It’s not a mistake. The
question mark is there on purpose. You’re most likely a qualified technician
and/or a skilled manager in the auto service industry. If not, you would be
following a different career. Hopefully you’re on a path of constant learning in
your chosen profession. It raises the bar higher for us all. It allows us to
offer our customers ever increasing levels of professional service. The reason
for the question mark is this. Do you really study and understand the challenge
and opportunity of establishing trust and rapport with your customers?
My continuing reminder
to us all is to approach these questions relating to customer service from a
standpoint of our own experiences when we ourselves are the customer. There is
no one better than yourself to provide you the honest answers. It becomes
extremely personal when you are the sole judge and jury. You are the sum of what
you have experienced. If you have made it past adolescence you have plenty to base
your judgements on. Enough psycho-babble!!
So, how do we establish
trust? Many of the places we choose to do business with can be attributed to
convenience or, when it comes to a branded product, who’s got the lowest price.
Here are a couple of examples. If you do most of your food shopping at a
particular store, you are probably doing it because they are close to your home
or they are located along the route you take on the way home from work. I’ll
bet there are items that cost more than one of their competitors in your
shopping basket, but, hey, you’re there and it’s convenient. On the other hand,
if you’re looking for a new TV before the big game, you’ve probably checked out
the price of Brand XYZ p/n 12345 and are headed to the store with the lowest
price.
Within reason, I could
make a case for you that says it is still possible to change that customer’s
buying habits but we are not ready for that conversation yet. Instead, I want
to keep our focus on the folks who come into your business every day. All
things being equal, why do they come to you (for something other than an
advertised special)? There are probably lots of places to get their vehicle
serviced in your area.
Having spent most of my
life in the automotive aftermarket (which is a considerable number of years), I
can’t tell you how many times I have been asked; “Where is a good place to get
my car repaired?” Sometimes I have heard that question from people who knew I
was in the business and other times I was standing with a group of people at a
party and overheard the discussion. Here’s how it usually went. “Hey. I’m
looking for a good place to get my brakes checked. I think I need to have them
looked at because I hear some squealing and I’m concerned. I’ve been going to
Bill’s Friendly Auto Repair the last couple of times and I’m not sure they
always have my best interest in mind.” Keep in mind this is just a rough
example. Most of the times the conversation about their present repair shop
isn’t so “gentle”.
So, now there’s 6
people standing around this circle and, let’s say it’s me that offers up an
answer. Remember, only one guy was asking the question. Here I go with a
glowing recommendation. I start with a story that lays out a scenario where
Andy over at Andy’s Service Center “did right by me” when he told me that what
I was told by another shop was going to be a major repair was only going to be
an inexpensive fix. I added how nice the techs were and how professional
looking the shop was and how accommodating they were. AND, that I’ve been going
there for the last 5 years AND everyone I ever sent to Andy has been happy with
his service. The guy who asked the question is now asking me to text his
contact info to his phone. AND so are the other 4 people who were listening.
There are lots of
lessons in this simple example. Getting a new customer into your place is an
expensive and exhaustive proposition. Shops spend tons on advertising;
newspapers, direct mail, radio or, where it is affordable, putting ads on TV.
All this is good and worthwhile to do. You need to cast a broad net on the
water. But, remember, the first time one of those customers comes into your
shop TRUST has not yet been established.
In the example where I
made the recommendation, that person (or those people) will be hitting your
place with a pre-conceived notion that there is trust to be found here. I can’t
tell you how much that means. The fact is that when someone in the crowd asks
for a recommendation, the person who answers has set themselves up as an
authority on that subject. Everybody likes to be looked to as an authority. Think
about it. “Hey, my insurance rates just went through the roof. Anybody got a
good ‘guy’?” I’ll bet you’ve heard that one before. That’s how we make
decisions. With a little help from our friends. That’s why you’ll drive a
little out of your way on the way home. That’s why you might be willing to pay
a little more. It’s not always the “Complete Brake Service” advertised at a set
price. Your most meaningful customers value the TRUST in your service. They are
the most likely to “sell” your shop and they’re going to do it when you’re not
even there or trying. The reality is that you’ve obviously already established
trust and rapport. You’ve done your job.
What can you do to earn
that kind of trust from your customer to make them that passionate about your
business. It’s simple. Everything you
can possibly think of. Before you engage the customer, go to those “outside
your business” experiences you’ve had and remember all the times when you were
treated well enough to create a positive memory. It would serve you well to
also remember when you were not treated so well and how that made you feel.
Then, don’t take your customer there.
Trust doesn’t just
happen. It is built over time. Even with a good recommendation from an existing
customer, you’ve only gotten past the first step. What are you waiting for? You’ve got trust to
build!
© Bill Rosenberg
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