A boy walking in Manhattan asked an older gentleman, “Can you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?”  “Yes,” the man replied, “Practice!”

Everyone who excels at their job has one thing in common: they’ve practiced their talents and skills.  The very best Service Advisors take their technical background and ability to read people and practice what to say to motivate their customer to accept a recommendation. 

People need enough information to be comfortable saying “Yes”.  They need to know what’s wrong, why it needs to be fixed, and when it should be done.   When the Service Advisor honors that need, trust is built and decisions can be objectively made.  When that doesn’t happen, customers vote with their feet and don’t come back.  Chances are you’ll never know why, but you can bet their friends will –  and you’ll never see them either.

I’ve been told to gear presentations to “your 15 year old daughter”.  I’ve raised a couple of those and I think it’s good advice: 15 year old girls are smart, they’re attuned to emotions and can detect sincerity (which is why you don’t use 15 year old boys).  And they’re young enough that they aren’t usually experts in much of anything.  To educate and motivate this audience; you need the right combination of respect, a sincere desire to help and the ability to convey the facts, pitfalls and benefits of your recommendations.

To act on a recommendation, the customer needs to understand the impact on safety, economy and performance.  I’ve been told my air filter is dirty countless time; but I’ve never been told that a leading cause of Mass Air Flow sensor failure is dirty air filters or that a clean air filter will pay for itself in fuel savings before my next oil change.  “It’s dirty” doesn’t really tell me why it should be replaced nor does it convey any caring for my interests.

At the opposite end is the Service Advisor who does a brain dump and gives me way more information than I can use to make a decision.  Whether it’s driven by enthusiasm or it’s just showing off, TMI gets in the way of communication and motivation.  After you’ve conveyed the what, why and when of your recommendation, follow the customer’s lead for more information by the questions he or she asks.

Always welcome questions; they’re stepping stones to a decision.  We often prejudge customer’s motives, but at the core, it’s usually “help me make the right decision.”  People are willing to invest in safety, performance and saving money down the road – but they don’t want to throw their money away.  Help them.

We had a pediatrician once who was a very good doctor.  There was only one thing that bothered us: he didn’t like questions.  He signaled he was done communicating by breaking out 50 cent words and medical jargon.  He may have been trying to say “Trust me, I know what I’m doing” but what came across was “Don’t waste my time, I know what I’m doing, puny mortal.”  We started looking for a new pediatrician and quit coming back.  And he never knew why.  With 7 kids, I’m sure we would’ve bought him a very nice new car over the years.

Suggestion:  Go down your menu board and practice your presentation for each item.  You already know all you need, and you’ve done it a million times: just think about how you can better explain the benefits of following the recommendation in a way that respects concerns and conveys a sincere desire to care for this important aspect of your customer’s life.

Lance Boldt is V.P. and Co-Founder of AutoNetTV Media, Inc., creators of videos that educate and motivate people to take better care of their vehicles.  Their programs can be viewed in thousands of service center lobbies and automotive websites.  www.AutoNetTV.com