 |
Robert Spitz
Senior VP Business Development
Management Success! |
This
used to be a fairly simple business. The cars were simple, and repairs and
maintenance were common. The cars
manifested problems on a regular basis, and the owners of the vehicles knew
something was wrong.
I
grew up in this business and started working in shops in the late 1960’s. I worked primarily in import shops, what we used
to call foreign cars. The first job I
had was a decarbonization job on an Austin Mini with less than 40,000 miles on
it. This was commonplace - brake pads every 10-12,000 miles, front end
work and clutches, tune ups every 6,000 and 12,000 miles (and boy did those
cars need tune-ups!), not to mention constant exhaust work.
We
didn't need to be great salesmen. Customers came in and told us what the problem was. We told them we’d fix
it, and we’d give them a call when it was done. We didn't even have to give them an estimate.
That
was a long time ago, and a lot has changed, starting with the cars. The modern car is vastly superior to the older cars and does not need the constant attention of the cars of yesteryear. (Did you know a model T Ford needed to be
serviced every 100 miles?) However, the
modern day car does need to be serviced! One of the problems is the new technology seems to be able to mask
problems that used to have customers coming in the door. Engine lights come on,
but the car seems to be running fine, until it doesn’t anymore. Then the
customer gets shocked with the price to replace some component that might not
have needed to be replaced prematurely if the vehicle had been maintained
properly.
It’s
not that preventative maintenance is a new idea - it’s just that the vehicles
run so much better than the old cars that it can lull customers into a false
sense of “everything seems to be okay, I'll put it off until later” attitude.
A
recent survey was done on John Q. Public and they were asked, “What do you
expect out of your vehicle?” The
majority of those surveyed stated, “A safe and reliable vehicle that will last
a long time.” When asked, “What does it
take to achieve this goal, and what does it mean to service a vehicle?” the
answers varied greatly. 31% stated
“maintenance”, 23% stated “change the oil”, 19% said, “keep it running”, and 15%
stated “I don’t know,” and 12% stated, “fixing it.” From this, we can see that
the car-driving public is fairly confused on this point. I can recall a fellow coming into a store I
was running and asking how much it would be to rebuild the engine on his
car. When I asked him what’s going on
with the vehicle, he told me, “Oh, it’s running fine. I thought a rebuild would
be good preventative maintenance.” We
can see the subject of servicing a car has been a source of confusion for a
long time. A service writer or adviser
can no longer be an order taker. The
orders are not there to take.
It
has long been my experience that there are two kinds of service writers: those
that make things happen and those who wait for things to happen. Which one is on your front counter? Here are some things for you to check that
might help you with this evaluation:
1.
Does
your service writer check the customer’s record for previously recommended
services when customers set an appointment?
2.
Does
he/she suggest a service at the time of the appointment if called for?
3.
Does
he/she note the miles on the vehicle when customers drop off the car and
suggest the factory recommended service if the vehicle mileage indicates it’s
ready for a service?
4. Does
he/she call customers while the vehicle is in the shop and recommend a needed
service?
5.
At
the end of the day, does the service writer set a new appointment for the next
needed service?
The
above five points are just an example of what a good service writer should do
to generate business for the shop. There
are many other points that good service writers do on a daily basis. Another critical point is taking the time to
educate customers on what they are driving and how to keep the vehicle in
top-notch condition. They should be educated as to why they should do
preventive maintenance.
When
this is done honestly and sincerely, the service writer is demonstrating care
for the customer. That is what every owner is looking for - someone who will
care for the customers the way the owner cares.
The
ability to recruit the right people, hire the right people, and train them to do
things the way an owner wants is an ability every owner needs in
order to have a successful business. I
invite you to see how you are doing in these areas.
Visit
www.managementsuccess.com and
take the Shop Owners Free OnLine Analysis. You will get a visual graph that will show you where you are strong and
where you could use some improvement in your business. I’ll even have a
consultant evaluate it for you, free of charge. Do it today!
