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"The Technician Is the Revenue Engine", says Joe Minns, Corporate Fixed Op's Director. Hear Why Service Leaders Must Protect Their Time. with

Dealer Talk With Jen Suzuki

Release Date: 03/11/2026

ASOTU CON 2026 | Stop Sitting Through Conferences. Start Participating.

Dealer Talk With Jen Suzuki

In this episode, I sit down with Paul Daly, co-founder of ASOTU (alongside Kyle Mountsier), and let me just say… this conversation is fun, real and relevant. We’re talking about what the best operators are actually doing right now… And spoiler alert… it’s not chasing shiny AI tools or buying the next “magic solution.” It’s people. It’s culture. It’s leadership that actually develops other leaders. Because here’s the reality… our industry is losing billions to turnover every year, and the stores that are winning? They are obsessing over their people, giving them...

The Deal You Missed Wasn’t the Lead… It Was the Follow-Up

Dealer Talk With Jen Suzuki

Dealers still ask me all the time, “Jen… what leads are the best?” And I always give the same answer… the ones already sitting in your database. In this quick class, I break down the biggest miss I see in dealerships everywhere. Salespeople are told to follow up… call for referrals… make birthday calls… but nobody really teaches them how to do it without feeling like a nuisance. So what happens? They stop. Here’s the truth. The money isn’t in the first call. It’s in the one nobody makes. Follow-up isn’t about checking a box. It’s about building a career. Staying...

The Biggest Mistake Salespeople Make on Every Call!

Dealer Talk With Jen Suzuki

Sales teams… this is the moment where deals are won or lost and most don’t even realize it. In this episode of Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki, Jen breaks down one of the biggest mistakes happening in dealerships every single day: quoting price too fast. Customers ask for price. You give it. Conversation over. But what if that one moment is exactly where you lost control of the deal? This episode is all about the mindset shift that separates average reps from top 10% performers. You’ll learn how to guide the conversation instead of reacting to it, how to redirect price questions without...

How Brandon Hardison Is Solving the Technician Shortage at Jim Ellis Automotive Group

Dealer Talk With Jen Suzuki

In this episode of Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki, Brandon Hardison, Executive Leader of Jim Ellis Automotive Group shares a powerful, real-world blueprint for solving one of the industry’s biggest challenges: technician hiring and retention. With over 22 dealerships and a strong people-first philosophy, Brandon breaks down how proactive community engagement, partnerships with work-based learning programs, and internal development systems can transform a struggling hiring pipeline into a thriving talent engine. From visiting high schools and career fairs to creating dealership-hosted...

The Retention Mindset That Changes Everything

Dealer Talk With Jen Suzuki

In this episode of Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki, we shift the focus to where real dealership growth actually happens, the service lane. This is a straight, no-fluff conversation about customer retention and why it directly impacts your paycheck, your stress level, and your long-term success. We break down the simple but often overlooked behaviors that keep customers coming back, from how you handle the exit to the follow-up that most advisors skip. If you’ve been treating each visit like a one-time transaction, this episode will challenge you to think bigger and start building relationships...

LotGPT vs ChatGPT: The Inventory Game Just Changed!

Dealer Talk With Jen Suzuki

In this episode of Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki, I sit down with Randy Kobat from LotLinx to break down one of the biggest shifts happening in dealership technology right now. We move past the hype of generic AI tools like ChatGPT and into what actually drives results on the ground. LotGPT is built specifically for dealerships, using real inventory, real market data, and real shopper behavior to deliver precise, actionable insights. We talk about why generic AI often falls short, how data security plays a bigger role than most realize, and what it looks like to treat AI as a true team member...

The #1 Communication Mistake Killing Your MPI Approval Rate

Dealer Talk With Jen Suzuki

In this episode of Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki, we’re getting real about one of the most important numbers in your service department, the MPI approval rate. This isn’t just a metric. It’s a mirror. If your approvals are low, it’s rarely about price, the customer, or the car. It’s almost always about communication. Jen breaks down exactly why customers decline recommended work and what service advisors are missing in their conversations. From rushed calls and weak explanations to overusing technical language that customers don’t understand, this episode exposes the everyday habits...

The AI Best Practices That’s Driving Real Appointments and Sales with AI Dealership Pro!

Dealer Talk With Jen Suzuki

If your store is using AI, or thinking about it, this episode will challenge how you think about process, accountability, and what it really takes to win with modern tools. In this episode of Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki, we sit down with Seth Poplawski of Auto Lenders, he leads CRM, process, and AI strategy across a rapidly growing dealer group with 11 stores now. Seth has worked every role from sales to BDC to leadership, and now he’s overseeing AI execution across 11 rooftops. He breaks down what actually happens when dealerships implement AI and why most fail to get real results. From...

Efficiency vs Productivity in the Service Shop

Dealer Talk With Jen Suzuki

If technicians are standing around waiting for approvals, the problem might not be staffing, it might be process. In this episode of Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki, I break down the difference between technician efficiency and productivity, and why service advisors have more influence on shop productivity than they realize. When MPI calls are delayed, write-ups are vague, or approvals take too long, technicians lose valuable production time. In this episode we cover: • The difference between technician efficiency vs productivity • How slow approvals kill shop productivity • Why clear...

The Quiet Multiplier of Service Advisor Income

Dealer Talk With Jen Suzuki

What if you could make more money every day without writing one extra car? In this episode of Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki, I break down a metric many service advisors overlook: hours per RO. Hours per RO is the average number of labor hours sold on each repair order. A small increase can dramatically impact technician productivity, shop efficiency, and your paycheck. In this episode we cover: • What hours per RO means • Why rushing write-ups lowers production • How better presentations increase approvals • Why small services stacked together drive profit You don’t need more traffic...

More Episodes

Flat rate has been debated for decades in service departments, but what if the real issue isn’t the pay structure at all?

In this episode of Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki, I sit down with Joe Minns, Corporate Fixed Ops Director at Dennis & Co Auto Group, who brings 34 years of real dealership experience to the conversation.

Joe has seen just about everything in service operations, from dirt-floor shops to high-tech 80-bay service departments. Today he oversees fixed operations for Dennis & Co’s growing network of dealerships, and he shares one powerful perspective that many leaders overlook:

Flat rate doesn’t fail… culture does.

We dive deep into the real reasons technicians struggle to flag hours and why so many service departments unintentionally waste the most valuable resource they have, technician time.

Joe breaks down the operational leaks that quietly drain productivity, the cultural shifts required to protect technician efficiency, and why leaders must rethink how dispatch, advisors, and managers support the shop.

We also talk about:

• Why technicians are the true revenue engine of fixed operations
• How small moments of lost technician time cost dealerships thousands
• Why many service departments unknowingly rig the system against their own techs
• The leadership shift required to fix flat rate culture
• How service advisors, dispatchers, and managers must align to protect technician productivity
• Why career pathing is critical to solving the technician shortage

If you're a service director, fixed ops leader, or dealership executive trying to improve technician retention, shop productivity, and labor performance, this conversation is packed with practical insight.

Because at the end of the day, great service leaders don’t just manage the shop, they protect the people who power it.

🔥Check out our sponsors!🔥

CallRevu is the leading automotive communications intelligence platform, giving you elevated insights and vision into your services, sales and brand management all in one place.

LotLinx.com is a VIN Management Platform that enables precision automotive retailing via /AI/ technologies that improves dealership profitability.

Matador.ai, AI That Fully Automates Sales & Service Conversations For Dealerships.

ZukiTalk helps service advisors by making clear, consistent MPI calls that educate customers and increase approvals.

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