AutoFix AdvisorCast

Michael Doherty [00:00:00]:
This is the autofix Advisor cast, powered by World Pack. Hey, service advisor nation. Thank you for tuning into another episode of the Auto Fix Advisor Cast with your host, Michael Dougherty. It is second week of September. Hopefully it's getting, hopefully everybody's getting some type of cooler weather in your area, in your region. Maybe those leaves are changing color, starting to fall. Maybe everything's pumpkin spice at your coffee shop. Fall is in the air.

Michael Doherty [00:00:38]:
So with that said, I hope everybody's feeling good and doing good. But so today I'd like to talk to you all about something that just might change the way you think about the phones in your shop. And having spoken to a lot of automotive shops in the past couple weeks across the United States, one of the main things that I'm still hearing from a lot of shop owners, service managers, general managers, etc, is service advisors with not so great phone skills. And it's a reoccurring topic. It's something that continually needs discussion. And I don't think really it's a debate. I mean, there's always, you know, you're never going to have that perfect phone call. We all wish for it.

Michael Doherty [00:01:23]:
But this really, you know, ties into what I'm talking about today with the service advisors. And here, this is so, you know, here's the question. You know, what's considered a quality lead when that phone rings? Because I've heard a lot of people say, well, the leads aren't good, or, you know, they just, they were just looking for an oil change, you know, things of that nature. So again, what's considered a quality lead? And are you really looking for opportunity in every single incoming phone call as a service advisor? And also while we're at it, you know, let's tackle a dangerous trap advisors fall into all the time, and that is judging the customer before they even get a chance. Yes. Earlier in my career, I was very guilty of that and I had a mindset shift. Had a great mentor at the time. His name was Mr.

Michael Doherty [00:02:22]:
Bob Johnson, Robert Johnson, and awesome individual and really kind of guided me and took me through the phases of doing a phone call correctly. But again, you know, the two main things today I'd like to talk to y' all about are what's considered a quality lead. And again, are you really looking for the opportunity in every single incoming phone call and not judging the customer before they even get a chance? Because here's the truth, ladies and gentlemen. Every single time that phone rings, you've got a shot at building trust, creating a relationship, and, yeah, growing your Shop's bottom line. So the famous Andy Rooney once said, opportunities are never lost. Someone will take the the one you miss. So again, what does a quality lead really. So service advisors, let me ask you this.

Michael Doherty [00:03:18]:
How many times have you thought, when that phone rings, this caller just isn't serious, they're just shopping? Here's the thing, here's the reality. If somebody picked up the phone and called your shop, that in itself is a quality lead. Think about it. The very fact that they're reaching out shows interest, intent or a need. And now it's our time to shine.

Michael Doherty [00:03:45]:
Right?

Michael Doherty [00:03:45]:
Again, when that phone rings, as a service advisor, you are being interviewed by that potential client. And it could go really good or could go really bad. And you know, I see both sides of the coin. But ultimately you want to tap into your superpower as a service advisor and again, do the right thing for that client or that prospect. So again, you know, the very fact that they are reaching out when that phone ring shows interest, intent or a need. Now, it may not sound like much, but maybe they're just asking about the price of an oil change. But let's think deeper than that. What if that vehicle has 150,000 miles on it? What if that customer has had a bad experience somewhere else and they're searching for a shop they can finally trust?

Michael Doherty [00:04:30]:
Right?

Michael Doherty [00:04:31]:
That's how we have to think about those calls. That little phone call for an oil change could be the start of a relationship worth thousands of dollars in service over a five year period, a ten year period.

Michael Doherty [00:04:44]:
Right?

Michael Doherty [00:04:44]:
Again, we're building and maintaining client relationships. And also with that said, you know, are we as a service advisors, are we looking for opportunity in every call? So if we're treating every call like an opportunity, we wouldn't be having these conversations, Right? I wouldn't be having these podcasts. But you know, let's get real. So are you treating every call like an opportunity or are you just answering the phone like an order taker? I have heard service advisors before, they sound like robots. Hello, thanks for calling. What do you need? And I hope you're not that service advisor. If you are there, thank you for tuning in. And you know, let's fix that.

Michael Doherty [00:05:28]:
Top tier service advisors, they dig deeper, they listen for clues, they ask qualifying questions. So, you know, case in point, when a prospect calls and says, how much for breaks?

Michael Doherty [00:05:40]:
Right?

Michael Doherty [00:05:41]:
As a service advisor, you've got two options. Number one, you can just spit out a number and probably lose them and that prospect is going to call the next shop and the Next shop and the next shop and the next shop. Or you can lean into it with curiosity, let them know that you specialize in brake service and say, hey, tell me more about what's going on with your brakes. Are you hearing a squeaking? Are you hearing a grinding? When was the last time you had them checked?

Michael Doherty [00:06:07]:
Right.

Michael Doherty [00:06:07]:
The quality of your questions determines the size of your opportunity. You know, your big opportunity might be right where you are now. And some sometimes that opportunity is sitting on the other end of the phone. The prospect, potential client, right? Don't judge. Never assume that the prospect or a client can't afford it. I think that is a huge mistakes made by service advisors prejudging a caller. You know, you hear it in their tone, you can see their vehicle, maybe they ask about the cheapest option possible and boom, right, You've already decided in your head as a service advisor that they're not going to spend any money. And please, please, please don't do that.

Michael Doherty [00:06:57]:
I've seen the opposite of that many, many, many times over my career as a service advisor. So please don't do that. The person in the greasy work clothes driving an older vehicle might just hand you cash for a big repair, no questions asked. And the person that says, you know, to start off with what's the cheapest might approve 2000, 3000, $4000 worth of work once they trust you. So again, it's all about how you handle that phone call. And when you judge a prospect or a client, you close the door before opportunity even knocks. It's just slam the door on anything that could have been right. And we don't want to do that.

Michael Doherty [00:07:41]:
So again, right, you know, never assume that they can't afford it. So let's break this up into some action steps for the service advisors. Every call is a quality lead until proven otherwise. Treat it that way, live by that. Again, every call is a quality lead until proven otherwise. Slow down and ask better questions. Curiosity creates opportunity. This is where we're, I will call it, you know, we're doing more, if you haven't heard the term before, we're, we're doing more discovery on that initial phone call for the prospect.

Michael Doherty [00:08:23]:
Right when they call in, we're asking qualifying questions. We're really understanding what the concern is, identifying the sense of urgency, you know, again, asking those qualifying questions. But again, the curiosity in our questions to them that I promise you, a lot of shops just aren't going to ask because they don't know to do that creates the opportunity and it lets that Prospect know, hey, I can stop calling around. I found somebody that actually gives a crap. They're not just saying, you know, when, when a prospect calls for the first time and just says, I need a price, I need a price. I swear I've mentioned this before on this, on this advisor cast, that's really not their root concern is the price. They don't know what else to ask for because they don't really know much about the vehicle. They don't know about automotive in general.

Michael Doherty [00:09:15]:
And I'm not saying that goes for everybody as a prospect, but again, you got to get to the root of what's going on and let them know that they can stop calling around. Again, you specialize in what they're looking for. You're slowing it down. You're giving them confidence. You are the strategic or you are the strategic advisor that is giving them guidance and making them understand that they made the right decision to call your shop and they don't have to call around anymore.

Michael Doherty [00:09:45]:
Right.

Michael Doherty [00:09:45]:
Be that advisor. Leave your bias at the door.

Michael Doherty [00:09:49]:
Right.

Michael Doherty [00:09:50]:
Again, don't decide what the prospect can or can't afford. Lead with service, not with sales. Build trust and value first and then sales follow naturally. It's really that easy. It seriously is. I can tell you that wholeheartedly. And also think long term. Again, you know, when someone's calling in for an oil change, and again, I, I really don't like that word.

Michael Doherty [00:10:20]:
I love oil service. So when someone calls in and says, hey, I need an oil change, you know, we change up the mindset of that prospect. Well, Mr. You know, Mr. And Mrs. Jones, we don't do oil changes here. We do oil services. And here's what's included with that.

Michael Doherty [00:10:34]:
And here's why I'm so glad you called us today.

Michael Doherty [00:10:36]:
Right?

Michael Doherty [00:10:36]:
But again, that $50 oil change caller could turn into a $15,000 of lifetime services over the course of 10 years. You know, and again, they're going to refer their family, their friends, their co workers, you know, I mean, it's a repetitive process. But we as service advisors have to really acknowledge that, that we need to do a better job on phone skills. And one of my favorite motivational speakers, Zig Ziglar, has a great quote that pairs to all of this. Stop selling, start helping. Don't go into it with a money mindset. What am I going to make out of this transaction? What is my business going to make out of this transaction? You know, less transactional.

Michael Doherty [00:11:29]:
Right.

Michael Doherty [00:11:29]:
More about helping. So again, that quote from Zig Ziglar, it really encompasses all of this. Stop selling, start helping. And you know, yeah, there's going to be objections. But again, you know, the prospect doesn't know what else to ask. So it's up to us to really understand what their objections mean. So, you know, I think advisors panic when they hear that's too expensive, or I'll think about it. But listen, you know, objections aren't rejections.

Michael Doherty [00:12:05]:
They're buying signals in disguise. I'll say that again, objections aren't rejections. They're buying signals in disguise because the prospect or client doesn't know what else to ask. So when a customer says that's too expensive, I think what they really mean is I don't see the value yet. Like, Mr. Service Advisor, you haven't really giving me the value of what this item is.

Michael Doherty [00:12:33]:
Right.

Michael Doherty [00:12:34]:
When a customer prospect says, you know, I'll think about it, what they're really saying, I feel, is help me feel confident in my decision to want to move forward with this. There, you know, again, it's understanding, you know, a little bit of its emotional intelligence. But again, those are probably the top two that I'm used to hearing over my career. That's too expensive. Which again, I think really equates to I don't see the value yet. You haven't shown me the value yet. And you know, again, I'll think about it. Which equates to help me feel confident, meaning the prospect, they're, they're looking for guidance to make sure they're making the right decision.

Michael Doherty [00:13:12]:
And as a service advisor, right, it's, it's your job to not bulldoze them, not add pressure. Our job, your job is to educate, clarify and reassure. That is where trust is built. And Albert Einstein, I think you know who that is. Great quote. In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity. And in our World Service advisor land, that difficulty often sounds like a price objection on the phone. So again, think about that.

Michael Doherty [00:13:52]:
Write that down. I'm going to recap this. If a customer prospect says that's too expensive, as a service advisor, again, I think that really means they don't see the value. So you got to work on building more value before you talk to them about that, that, that job. Build the value in while you're talking to them. And also, again, if they say, I'll think about it, I think they're really trying to say, help me feel confident in making the right decision here. Those are the two biggest ones I think I've dealt with in my whole career as a service advisor. But again, you know, we're here to educate, clarify and reassure and guide the prospect with confidence.

Michael Doherty [00:14:37]:
And that turns into them trusting you. And when they trust you, they will do business with you, promise you that. Also, you know, building long term value from the first contact. That first phone call, the first call is not about today, it's about tomorrow. I'll say that again, the first call is not about today, it's about tomorrow. That's how we have to think about that. When that phone rings, when we're talking to that prospect, building the long term relationship. Because again, there's so much on the line.

Michael Doherty [00:15:12]:
There's their business, referral, business, family, friends, neighbors. I mean, the list goes on and that's what we want, right? So how do we do that? The prospect may not buy today, but if you treat them with respect, listen to them and guide them with patience, they will remember you. And as a service advisor, remember, you're not just booking jobs, you're building relationships. And relationships compound. Again, that customer might bring their spouse, their kids, their neighbors, referrals, family members. So don't look at it as a phone call, look at it as the start of a story, right? We're, we're building the future for ourselves and our business. And let me leave you with this service. Advisors this week coming up, treat every incoming call like it's the most important lead of your career.

Michael Doherty [00:16:16]:
Slow down, listen deeper, don't assume. See objections as opportunities and build for tomorrow, not just today. Ultimately, success is where preparation and opportunity meet. That is a quote by Bobby Onser. Success is where preparation and opportunity meet. So what do you say, advisors? Go out there, answer that phone like an elite advisor and turn every call into a chance to make a difference, because that's what we're doing. I appreciate you. Thank you so much for tuning into another episode of the Autofix Advisor cast.

Michael Doherty [00:16:59]:
I hope everybody stays healthy. I hope everybody has a good rest of your September and I don't know, maybe I'll see it SEMA this year. Is anybody going to SEMA, which is in Las Vegas? I think it's like November 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, somewhere in there. So usually that's the first week of November. I'm going, I can't wait. Going to see some cool stuff, hang out with some cool people and it's Vegas, baby. Appreciate you. Love you guys and thank you for tuning in.

Michael Doherty [00:17:30]:
All right, see you later. 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 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.