Tips

Not my table

During an episode of a show that saves restaurants the show host and the employees were viewing a video of the staff at work. A customer made a request and was ignored by a waitress who commented that it was not her table. The show host got in her face with a raised voice and said: “If you are going to work here, there is no such thing as “not my table”!

Does anyone on your staff have an attitude of “not my table”?

“Well – yes, but they are flat rate or commission (or whatever).” So was that waitress who works mainly for tips. Tell your staff: “They are all your tables – they are all your customers. The request for help from the customer being handled by another advisor – even the comeback from another tech!” That’s looking beyond today and into your future. Some people “don’t get that”. They either need to “get that” or go damage some other business.

5 characteristics of an exceptional customer area:

It has a consistent theme.
It has a focal point.
Less is best.
Car service related things are subtle or not there at all.
It is professionally designed – hire a pro.

Yes, it will take square footage – which most shops have one way or another if they are a bit creative. Yes, it will take money – and it may end up being the best “equipment / remodeling” ROI you’ve ever experienced.

• It attracts good customers
• It repels bad customers
• Customers are less likely to be rude or angry if things don’t go perfectly
• The pressure from waiters is greatly reduced and often disappears
• Prices that allow for a reasonable profit are justified and expected
• It says that you are better at diagnosis and repair
• You feel better about yourself and your shop – you live there

How good is your customer service? Our standards in this industry are pretty low. Most of us think that 5 on a scale of 1 to 10 is great service. Most shops are around 3 or 4. This is fantastic news for shop owners with open minds looking for ways to stand out. Moving your shop to 7 or 8 (or even 6) puts you in a class by yourself. But, how do you do that? Forget best practices – that’s just what others already do and should be considered automatic minimums for any decent shop. What could you offer that no one else ever does? What would no one else even consider doing? Do that. Get ahead of the service curve and stay ahead of it.

Here’s Your Sign!

At an upscale restaurant recently six employees said something pleasant to us on our way out. Easy to do – yet very impressive.

Your employees don’t have to engage everyone in a long conversation, but when they pass someone in the parking lot or anywhere else at your shop it is more than reasonable to expect them to smile and say hello.

Place this sign where your employees will see it constantly.

“Smile and say: “Hello!”

How do I get to Carnegie Hall?

Practice, practice, practice!

Do you ever rehearse your presentation before you make the call to the customer? Run through it a few times, write notes, put things in an order that flows well. Then watch how much better your presentations (and sales) go. This is one more reason why advisors should have access to a private office, or better yet have one of their own.

Customers rarely use only common sense or logic to select a service. Yet we often approach marketing for new customers as if they always do, which explains why a fair amount of our marketing fails. How many Super Bowl ads have much, if anything, to do with the product? The speed of society today causes customers to make snap decisions. No time to research – just grab and go – often guided by feelings. How can you make sure that they feel good about you?

Talk less.

Listen more.

You will get more sales. And you won’t talk your way out of a sale that you have already closed.

Pause for 1-2 seconds after the customer stops talking, and then reply. This will significantly improve your communications.

Communicate clearly. Few folks do this well today.

Most customers want things to be simple, easy, and hassle free – including the extremely complex things.

People like, and are more inclined to buy, what they can easily comprehend. The easier you can make it, the better the customer experience and the greater the sales.

Take a little extra time with every customer both in person and on the phone.

During that time give them your undivided attention.
There is no looking elsewhere.
There is no one else to talk to.
There are no phones to be answered.
There is no “is my part here yet?” or other staff interruptions – make sure everyone knows that.

It is noticeable to the customer and will often be the difference in whether or not the sale is made.

Your car needs this! – Well, maybe it does…

When presenting services to customers, communicate confidently and with authority because confidence and authority sell. As soon as a customer senses that you are less than confident or unsure about your presentation the odds of the sale drop like a rock.
If this is the case review it with the tech, take a look at it – maybe research it on line. Do whatever you need to do to feel confident before you make your presentation.

Welcome to Wally’s! Watch your step and don’t touch that!

Tell anyone that you do car repair and Sanford and Son pops into their head. Negative stereotypes – Hollywood still portrays us that way. What can be done? In the grand scheme of things, not much.

But, what can you do to minimize them at your shop? Make a list of those stereotypes. Now, examine every part of your operation down to the minute details and see if you are reinforcing them or showing that they do not define who you are. Identify what you need to address and pick them off one at a time until they are gone.

How to blow a hundred grand Obviously, all of your customer service employees should be people persons (at least I hope they are!). But, what about the techs, clean-up staff, drivers, parts people, and everyone else who is perceived as being part of your shop? They should be reasonably customer friendly, too. As for the ones you have now who are not, train them or find them a place to work that better suits them because your business isn’t it. These people can cost you tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars over time. You are better off being short staffed with friendly people than sufficiently staffed with average or less than friendly people.

Drones

Avoid droning on and on and on.
I rarely want to hear about the coefficient of friction.
I have things to do.
I want to know if you can fix my car, when it will be done and how much it will cost.
Make it clear to me that you will go into detail on anything beyond that.
Then, if I want more info, I’ll ask.

Your ads and website tell me…

…quite a bit, even if it’s not accurate.

Basic ads and websites mean the shop’s expertise is pretty basic.

Average ones tell me that the shop has average skills.

Excellent ones tell me that this is a shop which possesses exceptional capabilities when it comes to car repair.

Perception is reality.

When sizing someone up, how important is their attitude? How is yours when customers are sizing you up? Attitude shows and has a huge effect. Bad attitudes do not belong anywhere in your shop.

They affect:
Employees
Customers
Customer service
Profits
You
Your family

Big rewards are usually preceded by big dreams. Remember your dreams when you first had your shop? What happened to them? Get them out, dust them off, adjust them as needed, and go after them!

“But, I’m a 40 year old shop owner – dreams are for the kids.”

Life expectancy today in the U.S. is about 80 putting you at halfway. Or, figuring that adulthood starts around 20 you have about two thirds left to go. You have 40 years to make those dreams come true. If you are 50, you are only halfway. Even if you are 60, you have two decades to work on them. Imagine what you can accomplish in the next 20 years!

Reduce the verbiage. Get rid of obvious and redundant words. Just cut to the chase and make your point.

The world is filled with far too much text and too many words that say far too little.

Whatever you are trying to communicate, how can you accomplish it while using as few words as possible?

Like it or not, great service means speed.

How can you take care of customers faster at your service counter? During write-up, during check-out, on the phone, using email.

Make a list. OK, that’s better – but how about much faster? Develop your list further. Now, take care of the things that you have listed.

But, don’t stop there. Constantly look for ways to make it just a little bit faster.

How nice are you and your coworkers?
Are they super polite, friendly, and helpful?
Nothing else that you can do will draw customers in as much.
Post this on your monitor: “Be nice. Hire nice.”
This one thing can make a huge difference in your business.

Let me tell you about some of my other dates!

That’s a really, really bad idea. Don’t talk about any other customers past or present. I’m afraid what you might say about me after I leave.

Does that describe you in the morning?
Who would customers rather talk to?
Who has a better day?
Who is better liked?
Who enjoys themselves more?
Who sells more?

Go to bed, get up early with no alarm clock, have a good breakfast, relax a bit, and get to work well ahead of opening. It will improve your work day and a whole lot more.

When someone (anyone – customer or not) walks in the front door of your shop, how would the typical greeting that they receive be described?

Weak?
Fair?
Good?
Pretty good?
Or, is it exceptional?

People don’t receive many exceptional greetings today. Once a week, once a month, or maybe even less. Settle for nothing less than exceptional at your shop. It’s simple to do, it’s free, and it will make a difference.

What’s the one thing that you would like to eliminate about the customer service process? What part of customer service interaction makes you the least comfortable?

It shows and it costs you sales. It is critical that you fix it.

One of the simplest things that you can is to practice it. Rehearse it. Role play. Over time it will improve and it will show.

Who are your Primary Competitors?

Can you name them? Are you sure, or is it an educated guess? For most shop owners it’s the latter. How could you make your reply more accurate? Actually, it’s right in front of you every day. Put a reminder on your tech work sheets right now to save the oil change stickers that the techs remove and put them in a container just for that purpose (next to the oil change sticker printer is perfect). Assign someone to empty it weekly and create a spreadsheet with the results. These are the shops where your customers definitely have been – the ones who are emailing and mailing them just like you do.