Walk into any big box store in any neighborhood near you. Stop in the middle of the store for a moment – it’s not about shopping right now. Take a look 360 degrees and remember what you see. Now walk into Whole Foods and do the same. Just take a mental snapshot of the store, noting each department.

What you’re bound to see, except for the very occasional store, is uniformity. In the department store, you’ll see the electronics department has the same general appearance as sporting goods, and pharmacy aisles look very much like the stationary and housewares. In the grocery store, you’ll see a consistent look between the bakery and deli, the produce and snack foods. 

Now do the same thing in your dealership. Stroll from the sales showroom to the service drive, then on to the parts counter and body shop. Is there consistency? Is there a common thread? Or is there a stark difference between the image you portray in the sales department versus the rest of the dealership?

The front of the store is usually thought to be the sales floor. In former generations, the ‘presentable’ salespeople in suits and ties and dress shoes would be the first impression. The grease monkeys were stashed away in the back of the dealership in the grimy shop. Over the past few decades, the service department has served a much more prominent role in the dealership environment, but the image hasn’t always followed suit.

A customer driving up to your dealership now probably sees an equal presence of showroom to service drive. A door separates the two, and it’s a Narnia-esque situation. A customer walking from the sales floor into the service drive may do a double-take. Are they in the same world?

Staff on opposite sides of the doors look different. Salespeople are dressed up, either in a dress shirt and tie with slacks, a suit, or a golf shirt and khakis. In the service drive, you’ll usually see jeans instead of slacks and sneakers instead of wingtips.

More strikingly, you’ll see a dingy, industrial look in the service environment. It’s a contrasting sight from the sales floor, and it’s something that can make a customer a little uneasy. Will the same professional atmosphere be expected in this grungy concrete room as it is in the brightly-lit, tiled showroom?

Be Consistent

Everywhere a customer can be expected to go in your building, the same atmosphere should carry through. If you have crisp LED lighting in the showroom, put it in your service drive and at the parts counter. If you use cream-colored tiles on the sales floor, use them in the customer lounge, the service drive, and the body shop reception area.

Like a department store, every part of your dealership has a different function. But there’s no reason it can’t be consistent in its appearance. Your parts and service reception staff and your product advisors should all look consistent in their appearance. If the sales department wears button-down logo-emblazoned shirts, so should your service advisors. Anyone who works directly with your customers should be immediately recognizable by their attire.

The Sales Department Has It Right!

On this topic, the variable operations departments have done a great job. First impressions are critical as well as acknowledging the customer’s importance in the dealership’s success. Professional attire is emphasized and the showroom is kept spotless. Everyone is aware that the customer’s impression of the dealership can make or break the sale.

When the customer crosses the threshold into the dealership’s fixed ops departments, there seems to be vast room for improvement. Even something as simple as a service introduction during the sales process can taint a customer’s opinion of the store as a whole.

Now, you’re not likely to renovate your service drive and parts counter quite yet. But strive to meet the standards as much as possible in your environment. Can you change your lighting to match the showroom? Can you brighten your service drive with a fresh coat of paint? A customer doesn’t see the service drive as an industrial environment, so it should be maintained like the sales floor.

This week, take a moment to assess how you can bring your fixed ops departments up to par with the sales floor.