Turning Service Visits Into Future Vehicle Sales

Episode 58 — Featuring Guest George Howser | 

Your next vehicle sale may already be sitting in the service drive. Yet while one-third of customers say they would be open to a sales conversation during a service visit, only 14% report that anyone actually starts one. The opportunity is not to pitch every customer who pulls into the lane. It’s to build a defined process that helps sales and service identify the right customers, start relevant conversations, and keep the relationship moving through the entire ownership cycle.

In this episode, sponsored by DriveSure, Bill Springer talks with George Howser of Cox Automotive about one of the dealership’s most underused retention and acquisition strategies: the service-to-sales handoff. George explains how dealerships can use appointment data, repair history, declined work, mileage, and inspection results to identify customers who may be ready for another vehicle. They also discuss the role of technology, management accountability, first-service appointment setting, and cross-department alignment in creating more lifetime customer value.

Takeaways from this episode:

• Why active service customers are twice as likely to purchase another vehicle from the dealership
• How to identify the right service customers for a timely sales conversation
• Why declined repairs and high repair estimates can signal a trade opportunity
• How the service lane can become a lower-risk, more profitable source of used inventory
• Why the process must start with the GM and include clear ownership, measurement, and accountability
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Resources

Cox Automotive
Connect with George on LinkedIn
Connect with Bill on LinkedIn
Follow Roadmap Retention on LinkedIn
Retention Roadmap YouTube Channel