT A QUESTION OF YOUR OWN? Call 833-3-ASK-SDR — we answer on the show! Get special deals on our books and training at offers.chriscollinsinc.com! #ServiceDriveRevolution #FixedOps #AutomotiveLeadership #ServiceManager #ServiceAdvisor #DealershipLife #CarBusiness #ChrisCollins #AutoIndustry #DealershipTraining #ServiceDirector #FixedOperations #BusinessStrategy #VideoInspections #SDRAcademy #TechnicianTraining #customertrust 🛑 SDR Live Academy Online Training For Huge Results: https://chriscollinsinc.com/op/sdr-live-weekly/ 🛑 Book your Profit Gap Analysis Now: https://calendly.com/byron-webster/30min 🛑 Best Selling books on making Fixed Ops a money printer: https://chriscollinsinc.com/shop/ 🛑 Got a question? Call us at 1-833-3-ASK-SDR 🛑 Want to work with the best? https://chriscollinsinc.com/careers/ 🛑 Grab Chris' New Leadership Book I AM LEADER: https://iamleader.com

  4. Jun 26

    SDR #365: How Owning A Dealership Changed Me

    In this episode of Service Drive Revolution #365, Chris, Hogi, and Adam take the show on the road to beautiful Indiana! Broadcasting completely LIVE, Chris shares a deeply personal origin story, from the childhood humiliation that fueled his entrepreneurial drive to the grueling process of pitching over 100 banks just to buy his first store. The team breaks down how transitioning from a Fixed Ops operator to a full Dealership Owner permanently altered Chris's approach to the service drive. We dive into the "Circle of Life" in a dealership, why standard industry departmental silos are destroying the customer experience, and how to weaponize vehicle personalization and accessories to drive massive profitability. Plus: The crew discusses why poor dealership processes chew up good employees, and why a bad user interface in a rental Ford Expedition got them thinking about subconscious customer trust. 🔥 KEY TAKEAWAYS - The Dealership Circle of Life: How understanding the 10,000-foot view reveals that customer retention in Fixed Ops directly dictates sales floor volume. - The Sunday Evening Turn: The defining childhood moment of humiliation that set Chris on a path to completely reject poverty and trust his own entrepreneurial vision. - Pitching 100+ Banks: The brutal reality of educating traditional lenders on automotive margins and raising capital as a self-made operator with no mentor. -  Breaking the Silos: Why separating parts, service, sales, and finance into isolated businesses ruins the customer experience, and how "Client Advisors" will replace traditional roles. - The Lifestyle Goldmine: Why the most enthusiastic customers want to accessorize their vehicles, and how Fixed Ops leaders can break down barriers to capture that revenue in-house. - Managing Personality Types: The massive difference between motivating extroverted front-end sales teams versus introverted, analytical Fixed Ops teams. 🛑 SDR Live Academy Online Training For Huge Results: https://chriscollinsinc.com/op/sdr-live-weekly/ 🛑 Book your Profit Gap Analysis Now: https://calendly.com/byron-webster/30min 🛑 Best Selling books on making Fixed Ops a money printer: https://chriscollinsinc.com/shop/ 🛑 Got a question? Call us at 1-833-3-ASK-SDR 🛑 Want to work with the best? https://chriscollinsinc.com/careers/ 🛑 Grab Chris' New Leadership Book I AM LEADER: https://iamleader.com

  5. Jun 22

    SDR #364: What I Learned As A General Manager

    In this episode of Service Drive Revolution #364, Chris, Hogi, and Adam dive deep into the mindset shift, the career trajectory, and the harsh realities behind stepping out of fixed operations to take over the entire dealership as a General Manager. Chris shares his raw, unfiltered journey from being a lot attendant to running the front office, and why fixed ops operators actually hold a massive, unfair advantage when running a store. The team breaks down the fear holding elite service managers back from making the jump, the massive shock of navigating variable sales and marketing, and the exact leadership dynamics required to stop running a loose department and start leading an asset. Plus: The crew discusses the absolute necessity of non-stop personal growth, how books drastically change lives, and why a direct connection beats expensive advertising agencies every day of the week. (Note: This episode was pre-recorded while Chris interviews legendary broadcaster Joan Lunden for "Books That Changed My Life," so the team will catch you in the comments next week!) KEY TAKEAWAYS - The Unfair Fixed Ops Advantage: Why general managers who understand the service drive carry a lethal superpower for driving dealership profitability. - Hiding vs. Leading: Breaking down the heavy self-handicap of a manager simply wanting to be liked versus executing visionary leadership. - The "Plumber" Test: Why people naturally want to force your career into a singular, lazy category—and how to completely reject it. - The Reality of Dealership Marketing: Moving away from traditional ad agencies throwing millions at right-wing radio and the Golf Channel, and bringing hyper-local community connection in-house. - The 90% Retention Blueprint: A radical look at how rebuilding the sales floor to act like the service drive permanently eliminates client decision fatigue.  - SDR Live Academy Check-in: The details on how you can join the On-Demand membership community at chriscollinsinc.com to start mastering your numbers.  #ServiceDriveRevolution #FixedOps #AutomotiveLeadership #GeneralManager #ServiceManager #DealershipLife #CarBusiness #ChrisCollins #AutoIndustry #DealershipTraining #ServiceDirector #FixedOperations #BusinessStrategy #CareerGrowth #BookClub #personaldevelopment  🛑 SDR Live Academy Online Training For Huge Results: https://chriscollinsinc.com/op/sdr-live-weekly/ 🛑 Book your Profit Gap Analysis Now: https://calendly.com/byron-webster/30min 🛑 Best Selling books on making Fixed Ops a money printer: https://chriscollinsinc.com/shop/ 🛑 Got a question? Call us at 1-833-3-ASK-SDR 🛑 Want to work with the best? https://chriscollinsinc.com/careers/ 🛑 Grab Chris' New Leadership Book I AM LEADER: https://iamleader.com

  6. Jun 15

    SDR #363: Live Kick-Off: What You'll Learn!

    In this episode of Service Drive Revolution #363, Chris, Hogi, and Adam make history by officially broadcasting the show completely LIVE on YouTube for the very first time! This unannounced launch marks the beginning of a brand-new chapter for Fixed Ops training, complete with real-time community interaction, unfiltered insights, and zero room for second-guessing. The team breaks down how this new live format leads directly into the newly launched SDR Academy, a dedicated space designed to give managers, advisors, and dealers the exact tools they need to run high-profit departments. From personal development to hands-on shop strategies, Chris outlines why you need a week to apply what you learn and why waiting around for the "perfect moment" is costing you real money. 🔥 KEY TAKEAWAYS - The Big Shift: Why the team decided to pull the trigger on going completely live on YouTube without giving anyone a heads-up. - The 10-Minute Break Blueprint: Behind the scenes of how the new Wednesday schedule works, transitioning from the public show straight into the private Zoom academy. - The Value of Application: Why spacing out deep core business training every other week gives your team the critical "saddle time" to execute what they learn. - Bonus Leadership Training: Chris reveals plans for the off-weeks, focusing heavily on personal growth, mindset shifts, and leadership psychology. - Building For Effect: Why high-performing service departments don't happen by accident, but through a committed, real-time community that holds you accountable. - How to Gain Entry: Step-by-step info on how to join the On-Demand membership at chriscollinsinc.com and get access to the live Zoom calls. #ServiceDriveRevolution #FixedOps #AutomotiveLeadership #ServiceManager #ServiceAdvisor #DealershipLife #CarBusiness #ChrisCollins #AutoIndustry #DealershipTraining #ServiceDirector #FixedOperations #BusinessStrategy #GoingLive #SDRAcademy #PersonalDevelopment  🛑 SDR Live Academy Online Training For Huge Results: https://sdr.chriscollinsinc.com/ 🛑 Book your Profit Gap Analysis Now: https://calendly.com/byron-webster/30min 🛑 Best Selling books on making Fixed Ops a money printer: https://chriscollinsinc.com/shop/ 🛑 Got a question? Call us at 1-833-3-ASK-SDR

  7. Jun 8

    SDR #362: How I Fix Broken Auto Dealerships

    In this episode of Service Drive Revolution #362, Chris, Hogi, and Adam dig deep into the reality of what it actually takes to walk into a failing service department and completely flip it upside down. Chris shares what he learned as a 24-year-old consultant, affectionately nicknamed "The Bulldog", by dealing with old-school managers who would rather lose money than change their systems. We break down the three distinct buckets every dealership falls into, the exact 4-week research and execution blueprint Chris used to double labor sales in 90 days, and why fixing a business is often less about the numbers and more about fixing human self-esteem. Plus: Why the cashiers and porters always know more about your department's problems than the manager does. 🔥 KEY TAKEAWAYS - The Three Dealership Buckets: Why moving a store from losing money to breaking even is harder than giving birth, and why making good money makes you crave the "law of the slight edge." - The 4-Week Turnaround Blueprint: The exact step-by-step process of interviewing staff, auditing ROs, identifying warranty fraud, and launching massive, fast-paced changes. - Tricking Them Into Success: Why you can't always change someone's mind, and why letting the team take credit for your ideas is the ultimate leadership secret. - The Cashier & Porter Secret: Why the lowest-paid people in the building possess the exact blueprint of where your service advisors are failing. - Strategy vs. Criticism: How a powerful quote from the episode changes how you view your monthly performance report card. - Service Drive Revolution Academy: Don't miss out on the Live Academy launching the second week of June! Head over to chriscollinsinc.com to sign up. 📞 GOT A QUESTION OF YOUR OWN? Call 833-3-ASK-SDR — we answer on the show!  🛑 OnDemand Training For Huge Results: https://shorturl.at/j7J8u 🛑 Book a free 30-min. discovery call for coaching that grows your profits: https://chriscollinsinc.com/chris-collins-method/ 🛑 Best Selling books on making Fixed Ops a money printer: https://chriscollinsinc.com/shop/ 🛑 Got a question? Call us at 1-833-3-ASK-SDR 🛑 Want to work with the best? https://chriscollinsinc.com/careers/ 🛑 Grab Chris' New Leadership Book I AM LEADER: https://iamleader.com

  8. Jun 1

    SDR #361: How I Mastered Dealership Financial Statements

    In this episode of Service Drive Revolution #361, Chris, Hogi, and Adam continue our origin series by jumping back in time to the moment Chris realized that financial statements are the secret key to everything in a dealership. ] Chris shares a wild story about trading his own consulting services just to get a back-door education on how dealership financials actually work—and how a chance meeting with a former Kansas City Chiefs player changed his perspective. Plus: A deep dive into the trap of fatalism in America today, and why understanding the numbers is your ultimate industry superpower. 🔥 KEY TAKEAWAYS - Trading For Secrets: How Chris bartered his skills to learn the financial blueprint that most GMs keep behind closed doors. - The Financial Trap: Why trying to fix a service department without understanding the statement means you're just doing a lot of work for nothing. - The Broken Industry Average: Why the average service department barely breaks even, and how numbers tell you exactly where the leaks are. - The Kansas City Chiefs Connection: A chance encounter that completely shifted the room's perspective on success and leadership. - Defeating Fatalism: Why giving up on systems or assuming "that's just how the business is" will kill your growth. - SDR Live Is Coming: A sneak peek at the upcoming Service Drive Revolution Academy launching in June to help you master these exact numbers.  #ServiceDriveRevolution #FixedOps #AutomotiveLeadership #ServiceManager #ServiceAdvisor #DealershipLife #CarBusiness #ChrisCollins #AutoIndustry #DealershipTraining #ServiceDirector #FixedOperations #OriginStory #FinancialStatements #DealershipMath #BusinessSuperpower  🛑 OnDemand Training For Huge Results: https://shorturl.at/j7J8u 🛑 Book a free 30-min discovery call for coaching that grows your profits: https://chriscollinsinc.com/chris-collins-method/ 🛑 Best-selling books on making Fixed Ops a money printer: https://chriscollinsinc.com/shop/ 🛑 Got a question? Call us at 1-833-3-ASK-SDR 🛑 Want to work with the best? https://chriscollinsinc.com/careers/ 🛑 Grab Chris' New Leadership Book I AM LEADER: https://iamleader.com

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Got a question for the show? Call us at 1-833-3-ASK-SDR! Chris Collins, the leading Automotive Service Manager Coach and Service Advisor Trainer in the world, discusses little known service drive secret weapons to help pull your service department ahead of the pack. Everything from hiring technicians, increasing dealership CSI, building relationships for long term customer retention, to increasing customer pay sales and more, is all discussed here on Service Drive Revolution. All from the automotive industries #1 go-to guy for Fixed Operations; Chris Collins. Listen, and enjoy!

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