A. Little Help
- Subject: Proper car-delivery procedures
- Essential Reading: Shop Owner, Center Manager
- Author: Art Little
The last impression your customer has of you is as important as, if not more important than, the first impression. Many times we get busy and take short cuts we know we shouldn’t. Car delivery is an easy one to neglect. You talk with any sales manager and he will tell you that the last step of any sale is the reassurance step. In this step, you reassure the customer that he has made the right decision about buying from you and ask for referrals. Car delivery is the reassurance step in the sale of a transmission repair. Proper car-delivery procedure accomplishes several things, but reassurance is the most important.
Many salesmen in our industry think the reassurance step comes right after the close. Of course, you need to tell the customer you appreciate his business and you will do him a good job, but that’s about as far as you need to go at that juncture. Most customers are more than ready to leave after you have closed the sale. Save your good stuff for the car delivery and go order the parts.
Once you have made the repair, you need to get ready to deliver the car before you call the customer. Drive the car and make sure the customer’s original complaints have been corrected, then walk around the car to make sure it is clean and there are no leaks or other problems that would make the customer uneasy. Park the car close to the office and lock it. Take the keys in and put them where you can find them easily. Put them on the keyboard, or staple the key tag to the repair order if you don’t have a keyboard. It doesn’t matter; just make sure you do not have to look for them. Now you are ready to call the customer and deliver the car.
When the customer arrives, unless you are selling a job stop what you are doing and go take care of him. Get the keys, smile, shake his hand and take him for a ride. If anything needs to be done, do it right then. Ask him whether he is satisfied with the repair, and if so you are ready to deliver the car.
Take the customer to the delivery area. An office with a closed door is ideal, but if your shop does not have that available use a place that affords you the most privacy. This needs to be a clean area with a place for the customer to sit. Have someone answer the phone for you if possible so there will be no interruptions. You do not answer the phone when you are closing a sale, so remember what I told you. This is the last step of the sale and you need to avoid distractions while you are selling.
Sit with the customer and take out the paperwork. Start by going over what the problem was when he came to you and then explain what you did to correct it. Explain it in terms that he will understand and do not talk over his head. Next, explain his warranty and reassure him that you will be there for him if a warranty problem should occur.
Tell him that you have just repaired the most-sophisticated part of his automobile and that it takes about 500 miles for all the new seals to heat enough to seat and seal. Assure him it is not leaking now but, because of the heat causing the seals to expand and contract during the break-in period, leaks are possible. Ask him to watch for leaks and if he sees any to bring the car back immediately. Ask him to listen for noises or anything else that he thinks might be a problem and stress to him that you want him to let you know about his concerns immediately.
Explain that a warranty is not a guarantee that the work performed will not fail. Rather, it is a guarantee that the work performed will be corrected at no charge if a problem occurs during the warranty period. Admit that you are not perfect but are willing to make right any future problems as quickly as possible. Finally, tell him that he must bring back the car after 500 miles so you can check your work and make any adjustments needed at that time. Tell him you know he has spent a lot of money with you and you just want to make sure the work is right.
Ask whether he has any questions. If he does, answer them. Then ask him again whether he is satisfied with the repair. If not, ask why and address those issues until he is satisfied. Do not let a customer go if he has not verbally told you he is satisfied. Once he has, it is time to collect the money.
There are several things that you should document on the paperwork. Here is a good checklist:
- Year, make and model have been recorded.
- The repair order is dated.
- The mileage is recorded.
- The VIN is recorded.
- All documentation regarding the original customer complaint, diagnosis and repair is complete.
- Work authorization has been signed and dated.
- Release of the vehicle has been signed and dated.
- Method and amount of payment have been recorded along with the date and signature of who received the payment.
- Once the paperwork has been completed give the customer a copy of the repair order and warranty in an envelope and tell him to put the envelope in his glove box.
- Take the key tag off the keys for him and hand them back to him. Then, shake his hand, thank him, ask him to send you some business and escort him to the door.
- Remind him again at the door to watch for leaks and that you will see him again after 500 miles. As the customer is leaving, put the payment in a safe place and your copy of the repair order where it goes before you do anything else. As a footnote, it is advisable to follow these procedures, with the obvious exclusions, when delivering a car that has returned for warranty work.
If you consistently follow quality car-delivery procedures you will find that if the customer has a problem that requires warranty work, he is much easier to deal with and your customer referral rate will skyrocket. You have taken the time to complete the last step of the sale. He is sure he has made the right decision now.
You have put him on notice that there may be some problems but that you will be there for him if there is a problem, and he believes it. That is all any customer could ask for. You have made a good last impression and satisfied another customer who will refer his friends to you. End of sale.
I know it takes a little more time to do a proper car delivery, but it makes you money, saves you time and grief and, in the long run, creates a great reputation for you in the community.
Until next time, take care of each other out there and take care of that customer so you can make a lasting impression that is positive for your shop.
Art Little is the founder and CEO of TransTeam. He has been a professional manager, trainer, multiple-shop general manager, owner and a business consultant for transmission-shop owners nationwide. TransTeam used Internet technology in 1997 to create the National Employment Headquarters for the transmission industry. The TransTeam website has more than 3,000 members. All industry professionals are invited to visit the website to recruit nationwide or find a job. www.transteam.com
