It’s All About the Customer

If you look back to page 1 of this newsletter, you’ll see that foremost on Mr. Robinson’s list of what he has learned is to focus on the end user—the customer. Much of what was said throughout the rest of the summit had that same focus. The premise is that if the customer is taken care of, made to feel like he/she is more important than the products, the sales will follow. A valid question that was asked was, “Are you willing to change your process based on what the customer wants?” If so, focusing on the customer will dictate any changes that are made to your processes. So what does the customer want? For starters, customers get tired of waiting and most of the time don’t even know why they are waiting. The easiest way to solve this is communication. Get up, go to where they are, and talk to them. Tell them what to expect. Even better, just bring them back to your office without the wait. Remember The Wizard of Oz? Don’t be the guy behind the curtain or as one presenter put it, don’t be the F&I god. Prepare the paperwork with them sitting in front of you and chat (read: interview) with them while you work. And show them what it is that you are doing because their second complaint is the lack of transparency–they want to know what you are doing. Turn the screen toward them so they can see it. It has the surprising effect of disarming the customer. They also hate memorized word tracks! Ask questions that show you are interested in them; then, use your knowledge of the products to base your menu presentation on how your products will be valuable to them personally. Don’t bother with personal stories about how the products work for you or anyone you know—they don’t care about them. As one presenter noted, customers don’t spend $30…$40…$50,000 to listen to us, they come to talk. Make your presentation relevant to them, listen to them and respond in kind, and have a little fun while you’re at it. It doesn’t have to be a serious, heavy discussion. Give them every opportunity to make good choices and they will!