Service Advisors Refusing Walkarounds? Scheduling Chaos? Customers Who Can't Afford Repairs?

In this episode of Service Drive Revolution, Chris Collins answers real, unfiltered questions straight from the service drive.

From why advisors resist walkarounds, to how to properly schedule service appointments, to what to do when customers can't afford diagnosed repairs, this episode is packed with practical leadership insight and real-world systems thinking.

🔥 Topics Covered in This Episode:

✅ Why service advisors push back on walkarounds (and how leadership creates that problem)

✅ How non-negotiable systems outperform "freelancing" advisors

✅ The Service Drive Judo philosophy: using customer momentum to create structure

✅ How top-performing dealerships enforce consistency and accountability

✅ Smart service scheduling strategies (when to stop booking appointments)

✅ Loading the shop early vs. booking to close

✅ Managing waiters without overwhelming advisors

✅ How to handle customers who can't afford repairs before diagnosis

✅ Why repair authorization upfront protects both the customer and the advisor

✅ The leadership lesson hidden inside system design

🧠 Key Leadership Insight: Bad systems ruin good people. Good systems help average performers perform above average.

This episode is a must-watch for: Service Managers Fixed Ops Directors Dealership Leaders Service Advisors Anyone responsible for customer experience and profitability in fixed operations

🛑 OnDemand Training For Huge Results: https://shorturl.at/j7J8u

🛑 Book a free 30-min. discovery call for coaching that grows your profits: https://calendly.com/cci-schedule/30-minute-discovery-call-with-chris-collins-inc?utm=SDRPod&month=2025-12

🛑 Best Selling books on making your Fixed Ops a money printer: https://chriscollinsinc.com/shop/

🛑 Got a question? Call us at 1-833-3-ASK-SDR

🛑 Grab Chris' New Leadership Book I AM LEADER: https://iamleader.com

Service Managers, Fixed Ops Leaders, and Dealership Executives — Why do some people and teams consistently outperform everyone else… while others stay stuck?

In this episode of Service Drive Revolution #339, Chris Collins and the team break down what elite leadership actually looks like — and why intentionality, preparation, and standards matter more than talent, location, or luck.

Using a surprising leadership case study (yes, even outside the automotive industry), this episode explores why the best performers:
- Practice harder than everyone else
- Prepare long before results are visible
- Set expectations higher — and refuse to lower them
- Build systems instead of relying on motivation
- Create an experience focused on the customer, not themselves

This conversation applies directly to service managers, advisors, directors, and Fixed Ops leaders who want:
✔ Better team buy-in
✔ More consistent performance
✔ Stronger culture and accountability
✔ Higher productivity without burnout

If you're tired of average results and excuses like "market conditions" or "staffing issues," this episode will challenge how you think about leadership — and what's actually possible in your service department.
👇 Watch now and rethink how you set goals, lead people, and build a winning operation.

Service Managers, Fixed Ops Directors, and Controllers — this is one of the most misunderstood numbers in your dealership.

Unapplied labor quietly destroys profitability, inflates your cost per hour, and masks the real performance of your service department. Most dealerships don't even realize how much money they're losing — because the problem is buried inside the financial statement.

In SDR #338, Chris Collins and the team break down why unapplied labor is often joked about as being "made by the devil" — and more importantly, how to fix it the right way.

In this episode, you'll learn:

✅ What unapplied labor really means (and what it is not)

✅ Where dealerships mistakenly hide unapplied labor on the financial statement

✅ Why cost per hour skyrocket even when the technician's pay hasn't changed

✅ How two-man lube teams and poor shop design increase unapplied time

✅ Why throwing more people at a problem usually makes Fixed Ops less profitable

✅ How to correctly track unapplied labor so you can actually fix it

✅ How systems, minimum standards, and accountability reduce waste

If your service department struggles with: - High labor cost per hour - Poor productivity - Inconsistent technician efficiency - Confusing financials - Or unexplained losses in Fixed Ops

👉 This episode will change how you look at your shop.

#UnappliedLabor #FixedOps #ServiceManager #DealershipTraining #ServiceDriveRevolution #ChrisBulldogCollins

🛑 On-Demand Training For Huge Results: https://shorturl.at/j7J8u

🛑 Book a free 30-minute discovery call for coaching that grows your profits: https://calendly.com/cci-schedule/30-minute-discovery-call-with-chris-collins-inc?utm=SDRPod&month=2025-12

🛑 Best-selling books on making your Fixed Ops a money printer: https://chriscollinsinc.com/shop/

🛑 Got a question? Call us at 1-833-3-ASK-SDR

🛑 Grab Chris's New Leadership Book I AM LEADER: https://iamleader.com