Member You - Business

Productivity and the Need for Better Questioning Skills
Asking questions is a simple skill mastered by few to the detriment of many. Asking the wrong questions can result in a sale being lost, an employee being misguided, a manager not being listened to and projects poorly planned.It is not as simple as “asking open questions” as some consultants would have it. To get the maximum out of asking questions, we need to ask the right open question or in some cases the right closed question.It is true that asking open questions to find out facts is much faster than asking closed questions. If you are not convinced then try this out with your colleagues. H

” card (printed on one side with your shop info) that your customer fills out with their name, address and contact info on the backside. The idea is to get your customer to “pass along” this referral card to a friend, family member or associate that we all know will likely be in an accident sometime soon – especially if they drive in any metropolitan area. Increase the “pass along” success rate with an incentive for the person who passes it along once a referral uses your shop. Reward them with a gift certificate to a restaurant, tickets to a mov

Job Hunting Tips-For The New Graduate
Are you a new graduate and planning to look for a job? Have you recently quit your job and are looking for a better opportunity? Are you unemployed and have little knowledge regarding ways to land a job? Whatever your situation may be, it would be to your advantage to study the following tips:1. Check your resume for errorsBefore submitting your resume to a prospective employer, check your resume for corrections at least three times before handing it over. After researching about the job position, it is critical that you format your resume to match the needs of the company. For example, if you

The growth of your collision center depends on your ability to gain new customers. Unfortunately, the scope of marketing efforts for many collision shops is to place an ad in the local yellow page phone book. Not that this practice is a bad one, but there is much more that shop management can do to drive more customers to the collision shop.

Do you have a marketing plan for your collision center? If not, you should. An effective marketing plan can bring more customers to your door. Through the process of developing and writing a marketing plan for your shop, you will conduct a competitive review and market analysis, review advertising and media options, and identify ways to build customer awareness as well as leverage referral business. And in today’s world, the task of writing a marketing business plan is much easier than in days past. There are numerous tools and resources available to you through your paint jobber and other collision shop consultants to assist you in getting this important task completed.

Another important key to gaining new business is tracking and measuring current business through Customer Satisfaction Indexing (CSI). Most dealerships conduct CSI on new car sales and some do it with their service departments, but research shows very few perform this important business function at the shop level. As in other areas of a dealership, when properly done, a well-ran CSI program for the collision center will help turn customer feedback into useful marketing and management tools that insure long-term profitability. And remember, for greatest effectiveness, CSI should be done on a consistent and ongoing basis, and administered by a third party for the highest level of credibility. Keep this statistic in mind when considering implementing a shop CSI program: The average disgruntled customer tells 17 people about his experience. How many people will those people tell?

Speaking of referrals use your satisfied customers to help spread your good name around. Start sending your customers a Thank You card for choosing your shop to bring their pride and joy back to pre-accident condition. And take it a step further by enclosing a small “pass along” card (printed on one side with your shop info) that your customer fills out with their name, address and contact info on the backside. The idea is to get your customer to “pass along” this referral card to a friend, family member or associate that we all know will likely be in an accident sometime soon – especially if they drive in any metropolitan area. Increase the “pass along” success rate with an incentive for the person who passes it along once a referral uses your shop. Reward them with a gift certificate to a restaurant, tickets to a movi

What is the Difference Between B2C and B2B?
First what do B2C and B2B mean as knowing this will give the most of the answers.1. B2C means Business to Customer or Consumer as in the end user, or the car showrooms who sell complete Ford motors.2. B2B means Business to Business as in the suppliers of parts for cars to Ford to make the complete cars.The customer requirement is different for each. One, B2C deals with business transactions to the end consumer, the customer.The other ,B2B, deals with other businesses as the end customer and so the marketing and selling is different as the target market is different.Another

lan for your shop, you will conduct a competitive review and market analysis, review advertising and media options, and identify ways to build customer awareness as well as leverage referral business. And in today’s world, the task of writing a marketing business plan is much easier than in days past. There are numerous tools and resources available to you through your paint jobber and other collision shop consultants to assist you in getting this important task completed.

Mentoring With A Mission
Mentoring is a challenging skill that requires more than just training on communication skills. Before you send your Supervisors to leadership training, coaching training or a course in Management 101, put these processes in place first in order to truly drive change for your business and create Mentors that have a mission.1. Provide A Mentoring Mission Statement. Just like travelers need a map to know where they are going, Mentors need a mentoring mission statement to know their direction and understand whether they are approaching their destination. Implement this Mentoring Mission Statement s

ing current business through Customer Satisfaction Indexing (CSI). Most dealerships conduct CSI on new car sales and some do it with their service departments, but research shows very few perform this important business function at the shop level. As in other areas of a dealership, when properly done, a well-ran CSI program for the collision center will help turn customer feedback into useful marketing and management tools that insure long-term profitability. And remember, for greatest effectiveness, CSI should be done on a consistent and ongoing basis, and administered by a third party for the highest level of credibility. Keep this statistic in mind when considering implementing a shop CSI program: The average disgruntled customer tells 17 people about his experience. How many people will those people tell?

A Gentle Answer Turns Away Wrath
As many of you who know me will know I like to keep things simple rather than overcomplicate or dither on irrelevencies. I attended a session on customer service the other week, now, a lot of it was good common sense, the usual stuff be polite etc. etc. But I felt that the same message was repeated time and time again.I always start a customer service session with the words "A gentle answer turns away wrath" Of course its not that simple but think about it. If one aggressive state i.e. the customer and another aggressive state i.e a customer services representative collide, add them together and yo

basis, and administered by a third party for the highest level of credibility. Keep this statistic in mind when considering implementing a shop CSI program: The average disgruntled customer tells 17 people about his experience. How many people will those people tell?

Payroll Cards Improve Direct Deposit Participation
It has been estimated that 50 percent to 60 percent of employees paid in the United States participate in a direct deposit service offered by their employers for payroll funds. This is a growing trend as there are many benefits to employers and employees alike. Direct deposit involves a series of steps that culminates in the employee receiving wages electronically into their bank account, whether they are paid on an hourly basis or salaried.For the staffing industry in particular, this trend poses a significant potential for savings as the volume of payroll checks for external staff is far greater tha

Can the service center help promote the collision center? Of course it can. How many vehicles pass through the service center with dents, dings, crumpled fenders and bruised bumpers? Probably plenty. Educate the service staff to make note of body damage when vehicles are brought in and have informational material on the collision center ready for handout to the customer. Take a minute or two and promote the collision center – and vice versa.

How long has it been since your dealership conducted a “Customer Appreciation Day”? These events go a long way in showing your customers that you truly appreciate their business. They also provide an excellent venue to showcase your many services and an opportunity to educate customers about what really goes on behind the scenes of today’s professional shop environment. When it comes to gaining customers for the collision center, the seed should be planted before the customer is in an accident.

There are off-the-shelf “Accident Kits” available that can be included with new car sales. These kits include items such as a checklist of what to do in case of an accident, paper and pen, tape measurer, accident report form, and some even include a disposable camera that can be customized with your business name, logo and contact information. Another way to “plant the seed” is to produce a short informational video CD about the collision center and what the customer should do if they have an accident. The CD would also be included with all car sales and customers would be encouraged to view the video soon after the purchase. These are just several ideas on ways to gain collision center customers before they have an accident. And with some creative thinking, I know you can think of many more.

Having an automobile accident is usually a very stressful and sometimes traumatic experience for most people. By educating and preparing your customers for this event, you are doing them a favor and keeping your business in their mind when it comes time to choosing a shop to repair their vehicle.

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What makes a successful salesperson? People look up to professionals because they recognize them as being good at what they do. They're good because they've walked the extra mile toward excellence. They absorb information about their chosen fields, and they share their knowledge with others. To be a professional, you have to look like a pro, communicate like a pro, and exude the confidence of a pro. You must set a high standard for yourself and never allow yourself to fall below that standard.

If considering ways to help out not-for-profits in the community that do so much good for others consider being involved in fundraising. Agencies such as those who deal with the homeless, the elderly, helping at-risk youth, agencies that help disaster victims often run on a shoestring budget and are in need of financial support.

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