The Banana Theory: How Customers Spoil

           By George Zeeks

How many times have you purchased a bunch of bananas at the store?  I’m talking that perfect, firm, just the right shade of yellow and smelling exactly like a banana should smell.  You bring the bunch home and maybe even snack on one or two right away, thinking that all is right with the world.  Then, like a lot of other things, we take them for granted and forget about them.  The next time we look for that perfect banana, we find instead a soft, mushy, thing that looks like a leprous banana with big black spots on it.  Sound familiar?  In every business, there is a time when the customer is in a perfect position to make a purchase.  In every business there are also circumstances that come up to “spoil” that opportunity and leave us in a far from perfect situation.  The Banana Theory differs in all its various forms but always deals with the same problem.  How do businesses sabotage their own ability to sell their product by not paying attention to the customer?  For now, let’s look at the automotive service industry and how The Banana Theory applies to these consumers.

I have trained and coached managers and owners in the Automotive Industry for many years and one thing continues to amaze me; very few of them like the customer who waits.  One of the most actively disliked consumers is the lowly oil change customer who wants to wait for his car.  The Quick lube industry has embraced this customer and has been profitable doing the very thing that many of the service providers dislike the most.  In the economy that we find ourselves in, we need to wake up and smell the banana.  If you are having problems with low car count, low repeat business and low customer loyalty, you need to read on and you might just find a piece of that puzzle that you are missing.  

Fulfilling the customer’s expectation is the key to success in every industry.  In Automotive, we have some control in setting that expectation but we cannot forget what the customer wants.  Many shops not only forget what the customer is expecting but purposely set up situations that cause the opportunity to turn into a rotten banana.  From the time that the Customer is greeted and the work order written, the clock is ticking.  A meaningful, accurate expectation of when the car may come in for service needs to be established.  If we quote when the car will be finished then we have already shot ourselves in the foot.  Most advisers, when they quote a finish time on a service, do not allow any additional time to perform any services that the car might need and the customer may want to have done.  The customer is now thinking of the things they need to do when they leave your shop and they are making their plans based on that “finished “ time that we quoted them.  STRIKE ONE!  Always quote the expected time that we will start on the car, not finish.

Once the car is in the bay, we have 15 minutes to bring the customer out to the car and present any additional services that they might need.  This means that we have to do a “Courtesy Check” of the car, find any issues and have that “Courtesy Check “ back to the adviser within approximately six minutes.  I know, I know, there are people out there reading this and saying it can’t be done that fast and still do a good job.  Keep an open mind or stop reading!  The Quick Lube Industry has been doing this very thing, correctly, profitably and with very good customer response for many years!  Wake up! 

For the naysayer’s out there, let’s break down what we need to do to get the estimate back up to the adviser in 6 minuets.  As soon as the car enters the bay we should be working as a team to do a quick check on the lights and turn signals to make sure they work, approximate time one minute.  Before we even set the lift, we need to check under the hood for fluids filters, belts, hoses, etc…. approximate time 2-3 minutes.  After setting the lift and taking the car in the air we can do a visual check under the car for CV Boots, Muffler problems, approximate time 2-3 minutes.  At this point we need to turn the ticket into the adviser so they can disengage with what they are doing and build the estimate on the waiting car.  Most of the items found will be routine and probably already packaged so building the estimate should not take that long.  The final step is to make sure that we get the customer out to the car within 15 minutes to begin to make the presentation.  As we get further from the 15 minute window, the Banana is starting to get rotten.  I cannot tell you how many shops do not turn the ticket into the adviser until after the oil change is done, 30 minutes have passed and now the chances of making a successful presentation are just about shot. STRIKE TWO!!  The customer wants to leave, rightfully so, and we have neglected our duty to provide service to the best of our ability.  If your shop does a brake inspection during the Courtesy Check, then do it after you have turned in the ticket.  You have time to remove the wheels and perform a basic brake check before the advisor returns with the customer.  The ability to practice “Show and Tell’ with the customer is essential in building a better relationship with the customer, the need of the service, the value of the service and the urgency to do it now.  Presenting at the counter in the office just does not cut it.  If we are rotating the tires, why not do it after we have turned the estimate in and, while we are at it, lets check the balance on the worst tire to see what the status is.  It will be easy enough for the technician to add on to the estimate while we are presenting.  Many times people have forgotten to have their tires balanced and it is our job to let them know if it is needed.  It not only helps to save the customer money, but heaven forbid we might actually make a couple of dollars while we are doing our job.

The speed of the presentation is what keeps the banana from turning bad on you.  It will take practice, maybe a revamping of our Courtesy Check process, making sure we measure how much time it takes to get the paperwork back up front.  The reward is happier customers, cars with the proper services provided to them and a healthier bottom line.  Take a hard look at the processes in your shop; are the bananas ripe or rotten?