What do your customers really want from you?

No matter what your industry, your customers want more than just great products and workable solutions.
What they really want to know is that you–personally–are the type of person whom they can trust to get the job done. With Automotive Service Advisor coaching and training Dealer Service Academy can give you the information to exceed your clients expectation. Your retail facility will never have slumping CSI numbers again! Your upfront communication skills will shine on the drive and your profits will soar.

Here are the seven things they want to see in you:
1. Independent Thinking
Customers want to know that you’ll represent their interests, even it’s not in your own financial interest–and particularly when the proverbial chips are down. (Of course, it’s your job to make certain that the chips stay up.)
2. Courage
Customers want to know that you can be trusted to do the right thing. They expect you to tell them if buying what you’re selling is a mistake, or not truly in their interests.  That takes real guts.
3. Pride
The best customers don’t want you to truckle and beg. Because they’re trusting you to deliver, they want to work with proud, successful people who can handle even the most difficult tasks.
4. Creativity
Customers don’t have the time to sit and listen to cookie-cutter sales presentations.  However, they always have time for somebody who can redefine concerns or issues and devise workable solutions.
5. Confidence
Customers are taking a risk when they buy from you.  They both need and expect you to exude the kind of confidence that assures them you’ll do what it takes to make them happy.
6. Empathy
Customers want you to see the situation from their perspective.  They want you to understand where they are, how their business works, and the challenges that they face–not just intellectually, but in your gut.
7. Honesty
Above all, customers want you to be honest with them.  In fact, the previous six values are built upon a foundation of honesty.  Without honesty, you have absolutely nothing to offer any customer

Do you have a service process in place?

For Automotive Service Advisor Training and Automotive Service Manager training and coaching processes.

Contact Andrea at (855)372-9255 ext 104 today or email andrea@dealerserviceacademy.com

Recently I received a emailed correspondence from a service advisor that was just fed up with all the added responsibilities piled on him and him peers in the service drive . He was asking me if the status quo has changed across the country.
Here is a snippet of that email:

“Many of the writers here feel taken advantage of because they have been asked to not only perform the functions of service write up but also cashiering and telephone answering and appointment making and customer follow up calls. They are also soon, going to be asked to perform the function of rental car check out and check in. Also because of some staffing issues at times the advisor must also go to the parking lot to retrieve the car for the customer on pickup. The reason many here feel taken advantage of is because all of this has been added to their daily duties without an increase in wages. I feel commissioned employees should be paid for duties that would be considered for an hourly wage employee.”

For the record I have not met this service advisor but hope to in the future.  I did go to the company website and read great reviews about this advisor.

My answer back was to email by saying “Yes for great customer service you must stay engaged with your customer, by phone, with presentations skills and status updates. You must be the go to guy for your client. Your building a relationship but do it smart! Be prepared when you client comes in go over key pieces like a menu and MPI. You set yourself up for better commissions. When you follow up on work completed you have another shot at declined services at active delivery. This is what Dealer Service Academy coaches and what our retailers want and need across the country. Your customer demands have changed they want information that only you can give him. Our customers today can get on the internet and find out anything they want within seconds. You must be prepared and knowledgeable when they come in and set the bar high! Don’t pass me on to someone else, tell me what I need and let me make a decision. They look to you for the answers.”

Also know that what he is experiencing is maybe just a need for a pat on the back from his boss and the new General Manager.
Don’t loose sight of the real stars in your service drive. Coaching the team you have is paramount. When new staff is hired and brought in everyone should be given a chance to shine.
Keep your team motivated.

Follow these steps with your automotive service advisors

1 Coach good phone skills

2 Being prepared for the customer, vehicle histories, service menus

3 Walking around a car with the customer every time!

4 Status calls before lunch, Time management is a must

5 Active delivery explaining all the service that your team accomplished for the customer’s convenience….take credit.

6 Show appreciation to your service advisors as they master all the tasks of the day!

We all know time fly’s but  sometimes we have to stop and smell the motor oil….

Dealer Service Academy has 2 new workshops coming up in March.
Please join us in
Phoenix, Arizona March 19th or 20th, 2013
Novi Michigan March 26 or 27th
To register or get a quote on in dealership coaching
contact Andrea at 855-372-9255 ext 104
Or click here to register now

2012 is almost over and you have survived another year.

We’ve come to the end of a very eventful year. The economy is improving, and we all look forward to new opportunities for growth in 2013.

Many of those opportunities will be influenced by new technology, like Tablets in the service drive and mobile apps. Consumers and businesses alike are excited about new ways to shop that are faster, more convenient, and safer.

We’re here to help you succeed in the coming year, with expert advice on choosing equipment and the best way to maximize that equipment. Many retailers train and coach how to use these programs and how to get your staff trained on the functions that are at their finger tips. How ever they don’t train and coach how your consumer arrives at the facility and the consumer needs. Dealer Service Academy trains the upfront communication skills that your advisors and quick lube personnel need to enhance the mobile devices that are so costly to you and your facility.

If your advisors know how to use the many functions that’s step one. Jack Lupo and Dealer Service Academy will coach how to engage and build value so your customer may make a logical decision on obvious repairs that are needed.

This is called giving a presentation on the drive.  With this interactivity along with or without a mobile device,  Dealer Service Academy and their team of expert coach’s will take your Automotive Fixed Operations team out of writing mode and back into Advisor mode.

Automotive Service Advisor Training is Key to your growth in 2013. Our retail partners agree that the service processes that Dealer Service Academy coaches and trains will out perform any of our compeition.

Contact us today to increase profitability, CSI and Upfront communication skills with your future customers. We all know that your service advisors have the traffic to make or break your front end sales! Success and Growth is at the top of  our Goals list for 2013  is it yours? Contact us at 855-327-9255 for our 1st quarter package pricing.

Technology is always changing and I wanted to share something I learned this week. This is a QR code and with a swipe of a scanner on your iPhone or Android phone it will direct you straight to a website, newsletter or other special offer that a company  wants to share with you.

I was wondering at breakfast last week what these codes really did. I had an idea since I have seen them before but never looked into it. As Jack and I sat eating our breakfast, on the tables are advertisements for local company’s Real Estate Agents, Auto Dealers and even feed and fertilizer ads. At The Hangar Cafe in Chandler, AZ. It is a quaint little place located at the Chandler Municipal Airport. You think we would be sick of airports but we love watching the little planes come and go and it has great food. Anyway on the tables are these ads and then I notice  about half of these had QR codes. What a great opportunity to really figure out what these did. I went to the app store on my iPhone and uploaded the free app and within minutes I was scanning and viewing information direct to these company websites, some had coupons and special offers.  I was amazed the information I was getting and I will tell you I loved it! All this time I was thinking do we really need this? My answer to this is yes!  It is about sharing information, new  technology  this helps us to stay connected and not lagging behind. Our clients and their clients are using these QR codes to send information. Special offers and Marketing Coupons. We may not use a QR code in our day to day operation but you should always learn about new technology and not be afraid to try something new.

The fun came today as I was finishing our monthly newsletter. Yep you guessed it, I received a QR code for our newsletter. Go ahead scan the QR code above and enjoy Dealer Service Academy’s October Newsletter featuring our top ten list.

If you don’t have a scanner please feel free to sign up for our newsletter here and we will promptly send you one via email the new snail mail?

October is a month for changes happening all around us and I hope we gave you a different view.