When sales and service teams collaborate instead of compete, the results speak for themselves: better cars, higher profits and happier customers. At The Niello Company, cross-departmental alignment is not just a strategy. It’s a system that transforms dealership performance. In today’s episode of Inside Automotive, Tully Williams, fixed operations director, and Dennis Gingrich, sales and finance director at The Niello Company, share how aligning sales, service and F&I creates measurable gains in customer retention, used-car profitability and technician recruitment. Together, they outline the operational strategies driving a more efficient and profitable dealership model.
“We are in the repeat and referral business. And I think a lot of times sales is kind of talking about today's sale and only today's sale. But when we get the whole store together, we realize the repeat referral business is the key to success, and the retention is the holy grail.” — Tully Williams
At The Niello Company, collaboration between sales and service is not just encouraged, it is structured and incentivized. Williams and Gingrich describe how cultural and compensation changes across departments are reshaping the traditional dealership model. One example is reconditioning performance, where used-car managers are now compensated based on reconditioning quality. This shift leads to faster recon times, higher vehicle quality, increased per-vehicle retail gross and stronger customer satisfaction. The model also removes the incentive to cut corners, resulting in fewer complaints and greater buyer trust.
The dealership also focuses on what it calls “super car gross” as another key metric. This figure captures total profitability for each used vehicle, including reconditioning costs, F&I product sales and reinsurance revenue. By optimizing every stage of the vehicle’s lifecycle, the team maximizes both profit and customer value. Gingrich references industry benchmarks like Carvana’s $7,000-per-car model to emphasize how Niello’s approach mirrors bucket-based strategies that track profitability from acquisition to sale.
In service, the company has avoided one of the industry’s biggest challenges: technician shortages. Niello invests early in technician development by hiring from high schools, junior colleges and trade schools. These recruits enter a one- to three-year training program as shop assistants before advancing into full technician roles. By planning ahead, the company prevents service disruptions and avoids reactive hiring, which often delays bay productivity by months or more.
“We want to put a number on every car that comes through the drive. We want an opportunity to buy those cars because we know they're great cars, because we've been servicing them. So that is truly the focus. How do we work together with sales, together with service to acquire those used cars so we can continue to grow that business?” — Dennis Gingrich
Another area of focus is service lane vehicle acquisition. Because these vehicles have verified maintenance histories, they are ideal for resale. Sales and service teams work closely to appraise these vehicles using internal data, with the goal of capturing more quality pre-owned inventory directly from loyal service customers.
Artificial intelligence also plays a role at Niello, but both leaders see it as a tool rather than a replacement. AI is used for overflow communication, after-hours appointment setting, parts ordering and customer targeting. However, human interactions remain central, especially given the company’s focus on luxury brands and personalized service. AI supports the process by filtering data and helping staff make faster, more informed decisions about vehicle appraisals and customer engagement.
By aligning compensation, communication and priorities across departments, The Niello Company creates a dealership experience that improves employee accountability, operational efficiency and long-term customer retention.
