AutoFix AdvisorCast

Michael Doherty [00:00:00]:
This is the autofix Advisor cast, powered by worldpac. Hey, service advisor nation, what's going on? Welcome to another episode of the autofix Advisor Cast with your host, Michael Dougherty. Thank you so much for tuning in. And today I put some notes together, but wanted to talk about reading customers nonverbal cues, energy levels and communication styles to essentially match their own. And I guess, you know, to sum that up, my experience is that doing such can lead to faster trust, better conversations with those clients, and sometimes higher approvals for the work that you're recommending. So, you know, the moment somebody kind of walks in the door and these obviously for shops that people are, you know, walking in, new clients, not really over the phone, but that'll be a separate episode to talk about. But for new clients that are coming in the door or someone that didn't have an appointment, that's just kind of showing up, you know, from a moment they kind of walk into the shop, you know, before you even hear them speak, they're already kind of talking to you with verbal cues. And, you know, a little bit of research shows that why nonverbal communication accounts for over 60% of what we hear, why matching the customer style, not mirroring them awkwardly makes you instantly more trustworthy.

Michael Doherty [00:01:45]:
And I can say from firsthand experience with that, whether it's a male or female that's coming in the shop, you know, new client, client that's never been in before, just maybe didn't have an appointment and, you know, just seeing kind of how their body language is. What does that look like? You know, are they kind of standing, their arms crossed? Are they open palms? Are they, you know, sporty? You know, are they wearing an Adidas tracksuit? They got some fresh kicks on, they got the sunglasses to match. You know, looks like they're kind of upbeat on a mission or, you know, is it somebody that kind of comes in and, you know, they're kind of, you know, you can tell they're uncomfortable, right? They're kind of holding their hands together. They're not really giving you eye contact, they're kind of looking at you sometimes, but they're mostly kind of just avoiding eye contact. So there's a lot of introverts out there as well that are customers, and that's fine, but again, know, just picking up on that nonverbal cues, right? And, you know, it kind of comes down to understanding first impressions because, you know, they're, they're. They're seeing you as you're seeing them, right? And so again, kind of Mirroring body language helps as well. I'm not saying don't be somebody you're not, but obviously if there's somebody in front of you that's you can tell off the bats, you know, like an introvert, you know, I mean, being real, real super positive and very. Just kind of fast talking and using your hands a lot.

Michael Doherty [00:03:15]:
I mean, it, it, it's not something that they like. Right. Some people also, from what I've learned over the years, have sensory issues. Right. They'll stand actually, you know, two feet away from the front counter. They won't engage with you. They're, they're kind of very, again, just kind of, they're not sure. Right.

Michael Doherty [00:03:37]:
And you can tell that these people just really don't get out in public a lot. And again, that's okay, but we have to treat everybody differently. So again, just trying to identify who we've got in front of us and how to, how to communicate with them with body language. Right. So I guess from a first impressions standpoint on both sides. Right. Again, body language basics. Um, is that client, you know, open, which again, you know, palms up, talking with their hands, you know, kind of got a smile on their face, engaging with you, or are they kind of closed posture? Right.

Michael Doherty [00:04:15]:
Are they kind of just standing there very dormant? Again, could be arms crossed, hands in their pockets, you know, very kind of not standoffish, but again, avoidant. Right, right. Avoidant of wanting to engage with you. And those again, are things that are going to be kind of telling you without them telling you. Right. Are they rushed? Are they nervous, Are they distrustful? We get that a lot at our industry. Right. We've got to disarm somebody because they've had a bad experience at another shop and it's totally fine to do that.

Michael Doherty [00:04:53]:
I mean, I, I wouldn't say I'd make it my game plan, but typically when I got a new customer on the phone, they would tell me, you know, about their bad experience and why they're looking for another shop. And that's honestly something I didn't want to skip over. And the more I heard people talking about that, I would actually ask people if it was a first time client. I kind of got in the habit of asking them, you know, if you've been at this other shop for three years, four years, you know, again, qualifying questions. Right. You know, where has the vehicle been? Previously I had at a shop down the street, but I don't want to say the name of the shop. Okay, fair enough. Well, could you tell me why you're looking to get away from that shop.

Michael Doherty [00:05:33]:
You know what, what happened. And don't say it like you're just asking to ask, right? Ask because you want to know. Because if it's easy enough to fix and you can record it in your notes in whatever CRM system you're using most of the time, people will tell you. It was a black hole of communication at their place that I went to. I dropped my car off. No one called me back. I had to find out. I had to come up to the shop.

Michael Doherty [00:06:00]:
They might say, I've had some clients come in for with a nice vehicle, an M5, a Porsche, saying they dropped it off for a service for maintenance, just an oil service. And they came back and the car had like 20 miles on it. And they didn't like that somebody went joyriding in their car. Again, I don't know the exact circumstances, but these are pet peeves of people telling you what they didn't like at the other shop. And as long as you don't duplicate that experience, they're going to stay with you. I actually had a client with a E60 M5, and he had a bag in the back of the trunk. I never looked in the bag. Don't know what was in there.

Michael Doherty [00:06:42]:
It was a pretty sizable bag and had his initials on it. And he would place it in the center of the trunk. I mean, really just anal retentiveness, right? Just lined up. You could probably measure inch by inch. It was perfectly in the center of the trunk. And he said that when he would come to pick up his car from service from the other shop, after paying the bill, he'd walk out in the parking lot. The first thing he did was open the trunk. And he said that that bag was anywhere but in the center.

Michael Doherty [00:07:10]:
And it was a pretty heavy bag. He actually told me, you know, put your hands on it, try and move it, right? So he said that whoever took that car out was really getting on it and doing things that they probably shouldn't have been doing because that bag was always slung to one side of the trunk or the other. And so every time he brought his car in for service. Now, we were in the habit of, you know, doing some, we'll call it throttle credits, where it was someone else's car. But I would make it a point to make sure that that bag was centered when he came to pick up the vehicle. And after he paid and he walked out the door, I would walk out from behind the counter, and sure as us, he popped the trunk first thing before he even got in the car. And he looked to see where the bag was in the center of the. In the center of the trunk.

Michael Doherty [00:07:53]:
It was crazy. But again, as long as that bag was in the center of the trunk, no problems. Just that was his biggest pet peeve. So not to sidetrack, but again, it's, it's, it's understanding your customers concerns, right? What happened at the other shop? Why don't they want to go back to that shop? What was the bad experience? And don't replicate it when they're at your shop. Really easy stuff. But again, getting back to first impressions. Sorry to segue. Just want to talk about that for a second.

Michael Doherty [00:08:22]:
But again, truthfully, you know, cues, right? Dress in grooming cues, right? So when somebody comes in, if they're a new client, right? I mean, compliments, right? A lot of the guys were coming in where I worked, had really nice watches on, you know, oh, man, that's a nice watch. What is that? And they tell you about their watch, right? And they'd be like, do you know, are you a watch collector? And be like, no, I'm not a collector. I've got one or two. Well, how about you? Oh, I've got like 15 or 20. Wow, that's really cool. How long you been collecting? What kinds do you have? Right? You're. You're getting some common ground with them, right? And you can talk about it because, you know, you're wearing a watch. And again, just kind of, it's, it's, it's building instant trust.

Michael Doherty [00:09:03]:
And again, it has nothing to do with their car. They're just kind of want to make sure that they're comfortable with you. And that's how they're kind of defining if they want to do business with you right off the bat. So again, compliments, right? You get somebody that comes in with a nice pair of Air Jordans on, or even a female wearing a, you know, nice dress, bright colors. Hey, Mrs. Jones, that's. That color looks great on you, you know, that's awesome. My mom's got a dress like that.

Michael Doherty [00:09:28]:
Or just something again, to kind of just ease the tension, build a relationship, establish trust, right? So again, you know, non kind of, again, non verbal cues that we can, that we can learn from that. And, you know, personality types as well with clients, I think goes a long way. And these weren't my things that I wrote down. This is something that a little bit of research on, and I guess it made sense for this episode, but. Right. Customer personality types and how to spot Them and again, adapting to those personality types because you can't be the same with every client. Right. In the work that we do and the way that we communicate and meaning getting, you know, doing the work, doing it the right way.

Michael Doherty [00:10:15]:
Absolutely. But again, everybody's different, right? That's the beauty of this world. Everybody's different. Right. So again, customer personality types and how do we spot them? So the first one that came up was they call it the analyzer. This particular client is quiet and asks detailed questions. This client often wants to understand why, why are you recommending this? Why should I do this now? What's the benefit of me doing this? They're going to ask you a whole bunch of questions. But if you stick with them during that process and answer their questions, it could be two, it could be 20.

Michael Doherty [00:10:50]:
But again, that's their style, that's who they are. And if you can provide them with data and data could be the inspections that you did on the vehicles, the dvi, the photos, and be thorough in letting them understand why you're recommending these things. I promise you they're going to buy more work from you, they're going to purchase more services because again, you're matching their style. Right. So again, it's important to know who your audience is. The second one, you know, the second personality type, the driver, right. This person, this client's more direct, they're more to the point, short sentences. They want it done and they want it done fast.

Michael Doherty [00:11:32]:
And you know, in that instance, I think transparency comes in on that front. Right. We, we don't want to over promise something. Well, I need it done today. You know, you don't want to just tell them right off the bat, hey, that's unrealistic, you know, as long as you're letting them know that they are a priority and you're going to get it done as soon as possible and communicate with them during the process. I think that is going to help you with that particular, you know, that personality type. Right. And you know, presenting facts quickly, giving action steps for them.

Michael Doherty [00:12:08]:
And by action steps, again, hey, you know, it's 3:00, I don't have enough time in the day to fix your coolant leak. But we can definitely get started today with your permission. We can order parts, we can be proactive, have them here by the morning and start the job first thing tomorrow morning. And I'll be in touch with you probably no later than 10, 11 o'clock tomorrow with the first update. Is that going to be okay? Right. So again, you're giving them action steps. They want to hear that you're hearing that the. There's a sense of urgency, right.

Michael Doherty [00:12:36]:
To get it done and get it done fast and get it done. Right. So again, that's another personality type, third personality type, you know, somebody that's just more amiable, friendly, chatty, smiles easily, doesn't like conflict. I mean, who doesn't like this customer, right? This is somebody that basically just kind of says, hey, you know, I'm going to drop it off. No stress, no rush, no worries. Just keep me updated. And, you know, it's easy to build rapport with these people. It's easy to focus on what needs to be done with them.

Michael Doherty [00:13:14]:
And again, they're kind of more just kind of easygoing. And I found that a lot of these people, this client type, are retired. They're retired or they're. They're owners of a business that, you know, again, they're kind of low stress to a degree, but they just, you know, it's kind of really effortless with them. They, they come in, they shake your hand, they smile, they say, nice to meet you. They drop off the keys and they say, hey, don't worry, I don't need a ride. I don't need a loaner. I'm going to call an Uber and, you know, just call me when it's done.

Michael Doherty [00:13:45]:
So, again, great client, but again, another personality type. And a fourth personality type for a client is going to be somebody that's just expressive. We all know these people, these clients, they're high energy, they're enthusiastic. Again, they're talking with their hands, they're constantly in motion, they're moving around or they're emotional. Right. They want to tell you about, you know, everything that happened to them this morning on the drive here to drop the car off at your shop or since they got up this morning. Right. I got up this morning and you wouldn't believe it.

Michael Doherty [00:14:19]:
You know, my dog, he. He had an accident in the house and, man, I was almost late getting here, but, you know, I took a right over on Kildar. I had to go get, you know, killed our farm road. I had to go get a Starbucks. It was just calling my name. I had to pick that up. So sorry. I know I'm like, you know, 10 minutes late, but I just had to get that done and I'm glad I'm here.

Michael Doherty [00:14:38]:
And, you know, they, they may talk fast or they may change subjects again, kind of, you know, what do we call this, you know, Squirrel. Right, Squirrel. Changing conversation topics. Right? But they're expressive, right? They're, they're. You want to, you know, matching their energy, right? That's, that's, that works for them, right? Matching their energy and using, you know, picture language, right? What is that picture language? You know, so basically, you know, painting the picture of what's going on. Oh, man, you know, I got a dog myself and don't lie about it. If you do, you do, if you don't, you don't. But hey, you know, I got a dog myself and man, I had that experience one time.

Michael Doherty [00:15:14]:
My wife was out of town and came downstairs and man, there was a mess and I just had to get it all cleaned up and I was frustrated and you know, yeah, sounded like a good deal, man, go get a coffee, right? You know, so again, just matching the intensity, matching the energy of that person, the expressive. But oftentimes you also will find that a lot of clients have a mixture of all four of those types of personalities. Again, the analyzer, the driver. Somebody's just very amiable and someone's just very expressive. And your job as a service advisor is to basically adapt to who that person is when they're coming in the door, right when you're meeting them. And again, you can kind of get tonality with somebody on the phone. But again, a lot of this honestly is just good old fashioned in person. How do we identify, you know, body language and, you know, non verbal cues? Right.

Michael Doherty [00:16:13]:
I've had people come in before, they just walk in the door, they got sunglasses on and it's, you know, nowhere near sunglass season. They just walk in. They will first walk to the lounge, they raid the refrigerator, they raid the snack drawer, and they just sit down on the couch and they turn on the TV and you know, five minutes later you kind of walk over there and go, hey, how you doing today? Is something I can help you out with? Oh, yeah, yeah, I'm here to drop off my car. Oh, okay, cool. You know, I don't know how this works, you know, so, you know, you got them through the process, but yeah, I've had that happen too. It's very interesting. You know, I thought maybe it's somebody's coming to pick somebody else up. But again, I assumed so, you know, you got to be in that role, you got to be in that mindset again.

Michael Doherty [00:16:57]:
You got to. You never know who's going to walk in the door. You just got to have, you know, again, you got to be customized to each person. But again, you know, there are different personality types and I really think Identifying and trying to match or mirror the personality types. But again, the body language is very important. So just things like that to talk about. And, you know, the other part of it too, there's some psychology that goes into, you know, why it works and, you know, people trust people who feel familiar. So what does that mean? Again, I mentioned earlier about, you know, a new customer coming in, coming up to the front counter, they got this just awesome watch on.

Michael Doherty [00:17:40]:
It could be a Rolex, could be, could be a Casio. Who cares? Right. Just again, they obviously like watches or they wouldn't be wearing one. And, you know, having that conversation, man, that's a cool watch. You know, and it goes into more deeper conversation. Right. And again, you know, it's building trust without talking about their car. It's just breaking the ice.

Michael Doherty [00:18:04]:
Right? Verbal matching as well, you know, speed, tone and words. So again, I mentioned about, you know, the introvert, you know, coming into the shop. I mean, that person is not going to be talking fast. However, that person likely is going to have very good grammar and be very articulate and pause as they're talking and their tone is probably going to be pretty monotone. So again, you know, if you're not up to matching that person for those things, at least not talking over them and talking faster than they're talking to, because that will annoy them and the speed and that. And what that you're talking to them will annoy them. So again, you know, if they're kind of just monotone, match that, right? It's, it's not going to suck the life force out of you. Again, it's building trust.

Michael Doherty [00:18:58]:
They're seeing that, they're hearing that. They're like, okay, you know, I can, I can get, I can get with this person, right? Physical mirroring, right posture, energy level. We talked about that. So, you know, someone comes up to the front counter and they're very, I don't know, I'm not going to say militant, but, you know, very, you know, structured, straight spine, chest out. They're kind of standing there and, you know, they got their fingers crossed, interlocked and the kind of. That's how they're talking to you. I'm going to be standing there at the front counter with my fingers interlocked straight up and talking back to them as I'm able to. And again, I'm mirroring their body language.

Michael Doherty [00:19:40]:
Now if I get somebody that comes in and they're kind of just, you know, not saying they don't have a spine, but, you know, metaphorically they don't have a spine, right? Their body's just kind of loose and they're just kind of hanging over the front counter. Now, I'm probably not going to be a slouch, but I might put my elbow on the countertop and I might kind of maybe just lean over a little bit. Again, kind of relaxed, right? Because that's how they are. They don't want someone standing there. It's very stiff in front of them, fingers interlocked, you know, it's kind of standoffish to them. So again, just again, mirroring body language and just things of that nature, right? So again, make it your own. But again, just trying to touch base on nonverbal cues and how to, you know, better take care of new clients, especially with that and matching. Again, you know, palms out is showing trust, right? Especially when somebody's kind of apprehensive, talking about their bad experience, comes into your shop, slams that piece of paper on the countertop and says, I was just at the dealer and they want $3,000 to do this job.

Michael Doherty [00:20:38]:
You know, this is ridiculous. And I'm so frustrated, right? I'm taking that in and I'm not getting defensive and I'm not hyperventilating. I'm standing there and I've got my palms out. Palms up. Palms up, right? Palms up is showing, basically trust. Palms up is showing that you're relaxed. And they're going to see that, right? And you may not think it makes a difference, but it's disarming them without them knowing works. So again, try different things.

Michael Doherty [00:21:05]:
Again, there's other psychologies that go into this, but again, you know, that's kind of what I wanted to talk about today and Service Advisor Nation. I appreciate you. Thank you for tuning into the episode of the Autofix Advisor Cast and can't wait to be in touch with you again next week. Thank you so much again for tuning in and take care and hope you have a great day and keep those baseful. All right, bye. Hey, thanks for listening to the Autofix Advisor Cast. If you're ready to take your shop to the next level, check out our sponsor, WorldPAC and the WorldPAC Training Institute. WTI.

Michael Doherty [00:21:43]:
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 and help advisors love their jobs again. See you on the next Autofix Advisor Cast.