Pushing the customer service envelop in the automotive industry

Let’s face it … every business article that writes about the business environment says how volatile, or unpredictable or hostile or every known negative adjective you can think of. The thing is, when is the market place not as such? And if you think such a dynamic metaphorical is static, extinction soon follows. Business is ever always about finding and securing customers who in turn provides sustainable revenues to the company. And despite your best efforts, there will always be a situation where you cannot retain customers. Some person(s) did a survey on how companies lose customers and here’s what they found:-

Death – 1%
Moved away – 3%
Influenced by friends – 5%
Lured by competition – 9%
Dissatisfied by the product/service – 14%
Indifferent atittude – 68%

Indifference … the main killer of any business. And hiring and placing the wrong persons on the front lines almost guarantees failure. I bet most of us have stories to share about that visit to that particular car showroom where there were no other customers but the sales persons seem more interested in talking among themselves, doing their own work on the computer or being engrossed with that Angry Bird stage they almost got through.

Let’s discuss about motivation in the next article and assume that you’ve just hired a bunch of enthusiastic but inexperienced sales persons in your showroom (ie white sheets of paper waiting for your input). In training a successful sales person, you need to understand 2 things about a customer who walks into a showroom:

1) That person has a practical need (such as getting from point A to point B, getting a vehicle able to commute 11 persons at any one time, loading odd sized boxes for work, etc)
2) That person has a personal need (IQ, EQ, I-need-this-to-get-a-gf, understanding, attention)

Each individual is different, hence adjustments needs to be made to cater to the myriad customers that walk into the showroom. To make it more challenging, you have 30 seconds to set a good example and the customer expects excellence of those who come serve them, everyday from anyone. And sales person who fulfills only part of those needs listed above may still get customers … but the strike rate may not be as much as those who is able to empathize well with the customer on both areas.

In all my experience shopping for a car, walking into showrooms, I never did quite get why some car salespersons simply can’t see the opportunity that presents itself to them every day. I mean, I’m in a line that I consider as active sales (finding customers actively), those who work in showrooms are doing passive sales (customers come to them). If the customer requests for a test drive, that’s a good 10-15 minutes of 1-to-1 talk time to understand and adopt a suitable sales approach to discuss with them about the merits of buying the car you offer. Imagine this:

– from the photocopy of driving license and IC, you know where he/she stays, you know what his/her birthdate is and in some instances, the contact number is provided (especially true if that potential buyer wishes to trade in his/her car to make the new purchase). That’s a lot of information from a complete stranger whom you’ve just met 15 minutes ago. Birthday, holiday wishes are free nowadays with Whatsapp and all. Trust me, a small gesture like this goes a long way in establishing rapport with the customer … especially considering not many of your competitors doing it

– In the test drive, you could probe more personal questions about the customer. People love talking about themselves so ask more about them. The more you know, the better the rapport and your chances of hitting the right cord with them. FORM (family, occupation, relaxation, motivation) questions works well in this area and unless you’re wearing a face like an Ah Long whom the customer owes money to, your customers would volunteer those information so long as you politely ask about them.

– Follow up, for God’s sake! You’ve got their numbers so don’t be shy to drop an SMS or better still a call to see how your customer is doing and see if they need further assistance. Some customers just wants that extra bit of attention from you ….. but do remember to give the appropriate amount of attention. There is a fine line between insistent and persistent.

Let’s come back to the showroom. Commenting from personal experience, when I walk into a showroom, I can expect 3 things from the sales person who’s been assigned to be on duty.

a) he completely ignores me and continues with whatever-not important task he’s doing such as talking to fellow co-workers
b) he comes up to me, wishes me good day and becomes a mute shadow until I ask him something
c) he comes up to me, wishes me good day and starts blabbering about the features and specifications of the car without bothering to ask me what my needs are

Some car brands pretty much sells by itself and this has given rise to sales persons who thinks the customer needs them more than they need the customer! As the competition gears up (even among branches, these salesperson will just die off when word of their attitude goes out.

Fact remains that if a customer had a good experience, he/she tells 3-5 people. If the experience is bad, he/she tells 15-20 people. And in today’s internet age, bad news spreads a whole lot more faster (heck, governments are toppled in mere weeks …. what is just one lowly salesman? People love spreading bad news around so at all times, maintain positive attitude. Because if you’ve done bad, only 4% will tell you. The remaining 96% just leaves without bothering to inform you what went wrong in the deal.

Here’s what I think would be a perfect sales approach to a person who walks in:-

Good morning, sir/madam
Would you like my assistance? If yes, all the better. If no, then tell the person to feel free to browse and you’ll be right over there if they need further assistance. If they’re genuine, they’ll come to you.
How should we start? is a question that brings you straight to the practical needs of the customer
Do you have a budget (ie monthly installments)? borders on personal needs but if handled tactfully makes the whole selling process a lot more easier for both parties
Package your offers by talking not only about the car itself but the company and other aspects involved in the whole process of owning the vehicle
Once you’ve given your proposal(s), give the customer some time to think and tell them to think about it and you’ll be over there (give space)

We’ll discuss more about the type of positive words to use but the underlying reason for sales achievement and success is two words: consistency and reliability. Nurture these 2 habits, you will be successful in any sales career you bring yourself to. You see, people buy the overall experience, from the moment they walk into the showroom to the time when they collect the car. It’s no longer just about the product or service alone (unless you’re Skoda in which only 1 source imports them).

Customer service is not a department. It is an attitude so change that attitude and you change a whole culture

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