You’re taking time away from your busy service or parts department, all on the company dime, to attend NADA 100 in New Orleans. You’d better have some good information to debrief your management when you return! Just a handful of receipts for reimbursement won’t be enough.

Starting January 26th, NADA 100 kicks off and no time is wasted getting right to the good stuff. That’s mostly because there’s nothing but the good stuff at NADA conventions. Which sessions should you attend as a fixed ops employee or manager? Where will you mine the most information? Here are a few different tracks you can follow at NADA 100, all under the fixed ops umbrella

Service Department Personnel

“Achieve 100% Fixed Coverage Before the Next Meltdown”

Brett Coker of Coker Automotive Consultants speaks to fixed operations employees, mainly in the service department. His years of expertise in the auto industry will begin to fire your neurons, coaching you on opportunities for improvement in your department.

You’ll learn common mistakes that are made, how to increase your shop throughput, and how to compete against the independents that are taking your business. This session is valuable for parts employees as well.

“Fixed Ops Marketing in a Mobile First World’

Jeff Clark, Chief Sales Officer at DealerOn Inc, is going to take fixed operations managers into the next era of marketing. By learning new strategies to send your message out to your customer base, you can effectively increase your appointments, repair order count, and your dollars per RO.

Mobile marketing is big business industry-wide, and implementing Facebook and Google marketing in fixed ops is imperative to move ahead.

“Rethink Service: How to Capture Every Opportunity”

Robert Leary brings service employees a message on capturing missed opportunities, especially as it relates to upsells and declined services. Do you track your sales off upsells? Do you follow up on declined services to maximize sales potential? Whether you do or don’t, you’ll discover valuable techniques from Robert to increase your department’s profit.

“100 Years of Automotive Service: What’s Changed?’

Robert Atwood of NADA approaches the history of automotive service. After reviewing the industry’s past, you’ll be walked through a comparison that explores the changes in the past 100 years. By looking at trends in service hours, labor rates, technician productivity, and staffing, you’ll be better equipped to handle the changes and take a step forward into the service industry’s future.

Parts Department Personnel

“Accessories: Mine Your Hidden Gem”

Nancy Vanderbilt and Dana Grover of Automotive Aftermarket Services bring you together to discuss the hidden potential in accessories sales. Vehicle owners are spending their cash on accessorizing their vehicles, yet not at your dealership. They will open your eyes to new strategies to sell accessories, both to your customers and in-house.

Collision Repair Personnel

“Collision Department Myths vs. Collision Department Facts”

Larry Edwards of Edwards and Associates Consulting Inc. brings a message for collision repair departments at your dealership. Accident repairs are big business, yet they don’t seem to be profitable. But can they be? Larry busts myths about your collision repair shop, telling you how you can make a profit and service your customer well, even at the low rate paid by insurance companies.

“The Secrets to Body Shop Profits: The Dealer Handbook”

Scott Rome of Rome Technologies Inc. is your presenter for this session. He’s going to bring you through the foundational principles of your body shop including personnel requirements, motivational pay plans, factory-based production techniques, accurate parts management, and more. With his years of experience, you’ll no doubt glean ways to make your body shop more profitable than ever.