Trusting your customers part 2
The reason why the people of Good Eggs did such a good job at earning my loyalty is because of how they made me feel (and to my referrals: seriously, go to Good Eggs any time you’re near Door County, Wisconsin)
Trusting Your Customers Part One
I’ve been standing in line for 30 minutes or so by the time I realize I may not get to eat breakfast today. I’m in line for, what I’ve been told, is the most amazing breakfast burrito on the planet. Apparently it’s no secret, because Good Eggs is packed. Imagine a Qdoba or Chipotle but instead of meat, these guys make eggs, potatoes, and vegetables and wrap them up in a giant tortilla. There are three things on the menu: basic, standard and deluxe wrap. And there are 100 people in line to order them at the counter.
Honesty, Here’s My Wallet
If I encounter a sales rep who even remotely sounds like he’s trying to feed me B.S., I’ll take my money elsewhere – simple as that. Once trust in the individual is broken, it makes you question the honesty of the company – and products.
It Ain’t All About You
I hate managers who brag on themselves to the customer. Makes me want to puke. They are absolutely missing the point. They should be bragging on the owner of the shop and the technicians who work there. That is what the customer wants to hear.
Monologue vs. Dialogue
A two-way conversation in which both parties are giving and receiving information is a dialogue, and it’s what is needed to make successful sales. You may be the sharpest knife in the drawer when it comes to mechanical skills. You might even be great at handling customer situations and problems after the sale, but if you can’t have a successful dialogue with a potential customer over the phone or when they pay a visit to your shop, those wonderful attributes won’t mean a thing because you won’t be making profitable sales.
Bless Their Hearts: Selling the Diagnosis
Words are all we have, but the right words can be a very effective weapon. Look at it this way. If we cannot sell a free diagnosis on the phone, we are not going to sell a transmission repair. Your best bet is to position yourself as the friendly guy at an honest shop that has a free diagnosis that saves the customer $200 off the dealership price for a diagnosis. You won’t get them all, but statistics show that your chances of getting a sale are better than those of the shops giving lowball prices over the phone. It is a percentage bet. So, for you managers out there who think you have a better solution, I just have to say to you, “Good luck with that and bless your heart.”
The Straw that Broke the Camel’s Back
Unless you’re a one-man or -woman business, there are multiple people, touchpoints and experiences that connect your customers to your business. Any single mistake – which may not seem like that big of a deal at first – could just be the straw that breaks that customer’s back and sends that person running to your competition.
How User Friendly Is Your Business?
The level of service provided to customers is usually mandated by a business owner or very high-level manager. Most of them have lofty ideas as to how they want their customers treated. The problem is that as the customer-service message filters down through the ranks there’s a good chance that it will become diluted, sometimes to a point where it isn’t service at all. When that happens a business is doomed unless it can be turned around, and that can be very difficult after customer trust is destroyed.
Promoting Trust
The way we sound, look and act along with the way we keep our shops goes a long way toward gaining or losing the trust of our customers. If we present a clean and professional image our customers will be more comfortable and believe that they are going to get a better job, often lowering their resistance to price, making it easier to get the amount we really need.
No Fear
One of the great things about being a mechanic is that we usually aren’t afraid to tackle any mechanical challenges placed before us, even if they are brand new and we’ve never faced anything like them before. We tear into a job with the confidence that we will somehow be able to find the problem, fix it and put it back together. Experience gives us the nerve to try.
Priority Customers
In business, as in life, the 80-20 rules always seem to apply – things like how 80% of your aggravation comes from 20% of your employees and 80% of your profits come from about 20% of your customers. Now, I don’t know how aggravating your employees really are (the little dears), but I do know the part about the customers to be true. Although you may have lots of them, the ones who spend the most money with the fewest hassles and consistently help you to pay your bills are only about 20% of the total. If you’ve ever muttered the words, “Gee, if only I had more customers like her,” then you know what I mean.
You Can’t Get a Lot for a Little!
Although some customers will try to get away as cheaply as possible, most realize that they have to at least pay a fair price to get a car fixed properly. Fortunately for us, people who place quality and service above price outnumber those who don’t by four to one. That means that about 80% of your customers are far more motivated by the look and the feel of the service than the price of it.
