No matter what business you are in, retaining and growing your customer base must be a priority in your business plan and operational culture. On the latest episode of Service Drive, host Don Reed, CEO of DealerPRO Training, discusses the importance of retaining your existing customers.
Keeping your customers coming back sounds simple enough, yet many car dealers continue to struggle in this area. So, why is it that some car dealers are growing their customer base while other dealers see a decline? To answer this question, car dealers have to find out the following:
- Who has the most face-to-face contact with your service customers?
- Who spends the most time on the phone speaking to your service customers?
- Who do your customers need to trust regarding maintenance and repairs?
- Who does the car dealer or GM need to trust to ensure the highest possible quality?
| Related: How to establish S.M.A.R.T. goals and go from an average dealer to a top performer |
For most car dealers. This person is the service advisor. They are interacting with an average of 300 or more customers a month. They are representing your store and your franchise every single day. They create your service customers’ first, and last impressions of the dealership.
From Reed’s perspective, most car dealers spend more time and capital training their sales teams, than they do their service teams. It all starts with training. This eight-step process can help your fixed-ops department deliver customers and high quality of service.
Properly meet and greet the customer- Qualify the customers’ wants and needs
- Select the appropriate product or service
- Give a featured presentation of benefits
- Ask for approval
- Overcome objections
- Present a vehicle health check
- Conduct active delivery of the vehicle
Understand that the process above is not a one-time event. It is an ongoing process that must be repeated over and over again. It is a pillar of trust for customers that will lead to effective communication and keep them coming back.
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