Do What You Do Best By Chris Thompson What happened to the good old days when you could pull into a service station, and they would come out, pump your gas, check your tires, and check your oil level? I think these good old days are about history. It seems as though ev- erybody these days keeps going to the mass merchandiser, buying at a cheap price. How can they sell this stuff so cheap? Well, they offer very little ser- vice, and they buy in such huge amounts that the little guy cannot com- pete—or can he. I do not know if we can compete on prices, but we can offer a little more than a cheaper price. I once read a company logo that said, “good service is remembered long after the price is forgotten.” We all want good service to stand out in someone’s mind when our company’s name comes up in conversation. But what can you do to make someone remember a special something you have done? Well, it’s quite simple, do something special. Take special time with each customer; make sure that he or she is getting exactly what they want, when they want it. Imagine yourself walking into your own store. What would you want to happen? How do you like to be treated? Would you like it if someone ignored you or passed you off to some- one else? Wouldn’t it be great if they stayed with you from the beginning of the sale to the end? Would you like it if they took time to explain everything, and really paid attention to you? Have you ever gone into a service department of a car dealership and tried to explain what was wrong with your vehicle, and all day you wondered if they were actually going to fix the problem because no one had really paid attention? If we take time to listen to our custom- ers it makes them feel important and that we actually care about the prob- lem they have. What about the nice, new mega- parts stores that offer all these free checks, free testing and cheaper price? Well you can offer free stuffif that’s all it’s worth. Does the guy that’s just out of school that is giving the customer a free alternator check actually know what he is doing? Does he test the wir- ing to the back of the alternator to make sure it’s not a wiring problem instead of an alternator problem? Does he know the difference between an in- ternal voltage regulator and external regulator? Does he have the skills that it takes to see a loose or worn belt problem? The answer is probably no. So what do they get for nothing? Noth- ing. We are professionals in the auto electric field and we should charge for our services. Do you go to a doctor and get a free checkup? Do you see hospitals offering free checks? Cus- tomers eventually learn that you get what you pay for. It may take a little while, but they will come around after the second or third time of going back. That’s when you get your best adver- tising—word of mouth. Customer service is one of the best marketing tools that you have. It doesn’t have to always be the cheap price. You should take control of what you can offer to your customers. You may not always be the cheapest, but you can always be the best. The chain JANUARY, 2000 parts stores use marketing tools to lure customers in, we can do the same by offering professional services, high quality workmanship, high quality parts, and by knowing the product we sell and service. I think electrical rebuilding will only get better, with more and more vehicles coming in, there are more and more part numbers that the parts stores have to stock now, and they are not stock- ing them. That is a plus for us because with the way the distribution is going today, most of us can get repair parts overnight. It used to be that a parts store could stock 15 alternators and 20 starters and almost be able to take care of about any vehicle. But now that would not even come close. So I think in the long run that rebuilders will be able to give better service. I think you will see more specialty shops, such as exhaust shops, brake shops, airconditioning shops, etc. As rebuilders we need to stay fo- cused on what we are doing, special- izing in what we do, and do our very best. Don’t put something in a customer’s unit that you would not want in your own vehicle. Remember to pretend that every unit you do is like you are doing it for yourself. And treat every customer the way you want to be treated. It’s hard, long work, but remember to stay on top, and you will always be ahead of the competition. Chris Thompson is owner of Elec- tric Motor Service, Stollings, WV. Page 1 of 1