Should You Raise Your Dealership Service Labor Rate? (And When the Real Problem Is Something Else)

by angied | May 28, 2026 | Ask Sara Hey, Service

Your dealership service labor rate is the hourly rate you charge customers for technician time on a repair invoice. It’s printed on your wall, it’s quoted at the counter, and it’s the single biggest lever in your service department’s...

Are Google Ads Worth It for Dealerships? Here’s How to Actually Know

by angied | May 20, 2026 | Marketing

Google Ads for dealerships are worth it when they generate qualified leads at a cost lower than the gross profit those leads produce. That sentence sounds obvious. The reason most dealerships can’t tell you whether their Google Ads program is working is that...

When Your Service Department Falls Apart Every Time You Leave the Building

by angied | May 6, 2026 | Service

If your dealership’s service department only runs when you’re standing in it, you don’t have a service department. You have a single point of failure with a good attitude. That’s not a hiring problem. It’s a system problem. And the...

Why Are Customers Frustrated at Your Parts Counter? (And What to Do About It)

by angied | Apr 15, 2026 | Ask Sara Hey, Parts

“My parts counter customers always seem frustrated during busy season. What do I do?” I get questions from dealers every single week, and this one comes up more than almost anything else. “Sara, we are right in the middle of our busy season and it...

I Have a Customer List. I Just Don’t Know What to Do With It.

by angied | Apr 9, 2026 | Ask Sara Hey, Marketing

A dealer in North Dakota named Allen sent me this question a few weeks ago: “Sara, I know I should be marketing to my past customers. I just don’t know where to start. Our data is everywhere: old systems, spreadsheets, you name it. Honestly, I’m...