The Psychology of the Phone Shopper

       The Psychology of the Phone Shopper
            By George Zeeks

The Automotive Industry is filled with contradictions.  We spend thousands of dollars and untold man hours of effort to make the phone ring but many of us fail to understand how to make the most of the call when it comes.   A potential customer, calling and asking for prices on services, is often viewed as a price shopping bottom feeder, whose only concern is the cheapest price.  When you understand that the call concerning the question of price is the most natural and predictable question of all, then you are on your way to having more customers walk through your door.

The mind of the phone shopper, what is going on?

Many times, if a customer is calling a shop and have never been there before, their motivation could be that they have already been to another shop and did not make the purchase (this could be due to a lack of trust, the amount of the purchase, maybe they just didn’t like them) or perhaps they do not have a shop to call “Home”.  The resulting calls are at the least, an inconvenience, and for a good many people it can be almost painful to sit down and make all those calls and talk to all of those people.  Remember that the customer, many times, is as uncomfortable asking the question as you are trying to answer the question. 

Why do they make the call?

It is clear that when customers are calling you, someone else has “Failed” at the sale.  They either did not build the Relationship or establish the proper Value for the service.  We all understand Relationship, or think we do, but people will not buy from you unless they feel comfortable with you.  The higher the ticket price the more comfortable they need to feel.  Another major sales hurdle to establish the Value of the service.  Simply it means that the amount of money you are asking for the service matches the perceived value of the service.  Telling someone that they need brakes is not enough.  You have to paint a picture and explain the process of the repair so they can see that “Value”.  If you fail in either area, you will probably not make the sale and any other shop the customer has been to will not make the sale either.  Next thing that happens, your phone starts to ring.

Why do they ask about price?

Most potential customers do not really know what they are asking about.  They do not have the same technical background that we have so they ask about the one thing they do know.  How much does it cost?  The trick is that this is not what caused the problem in the first place.   It is not really the answer they are looking for.  If the first shop failed to establish a Relationship, then that is what the customer is really looking for.  Giving a price, even a low one, without building a relationship on the phone will not get you that new customer.  If they failed to establish Value, then things become a bit more difficult and must be handled the proper way.  We must agree that is very hard to quote any type of accurate price without knowing all of the details.  Even if you quoted a price the customer will probably not come to you since there is always someone who is willing to quote something less just to get them in the door.  The Value you have to establish is all about you and your shop.  Show them the Value of dealing with a professional shop and the Value of the appointment and they will come in to see you.

If you keep in mind what is going on inside the head of the customers that are calling , you will increase the capture rate of those calls.  You will have more people coming through your door.  Invest the time to create a process that will increase your capture rate and measure it so you know how well you are doing.  The phone is one of our most valuable tools, learn how to maximize it’s potential. 

  The time invested will increase your capture rate and your car count.  For additional phone tips, please contact your Coach and mention this Article.  Have fun on the Phone……