Phone shoppers and good connections

Aug. 26, 2014
A lot of the phone inquiries we get are customers or would-be customers asking us for a price. Taken at face value, this is a comparison that is dangerous for both us and that customer. 

The perception from the outside might be that everyone does everything via the Internet, but anyone in the tire or automotive repair business still is very familiar with that voice driven technology called the telephone. It is not that our customers love the sound of our voices as we describe the repairs and services we can provide to keep their cars safe and reliable, nor that they are calling to see how we are doing, but until Amazon figures out a way to sell an oil change, front end alignment or brake service (with free delivery) our phones will remain a very important tool in driving sales and assuring our viability. Even our best most loyal customers call us because they have to, not because they necessarily want to, and because of this our skills in the effective use of the telephone are and will remain critical.

A lot of the phone inquiries we get are customers or would-be customers asking us for a price. Taken at face value, this is a comparison that is dangerous for both us and that customer. But if we are able to listen attentively and establish what the underlying issues are, we have a very real opportunity of converting this price shopper into a customer but only if we make that connection in a timely manner and only if we provide great reasons to come in and give us a shot.

My very strong advice is to avoid giving price quotes on any service involving repair over the phone and in particular services that would require diagnostics. There is no possible way we can give a good estimate without seeing and touching a car and anything we quote is likely to be inaccurate, giving this potential new customer every reason in the world to mistrust us from the outset. Instead, offer to set up a convenient appointment to check out their car so that we can give the customer a no charge estimate; avoid these sight unseen quotes at all costs. They are far too risky and nearly guaranteed to be wrong. If a phone shopper insists, as sad and difficult as it is, apologize sincerely and let them go. Your reputation is worth more than giving out bad information.

The very real truth is that phone shoppers ask about price because they don’t know what else to ask about. Your great opportunity here, as you talk to that price shopper on the phone, is to to move that conversation from the price to the actual problem, offering solutions your customer can be comfortable with. The vast majority of customers will be willing to explore a solution with us as long as we acknowledge them and the problem they are having with their car and as long we are willing to accommodate them. Taking ownership of their concern and partnering with them in finding a solution is a great place to start.

Something very important to realize as you are reaching for that ringing telephone is that from the moment you answer, you have mere seconds to establish a rapport with whoever is on the other end and rather than waste those precious moments giving this customer or potential customer great reasons not to come in, my advice is to listen first and talk about what you can do later. Though most of us of the human race try to think of ourselves as logical and rational in how we go about making decisions, the very real truth is that we buy with our emotions and until we make some sort of connection with that human on the other end of the phone, our chances of making a sale are very slim. Slimmer if we are not listening attentively to what this customer or would be customer is asking for.

When a customer actually picks up the phone and calls, they are literally asking you for help and we have the opportunity to be a life preserver that they will reach for or be seen as a shark circling in preparation for an attack. How will that customer or potential customer on the other end of that phone line see us and our shop? The answer to that question is likely to decide whether or not your shop survives, and whether or not your shop grows and prospers. That phone shopper needs help, is fearful of the unknown and we have the opportunity to be there for them and in this, pick up a new customer; or, we can be everything they had feared in picking up the phone. Where it goes from here is entirely up to us.

Here are 10 important steps in handling a phone shopper:

o   Introduce yourself to phone shoppers using your first name, being sure to ask their name

o   Call phone shoppers by their first name

o   Listen attentively to their needs before offering solutions

o   Highlight your desire to earn their business and have them as a customer

o   Avoid giving price quotes over the phone, offering a free inspection and a good estimate instead

o   Be very accommodating in offering to check a vehicle over as opposed to giving a phone quote

o   Set an appointment time and be there and ready to serve this phone shopper when they arrive

o   Don’t talk price; talk safety, reliability, quality and value

o   Do whatever you have committed to doing for your customer, when you committed to doing it

o   Highlight your commitment to taking care of them and to solving their problem

Remembering that most price shoppers are talking price because they don’t know what else to ask us about, a concerted effort to understand who they are, what the underlying issues are, what type of a driver they are and how we can best serve their needs will go a long way toward getting them to hang up that phone and drive in to our shop. In survey after survey, convenience and not price are what automotive consumers identify as their number one priority and a willingness to “squeeze them in” will often move that phone conversation from price to an appointment very quickly. An even more effective technique is simply having a conversation on the phone shopper’s level, mirroring their sense of urgency and using terms they can understand. Simply engaging our customers on their level, and in terms they can understand, might be a great way to turn those phone shoppers into new customers standing at our counter.

In picking up a phone and calling our shop for a price quote, a customer cannot know how knowledgeable or experienced we are. He or she cannot possibly know that we are honest or that we would go to great lengths to make sure their car was safe and reliable. That’s our challenge every time we pick up that phone. Every time that phone rings there is an opportunity but only if we get past price and can talk about solutions.

Remember that humans call, connect and buy from other humans, not from your shop, not from your website and not from your ads. You need to be there, you need to be available and you need to speak the language.  

That phone shopper is opportunity calling. What are you going to tell them?   

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