EPISODE 29
Turn Your Advisors into Retention Engines with Ron Maki
Featuring Guest Ron Maki
Episode Description
What builds real loyalty in today’s service lane? It’s not flashy tech. It’s trust. And that starts the moment a customer steps out of their car. Want to make customers come back again and again? Teach your advisors to become “my mechanic.”
In this episode, sponsored by DriveSure, Bill talks with Ron Maki, a fixed ops leader with nearly four decades in the industry, including corporate leadership roles at Volkswagen of America. Ron shares practical, memorable strategies that blend people-first communication with smart use of technology like video MPIs and OEM apps. If you’ve ever wondered how to maintain a more human approach to retention in a tech-heavy world, this conversation is your roadmap.
Takeaways from this episode:
- Why “my mechanic” trust is still the foundation of service retention
- How to use video MPIs the right way (and avoid common mistakes)
- What most dealerships get wrong about OEM app adoption
- How to hand off customers from sales to service without dropping the ball
- The small advisor habits that make a big retention impact
BILL SPRINGER
Ron Maki
Would you like to Be a guest on our podcast?
The Vanishing Customer: Why Service Customers Leave Without Saying a Word
Customers don’t always leave with a complaint, a bad survey, or a dramatic service lane moment. Sometimes they leave quietly, choosing the path that feels easier the next time they need an oil change, tire replacement, recall repair, or routine maintenance.
The Generational Divide in Your Service Drive
If your service team is treating every customer the same, there’s a good chance you’re losing some of them without ever hearing a complaint. A bad phone experience, a clunky online scheduler, or the wrong communication channel can quietly push customers somewhere else.
The Loyalty Paradox: Why Satisfied Customers Still Leave
A customer can leave your dealership completely satisfied and still never come back. That’s the loyalty paradox, and according to data from DriveSure’s 2026 Dealership Service Retention Report, it’s happening far more often than most service departments realize. The real danger isn’t the angry customer. It’s the quiet one who had a perfectly fine experience and simply had no compelling reason to return.