Repair Shop Advice

The next time you talk to someone on the phone and they want a phone quote, find out their name and use it at least 3 times in the conversation. Ask open-ended questions. After all, the people that most people like to talk about the most are themselves. Ask them what problems they are having and pay attention, repeat it back to them so they know you are listening and then tell them that you understand their needs and invite them in so you BOTH can work TOGETHER to solve the problem. In my mind it is easier to think of it as “Speed Dating”. You have 3 minutes to make the date before the gong sounds and you have about 3 minutes to build enough of a relationship to get the customer to not want to pick up the phone again. In the end, you’re doing both of you a favor because they really don’t like making the phone calls to begin with. Practice this, use it every call and have your co-workers listen to you and provide feedback and you’ll be amazed at how much more successful you are on the phone.

While I was learning how to catch the fish, I was also learning how they would try and get away. One memorable time I had caught the first fish, just as the sun was rising. A great way to start the day. Feeling very proud of myself and too busy showing my Dad the prize to pay attention to what was going on, something went bad real quick. I’m not quite sure how it happened but the hook was not in the bass’ mouth, it was deep in my finger and he was nowhere to be found. I ended up with quite a different prize than I had hoped. My dear Dad’s response was to cut the line, leave the hook in my finger and duck tape it flat to my finger so we could continue fishing. This was a perfect example of self-inflicted pain that I will always remember. When you are bringing in goods, pay attention until the job is done.

Measuring success is always a touchy subject. Many of my clients are reluctant to measure and compare their employees work performance. They don’t want to set up an atmosphere of competition. Again, you must know your staff. Competition by itself can be good or bad. It is what you do with it, shape it and guide it that makes all the difference. The measurement of performance allows you to reward those who strive for excellence. The people who make winning a part of their lives, tend to win not just for themselves but also for everyone involved. Remember, the customer has to feel that winning sensation too. If not, they will not come in, they will not make a purchase or worst of all they make the purchase and never return and YOU WILL NEVER KNOW WHY.

A very simple way to measure success on the phone is with a Phone Log. I have found it very easy to use (remember, I’m just a product of the public school system) and it produces results. If a customer calls and we are able to make an appointment, the staff involved puts their name next to the appointment. It soon becomes clear who is making appointments and who is not. Then we find out what the successful advisors are doing right and we reproduce it in the rest of the staff. If however, we do not make an appointment, we should have the customer’s name, type of car, and what was wrong. (We found that out during the conversation, in an earlier paragraph.) We then record this information, with the time and date, for future reference and when the customer does come in we can initial another successful phone conversation. It is important to know how many times the phone rings with a possible customer on the phone and how many times that results in the customer coming in. Each employee will develop a % of calls vs. people coming in, which allows us to determine who is doing what, what is effective and what is not. The basics, outlined above, will work. After all, the only thing you really need to fish is a stick some string, a hook, and hopefully a worm. The Bass Boat does come in handy though!

To be accountable for something is to take some form of ownership over it. Whether it is good or bad, we must be accountable for our actions and our time. I would much rather to use praise with an employee to let them know that I appreciate their hard work than to resort to criticism for a poorly done job. The key between the two concepts is the amount of time measurement you are using and are you watching the situation on a regular basis in a way that everyone knows what is expected and can see it for themselves. Too often, accountability is done far too late. The damage has been done, so to speak, and we are left only with negative consequences. If we are proactive, we should constantly give our staff guidelines and feedback on the areas that we find to be most important. We can use the guidelines of measurement and accountability to solve problems while they are small and most importantly, train the staff as soon as it becomes apparent that training is needed. Remember, you catch more flies with Honey than with Vinegar. I think my Dad said that too.