Missed the perfect Christmas gift this year? You are not alone—and most dealerships feel the same way when they look at their fixed absorption report. The difference is that while you cannot go back and change what was under the tree, there is still time to change what is happening in your service drive. At its core, fixed absorption is simple: it is the percentage of your dealership’s total fixed expenses that are covered by the gross profit from service and parts. Hit 100%

As the holidays wind down, the music stops, the cookies disappear from the breakroom, and reality shows up in the form of budget meetings. Suddenly every conversation is about “tightening belts,” “spend discipline,” and “finding efficiencies.” You’re not imagining it—owners, OEMs, and even your controller are staring harder than ever at fixed ops to keep the whole store afloat. Most dealerships respond the same way: they freeze travel, delay hiring, cut vendor lists, and tell

Right now, holiday shopping is in full swing. Your service lane is busy, customers are trying to squeeze in maintenance before road trips, and the calendar finally looks the way you wish it did all year. But if you’re a GM or Service Manager, you also know the pattern. January hits. The snow (or at least the slowdown) arrives. And suddenly, that cozy feeling fades. You’re back to staring at gaps on the schedule and wondering, “Where did all those customers go?” That’s the mom

Let’s be real. This time of year, the pressure on you as a GM or Service Manager doesn’t come from one direction—it’s coming from every angle at once. You’ve got owners asking about year-end numbers. Techs asking about hours. Customers asking for “holiday specials” and stretching every dollar. And all the while, you know there’s revenue sitting in your DMS and CRM that you just haven’t had the time or tools to consistently bring back in—revenue that a platform like NaturalLea