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Sales, Marketing, Recruiting and Shop Management Tips for Shop Owners

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What Every Service Advisor Should Know About Selling

By Bob Cooper of Elite Many years ago when I was still working on cars, I came to the realization that I would someday own my own shop. I also realized that in order to do so, I would first have to learn how to sell service. The challenge I faced at that time was not only did I not know how to sell, but I also had little respect for salespeople, because I viewed them as people who would take people’s money, and more often than not do little in return. So I was actually faced with two challenges

Know Your Numbers

By Bob Cooper Over the last 22 years I've been amazed to discover just how many shop owners are lost when it comes to knowing and understanding “the numbers". In order to build a successful auto repair shop, you are going to need to know two sets of numbers: Your “financial" benchmarks, and your “operational" benchmarks. Without a clear understanding of these benchmarks, it becomes quite challenging for shop owners to pinpoint where they are falling short of their goals, and where improvements

Tips on Hiring Superstar Techs and Advisors in Competitive Times

By Bob Cooper One of the single greatest challenges shop owners face today is finding and hiring the superstars. Regardless of whether you are looking to hire technicians or service advisors, here are some tips that will help you hire the stars. 1. Accept the fact that with rare exception, the stars you are looking for are already working, and are reasonably satisfied. This doesn’t mean that they won’t be open to a conversation with you, because many of them will be. It’s your responsibility t

The New Rule of Marketing - Marketing in the Age of Social Media

By Bob Cooper Over the past one hundred plus years marketing strategies, and the brands that were built, were developed by two entities: The client, and the ad agency. The client would tell the agency how they envisioned their brand, and the agency would develop the advertising campaigns that would create that very same image in the minds of the targeted consumers. The tobacco companies wanted to create brands that would cause a consumer to feel good when they used their products, and the ad ag

8 Keys to Selling Auto Service Professionally and Ethically

By Bob Cooper   1. Know your customers’ buying habits. You’ll need to know your customers’ buying habits as well as their service histories. You should always request your first-time customers’ service records, and should ask them about their service histories verbally as well. This information can be extremely helpful during any sales process, especially when it comes to selling maintenance. Great doctors are always interested in a patient’s medical history, just as great service advisors a

5 Ways to Find the Technicians You're Looking For

By Bob Cooper   One of the challenges that shop owners have faced for years is finding and hiring qualified technicians. Here are 5 of the most successful techniques that I used to find the superstars when I was still operating shops.   1. Make an offer that is hard to refuse. Go to your local dealerships, introduce yourself to the service manager, and say something like this: “Larry, the reason I wanted to speak with you is I am looking for a superstar technician with ___ experience. Now fo

5 Easy Ways to Drive Up Your Shop's Sales

In today’s competitive environment every sale counts, so here are 5 easy-to-use tips that will help you drive up your sales, and generate happy customers at the same time.   1. When presenting your recommendations, always sell the recommended service… last If the customer doesn’t feel comfortable with you it will be a challenge to sell repairs and services, so you should always sell yourself first. After the customer is sold on you, you then need to sell them on the technician that is working

Pricing, Ethics and the Reputation of Your Business

By Bob Cooper   At Elite we know that once someone comes into your shop, you’ll do everything you can to generate a happy customer, and make a fair profit. Unfortunately, some customers will put you to the test when it comes to the prices you charge. They’ll tell you they can’t afford the recommended services, they’ll tell you they can get the same service done down the street for less, or they’ll just need you to knock a few bucks off the price. This is when you typically tell yourself that y

The 6 Rules of Maximizing Customer Retention

By Bob Cooper   We all know that there are many things you can do when it comes to customer retention. Follow-up calls, sending out service reminder notices, ongoing advertising campaigns that keep your name at the top of the customer’s mind, and scheduling the next visit at the time of car delivery are just a few. Yet there are some timeless rules that are often forgotten. During these competitive times I feel I can best help you by reminding you of the 6 most important rules when it comes t

8 Important Tools That Every Service Advisor Needs In Their Toolbox

By Bob Cooper of Elite   As is true with the top techs, the top service advisors in America need a number of tools in order to succeed. Here’s a list of important tools you can provide to your advisors that will help them maximize sales, customer satisfaction and your shop’s profits.   1. Clearly defined sales goals and car count goals that are broken down into daily goals. Not only will having such goals in place help your advisors stay focused, but they will encourage your advisors to furt

8 Pay Program Tips That Generate Happy Technicians

By Bob Cooper of Elite   In the coming years, no component of your business will be more critical to your success than the caliber of the people who work with you. In order to hire and keep superstar employees at your shop, you need to have pay programs in place that ensure they stay motivated and happy to be a part of your team. With that said, here are 8 pay program tips that will help you employ top flight technicians who will contribute to your success for years to come.   1. Without a
Elite Worldwide Inc.

Elite Worldwide Inc.

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The Best-Kept Secrets to Dealing with Sales Objections

By Bob Cooper   When it comes to dealing with objections, most service advisors shut down as soon as the customer says “It’s too much money”, or “I’d like to think it over.” There are a number of reasons why, but the single most common reason is that the advisors don’t know how to handle the objections. Here are what I have discovered to be the best-kept secrets when it comes to dealing with sales objections.   1. Accept the fact that the single greatest cause of sales objections is a poor
Elite Worldwide Inc.

Elite Worldwide Inc.

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7 Keys to Delivering Extraordinary Service

#1. Under promise and over deliver. If you apply this principle to your business, you can often exceed the customer's expectations. As an example, when your competitors are asked how long it will take to do a minor service, they will typically tell the customer something like, “It'll take an hour." Unfortunately, they have now set an expectation in the customer's mind. What they should have done was ask the customer how soon they need the vehicle. If the customer were to then respond by saying,
Elite Worldwide Inc.

Elite Worldwide Inc.

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