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

SDR #371 - Selling Cars From The Service Drive

August 11, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

“Hard Knocks is the greatest leadership training available today,” Chris Collins opens, drawing a direct line from the Seattle Seahawks’ training camp to the service drive. The episode quickly pivots from football philosophy to a practical, step-by-step guide on how service departments can systematically sell vehicles to customers already on the premises. The core argument is that most dealerships treat service-drive sales as an occasional experiment that fizzles out, when in reality it requires dedicated people, intentional systems, and a fundamental rethinking of the relationship between sales and fixed operations.

The Dedicated Salesperson Model

The single most important factor for success, Collins and Hogie emphasize, is dedicating a salesperson exclusively to the service drive. “They have to be dedicated to service. That’s their job,” Collins says. This means the salesperson arrives at 6:45 AM for the service shift meeting, not at 9 AM when the sales floor opens. Rotating a salesperson through service a few days a month is a recipe for failure because both departments view it as an inconvenience. When the salesperson is embedded in service, they become part of the team, attending the morning huddle, learning which customers are coming in, and coordinating with advisors. The payoff is measurable: stores that do this well convert about 4% to 5% of their repair orders i

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (23:06) **Selling Cars From The Service Drive** - Chris introduces the core topic: how fixed ops can help the sales department by selling vehicles out of the service drive, especially during slow sales periods.
  • 2 (25:01) **Dedicated Salespeople Are Non-Negotiable** - The first and most critical rule for success is having salespeople who are permanently assigned to the service drive, not rotated in.
  • 3 (26:25) **Compensating the Advisors and Managers** - The system breaks down if the service team isn't financially motivated to participate in the sale.
  • 4 (28:20) **The Script: "We Need Your Car"** - The sales conversation should not start with "Do you want a new car?" but with the premise that the customer’s vehicle is in high demand on the used lot.
  • 5 (29:21) **The "Organic" Engagement vs. The Inconvenience** - Hogie expands on the dedicated salesperson point, explaining that full integration makes the engagement feel natural rather than predatory.
  • 6 (32:05) **Using Physical Cues (Hats & Flags) for Handoffs** - Chris describes a physical system using colored hats on vehicles to identify customers who are prime sales targets.
  • 7 (33:19) **The Confirmation Call as a Warm Intro** - The most effective way to soft-sell is to have the dedicated salesperson make the appointment confirmation call for equity-rich customers.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Chris Collins

Show Notes

What if your service drive became one of your dealership's most powerful—and consistent—vehicle sales channels? In this episode of Service Drive Revolution, Chris Collins, Hogi, and Adam reveal how dealerships can turn everyday service appointments into organic sales and trade-in opportunities without making customers feel pressured. The key isn't occasionally sending a salesperson into the drive—it's building a dedicated system where sales and service operate as one team.

You'll discover how to:

• Embed dedicated salespeople inside the service department

• Use equity mining to identify the right opportunities

• Incentivize advisors to facilitate strong customer handoffs

• Introduce trade-in conversations before the appointment

• Acquire valuable used inventory without relying on auctions

• Use maintenance programs to create familiarity, trust, and retention

• Build toward the future "portfolio manager" model—one person managing the customer's entire ownership journey

The team also breaks down leadership lessons from Hard Knocks, explains why attention reveals a leader's true priorities, and explores how great systems make exceptional performance repeatable. If your dealership has "tried selling from the service drive" before and it didn't work, this episode will show you what was probably missing. #ServiceDriveRevolution #FixedOps #AutomotiveLeadership #AutomotiveSales #ServiceDrive #DealershipTraining

🛑 SDR Live Academy Online Training For Huge Results: https://chriscollinsinc.com/op/sdr-live-weekly/?=sdrpod

🛑 Book your Profit Gap Analysis Now: https://calendly.com/byron-webster/30min

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

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

🛑 Want to work with the best? https://chriscollinsinc.com/careers/

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

Service Drive Revolution - Episode #371 Transcript

How to Sell Vehicles From the Service Drive

Service Drive Revolution — Chris Collins, Inc.

Hosts: Chris Collins, Hogi, Adam Craig

Summary

Chris Collins, Hogi, and Adam Craig explain how franchised car dealerships can consistently sell vehicles out of the service drive. The core argument: dealerships that succeed at this dedicate salespeople to service full-time rather than rotating them in occasionally. The episode covers compensation structures for advisors, equity mining inside the service scheduling process, using salespeople for appointment confirmation calls, and why Chris believes dealerships will eventually merge the service advisor and salesper

Service Drive Revolution with Chris Collins

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