Service Drive Revolution with Chris Collins
Service Drive Revolution with Chris Collins

Best Service Advisor Training Has... | SDR Live #378

October 5, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Here is a podcast summary of the episode.

The conversation opens with a casual admission that the hosts missed last week due to a family medical emergency involving Chris’s parents, which leads to a discussion about their reluctance to move to California because they cannot bring their collection of rifles. This light banter sets the stage before the show pivots to its central theme: the evolving landscape of automotive retail and the critical, often misunderstood, role of the service advisor.

Amazon Enters the Fray and the Pressure on Dealerships

Chris Collins flags a major industry development: Amazon is beginning to sell new cars. Starting with brands like Kia, Hyundai, Subaru, and GM models, the process is designed to be frictionless. Customers can search, finance, and submit a credit application online before simply taking delivery at a dealership for a flat fee. The hosts draw a direct comparison to buying a Tesla, which Chris describes as easier than purchasing a television. The implication is clear: the traditional dealership sales model is being squeezed. The hosts argue that this pressure makes the fixed operations side of the business—service and parts—the dealership's most critical asset for long-term survival. If new car sales become a commodity handled by Amazon or Carvana, the service drive becomes the primary touchpoint for building customer loyalty and p

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (01:08) **Introduction & Show Setup** - Chris welcomes everyone to Service Drive Revolution and introduces co-hosts Hoagie and Adam.
  • 2 (06:01) **Amazon Selling New Cars: Threat to Dealers** - Chris discusses the news that Amazon will begin selling new cars directly to consumers, starting with Kia and Hyundai.
  • 3 (08:33) **The Fixed Ops Advantage in a Changing Market** - The conversation shifts to how fixed operations must become the dealership’s focal point as variable profit shrinks.
  • 4 (17:32) **Marco Rubio’s Digital Passport Presentation** - Chris shares his admiration for a recent Marco Rubio presentation on modernizing the U.S. passport system.
  • 5 (20:20) **AI Hype and Regulation Skepticism** - Chris dismisses the fear-mongering around rogue AI, arguing it’s a tactic to force regulation and block competition.
  • 6 (23:46) **What Makes the Best Service Advisor Training** - Chris introduces the main topic: why most service advisor training fails and what actually works.
  • 7 (29:08) **Building a Clientele as an Advisor** - Chris expands on the “business within a business” concept from his book *The Millionaire Service Advisor*.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Chris Collins

Show Notes

In this episode of Service Drive Revolution, Chris "Bulldog" Collins, Hogi, and Adam expose why traditional sales-heavy coaching fails, and prove why our proven approach defines the gold standard for Service Advisor Training.

Discover why treating advisors like high-pressure retail salespeople alienates customers, and learn how true Service Advisor Training focuses on consumer psychology, building lifelong trust, and treating your desk as a business inside of a business. The team also breaks down the brutal realities of making the jump from advisor to manager, major industry shifts like Amazon's entry into new car sales, and what it really takes to master fixed operations leadership.

🔥 KEY TAKEAWAYS
- True Service Advisor Training proves that service advisors are not traditional salespeople; their real power lies in building trust, making friends, and collecting long-term "key throwers".
- Conventional, sales-heavy Service Advisor Training that forces heavy-handed closing techniques and objection-handling creates an adversarial relationship that drives customers away.
- The absolute best Service Advisor Training must be backed by an operational system designed to support advisors without overwhelming shop capacity and workflow.
- Moving from an advisor to a service manager is not an easier path, it demands entirely different leadership skills, high mental bandwidth, and a toolbox built for team motivation.
- New managers must avoid the trap of working harder themselves instead of coaching, inspiring, and scaling performance across their entire team.
- The ultimate measures of a successful service department under top-tier Service Advisor Training are sustained profitability and a world-class customer experience.

FAQ
Q: What makes our approach the gold standard for Service Advisor Training?
A: Our Service Advisor Training focuses on customer psychology, long-term retention, and building a business inside of a business, rather than pushing aggressive, outdated sales tactics.
Q: Why do most third-party Service Advisor Training programs fail?
A: Most programs fail because they are designed by generic sales trainers who have never written an RO, and they are implemented without adjusting the underlying shop workflow or capacity.
Q: Is transitioning from a service advisor to a service manager a good career move?
A: It is a massive shift that requires deep leadership and operational oversight. Effective Service Advisor Training helps bridge the gap, but management brings heavy responsibilities as a mentor, therapist, and problem-solver.
Q: What are the primary focus areas of elite Service Advisor Training?
A: Elite Service Advisor Training prioritizes seamless start-to-finish customer care, transparent communication, and symbiotic technician relations to maximize net profit and customer trust.

#ServiceAdvisorTraining #ServiceDriveRevolution

Service Drive Revolution with Chris Collins

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