AutoFix AdvisorCast

Michael Doherty [00:00:00]:
This is the autofix Advisor cast, powered by worldpac. Hey, service advisor nation, what's happening? Thank you for tuning in to another episode of the autofix Advisor Cast with your host, Michael Dougherty. Something that I've heard a lot from shops that I've been talking to lately, especially owners of the shops, management of shops, things of that nature. When we start talking about, you know, the person answering the phone in the front of the business, which is primarily the service advisor, you know, my question is, you know, how's the service advisor doing? You know, how's things going with the service advisor up front? And their answer usually is, you know, pretty good. But, you know, they could do better at selling. You know, selling is something that I often hear, you know, sell, sell, sell. And I really feel that we need to get away just as a general consensus in the industry, you know, a.

Michael Doherty [00:01:06]:
Mindset, a mindset shift, if you would.

Michael Doherty [00:01:09]:
You know, it's, I get it, it's sales, but it's not, I think when you approach it as sales, when you're speaking to a customer or a potential customer, you know, first time client calling in or potential customer calling in, you know, in, in them really picking up on the difference of sales, you know, versus kind of, you know, guidance. So when I hear again, shop owners.

Michael Doherty [00:01:35]:
Shop managers talking about their service advisors in the form of, you know, they.

Michael Doherty [00:01:40]:
Could do, you know, their sales weren't too great this week or their sales.

Michael Doherty [00:01:43]:
Weren'T too great last month, again, you.

Michael Doherty [00:01:45]:
Know, I'd like to talk about kind.

Michael Doherty [00:01:47]:
Of a mindset shift.

Michael Doherty [00:01:49]:
You know, it's not sales, you know, it's education and relating right to clients with what's going on with their vehicles. And yeah, I know for service advisors out there, your pay plan is probably constructed of maybe all salary, part salary, part commission and who doesn't want to hit their numbers every week. But again, if you're coming, if you're thinking about it from just the sales perspective, you know, what, you know, how much can I sell? Am I going to make my nut this week? You know, am I going to sell enough to get my bonus? Am I going to sell enough to take care of, you know, the shop, the technicians? Again, you know, it's, it's, you know, it's pressure, right?

Michael Doherty [00:02:34]:
It's pressure.

Michael Doherty [00:02:34]:
And again, you know, the mentality has always been, you know, sell, sell, sell. And I think that's honestly the wrong way of looking at it. That's just my perspective and I'll tell you why. So, you know, again, I think you.

Michael Doherty [00:02:45]:
Know, number one, it's.

Michael Doherty [00:02:46]:
It's, you know, we need to change our mindset to. It's really, you know, education and relatability to clients. You know, I mean, I've always had the experience of. And it's worked out better for me when I figured out that, you know, I mean, you know, you're not selling customers, right? They're more likely to want to do.

Michael Doherty [00:03:15]:
Services with you when they feel that they're being informed of what's going on with the vehicle.

Michael Doherty [00:03:21]:
Right.

Michael Doherty [00:03:21]:
So, again, you know, the informed part.

Michael Doherty [00:03:23]:
Comes in as far as educating them, you know, the relatability part of it. So, yeah, I mean, we can still take care of ourselves, right? You know, get our bonuses, help the shop, come up with those weekly numbers, those monthly goal numbers, etc. But, you know, kind of more aligns.

Michael Doherty [00:03:43]:
Talking around, you know, how do we.

Michael Doherty [00:03:45]:
Increase our hours per RO the right way.

Michael Doherty [00:03:50]:
Right.

Michael Doherty [00:03:50]:
I think there's, you know, definitely a. A fine line there.

Michael Doherty [00:03:54]:
Ethical balance, if you would.

Michael Doherty [00:03:55]:
But, you know, your ethical foundation. But, you know, I think it's trust first, right, with that client, you know.

Michael Doherty [00:04:02]:
Building trust, building transparency.

Michael Doherty [00:04:05]:
And, you know, again, you know, I mean, I think, you know, customers especially, you know, they're not just buying a.

Michael Doherty [00:04:11]:
Service from you, they're buying peace of.

Michael Doherty [00:04:13]:
Mind, right, where the professionals were letting them know what's going on with their vehicles. And there's a way to do that.

Michael Doherty [00:04:20]:
And not a way to do that.

Michael Doherty [00:04:21]:
So I guess, number one, you know.

Michael Doherty [00:04:24]:
On the transparency side of it, for.

Michael Doherty [00:04:25]:
A lot of shops that are using DVIs, you know, that. Right, There is a transparency part, right? I mean, showing them what you recommend and why, right? The why behind it, explaining to them, breaking it down in a relatable format.

Michael Doherty [00:04:42]:
So that they understand.

Michael Doherty [00:04:43]:
And, you know, just some examples. And these are not all my examples, but kind of a little bit of research, and I think it'll help, you know, service advisors out there, you know, break things down a little bit more. And, you know, to be honest, not too long ago, I was at a Jiffy Lube with my wife's vehicle getting a state inspection, just a state inspection. And here in North Carolina, we have those, you know, emissions inspections. And when I was in the waiting area, you know, they had someone at the front desk and, you know, she had approached a customer and showed them, you know, just a dirty air filter and literally just said, you know, hey, do you want to replace this?

Michael Doherty [00:05:23]:
You know, no reason behind it. Just know why.

Michael Doherty [00:05:25]:
Just, you know, here's this dirty air filter. I'M sure this dirty air filter and, you know, do you want to replace it or not?

Michael Doherty [00:05:32]:
Customer just said no.

Michael Doherty [00:05:33]:
And when she walked back out to tell the technician no, you know, the service advisor or not the service advisor, the.

Michael Doherty [00:05:40]:
The client turned to another person in the waiting lounge and said, you know.

Michael Doherty [00:05:43]:
Every time I come here, they do that. They just, you know, do you want to replace this? Do you want to replace that? So, you know, some people understand automotive, some people don't on the client side, which is fine. But again, the education part of it, right? The transparency part of it. So, you know, breaking it down, the relatability.

Michael Doherty [00:05:58]:
So, you know, for an engine air.

Michael Doherty [00:06:00]:
Filter, you know, a great way to explain that to somebody rather than just showing them a dirty air filter or a picture, you know, a DVI of a dirty air filter, you know, letting them know, right? The dirty air filter, it's like trying to breathe through a pillow, you know, you know, your engine's gonna have to work harder, right? And that's the God's honest truth, you know, again, you know, that customer is going to picture themselves and trying to breathe through a pillow, you know, it doesn't work too well, you know, so again, you know, breaking it down in a way that they're going to understand, right? Cabin filters. You know, I've always had the mental thought process of, with a cabin filter, explaining that, you know, the cabin filter is. Is like the filter in your home's H VAC system, right?

Michael Doherty [00:06:42]:
If it gets clogged, you're breathing in dirty air, right?

Michael Doherty [00:06:46]:
It's the same thing in someone's car. And again, rather than just taking a picture on a DVI or saying, hey, your cabin filter is dirty, do you want to replace it?

Michael Doherty [00:06:56]:
Right?

Michael Doherty [00:06:57]:
Some people don't know what a cabin filter is, and that's fine.

Michael Doherty [00:07:01]:
But again, it's our responsibility as the.

Michael Doherty [00:07:06]:
Professional, as a service advisor to let.

Michael Doherty [00:07:09]:
The client know the why behind why.

Michael Doherty [00:07:12]:
They need to replace it. And again, I know it sounds like common sense stuff, but there's a lot of places I think that just don't do that. You know, we're in such a rush, you know, snap a picture, hey, do you want to do this or not?

Michael Doherty [00:07:24]:
And not explaining the why behind it.

Michael Doherty [00:07:26]:
So again, right, I mean, we're, you know, it's not selling, right?

Michael Doherty [00:07:31]:
It's.

Michael Doherty [00:07:31]:
It's educating and relatability, right?

Michael Doherty [00:07:34]:
How can I explain this repair or.

Michael Doherty [00:07:36]:
This recommended service to our client in a way that they're going to understand it so that they want to do this service, right?

Michael Doherty [00:07:43]:
Here's the importance of it, here's why they would recommend it.

Michael Doherty [00:07:46]:
Right.

Michael Doherty [00:07:47]:
A lot of people have had bad experiences at automotive shops and they say, you know, hey, I went there for an oil service and they're trying to.

Michael Doherty [00:07:55]:
Sell me a coolant flush or a coolant service.

Michael Doherty [00:07:57]:
You know, it's lifetime coolant.

Michael Doherty [00:07:58]:
I don't believe in that.

Michael Doherty [00:07:59]:
It doesn't need to be done. Well, you know, an analogy for coolant, right? I mean, coolant, it's like sunscreen for your engine. You know, it protects things from overheating.

Michael Doherty [00:08:10]:
Right.

Michael Doherty [00:08:10]:
I think that's a good analogy to let somebody know, you know, routine maintenance, right?

Michael Doherty [00:08:16]:
Routine maintenance is like going to the dentist regularly.

Michael Doherty [00:08:19]:
It. It's going to prevent you from needing a root canal.

Michael Doherty [00:08:22]:
Right.

Michael Doherty [00:08:23]:
If you don't take care of your teeth, gonna get cavities, possibly worse. So again, you know, explain things to people in a way that they're going to understand them from an automotive sense. Brake pads, right? Brake pads are like the soles of your shoes. Over time, they wear down from use. Again, there's just some people that don't.

Michael Doherty [00:08:44]:
Understand about these parts on their cars, and that's fine.

Michael Doherty [00:08:48]:
But when you involve them in the process, when you're informing them of why.

Michael Doherty [00:08:55]:
You'Re recommending the services, you know, they're getting involved, they're getting more engaged. Kind of the light bulb goes off in their head, oh, I understand now. And that's the name of the game. It's understanding, it's education. It's educating our customers so that they make good decisions.

Michael Doherty [00:09:13]:
And when you're doing that, you'll be surprised of how many more people are going to purchase services from you and.

Michael Doherty [00:09:21]:
Want to do the work.

Michael Doherty [00:09:22]:
You know, again, there's engagement, there, there's collaboration.

Michael Doherty [00:09:25]:
You're explaining to them.

Michael Doherty [00:09:26]:
And for people that, you know, do mo customers that do know automotive, we get some people that, you know, yeah, I know about my engineer filter. I'll replace it myself on the weekend, no problem.

Michael Doherty [00:09:35]:
Right.

Michael Doherty [00:09:36]:
Again, we're just, you know, awareness. But, you know, again, the transparency part of it, and I think too, a good part of that is when the technicians are providing, you write ups.

Michael Doherty [00:09:47]:
Right.

Michael Doherty [00:09:47]:
First for the service advisors to build estimates and such, for the technicians that.

Michael Doherty [00:09:53]:
Are, again, are doing that.

Michael Doherty [00:09:54]:
Right.

Michael Doherty [00:09:55]:
Give more information than, you know, just needs brakes, you know, recommend brake pads, recommend rotors.

Michael Doherty [00:10:03]:
Right.

Michael Doherty [00:10:04]:
What's the reason behind that?

Michael Doherty [00:10:05]:
What did you see, you know, help us build the storyline to inform the.

Michael Doherty [00:10:11]:
Client why that service is needed or recommended.

Michael Doherty [00:10:14]:
Right.

Michael Doherty [00:10:16]:
Again, even if you're not doing DVIs, the verbiage, the why behind it, right?

Michael Doherty [00:10:21]:
It's communication in the shop and it's.

Michael Doherty [00:10:23]:
Communication with the clients.

Michael Doherty [00:10:25]:
But again, for the service advisors, really important to understand that it's approaching it with education and relating things to our customers so that they will understand why.

Michael Doherty [00:10:40]:
These services are needed.

Michael Doherty [00:10:41]:
And also when you're building estimates, right. Prioritizing items I've always been a big believer in, we're going to first prioritize, you know, safety and reliability items. Yeah, it'd be nice to, you know, do those spark plugs. It'd be nice to, you know, do those fluid services. But, you know, are there any safety items that really need attention first? You know, prioritize it that way. You know, their primary concern, obviously what the car came in for or the vehicle came in for, number one. And then prioritizing, right? Safety, reliability, maintenance items, going kind of.

Michael Doherty [00:11:18]:
Down a list, if you would, and.

Michael Doherty [00:11:19]:
Then, you know, don't hit them all at once. You know, I mean, sometimes there's a lot of stuff on that DVI or that write up from the technician. And, you know, if you give them this laundry list of stuff, it's overwhelming for them and they think that the car is just a bad car and they don't want to do anything. I'm going to get rid of this car. So again, it's how you explain it.

Michael Doherty [00:11:39]:
The manner in which you're presenting the estimate to them.

Michael Doherty [00:11:42]:
Again, prioritize their primary concern or concerns. First safety and reliability, then maintenance, et cetera. But come up with a plan, right?

Michael Doherty [00:11:52]:
And when you're talking to them about the estimate, you know, let them know.

Michael Doherty [00:11:56]:
That, you know, all these things don't.

Michael Doherty [00:11:58]:
Have to be done at once. If you'd like to do them, we'd be happy to do that for you. But again, here's, here's our plan of action, right? Make a recommendation. You know, the customer, it's your customer. You know, their, their, their driving style.

Michael Doherty [00:12:11]:
Hopefully, you know, or the car's going to tell you that, right? You know, their driving style, you know, what's important to them. You know, make the recommendations like it's, you know, your family member can't emphasize that enough, right? Hey, mom or dad, you know, you need breaks right? Now, here's why we need to flush the brakes. You know, we do brake fluid service or brake fluid flush.

Michael Doherty [00:12:34]:
Here's why, right? Package things together that make sense, right? Bundle things together.

Michael Doherty [00:12:40]:
You know, brake service, brake fluid flush, engine coolant service. And, you know, again, if, you know, you're you know, proactively, you know, you can recommend other things well around that.

Michael Doherty [00:12:54]:
Especially if it's a European vehicle.

Michael Doherty [00:12:55]:
Right.

Michael Doherty [00:12:56]:
Look at the, you know, condition of.

Michael Doherty [00:12:58]:
The hoses, the belts, things of that.

Michael Doherty [00:13:00]:
Nature, things that, you know are going to be upcoming problems based on similar mileage with other vehicles.

Michael Doherty [00:13:05]:
Save them a headache, save them a.

Michael Doherty [00:13:07]:
Return trip, but, you know, come up with a plan of action. And when they see that you're proactively doing that, it shows that you care and that you're trying to help them out. So they, you know, it's not a. I brought my car here for an oil service and now I've got this $5,000 estimate. You know, I can't do all that.

Michael Doherty [00:13:25]:
You know, take the time, prioritize the.

Michael Doherty [00:13:30]:
Estimate and go over it with them and again, come up with plan of action. These are the five primary things I'd.

Michael Doherty [00:13:37]:
Recommend you do this service, Mr. And Mrs. Jones. And here is why.

Michael Doherty [00:13:42]:
Here are the next three or four.

Michael Doherty [00:13:44]:
Items that I'd recommend you do in the next 90 days, if possible.

Michael Doherty [00:13:47]:
And you know, after that we can knock out these other things for you.

Michael Doherty [00:13:50]:
But again, you know, give them the.

Michael Doherty [00:13:51]:
Options and be informative.

Michael Doherty [00:13:54]:
Right.

Michael Doherty [00:13:54]:
Again, build the trust, build the transparency.

Michael Doherty [00:13:59]:
Why does it matter? Why do you need to do it now?

Michael Doherty [00:14:02]:
And you know, I think that's really important. I think a lot of places aren't.

Michael Doherty [00:14:06]:
Doing that because they're so pressured to.

Michael Doherty [00:14:07]:
Just, you know, sell, sell, sell.

Michael Doherty [00:14:09]:
Right.

Michael Doherty [00:14:09]:
We want to do, you know, I think especially, you know, for, you know, places that are coming in. Yeah, we want to get the most.

Michael Doherty [00:14:17]:
Vehicles in and out of the shop that we can.

Michael Doherty [00:14:20]:
But you got to keep in mind, you know, just going vehicle to vehicle to vehicle to vehicle isn't great. You know, you want to slow down your process. You want to build, you know, build more value with each vehicle that's in the shop. And what I mean by that is like, you know, really focus on the task at hand.

Michael Doherty [00:14:41]:
Right?

Michael Doherty [00:14:42]:
Are we taking care of that client? Are we doing the best we can? Are we giving the best write up? Because again, you know, people aren't buying.

Michael Doherty [00:14:49]:
Services, they're buying peace of mind.

Michael Doherty [00:14:51]:
And when you're explaining it to them in that format and informing them and giving them buy in on what's going on, you're going to find that your.

Michael Doherty [00:15:01]:
Numbers are there at the end of.

Michael Doherty [00:15:03]:
The week, you're going to find that.

Michael Doherty [00:15:04]:
The numbers you need are there at the end of the month, at the.

Michael Doherty [00:15:07]:
End of the quarter, and don't feel as pressured to, you know, again, sell, sell, sell.

Michael Doherty [00:15:13]:
It's not a sales thing. It really isn't.

Michael Doherty [00:15:15]:
I mean it's, yeah, I've referred to in the past as client guided sales and this falls in line with that. But again, it's really, it's education for the client and relatability, you know, breaking things down so they understand why you're recommending it. And again, you know, air filters, cabin filters, coolant, routine maintenance, brake pads, things of that nature. You know, again, build, build your estimates around that mindset and just take a.

Michael Doherty [00:15:45]:
Deep breath, right, Take a deep breath.

Michael Doherty [00:15:47]:
Before you get on that phone call. Put your arms up, breathe in, talk to them, be human. You'll find that being genuine and delivering the information in that way so that the client feels informed they're going to purchase more services from you because you're being like that. So please, if you are, get out of the sell, sell, sell mentality. If you're being pressured by management, sell, sell, sell, block that out, I'm telling you, block it out and try this process instead. And I'm telling you, at the end of next week, at the end of.

Michael Doherty [00:16:26]:
The month, at the end of the quarter, the numbers that you need to.

Michael Doherty [00:16:29]:
Get will be there and you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that you really helped the client and that they're engaged. And there's not a lot of people.

Michael Doherty [00:16:38]:
That are engaging with clients these days.

Michael Doherty [00:16:40]:
It's just a kind of, you know, come in, get them in, get them out and we got to change that mindset.

Michael Doherty [00:16:45]:
We got to do more for our customer.

Michael Doherty [00:16:47]:
So Service Advisor Nation, thank you so much for tuning into another episode of the autofix Advisor cast. Appreciate y'all and I wish you guys a great upcoming week at the shop. Keep those base full and, and again, right? Education and being relatable, explaining the services to the customers and having the technicians.

Michael Doherty [00:17:09]:
Send you the write ups or the recommendations or the diagnostics with more information.

Michael Doherty [00:17:15]:
So you can be better at explaining it to the customer. And it's gonna, it's gonna be great. It's gonna work for you. I super promise. All right, guys, Ladies, gentlemen, thank you so much.

Michael Doherty [00:17:27]:
All right, bye.

Michael Doherty [00:17:31]:
Hey, thanks for listening to the Autofix Advisor cast. If you're ready to take your shop.

Michael Doherty [00:17:36]:
To the next level, check out our.

Michael Doherty [00:17:37]:
Sponsor, WorldPAC and the WorldPAC Training Institute. WTI. Big thanks to them for their sponsorship. Follow the podcast on social media for more insights and subscribe so you never miss an episode. Oh, and tell your friends we want to help the industry grow.

Michael Doherty [00:17:52]:
And help.

Michael Doherty [00:17:52]:
Advisors love their jobs.

Michael Doherty [00:17:53]:
Again.

Michael Doherty [00:17:54]:
See you on the next Autofix Advisor cast.