I recently read an article written by Charlie Polston who works with BG Products Company. In this article he cited a recent JD Power study that rated when the best time to offer additional services. The study found that 37% of the customers would say yes at the time of setting the appointment. This number jumps to 47% if recommendations are made in the service drive or customer walk around intake process. It jumps even higher all the way to 56% if asked during the status call after the multi-point inspection.

Although this is useful information what really blew me away is what Charlie said next. He said that what was not on the study needs to be really looked at. When you don't ask the customers that say yes drops to 0%! You have zero chance to sell anything you don't ask for. Now going beyond what Charlie wrote I find often that people won't recommend something they do not understand or believe in.

The other battles are that many manufactures have cut maintenance whenever they can. We have forever fluids that never need attention. Don't replace a serpentine belt until it has over 10 cracks per inch. Wait till the light comes on for an oil change. Man I thought this was a motel 6 advertisement not a maintenance schedule! My view remains there is no dirty fluid that is better than a clean fluid. After all isn't dirt a friction material? If brake fluid has over 3% water flush it out of the vehicle.

Let's get back to providing the customer with preventative maintenance that extends the life of such items as differentials, transmissions, and transfer cases. Multi-point inspections show us the issues only if we look. If you look and provide this information with the customer you will sell more. JD Power and Associates says so.