5 Questions you can ask your clients to close more deals

In order to take your Auto Repair/Auto Body shop to the next level, you need to start paying close attention to the sales process in your shop. Nowadays, most shops in the automotive industry either ignore the Service Advisor’s function entirely or only address it superficially,focusing mostly on products and numbers instead of focusing on the clients' needs and asking the right questions in order to ensure they are going to fulfill their needs. The following questions are going to help you identify WHY the client chose your shop and your services, WHAT motivates them to obtain a specific service, and HOW you’re going to present your products and services in a win-win transaction.

1. If money wasn’t an issue, what product or service would you

like to acquire?

Instead of asking what their budget is, this great question will allow you not only to get an idea of what the client could or could not afford but to also get information on the client’s needs and desires. Moreover, this question will help you get control over the sales process as you won’t be limited by the budget a customer gives you from the very beginning and which they probably would want to stick to.

2. Why that product/service?

Even when clients seem to be certain about what they need in order to solve a problem, sometimes they may be wrong. The most important task an Automotive Service Advisor must focus on is assisting and giving advice to the customer to ensure the product or service they are looking for is what they actually need. Make sure to gather as much information as possible: vehicle size and type, the use they’re giving to it, who the primary and secondary drivers are, the benefits they get or are hoping to get from their vehicles...Help your customers make sense of the investment they’re making by helping them make well informed decisions on their purchases.

3. What would you like to accomplish by purchasing this product or service?

There are only two reasons why people buy anything: they either love it or they are trying to solve a problem. With this second question, you will find out what their dominant buying motive is. As a result, you will now be able to know what the most relevant features from your services are and in which you would need to focus on while presenting it to your customers.

4. How did your previous repair experience make you feel?

Usually, when a client wants to buy something or get a specific service, they have already paid for something similar in the past. By asking this question, and perhaps going a little further, you can get information about how the sales process was, how they felt about the service they received and if their concerns were handled correctly, the deal the client was able to get, and what benefits they got from that purchase.

5. What benefits are you hoping to get from this product/service?

Knowing your customer’s goals will help you find the equipment or service that will help your clients accomplish them. Maybe your clients want to grow their own business, maybe they just want to impress someone by buying your product or service or perhaps they have a problem that’s causing them to lose money. In any case you need to show interest and acknowledge the information not only to get your client the right equipment or service but to provide them with an experience that will differentiate yourself and your company from your competitors.

Our goal at JMC Automotive Equipment is to help inspire and encourage every repair and auto body shop to reach their full potential as a business.Get more information about our products services when you contact us. Call us at800-562-4791 or email info@jmcautomotiveequipment.com.