Recently I was training an advisor that told me he wants to be great. It challenged my thinking so I thought it would be interesting to write down some thoughts on being a great advisor. Most would say this is a numbers business and great would mean incredible numbers. The most common question I receive is how do I get those numbers? It starts with setting appointments with specific times that allows the spacing between arrivals to improve the customer interaction and time available with them to understand their concerns. A proper customer intake process is a must that includes a walk around process with the customer illustrating to the advisor what the concern is. Any damage to the vehicle needs to be noted with the customer to be sure they are aware of it prior to entering the service department. Before the customer arrives a great advisor would review their history so they know what maintenance items are required or due for discussion. They would check the manufacturer’s website looking for open safety recalls and other pertinent information for the visit. They would show a sincere concern for the customer and illustrate their commitment that their mission is to have the vehicle safe and reliable. They would constantly work on professional feature benefit presentations that illustrated exactly to the customer why the item is being recommended. They would follow up with the customer regularly on progress so the customer never wondered what was going on. A great advisor would never view the customer as an inconvenience and will always have their best interest at heart. They would never high-pressure a customer into making a purchase decision on the spot and instead allow them to decide what is best right now for them. They would write on the repair order when a technician can read and repair the vehicle correctly on the first visit. They would offer pricing options on estimates with the understanding not everyone wants the highest priced parts. They would inspect customer vehicles after the repair on a daily basis to be assured shop quality is excellent and the vehicle is clean. They would go over the repairs in detail with the customer explaining exactly what services were performed and what charges are on the repair order for them. The customer vehicles would be brought up to them so they never have to walk around the parking lot looking for it. This topic could be a book, however, the newsletter is just to stimulate thought. Consider it a foundation to build on that will develop you into a great advisor. No shortcut is available and great is never easy. Those who reach for it however, will always place the focus on the customer.

Sincerely,
Rob Gehring, President
Fixed Performance Inc.
rgehring@fixedperformance.com
1-888-205-8718
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