How to sell more service simply by listening.

We are all looking for ways to increase Sales per Transaction. I mean, who wouldn't want an increase of say, 10% per repair order? Based on Average Andy Advisor, that is a $5980.00 a month, $71,760.00 a year increase in Gross Profit.

And while there are many ways of doing it, one that is often overlooked as being too simple or "Everybody knows how to listen already", is Communication Skills. (If you think your team is good at listening, just stand in the service drive a couple of mornings and listen to what your advisors are saying every day. It's a real "ear-opening" experience.)

Improving Sales per Transaction without improving communication skills would be the same as trying to kick a ping pong ball through the goal post from 50 yards during a windstorm.  

It’s possible…anything is possible; however, it is impractical and the chances for success are virtually null.

Wouldn’t you rather kick a football from the 10-yard line with the wind at your back? Communication skills can do that for your team and your sales performance.

Why not provide your team with the basic communication skills necessary to improve Sales and grow your communication skills?

Let’s start with the basics. 

1.   Listening Skills. One of the easiest to learn but the hardest to master. Why? It requires discipline to implement it and it takes time. Time is the most important element to great listeners. In our fast-paced world, the person that takes the time to listen will win in the end. How do you listen? Do you do the following?

a)  Stop what you are doing and look at the other person. Or do you listen with your head down buried into the computer screen or staring at your clipboard or i-pad?

b)  Do you interrupt? It takes discipline to let them finish speaking.

c)   Do you finish sentences for other people? Some people see that as a sign of listening, other people take offense. The best way to demonstrate you are listening is to wait for them to finish before you start talking. 

d)  Make notes if you must. Just advise them. Say “I need to make some notes here so I don’t forget what is being said. Is that ok?”

e)  Paraphrase and repeat back to them what they said.

f)    Ask them for confirmation.

2.   Speaking Skills. We have started a downward trend in speaking skills due to the prevalence of smartphones that we use to text and send emails. But the reality is, humans need to speak to one another to convey information. Using text or email does not always convey emotion or inflection. You can’t tell everyone everything by text.

3.    You can start learning how to speak effectively by finding a Toastmasters near you, or volunteering to speak at events. If that is not your cup of tea, then try to prepare to speak by writing yourself notes and reminders. It will give you confidence to know that you have something important to say. Even if you have a fear of public speaking, you can find ways to make your spoken communications more effective.

a)  Read more, read better material. Find and read different books covering your chosen profession or books about things you are interested in. 

b)  Don’t use jargon and acronyms when talking to customers. Nothing is more confusing than a mouth full of letters to the customer. How do they know what ecm or abs means?

c)   Speak slower and enunciate clearly. Not louder. We sometimes accelerate our rate of speech especially when we are excited about the subject we are talking about. Remember the other person sometimes needs more time to process and analyze your statements.

d)  Be prepared to speak. If you are calling a customer about the repair order, take a minute of two and get prepared. Prioritize the repair recommendations. All additional repair requests are done the same way. 1st is the number one reason a customer brought the vehicle in otherwise known as “the primary item.” 2nd are items that affect the safety of the vehicle, 3rd are items that affect the reliability of the vehicle and 4th are items related to maintenance.

e)  Begin with the end in mind. What are you expecting to happen with this customer when you talk to them? Are you prepared for unexpected requests or changes in promise times? In other words, have you done your “homework”?

f)    Always start with a positive statement. “Mr./Ms. Customer, I have some good news. We have looked over your vehicle and completed the multipoint inspection and found your vehicle in pretty good shape. I just have a few items to go over with you regarding some maintenance that is due.”

Using these basic communication skills will improve your Sales per Transaction, mastering them will skyrocket it to a whole new level! 

Call if you need help 760-419-9002. www.carbizcoaching.com/contact