how to be a service manager in a skirt,,,,

so i have my second interview tomorrow for the assitant manager job at the shop i work at,,,,
i will meet with the district supervisor,,who is a little wary of promoting me from the back shop,,, two reasons i can think of,,,
1. they have never moved a technician to management (it is always one of the sales guys)
2. i am obviously girl

my manager and the main store manager are both very excited about me making a move into management,,,no one else at the shop knows i've applied

however,,,i will most likely need to answer "scenario" questions tomorrow
how to increase sales and customer satisfaction at the shop,,,
i can tell them the truth as far as what i see needing to be done,,,but i think i need to offer more uplifting and positive ideas,,rather than being blunt about what we do REALLY wrong at the shop,,,and how some of the STAFF are complete DUMBASSES,,,

so anyone have any ideas??? i have plenty,,but i think i need more male-centric advice here,,,

thanks guys,,,
sorry if this is "O/T"

miss ho

 

My 2 cents...

If you are applying for an assistant manager job and the manager gets a say in your hire... don't say anything that will make it seem like you will try to take over (even if you do want to be manager). You don't want to be blackballed by the manager cuz he is scared you are gonna take his job.

 

What services do you sell? Is it a full serivce shop or limited service? What do they expect out of your position? Are you a hire and fire person, or you a tech with power? You can do a lot to promote good customer satisfaction, but what helps is customer relationship.

Jonney

 

My advice? Walk in there w/ a shirt that says-

"Do you want to talk to the MAN in charge,
or the WOMAN who knows what she's doing?"

Good luck.

 

Miss Gracie you give good advise. Good luck on the job hunt..

 

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Miss Gracie you give good advise. Good luck on the job hunt..

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Old ladies are full of good advice...

 

Having a technical background should be turned into a strength, not a weakness. Explain creatively how you can better convey to customers why the work that you recommend needs to be done because of your background. Many times sales people don't have adequate knowledge of the work. You could list multiple reasons why this is an advantage.

I.E. You can answer customer questions before they are asked... you can help the sales staff understand what is going on in the back... etc.

 

[ QUOTE ]
What services do you sell? Is it a full serivce shop or limited service? What do they expect out of your position? Are you a hire and fire person, or you a tech with power? You can do a lot to promote good customer satisfaction, but what helps is customer relationship.

Jonney

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we are NOT a full service shop,,,
its a SEARS auto center,,,
i would no longer be a tech,,,i would be expected to help with all duties of the manager,,who i get along with great,,,as well as sales,,and the occasion shop workn we fall behind,,,

i think our greatest pitfalls come in communication and consistency,,,
both in the back shop and up front,,,
along with incompetent staff,,,
we have replaced engines and transmissions from not properly doing fucking OIL CHANGES wrong?? as well as numerous other fuckups resulting from both the sales and techs doing poor work,,,
i think my manager would be better able to remedy some of the staffing problems with my help,,but i don't think its stuff that will come up in the interview tomorrow,,,
he and i have talked about it alot already,,,

does that make sense???
i think customer retention is the key to better sales,,,and that only happens when you do the job right the first time,,and communicate with them during the process,,,

miss ho

and NO i will not wear my infamous SLUTWEAR to work,,,

 

In my experience...women are more attentive to the problem being explained to them than men are...men are already solving the problem way before the keys get handed over. There's one good point for you...

Men are always more at ease around a woman service writer...they know they won't be badgered by a woman, especially if they don't know much about how their car works....There's two.

Women service writers in a skirt and heels (or a nice slacks business outfit)are always easier on the eye in the morning than a coffee cup toting male in a tie! That's three!

Most men will listen to a woman service writer if she tries to upsell a product or service to them...and find that it's harder for them to say no. A man trying to do the same will be looked at as simply trying to get more of the customer's money. And the final fourth!

R-

 

So, are you going to manage the employees in the shop, or sell jobs to customers. We have a Service Manager and a couple of Service Advisors. The best Service Advisor I've worked around was a lady. She knew her shit and customers liked her. At the store I'm at now, the female Service Advisor holds her own selling against the guys.

Not knowing your shop, it's hard to say exactly what they want to hear. I think pretty much any shop wants to have vehicles in and out faster, with more profit, while keeping the customers happy. So go with those themes in mind. Look at the little things that piss you off in the back.

Do you continually have to search for keys because ya'll don't have a good system for them?

Do ya'll overpromise and underdeliver on time issues with customers?

Just examples off the top of my head. You know the real issues at the shop. I will say this. As a mid manager, I don't mind someone pointing out a problem if they have a potential solution. Just make sure the solutions are as win win as possible. And as complete as you can. You don't have to reinvent the wheel.

I wouldn't name names of dumbasses. It'll make you look petty.

What kind of shop are we talking about? Dealership? How many cars do ya'll do a month?

I'd like to give you as much help as I can. from this far away. If you have more specific questions, I'll do my best for answers!

 

Just my 2 cents,

but if you have previously discussed the problems you are having, then I would concentrate on developing some solutions (better quality control, etc.), and some plans to implement them.

Review them with your immediate supervisor (the mgr) BEFORE the interview, and ask if they think it's appropriate to bring this up. Tell him you don't want to come off as a grandstander, but at the same time you want to demonstrate your willingness to tackle these issues (as a part of the team).

Gracie made a good point earlier about making sure he doesn't think you're looking to plant one is his back.

 

Guess I type slow at work. There were no replies when I started.

 

Having been a service advisor at dealerships the women have been able to outsell men everytime. They get the trust from female customers. You might be able to use that. I have been asked in interviews about selling a service and I explained the value of it to them, they loved the fact that I said value. I wouldnt mention the incompetent staff you might come off as a know it all. be knowlegable but humble. Good luck. I have an interview tomorrow as well.
Craig

 

Talk confidantly and self-assured. Make good eye contact, (but not so much as to freak the person out). Smile, nod, listen to what they say. Don't say anything negative about yourself, if they ask the "what is your weakness?" question, give whatever your answer is a positive spin (can't think of any good examples right now). Try to think of anything they may ask and the answer. Be yourself, try not to get too nervous. Ummmmmm...., try not to say um, uh, ect.

There are some really good interview tip sites online, google them. Shake hands at the end, if I think of anything else, i'll post. I've allways had good interviews, (at least so I've been told..).

Good luck.

 

I worked in the sears auto center for 6 years, then I moved to VW service and in fact I was sitting next to crap for about 2 years and I agree with what he said about women in the service dept. I was the asst service manager at sears as well so I can help if you need any. Good luck tomorrow Craig, is it another dealer?

 

the job is for the assistant MANAGER position,,,
however,,in our shop,,that requires some sales,,but mostly mediation (when the sales advisors or technicians need help with a situation or a customer)
the previous assistant did hire staff,,,but i don't think could fire anyone without additional approval,,,
i already spend alot of time talking with customers and trying to solve "touchy" situations,,,
in my first interview i stresses the importance of communication,consistency and education,,,
both in staff to staff relationships and customer relations,,,

oh and if it makes any difference,,,
the sears i'm at is definately the "ghetto" inner city auto center,,where there seems to be "exceptions" made on a regular basis,,,while i understand the importance of flexibility,,i find it can be abused by manipulative persons as well,,,,

how would YOU increase tire sales???

miss ho

 

I have worked in many service shop and full repair shops, and what I saw that helped the most was the introduction to the service even on a basic oil change to complete engine repair. How involved is the customer (some people do not want the burden of knowing how the process is done) But it makes most people feel that is the person selling the service knows whats going on then they feel better about leaving their veh there. Any place you feel "safe" you will return. I really dont know what to tell you on what info to give on helping you get the job.

Jonney

 

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how would YOU increase tire sales???

miss ho

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Cars either need them or they don't. If they are in for other things you might be able to offer them something for free to get the tire sale like maybe the oil change that they are having done. If sears has a road hazard program you could sell them on the fact that there are 50,000 sears stores in the usa so if they have a problem it could be taken care of in any city or give them free balancing. Once you sell yourself to a customer you can sell anything.

 

Something to think about. I started out in body shops wanting to paint, but was sweeping floors then the first offer as a tech was to be a bodyman, i took it, then another shop offered me a job as a combo tech (body and paint) I took it. then painter then painter-manager at another shop, i took it. then MANAGER at another shop, I took it, NOW I wonder WHY I like it and want to stay( but I dont know why,) I like dealing with customers and everything else but the tech's make me wonder WHY I took this job The owner always says if it wasnt for employes management would be great, I hate to say it but for the most part he is right EVERYTHING changes when your up front and its hard not to miss the back. You no longer worry about your check, You worry about the tech's checks, the owners check, and everyone elses check that can make a buck off your work. I dont want to sound bad about it, it also has perks but remember after your there, your on the other side.Ive been there for three years and dont plan to leave but I wish someone would have told me what the other side was like so I could have planned for it a little.

 

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how would YOU increase tire sales???



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One of the biggest problems I see is focusing on the wrong thing. I've been in the car business for 10 years and every GM talks about "how do we sell more trucks/cars?" What he really means is "how do we make more money"

Just like you don't need to sell more tires, you need to make more money. Selling more tires is one way to do it. Making more money per tire sold is another, sometimes easier way to do it.

Let me use road hazard as an example of simple ways to make more money. I can almost gaurantee that the presentation is something like "blah, blah, blah, would you like to protect yourself with our super great road hazard protection?" You immediatly get a yes or no response. The better your presentation, the more success you have.

What I would do is have two different road hazard protection plans. Different miles, or different coverages, or whatever you can do to make them different. Then, instead of asking "do you want it", you say "blah, blah, blah, would you like the 20k or 30k mile road hazard protection?" And watch the $$$ roll in. It's that easy. You just take "no" out of the equation.

This works for pretty much anything you sell. I'm a Finance Manager at a big Chevy store. I never ask a customer if they want an extended warranty. I ask them if the want 75K mile or 100K mile extended warranty.

I guess you just need to kinda think outside of the box, so to speak. What are the little things ya'll can do to increase profit per customer and lower cost per transaction. I showed a little tweak to one of the things the other guys were doing before I got there. Just a little way to make about $25 per customer we sit with. Well, for the 200 deals that it applies to last month it made the owner nearly $5,000! The little stuff ads up and snowballs.

I hope this makes sense. I sometimes have a hard time explaining sales stuff by typing. But, trust me, the psychology of sales is extremely powerful.

 

Gracie absolutely hit the nail on the head. I was gonna say the exact same thing. Make the other managers confident that you are there to work with them. Dudes get nervous if they think someone may do a better job than them. "You are going to do the best job you can and work really hard for the team". Your not a threat just a talented hard working employee. Does the company release any press releases? If so, they will most likely be issued by a CEO type. The CEO will always discuss what's important to the company. What's important to the company is important to the CEO. The CEO will drive the goals of the managers and most likely the guy your are interviewing with. Dang, "this chick understands the big picture" will hopefully be the response. Im in a very similar field, not the same but that's my .02.

Best of luck to ya!

Like my father in law always said "even if they kill you, most likely you wont be eaten"

 

i've been a service manager at the dealership level and a general manager of a large full service private shop. it's been my experience that in large generic shops like sears, midas, wal-mart ect., upper management is mostly concerned with the bottom line and conforming to regulations and laws that can have an impact on that line. (epa, osha etc.) customer service is way down on the list, they want volume. middle management is one of the most suck ass jobs there is. you have no real control over policy and you catch shit from the top and the bottom. imho you should stay a tech but get in a better shop.

 

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how would YOU increase tire sales???



[/ QUOTE ]What I would do is have two different road hazard protection plans. Different miles, or different coverages, or whatever you can do to make them different. Then, instead of asking "do you want it", you say "blah, blah, blah, would you like the 20k or 30k mile road hazard protection?" And watch the $$$ roll in. It's that easy. You just take "no" out of the equation.




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I forgot all about taking no out of the equation. Good advice

 

Just walk in there in your stilletto pumps, Grab the regional manager by his tie, slam the fucker against the wall and be all:

"You better gimme this job, bitchboy, or you will know what having your sack pierced by my heel is gonna feel like!"



Then, later, email the dude this link:

http://abum.com/?show_media=2485&file_type=Movies

You should be a shoe-in...

 

Crease is especially on the right track with this one. Look for the inside line. That standard corporate gospel is preached from the top to the bottom, and managers like to hear it.

Yes, they themselves may even think that line is pure BS, but that doesn't matter. It makes them feel more comfortable if they know that you're in on it -- eases their fears that you might be a loose cannon that will make their job harder by causing problems with the corporate higer-ups.

Remember, your goal here is to get the job. That's all that mattters. You don't have a choice about what you can do with the job if they don't offer it to you. Focus, and discipline yourself. This isn't about making your point -- it's only about getting the job. Decide whether you actually want the job later.

Interviewing is a blast if you look at it right. It's a game, almost like a magic trick, or a con. Do your homework (like Crease described), then listen carefully in the interview -- most of the time they'll actually give you the answers to the questions!

For example, many times interviews (particularly ones with people you already work for) will start out with some small talk before easing into the actual questions. In this small-talk phase, lead them into telling you what they're looking for. You might slip in something like "So, what kind of things would you really like to see change about the service department?"

BAM! I can almost guarantee they'll start spewing everything you need to score major points. If he answers that question with "I'd like to see more extended warranty income." Then maybe slip something like this into the interview somewhere: "I've been working on a plan to boost extended-warranty sales by holding training sessions with the staff."

Pure gold. And you can adopt this strategy to anything.

The key is in that initial small-talk phase. Get them to drop their guard and talk openly about what they'd like to see. Don't get pushy, but get as much information as you can from them as early in the interview as you can.

Using this basic technique, I've scored jobs that I was damn near totally unqualified for. I'd guess my success rate for interviews is about 80 percent or so.

Remember it's a con game. Get them to tell you the answers, then rephrase those answers and give them back as if you had the exact same idea.

Good luck! Let me know how you do!


Dave

 

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and NO i will not wear my infamous SLUTWEAR to work,,,

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why not??? i wear my cute ensembles to work all the time.. ie. tight pantaloons with socks shoved down the crotch.

youre right scenario problems will be thrown at you... i dont know much about how things work in ass-crack america, but here in the P.R.C. women managers are common. act yourself, answer questions clearly and to the point... if you need to think about a solution, do so.

crossing my chubby digits for you.

 

I don't think I could say anything better than what's already been said. Seems like you have a good handle on what you need to do already. Good luck!

 

1)......having worked in the shop should go a long way to giving you the confidence in explaining required repairs to your customers
2)........having worked in the shop and knowing the quality of the workforce (or lack thereof) will help you understand "customer satisfaction" (or lack thereof?)
3).....having a good working relationship and the RESPECT of your manager should go a long way toward helping resolve issues that stand in the way of "customer satisfaction"
4)......you are selling a service. Knowing the related problems from BOTH sides of the counter can only be a plus for the ability to provide quality service!
5)............good luck!

 

I got blackballed by my manager once, it was horrible, I told Tyrone he oughta wash 'em once in a while.

Sorry I can't add anything that hasn't already been said.

I wish you all the best.

 

This is probably too late to help you but my wife attended some seminars on conducting interveiws and hiring. They seemed to stress listening for the BUZZ words, I can't remember them all now but put things in like" Team Player and Pro-active " crap like that . They usually give good points for the Team player one.
I was ask for my biggest weakness once and I said Chocolate,I didn't get the job.