advancedautomotive

What works for me... I answer the phone very friendly, energetic, upbeat and professional. I let them feel my positive energy through the phone. I quickly work to build rapport. After I build rapport and listen attentively, I then work to establish control of the conversation. (You will find Not all Phone shoppers are looking for the cheapest price . Some are trying to establish a price for their budget.) I then ask them how they came to the conclusion that they needed this repair. I then pre-qualify the phone shopper and ask what type of a price are they looking for? How long do they plan on keeping the vehicle. This is my information gathering technique. Based on the answer I formulate my response. If they say they are looking for the cheapest price, I then counter by saying "based on your answer You must not be concerned about Safety, quality or dependability. This usually flips the table over. I then let them know that we are not the cheapest in town nor the most expensive either. I let them know that we would like to take a look at the vehicle as so we can give them several price options. I let the price shopper know that we hire the best technicians available. We have a drug free workplace, we offer nationwide warranties. Same day service most repairs. How long we have been in business etc. All though this response is long. This all happens very quickly on the phone, based on the customers responses. 8 out of 10 times our professionalism and genuine care is felt through the phone in wanting to help them. This gets us the appointment to bring their car in. As a final note if forced in to a phone quote I give a range in price from low to high. We are often told they brought their car in to us because we were so nice on the phone !!! Not short and frustrated and making their call seem like an annoyance or interruption. This is how we win over people that call other shops before us. Remember people do business with people they like and can form a connection and mutual understanding !!! Respectfully Submitted, John. Hope this helps out fellow Shops !

Our Shop is located in the West Coast of Florida. Florida was / is Hard hit economically in the past Real Estate Fallout. Also very tourist driven seasonally. We have an 8 Bay Service Center. I have raised our Rate from $85.00 to $98.00 Per Hr. Last Year. We are one of the Most expensive shops in the area. Averages in the Area are anywhere from $65-$85 Per Hr. We Did not experience any loss of Business from raising our rates and also being one of the highest priced, for an independent service center. We found the key is to make sure that we are competitive in menu rate flat fee priced items such as wheel alignments, rotate and wheel balances, coolant flushes, oil changes, a/c recharges, Basic Brake Jobs Etc. These menu rate flat fee items are items that consumers can easily compare from shop to shop looking at ads and comparing these items. These menu rate jobs are how consumers perceive if you are priced competitively in the market place. Other repairs / services are quoted at our $98. per hour labor rate according to our Labor Guide (we use Mitchell) and also round up .10 per Hour. We sell and build value by offering Extended warrantees, Nationwide Warranties, both on Labor and Parts. We offer options such as a Reman. Parts with one year warranty or New Parts with 2 and 3 year warranties. . Good quality parts over white box cheap import parts etc.. We also offer upgrade services such as example a standard wheel balance for a set competitive price or a Roadforce type improved wheel balance for a higher price selling the value upgrade of the better service. We offer a standard cooling service and an upgraded premium BG coolant Service giving the consumer options Testing/Diagnostic Services are sold initially free code scan on 1996 and newer vehicles. We then review the error codes and educate the customer on the costs for the testing required. Example: if a vehicle has a misfire code we quote our hourly rate at a pricing range of $98-$150. and have setup testing packages of level one through three testing packages. if there is a misfire code plus an evap. code. We will charge per error code plus additional for smoke testing if necessary. We thoroughly educate the consumer and do not have a problem selling diagnostic / testing services. Hope this helps . Sorry for the drawn out response. Respectfully, John