This month let’s listen to ATI Coach Brian Hunnicutt explain how he begins to diagnose shops that want to do better. The first question in the flow chart would be: “Do you have enough cars?” Let’s assume the answer is no. Then we would need to check into marketing, phone skills, location and a bunch of other things but you get the idea. If the answer is yes and you have enough cars, we would check to see if you are asking for enough with the estimate. If you aren’t asking enough with the estimate, then we would either work on the courtesy check, or look at maintenance for the estimate using time and mileage. If the courtesy checks and maintenance are not an issue, then we need to look closer. Now we would look into the conversion rate of estimate dollars to dollars sold. You do this by examining the relationship you build with the customer. Do you provide education in your presentations? Do you build value with the sale or in service after the sale?
Need more car count?
If you do not have enough cars, first ask yourself, “What are you getting for an average repair order?” For a Euro shop it should be around a thousand dollars. For an Asian shop it should be around seven hundred. For a normal auto repair shop it should be around five hundred. For a quick lube it should be around one hundred and twenty-five. So you may not need more cars — you may need to get more per car. So do you need more cars? Yes? Then are you posting on Google My Business at least three times a week? Are you doing all of the customer retention ideas? Things like thank you calls, CSI calls and deferred work calls. Are you working on rescheduling calls, and where-have-you-been calls? Are you exit scheduling?
|
LIMITED TIME OFFER: Customer Service Checklist |
| This Customer Service Checklist is designed to get you the right return business with the right average repair order amount. If worked properly, it will allow owners to work on their business and not in it. Track, measure and hold your employees accountable to this and set yourself free. If you would like to download your own checklist simply go to www.ationlinetraining.com/2019-08 for a limited time. |
Once you have enough cars, are you asking for enough? If the answer is no, then are you doing a courtesy check before doing any other work except a no start? Is it a complete courtesy check? Are you building the estimate that has everything included that should be? Are you adding the maintenance like shocks/struts, flushes, filters, belts and battery services by time and mileage as you are supposed to? The estimate average should be at least $1,250.00. If you don’t ask for enough then the answer is “no” before you even ask. On the courtesy check, is anyone double-checking to make sure that nothing is being missed? Are you putting your eyes on the car so that when you talk to the client you can give them the image of what you saw? This way they understand the importance of the service.
Need larger estimates?
If you are asking for enough, the estimate would be at least $1,250 on average. Not every car but on average — some will be almost nothing and others will be in the thousands. You do this by examining the relationship you build with the customer. Do you provide education in your presentations? Do you build value with the sale or in service after the sale?
Relationships start on the customer’s side of the counter with a handshake and a warm smile. You walk out to the car with the customer showing interest in both the customer and the vehicle. Do you walk around noting anything wrong with the car and pointing it out to the customer? Start the vehicle and make sure that the warning lights go out — this protects you and the customer. Any warning lights that are on — are you checking them out today?
Get the mileage and start having the maintenance conversation with them. You bridge into maintenance at this time. You let the customer know what you are doing with them and for them. This way it does not feel like you are doing anything to them later. Without this step and you putting a huge amount of “pump” and “wow” into the beginning part of the process, then you have to put way more effort into getting the customer to buy later. The customer will never feel as good about it and will have way more buyer’s remorse.
You need things like Edmunds’ “True Cost to Own” https://www.edmunds.com/tco.html in your back pocket so you can explain to the client how you are saving them money. The importance of repairing and maintaining their car versus buying a new or used one. If you skip the education step, when you present the entire estimate later with maintenance, it will be like clubbing them over the head.
Holding the line on the sale and making it important that they buy is huge! If you don’t make it a priority that they buy, then why put it on the estimate to begin with? Most customers are trained to say no because that is what they think they are supposed to do. They literally practice saying no before they come in to see you. The husband and wife are saying things like, “No matter what they say, we just tell them ‘no.’” It is not their fault; they just don’t know any better. It is up to us to go through the process and show them that it’s less expensive to maintain and repair than to replace. So, you ask for the sale a minimum of three times without making them mad and make it important that they buy. If you do not have finance options, then get some. Even if it does not work it allows you another chance to ask for the sale without making them mad.
Service after the sale and setting up the next maintenance service is critical. When you are cashing out a customer you need to review the repairs or maintenance performed today. This rebuilds the value in what they are buying. Then you have to let them know what services will be coming up on their car. Education, at this point, makes your job so much easier in the future — it is amazing. How would you like it if the next time you came in, they blindsided you with a sixty thousand mile service? Your customer needs to know what the next steps should be. Now you exit schedule for the next appointment. You let them know to give a review on Google. You also let them know you will be calling them to remind them about their next service. After that, you do all of the customer retention calls. You hit repeat and start the process all over again. A great place to get started with this is to have a checklist of all the steps needed to get the sale and the return visit.
Download your own flow chart
This Customer Service Checklist is designed to get you the right return business with the right average repair order amount. If worked properly, it will allow owners to work on their business and not in it. Track, measure and hold your employees accountable to this and set yourself free. If you would like to download your own checklist simply go to www.ationlinetraining.com/2019-08 for a limited time.
