As a service advisor, if you’re not a people person, it may be frustrating. People don’t always make the best decision for their car or their situation. They don’t always make rational sense, like their cars. We have to deal with human psychology. People see things from their own perspective. They have to be gently guided to that decision.
Nobody wants to make another expensive decision: they make enough at home and work already. Customers need to feel that they can say no, that they are part of the decision. If they do, sometimes it’s just to stop or to slow things down; to keep the status quo – after all, change is difficult. And people need to feel in control. Steer them to make the best decision. Their trust in you takes a lot of the weight of that decision off their shoulders. The aim is to get the customer to arrive at the yes decision on their own, with your help.
I’m going to offer a lot of communication tips. The more you apply, the easier your job will be.
- Active listening: Use eye contact, nod, clarify what you hear, be careful of thinking of next thing to say.
- Empathy: Understand where the customer is coming from: bills, economy, old car, too many (recent) repairs, kids in school.
- Emotional intelligence: The new customer is more likely to be wondering about you than thinking about your shop. Create a “we” relationship in which your customer’s focus is on you as a collaborative partner. What your customer feels about his relationship with you will form the foundation of how he views your products and services. What is going on in your customers business or personal life? Ask a personal question, maybe after sharing something personal about you. Use the customer’s name often.
- Persuasion and negotiation: Spend a lot of time building rapport and trust before going into the transaction. Educate your customer about the problem versus just telling them what the problem is. That is, help your customer arrive at the "yes" conclusion. Clearly, motive matters, and your motive of caring will build credibility and trust.
The agenda that generally inspires the greatest trust is seeking mutual benefit — generally wanting what’s best for everyone involved. People trust people more when they view them as being similar or familiar. After trust is established, they realize you have their best interest in mind. Nothing has more influence than a reputation of trust. Trust makes transaction exceptionally quick and easy.
Inspire confidence in your knowledge, attitudes, skills, and style. Genuine conversation is enriching; it makes people feel good. It’s advantageous to have the customer feel good when working with your shop. Say the high price/list price three times, then say your special price
- Nonverbal communication: Smile! Good eye contact makes for a good customer connection. Use a friendly tone on the phone no matter how rushed you are.
- Conflict resolution: Spend a lot of time building rapport and trust before going into the conflict. Ensure the customer trusts you. After trust is established, they realize you’re looking for the best resolution.
- Presumptive close: Act and talk as if the customer is going to say "yes." A confident and calm tone of voice. Don’t pause after each repair description; it’s too easy for the customer to say no. Give them all the repairs so they have an accurate view. Expect a complete "yes," which is easier when you explain that some things can wait, instead of trying to get it all at once.
I enjoy my job as a service advisor since I use the above skills to create great relationships with our customer/friends, so the interactions are a pleasure. There is no reason to fear any phone call. And you can do all this while still making a profit.
