“Advanced Sales Strategies”

By: Cecil Bullard

Table of Contents
What do they Want? ............................................................................................................ 3
Stack the Deck....................................................................................................................... 9
The Walk Around ...............................................................................................................11
Where Possible take the customer out to their vehicle to inspect it and talk ..11
Order Matters .....................................................................................................................12
Keeping it Under Control .................................................................................................13
No Stinking Thinking ........................................................................................................14
Your USP is the Answer ....................................................................................................15
Knowing Your Value - Confidence .................................................................................17
Soft Selling – Agree to the Job 1ST ..................................................................................18
More Arrows is Better ......................................................................................................19
The Art of Redirecting ......................................................................................................21
Listen to Them ....................................................................................................................22
Owning the Phone..............................................................................................................23

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Copyright 2014® Institute for Automotive Business Excellence
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Thinking Right
Selling is about how you think – your thoughts dictate your success.
Many sales people are no more than order takers. They do not
know how to sell the customer anything other than what they are
ready to buy even when what they need is different. A good sells
person knows what is best for the client and is able to get the client
to see the same thing.

A good salesperson values themselves, the people that work around them, they
company they work for and the product that they sell. They understand their product
and how it solves the problems of the client. They know what they do and how it is
beneficial for the client, and they believe in it.

A good salesperson is confident – They believe that what they are doing is the right
thing so doing anything different would be wrong. They don’t allow the No’s to drag
them down or hold them back. They put the No’s in their proper place, locked away
where they cannot hurt their confidence.

A good salesperson knows that things won’t always be perfect but –

They understand that no one is perfect and that not every car will be
fixed right the first time. They know that the mistakes give them a
chance to exceed the customers’ expectations and build a solid
relationship of trust (that they will make it right for the customer)

A good salesperson is not afraid of the clients – Clients cannot hurt you
unless you let them. The No’s cannot hurt you, the hurtful things that some people
cannot hurt you and losing a client who does not respect you, value your product or
allow you to make a wrong – right cannot hurt you unless you allow it to. Clients are not
your friends. You need to treat them friendly and make sure they are happy but, they
are not your friends and if they leave (which will happen with some of them) it is not the
end of the world nor does it mean that your product or you are not good enough.

“You have to buy what you’re selling. If you don’t buy

what you’re selling, nobody will”
- Amy Cuddy

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A good salesperson is not afraid of failure – they understand that failing is part of living
and part of trying. They know that if they are not failing enough they are not trying hard
enough or pushing the boundaries enough. A good salesperson uses their failures as
learning experiences and as motivation to try harder the next time, try a different
technique or a different approach the next time, but they understand that there will be
a next time.
A good sales person believes that everyone should buy – they are so confident about
themselves, their product and their business that they actually believe that no one
should ever go anywhere else or buy from anyone else. Confidence and enthusiasm for
your products is catchy and can be a very powerful sales tool.
Fear Has No Place in Sales
Selling is a Game – In most cases whether or not you sell your product isn’t life or death
but should be taken seriously anyway. Many a business has failed due to the failure of
those selling the product to create enough value in it or sell enough of it. A good
salesperson hates to lose this game, they believe in themselves and in their products,
they practice, they research, they try different approaches and they come up with solid
and believable reasons for their clients to buy their products. Not only do they believe
in their products but they hate to lose.

If you believe you can you likely can, if you believe you can’t you most likely will not –
I used to argue with people in class and while consulting when I heard them talk
themselves, their business, their products and/or their people down. Now, I just hang
my head and agree with them. If you cannot believe in your product and its price, why
are you selling it? If you do not believe in your team, your business, yourself or your
product you will lose the game.

What you think Really Matters when it comes to selling! I cannot tell you how
important this is, except for the fact that it has been mentioned multiple times in this
narrative and will be mentioned several more. How you think MATTERS! Think right,
sell more. Think wrong, sell less.

Not Everyone is Your Customer – Not everyone will appreciate what you have to offer
or understand why they should pay the price for it. This is perfectly ok, as long as
enough people do appreciate it and are willing to pay for it. Trying to shove your
product down someone’s throat when they cannot appreciate it or value it is mired in
failure and unlikely to get you what you want.

Get (and keep) your head on straight

and you will SELL MORE!

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Based on your experience over the past 3 months, what do you need to do to be/get
better at selling your product?

1.______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

2.______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

3.______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

“The successful entrepreneurs that I see have tow

characteristics: self-awareness and persistence. They’re
able to see problems in their companies through their
self-awareness and be persistent enough to solve them.”
- Alan Schaaf

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Emotional Discounting – Just Stop It
Why do Salespeople and Owners Discount?

I think that it is a lack of confidence in their product or in their ability to

build value within their product. If we truly valued what we offer,
would we discount it?

I would add to this the fact that many salespeople are afraid of their customers, afraid
that their customers will not buy their products at the prices that they need them to and
due to this they will lose what they have. I believe that it is far better, in their minds, to
lower their prices and their profits than it is to take the chance that they will fail: that
their customers will not be willing to pay what they want and therefore they will walk
away.

There is no place for fear in Sales

What are the dangers of emotional discounting?

For the business:

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

For the customer:

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

For the employees:

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Someone will always be cheaper – This is a fact, and for most businesses and for most
salespeople something that they will need to deal with regularly in the course of selling
their products. Cheaper is not necessarily better and in most cases cheaper is just
cheaper.

In my businesses we only use the products that are of the highest quality, which makes
for a much better end product that we can stand behind with a better warranty.

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We only hire the best people and then we train them to be most efficient at their jobs
and to be the best ambassadors for our products. In almost every business that I see, in
everything that I buy and wherever I go, I see a lack of customer service, I see a real lack
of caring and genuine concern for the customer and for the outcome of the experience
for the customer.

Hiring the best people and making them highly trained and skilled at what they do
creates confidence in themselves and in our products, which gives the customer a better
experience and a better outcome.

Examples of Poor Quality:

- Product fails – prematurely breaks down or has unexpected wear
- Product does not perform as promised
- Product is not delivered on time or as promised
- Business employees appear rude or disinterested in the customer
- Product does not meet the customers’ expectations

Some customers only know how to ask about price – how will you deal with them?
Many of the people that will call your business will only know how to ask about price
when they really want to know about anything but price and you will need to
understand your product and what your business can do for them so well that you can
shift them and get them to open up and tell you what they are really concerned with.
How will you do that?

You will need to know your business and your product so well that you can tell them
why they should do business with you (even though you might be higher priced than
the business down the street). You will need to know how to ask them what their
concerns are and how your product answers their concern. And, this will not be easy
but you have to do it.

“Cheaper is not necessarily better, and in most cases

cheaper is just cheaper.”
- Cecil J Bullard

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What do they Want?
Understanding what your customer wants is one of the most important things we can
do. Understanding what we have to offer is almost as important. Matching the
customers wants to your product will help you sell them on having you take care of their
problem(s). If they don’t want what you have it is important that you both understand
that so that you don’t waste time trying to solve their problem without the solutions
that they will accept.

A Relationship – If they want someone that they can talk to and trust to take care of
their vehicle needs (someone that knows more than them and understands what is best
for them) be that person

Everything to be Alright – Assure them that everything will be alright. Tell them about
other customers where everything was alright. Reassure them (with other customer
testimonials on your website and with stories at your location) every chance you get.

Job Done RIGHT – TODAY – If they want it done right do it right (99.9% of the time)
which means that you have to hire and manage good techs, which means that you have
to charge enough so that you can hire and keep good techs. Supply loaner cars and
rental cars when you can’t get it done today. Take away their excuses.

Warranty – Peace of Mind – Have the best warranty in your area (3yr. 36K miles).
Charge enough so that you can have the best warranty.

Not to have to Worry about It – Take the burden off of their

shoulders. Make sure that you are the professional and that
you answer their questions and relieve their worries.

A Friend that knows about CARS – Be their friend and their

confidant. Make sure they know that you care about their
happiness. (listen to them and what is important to them,
then answer their questions) Instill confidence.

Cheapest Price – The kindest thing you can do for yourself

and for them is let them go. Have a cheap shop in town that
you can recommend to them. Solve their problem and get
them out of your hair.

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Stack the Deck
Look Good and Act Confident – Be confident in what
you know and what you don’t know. Be confident that
your technician knows what he/she is doing and that
they did a thorough inspection/diagnosis and that you
are telling the customer what is best for the. Be
confident in your pricing and know that you are giving
a fair price for the service you offer. Dress Confidently.
Appear confident even when you aren’t. Confidence
Sells.

No Waiters or Oil Changes – Waiters are waiting for you to finish so that they can go on
about their life and they have little attention to give you for additional things that are
not on their agenda today. Schedule enough time so that you can have the time you
need to inspect the car properly, estimate the work necessary and have the customer’s
attention when it comes to letting them know what they should do. Doing oil changes
makes you just like the rest of those that do oil changes. Do something different and
the customer will see you as something different. Create a product that cannot be
compared to anyone else and you will sell more of it.

Lose the Bottom 5% - The bottom 5% takes up over 50% of you time but makes you no
profits. Have a good marketing plan and program so that you can replace them and let
them go. They won’t do you any good anyway.

Separate them from their Vehicle – If the customer is separated from their vehicle and
not waiting for it to be done you will have their attention better and they will be less
stressed therefore you will sell more.

Get it in Early, Inspected and Sold – If you call a customer at 10AM to discuss $2,000
worth of repairs and maintenance and you call the same customer at 3PM. You will sell
them more at 10AM. Schedule all the cars in early in the morning and send the
customers about their business. Get them inspected fast and estimated fast so that you
can call early. Earlier is better.

A Good Inspection and Report adds Confidence – If you know that the technician has
done a good inspection and has delivered you the information you need to talk with the
customer you will be more confident. Confidence sells.

Increase your Warranty to 3yrs and 36K miles – A better warranty will allow you to take
jobs from shops that don’t have one and price yourself higher. A better warranty will

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give customer peace-of-mind and make them more comfortable. If they are more
comfortable they will buy more.

Keep your Promises – ET and PT – You earn trust by making and keeping promises.
Make sure you are putting estimate times and promise times on the work order and
that your team is keeping your promises to customer. If the customer trusts you they
will buy more. If they don’t trust you they will buy little if anything. Trust sells.

Do the Walk Around – The customer knows that you own the counter. If you get them
to more neutral territory they will open up more. You will see things about them and
their car that will give you something to talk about, make you the professional and allow
you to create rapport. If they like and trust you they will buy whatever you need them
to buy. Trust sells.

“Do It Now. The obituary pages are filled with planners

who waited”
Harry Beckwith – “Selling the Invisible”

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The Walk Around
Where Possible take the customer out to their vehicle to inspect it and
talk

• They will feel freer to talk at their vehicle. You own the service counter
and the customer knows it, therefore they are less likely to be open and
honest at the counter. Getting them out to the vehicle will allow them to
be more at ease, which will make the job of building rapport easier
• You will see things about them to talk about and build rapport. Look for
anything that will tell you about them and what they like to do, or have
to do. Baby seat, golf clubs, gun rack, fishing gear, golf clubs will give you
things to talk about with them and help to build a bond. If they can
relate to you and they like you they will buy more when the time comes
to buy
• You will see things about their vehicle to talk about. At the car is where
you start to become the professional and start to build their trust.
Recognizing potential problems that you will have your best technician
check over will help them to see that you are the Doctor and that you will
be letting them know what they need later in the interaction. Also, it
never hurts to get an eye on the dents, dings and scratches in order to
avoid misunderstandings later
• Take them to their happy place. Use what you see to start a conversation
and make it about them. If possible take them to their happy place. If
they have golf clubs ask them where their favorite course is, their best
shot, why the love golf. This will take them to their happy place and build
rapport

You need to get the mileage and verify the VIN anyway so… the largest reason for the
wrong parts is the fact that someone did not write down the VIN correctly and the
mileage will give you additional items that they need to have serviced on their vehicle.

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Order Matters
1. Verify that inspection has been done
2. Check Inspection Sheet to make sure you understand what
was found and to make sure that all work found was estimated
by the technician
3. Make sure that the work is in the right order:
a. Customers complaint
b. Safety
c. Saves money if done with a or b
d. Maintenance
e. Electives

4. Price out all parts and labor and write totals for each job (including Tax)
5. Follow the parts matrix and do not discount
6. Total all work at the bottom of the form

Doing things in the right order will increase your sales!

“Productivity is never and accident. It is always a result of a

commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused
effort.”

Paul J. Meyer

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Keeping it Under Control
One of the best things that a Service Advisor can do is to evaluate the work orders and
work flow throughout the day. The service department is a lot like an emergency room
with priorities changing every minute of the day, yet you still have to manage the
customer’s expectations.

4 or 5 times throughout the day – STOP

Have someone else answer the phone and cover the front

Review every work order and every vehicle that you have in the shop today, including
the left overs from the past and the work that has yet to come in.

1. Who is it and what did you promise them. Go through the work order
to make sure that you are keeping your promises or see if you need to
renegotiate before they contact you.
2. Are we on track to get the vehicle diagnosed and/or finished within
the timeframe and expectation that we gave the customer?
3. Where is the vehicle in the repair/diagnostic/service process and
what is going on with it?
4. Do you need to do anything else for the technician or with the
customer to make sure that your promises are kept and the customer
does not have an expectation where they will be disappointed
5. Make sure that you document any vehicles that you are not 100%
sure about so you can check with the tech or the parts department

Then go out to the bays and check with each tech to see where they are at and what
their thoughts are

1. Do they have everything that they need to get the job done? If not
what can you do to help them get what they need?
2. Are they on track to meet the estimated and/or promised time? If
not what do they need to do to get it done, or do you need to call
the customer and renegotiate the time before they get anxious and
call you?
Is there anything else that they need or that you can do for them that would guarantee
that they get the vehicle done properly and on

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No Stinking Thinking
Wallet thinking – many sales people think with their own wallets and
most of those wallets are empty. A good sales person carries come
cash around so that they are in the right frame of mind to sell. And…
they never think with their wallet. Remember, it isn’t your money
until the customer says yes so don’t act like it is unless you are ready,
willing and able to spend it

Competition – many sales people are so concerned with what their

supposed competition is doing and charging they forget that they
have the opportunity to be so much better and therefore are worth
more. Never worry about what the competition is charging. Put that
energy into increasing the value of your product or service and make
it worth more

Customers biggest concern is the price - this has been proven false in every customer
survey ever done. The customer wants it to be easy to do business first. They want it
done correctly the first time second. And… they want it done when you said it would be
done third. Price comes in a far 5th to 9th in surveys. The worst money ever spent is
money that was spent to purchase nothing. If you have too many customers that are
focused on price you have either taught them to be that way or you advertised for the
wrong customers. You have the power to change this if you want to

They can’t afford it – how do you know what they can and can’t
afford. We are Americans; we can always afford what we want.
Find a way to make them want your product and they will always
find the money

They won’t buy it – of course they won’t buy it if you don’t believe they will and if you
don’t create the value and if you don’t ask them to buy. If you are thinking they won’t
buy they won’t. Change your attitude and you change your results

Excuses not Solutions – there are far too many people

spending all their energy and all their time making
excuses; in fact they make so many excuses they never
have time to solve the problem. Become a problem solver
not an excuse maker. Spend you time figuring out how to
solve the problem instead of figuring out why you can’t do
it

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Your USP is the Answer
Every Business needs a Unique Sales Proposition

Your sales proposition tells customers and employees what you do and why you are
special. It is used to guide marketing and in all customer interactions (from the way we answer
the phone, through inspections and estimating to sales and customer follow-up).

Each employee must understand why you are special and be able to translate that into
what they do and how they do it.
Customers buy benefits not features. When you create or present your value
proposition translate features to benefits.
Example: "We have ASE certified technicians. (This is a feature statement.)
"Let me tell you what that means to you…
"This means that our technicians are very well trained. They know and
understand your vehicle, and will be able to find and repair the problem quickly which
will save you money. Also, they will fix the car correctly the first time and on time." (This is
a benefit statement.)

Why should the customer do the work with you when there are so many other places
that they can get it done? Many of those places will use the same parts and give the
same warranties and many of those places will do the job cheaper so why you?

Write down 5 reasons that the customer should do the work with you –

1. _______________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________
4. _______________________________________________________
5. _______________________________________________________

"If you could change anything about the way you approach selling,
the thing that will make the biggest difference would be your
attitude — your attitude toward your customers, your service, the
benefits of your products, your employer, and yourself."
- Dan Brent Burt

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 USP’s are …

• Short – need to fit into a 30 to 60 second presentation

• Sales and Benefit Focused
• Must be True
• Must be Convincing – (YOU must believe, and employees must believe)
• Must be Memorized and Owned
• Must become a part of your culture

Remember what people want…

1. Convenience
2. Done right the first time
3. Done when promised
4. Empathy

Price is always #5 to #9
So STOP worrying about Price!

Start by listing what you have to offer:

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Then translate that to a benefits statement:

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

“Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what

you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.”
- Lou Holtz

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Knowing Your Value - Confidence
This is an art form and you cannot get good at it unless you make a conscious effort,
do the work and practice. But…

You have to have some arrows in your quiver. What happens if the customer is focused
on price and you have not memorized what you have to offer and practiced presenting
it to customers. Why should the customer throw away the one thing that they
understand if you cannot give them enough reasons that it is less important than getting
a quality job with a great warranty done by someone that cares about them and keeping
their vehicle safe and on the road while keeping the cost/value equation in mind.

It is important that you understand what you have to barter with – if you haven’t
identified what you have and you can’t deliver it smoothly, and/or you don’t believe in it
then you won’t be able to shift the average customer and you will lose a lot of sales to
other companies that will not necessarily take care of the customer like you can/will.

You have to help the customer understand why doing the work – at your shop – at
your price is better than letting someone else do it. If you haven’t identified what
makes you special and /or if you don’t believe it, if you don’t trust your technicians
(things go wrong but this doesn’t mean that you are not the best) then you will give up a
lot of sales.

If you don’t believe that you are the best it is almost impossible
to turn the customer from someone else’s low price to your high
value service!

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Soft Selling – Agree to the Job 1ST
Get the customer to agree on the need before discussing price
• Tell stories to create pictures, pictures create emotions, emotions create action –
Stories have a tendency to help the customer relate to what you are talking
about and create a clearer picture in their head. Creating a clear picture and
creating the right picture will create emotions. People make all their decisions
emotionally. Even the C personality that does tons of research and studies the
information, in the end makes an emotional decision
• Get them to acknowledge the benefits and consequences of doing or not doing
the work – People buy benefits and consequences help them to make up their
mind. Fear of having a consequence is a powerful motivator but you have to be
very careful (you don’t want to scare them or have think that you are trying to
scare them into buying) as there is a fine balance.
• Get them to say yes to the need before the price – Once a customer has given
you a yes based on the fact that it makes sense to do the work it is very hard for
them to now say no when it comes to the cost. People don’t want to be wrong
and changing their mind is considered being wrong.

Once the customer has agreed on the need and the value, the price is easy! Once the
customer has seen the need and agreed that the work needs to be done the odds of
selling it just went through the roof. The only reason that they might not buy now is
because they have no money.
• Now if they can afford it they will buy it

“Cutting prices or putting things on sale is not sustainable business

strategy. The other side of that is that you can’t cut enough costs
to save your way to prosperity.”

- Howard Schultz

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More Arrows is Better
When you think of Automotive Service and Repair what is most important to you? –
This question will help you determine what is most important to this client and then you
can use your USP to answer them and help them understand how you will solve their
problem.

Cheaper is not necessarily better, sometimes the worst money you spend is money
that doesn’t buy you anything! - Every customer has heard of someone that spent lots
of time and money at a shop and never got their problem fixed. This is a great story to
answer the pricing question. Smart people understand that they cannot get something
for nothing.

I understand how you feel, many of my clients felt the

same way but they found that… - Letting the customer
know that you understand how they feel helps them
understand that you are on their side. Directing them to
others that had the same feelings and then changed their
minds lets them know that their might be an answer that
they did not think about and opens them up to your
proposition.

That’s important but what is really important is… - This is

one of the most important phrases you can have in your
arsenal to redirect their attention and help them look at
the issue a different way. This will also help you to get
them to see things that they have not yet considered and
translate your product into value to them.

Price is important but what is really important is what you get for what you pay! – This
statement will allow you to shift them to the value of your product and what it is really
worth instead of the cheaper price of someone else doing what you do but not doing it
as well.

My job is to give you information so that you can make an intelligent decision: you
make the decision – Every sale has pressure and you need to control and relieve the
pressure so that the client will make the right decision (to allow you to do the work at
the right price). Having this sentence in our arsenal will help you shift them from a
cheaper price to a better value.

Now is the time for a decision, it is time to invest in this car or… - Sometimes it is just
time for them to commit to the car they have or get a new one. Many customers say
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that they are going to get rid of the car but never do (they are protecting themselves
from the nasty sales guy) A good sales person can shift them into making a decision
without making them uncomfortable.

Let me tell you what that means to you – This is probably the most important
statement you can have in your arsenal. This statement helps you to translate your
features to their benefits. And… it helps you to shift them from wherever they are and
get them to understand and focus on the benefits of doing business with you.

“A great attitude does much more than turn on the lights in

our worlds: it seems to magically connect us to all sorts of
serendipitous opportunities that were somehow absent
before the change.”
- Earl Nightingale

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The Art of Redirecting
Redirecting is the process of taking the customers attention off of one thing and
putting it onto another. This is usually done by having another idea or subject to move
them to before you start the interview. Having your estimate set up right will help you
have something to redirect to. At the end of the sale you can redirect their attention to
a ride or rental car if you plan ahead. The redirect is used to move the customer from
something that might be uncomfortable to a more comfortable subject.

You can use a redirection on the phone…

That is important but do you know what is most/more/really
important?

You can use it in the sale…

The cost for that repair is going to be $685 now do you have some
time to talk about some additional work that is needed?

You can use it at the end of the interaction to take their mind of the money they
spent…
After taking their money use the referral process to redirect their attention. Will
you make me a promise?

“You don’t need a big close, as many sales reps believe. You
risk losing your customer when you save all the good stuff for
the end. Keep the customer actively involved throughout your
presentation, and watch your results improve.”
- Harvey Mackay

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Listen Better
1. Stop Talking – you cannot listen if you are talking. Many
people have a hard time stopping themselves from saying what
they believe needs to be said. If you cannot stop talking you
cannot listen. Stephen R. Covey said, “Seek first to understand, then to be
understood.”
2. Relax and focus – give your undivided attention and watch them. Many of us
have a difficult time staying focused on what the speaker is saying, especially if
they are talking at a pace that is slower than we are used to. In order to hear
someone you have to stay focused, watch them and pay attention. There is
more that is being said (in every conversation) that the words.
3. Use gestures to encourage the speaker to continue – Maintain eye contact.
Gestures that encourage the speaker are nodding you head, agreeing, asking
questions when it is appropriate and your body language will tell the speaker if
you are interested and attentive if they pay attention
4. Remove all distraction and avoid interruptions – Email, papers, TV, etc…
Getting rid of distractions will help you stay focused on the speaker and what
they are saying. If you are distracted it is unlikely that you will be listening and
you will miss important body language and content
5. Put yourself in their shoes – Empathize. Try and get into their shoes and think
like they are thinking. This will help you understand where they are coming from
and their context. If they are frustrated then there is probably a reason, even if
you can’t see it or don’t agree with it.
6. Don’t hurry them – Show patience and wait until they are finished. If you don’t
have time now to give them the attention they deserve then ask if it can wait
and set an appointment for a time when you won’t be distracted. If you are in a
hurry to do something else you won’t be able to give them the attention they
deserve
7. Avoid prejudice – don’t let their habits or mannerisms annoy you. Some
people just speak at the volume, accent, or speed that is annoying to you. Be
patient and remember that the message is likely important, even if the delivery
is not good for you. Ask them to slow down, speed up or deliver their message
in a different way if necessary.
8. Listen for what is not being said in words – Pay attention to tone, volume &
body language. Much of what is being said is not coming from their words.
Practice recognizing the body language and what it means.
9. Try and get to the ideas behind the words even if you are having a hard time
understanding the words. Why is this person in front of you and what do they
want you to know.
10. Repeat Back - Repeat back their words to determine if you heard them correctly

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Owning the Phone
You are going to deal with a lot of people wanting you to price over the phone. It is
important that you understand that it is next to impossible to be successful pricing on
the phone and it is not the job that you have when you are talking on the phone with a
potential customer. Your job is to get them to make an appointment and come in. You
cannot fix the car on the phone and anything you tell them is likely to be wrong.

Why do so many people ask for prices on the phone? The customer has little or no
knowledge about the car and doesn’t know anything else to ask. Most of the time the
caller would love to ask you if you are honest, if you can/will fix the car right, if you will
try and sell them things they don’t need, if you are price competitive for what you are
selling and doing but they don’t know how to ask those questions so the ask how much.
In this industry we also must share the blame because the fast food auto repair industry
has spent the past 35 years teaching the customer that price is the main differentiator
because they usually can’t compete on service and quality. The customer is confused
and wants to know something other than price but…

Pricing over the phone is not in your best interest. There are too many variable for
you to be accurate.
Would a good Doctor diagnose you over the phone?
Why do something where the odds of winning are so small?

You need to have a policy that you stick to – and I would suggest that it is not to price
on the phone anything except:
• Regular maintenance
• Diagnostics
• Magic Priced Jobs (specials)

You cannot win giving prices on the Phone

• If you give a price, what is the next sound that you will hear? ___________
• What happens if you take into account everything and give a ___________
___________________________________
• What happens if you give a low price to get them in and then they show up?
___________________________________

Instead of giving prices – let them know it will be all right!

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#1 How much for a…

Always the 1st price question

Smile, be pleasant and…

Go straight to the appointment!

Give them 2 choices:

"Would you like to bring that in now or would 2 o’clock be better?"

#2 How much for a…

Shift to your VALUE STATEMENT

Smile, be pleasant and…

Give them 2 choices:

"Would you like to bring that in now or would 2 o’clock be better?"

#3 How much for a…

Tactfully ask how many people they have called today and…

If you are the first call, tell them that they won’t need to call anyone else and ask them
what is most important to them.

“LISTEN” – They will tell you what is important to them! Then use what they tell you as
your value statement.

If they have called multiple shops playfully ask if they have gotten a range of prices and
if one shop was lower than the others...

Then –

Ask why they didn’t make an appointment with one of the people that they have
already spoken to…

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 “LISTEN” – They will tell you what is important to them! Then use what they tell you as
your value statement.

Smile, be pleasant and…

Give them 2 choices:

"Would you like to bring that in now or would 2 0’clock be better?"

#4 How much for a…

If all else fails and they are still asking for a price:

“If you don’t mind my asking; are you looking for the cheapest price or the best value?

Their answer will tell you if they are your customer or not.

If they want cheap and you are cheap then book them in…
If you are running a relationship model then…

If the answer is “I am looking for the cheapest price” and you're not it, find the cheapest
shop in your town. Call or go over. Meet the owner and ask if you can send them your
overflow.

This will accomplish two things

• Solve the customer's problem and get them out of your hair
• Put your competition out of business faster

If the answer is, “I am looking for the best value.”

Restate your VALUE

Ask for the appointment!
Smile, be pleasant and…
Give them 2 choices:

"Would you like to bring that in now or would 2 o’clock be better?"

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 The End
Thank You!

Recommended reading

• “Entreleadership” – Dave Ramsey

• “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” – Stephen Covey
• “Start With Why” – Simon Sinek
• “The Game of Work: How to enjoy work as much as play” –
Charles A. Coonradt

Please address additional questions or comments to:

Cecil@iforabe.com

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