Brad Clayton Posted September 8, 2007 Share Posted September 8, 2007 It seems that no matter what dealer you go to there will always be at least one customer who will latch on to a tech. I don't mean this in a bad way, until it becomes borderline stalking. The dealer I'm at now has two customers that fit this description. I "belong" to one customer and another tech was adopted by the second customer. These are the types that will absolutely not have anyone else touch their car, they schedule their services around our schedules (personal and work load wise) ect. ect. Ahhh it's nice to be wanted.....I think. It would be actually, except these people are kinda nutsy. Taking your car to a dealer is like a crap shoot. Even though you brought your vehicle to a place that has the highest level of service and quality that can be achieved, the fate of your vehicle still may end up in the hands of an idiot. This is provided you have an idiot working in the shop and the dispatch system breaks down. Maybe these people I speak of have had a bad run of luck with auto repairs and finally have a good visit and it turns into a infatuation sort of deal, to where they absolutely will not be taken for a "ride" again. At least in their minds. Now on a positive note this can turn into a lasting, working relationship between a customer who will spend the money to repair their vehicle and a tech who will always have work as long as the customer drives an automobile. This also relies on the customer having half a brain in their head, and or depending on how much brain power they have/decide to use and the techs level of patience. Can anyone relate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mchan68 Posted September 8, 2007 Share Posted September 8, 2007 OH YES, I can relate VERY well. I have TWO so far, that match the said description. One that buys trucks, and then soaks Ford warranty for as much as he can possible, and then sells it. Another one, who brings his '03 F-350 in for warranty 6.0L work, but has his own "mechanic" that does brakes and other stuff. How does that one grab you? NOBODY in the dealer I'm at, wants to touch 6.0Ls or trucks with a 20 foot pole. Kinda sucks when I don't get the retail work though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted September 8, 2007 Share Posted September 8, 2007 <SIGH>.... oh, the cost of being held in high esteem by one or more customers.... "Gawd, how I wish my customers thought I was a useless dork incapable of fixing a wheelbarrow". Let's take a hard stare at this.... The "relationship" will start with a simple conversation... customer asks some questions, you give some answers... your answers are honest.... you say there might be further diag required.... you treat the customer like a real person.... you are "affable" (this is short of friendly). and pleasant to talk to.... You sound like you are genuinely interested in the customers concerns, you answer the customers questions in plain English and take the time to watch his face and explain things that appear to give him difficulty.... You are knowledgeable in your area of expertise.... you try to find the answers that you cannot give.... I want you in my store..... I have a very large customer following.... These people aren't "stalkers", they aren't looking for a "free ride", they only expect my very best efforts..... They feel comfortable talking to me.... I refuse to BS them and I refuse to "candy coat" anything.... I pay attention to their financial situation and I do it "delicately". BUT.... these people are a badge I can wear.... I've made a real cock-up or four in my life... and these are forgiven because I do a group of things.... Relate to your customer... he pays your wages. Interact with your customer.... for many, their vehicle is the biggest investment they will make in their whole life. You can be the person they relate to - they look up to - they trust. Don't do anything to your customer you wouldn't want done to you... right down to leaving a cross threaded bolt or a misrouted harness. The SHOCKER.... these people are willing to pay good money (read that as FAIR MARKET VALUE) for your efforts.... You wont be haggling price... you wont be nitpicking.... you may have to prioritize repairs as finances allow..... I can't believe that some of my other posts have gone unheeded.... You WANT to be popular... You WANT to be asked for.... You WANT to be apart from the crowd.... I $$$ have $$$ no $$$ idea $$$ why $$$ you $$$ would $$$ want $$$ to $$$ be $$$ the $$$ best $$$ at $$$ what $$$ you $$$ do.... Forget the "mechanic" crap and treat this like a "doctor/patient" thing.... use your new stature to your advantage and the rewards will follow.... FWIW... a good deal of my time is spent "putting out fires"... These fires are set, predominantly, by those that will only do "enough to get paid"..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted September 8, 2007 Share Posted September 8, 2007 Post deleted by Keith Browning, Server issues caused Jim to submit the same post three times. Sorry bout that, I have no control over the server's performanace. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/blush.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Clayton Posted September 8, 2007 Author Share Posted September 8, 2007 Jim did your 'puter have a hiccup? Your reply takes me back to yesterday, when I was trying to put out a fire. Customer has a new '08 450 with multiple problems. We went for a ride yesterday that ended up in two neighboring towns and cut into, what used to be a shop policy, mandatory alotted time for lunch. I spoke openly with these fellows about their rig and did exactly what you posted about keeping the lingo simple and watching for understanding (amazing it's as if you were a figure on my shoulder). I was told by my manager that they would never be back, after their last visit. He must have know something I didn't. Well they came back and after my interaction with them I hope they stay with us. I ended up flashing the PCM and ICM, and recharging an a/c system that was low from the factory. They are back to being as happy as they could be after paying 60 grand for a truck that's been to the dealer 3 times before their first oil change. These guys are alright and I can handle them. The ones I call "clingy" are the type that you return to the dealer from a test drive and see their car in the parking lot and it makes you want to go to lunch early. Thank the Good Lord they are few and far between. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Browning Posted September 8, 2007 Share Posted September 8, 2007 Wise words as usual Jim but there are some customers that get a little weird. For me, its anyone that cant control themselves and behave like an adult. I also have a group of customers that hold me in high esteem but unfortunately, the bad ones have forced me to avoid customers in general over the years. I have absolutely NO PATIENCE for or DESIRE to be called a liar, idiot or be screamed at. Over the years we have had many customers that apparently have some mental or behavioral issues that quite frankly, scare me. Imagine your writer picking up the phone and hearing "My 550 quit on the highway, are you fucking looking at it? When will it be ready? Jesus Christ! You people suck! This Ford is a piece of shit! I am calling the owner, click." Writer is still looking for the paperwork, keys... gets the manager involved... chaos! ... Five minutes later the phone rings again. It's Ford Customer assistance. They want to know why we are giving the customer a hard time. (Fuck you Ford) Apparently the bastard called Ford before contacting us! Multiple calls to the customer to all known phone numbers go unanswered. ... Four hours later the truck arrives on a hook. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/icon_crazy.gif I don't know how many times there has be some guy standing in the write up area or in the service drive screaming at the top of his lungs, face all red and spit flying from his mouth. I have now been around long enough that I know how to deal with these people well enough that I am now willing to actually do so. I am extra happy to deal with "my fans" and have turned around several customers simply by having them in the shop explaining what is wrong with their truck, what needs to be done and why. I have also been able to up-sell service work by showing the customer and educating him about his truck and pointing out things that need attention. The point to MY POST is that the World is filled with all kinds of people and challenges. A few lost puppies following you around is not the worst thing I can think of. Even if the situation is a little weird, it's still a compliment on you. And in the grand scheme of things, the happy customers also tell their friends about you and your dealer, not just the unhappy ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Mutter Posted September 8, 2007 Share Posted September 8, 2007 I can relate,I have one cust that does not call ahead,he just comes into my bay and tells me to come have a look at this truck,even if I in the middle of a job, It is very hard to make hours when I have custs that do this to me and will tell how much money he is not making by have his truck down at the shop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted September 8, 2007 Share Posted September 8, 2007 To all..... The subject of individual customers is another complex one.... Good people handling skills is important, though mine consist of pushing techs and apprentices in the direction I think they need to go (the old give a man a fish or teach him to fish thingy)... I will no pretence at diplomacy or tact... I am bereft of either... We have our share of screamers and ranters.... sometimes, I only make them worse.... but I reach the point (just before the thermo-nuclear event) where I will say "Pardon me... I need a few minutes to cool down - I suggest you do the same". Other times, my version of "bafflegab" works.... Some people are cowed by acronyms and are almost afraid of big words.... in spite of my education, I am the company thesaurus and dictionary... learn some big words and use them when needed... the more offbeat, the better... sorry I can't cite examples right now... I'm having writers block(head) or something... These little things are simply what spills out of my mouth when I open it with no forethought. In the past, I did things that gave me a "community presence", I guess... many years on the fire department, I never missed the opportunity to interact with the public (something I enjoyed rather than had any ulterior motives). Our town is now about 7000 or so people.... somehow, people know my name... and there are times that simply having me walk into the service office with that bold "JIM" on my tit calms a lot of people down..... Disclaimer.... I don't know if this is because I am respected or because I can deal shit with the best of them.... Be straightforward with customers... Sometimes, all it takes to appease them is an idea of when their truck will be ready... for Gods sake, add fudge factor!!!! I was as happy as a pig in poop when I finally sold out my business (for peanuts) and started at an independant.... No more customers to deal with.... My next position turned me into some kind of manager.... no real job description, I kept the computer network running, I sold parts, I worked on absolute trashed vehicles doing just enough for them to go an extra few miles. And now I am dealing with customers bigtime.... aboriginals, no less.... And now, here I am... being given the worst customers of the worst... after all else fails, I settle on a course of action that I know we can fulfill in our alloted time... I explain it as best I can to the customer and they agree to the terms (albeit, grudgingly at times).... Unfortunately, this is where a lot of my OT comes from..... But the idea is and always will be that first, people remember your store as being the one that gave them service that they *can't find fault with*.... and, second and most important, that people associate your face with the fact that the store satisfied their needs.... Steve.... I can appreciate your position.... If you are a line tech, simply let him know that you aren't allowed to look at anything unless the front desk tells you to. If he persists... a little showmanship and a couple of minutes saying the right things will have him making an appointment or talking to the shop foreman.... Bringing us to another point..... On another venue, some techs hold shop "foreskins" in very low esteem.... My predecessor was such a man.... His days were spent drinking coffee and trying to come up with ways to extract more coin of the realm from the DP.... He finally threatened to quit once too often (I'd had several conversations with the DP) and I was offered the job.... even though I told him I couldn't drink that much coffee... But, the big deal is that every circumstance is an opportunity. It is very important to be a "team player".... Did I mention that my basic job description is "take one for the team"?.... Someone has to do it... be the man... don't complain... but be sure people recognize the face. Every rose has it's throns.... to make an omelet you have to break a few eggs..... nobody promised me a rose garden.... be sure the foot you're pissing on today isn't attached to the ass you need to kiss tomorrow.... and treat people they way you would expect them to treat you. FWIW, I have more than a few guys that stare at their time cards/pay stubs for hours on end... the almighty dollar is ruling their lives - for bad or for good.... When I was strictly on the bench (flat rate), their pay never looked much different from mine (we all "long cocked" each other). I feel that if we look after our careers first, the dollars will begin to look after themselves... but you have to put yourself in demand first... Owwww, my head is starting to hurt.... It ain't rocket science... but we need to look at the big picture.... Yes... be worried about next periods paycheque.... but not to the point where you will miss out in 10 years or so. You can maximize your next pay.... or you can squander some of that on maximizing your career.... With the number of hacks and idiots I am seeing (or the results of their efforts), this should work for most.... Kieth... I sent you a PM a few days ago.... a point to ponder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Clayton Posted September 9, 2007 Author Share Posted September 9, 2007 Quote: I was offered the job.... even though I told him I couldn't drink that much coffee... Quote: Did I mention that my basic job description is "take one for the team"?.... Ahhh Jim, that was the pick me up I needed after a long day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastendpowerstroke Posted September 9, 2007 Share Posted September 9, 2007 Imagine your writer picking up the phone and hearing "My 550 quit on the highway, are you fucking looking at it? When will it be ready? Jesus Christ! You people suck! This Ford is a piece of shit! I am calling the owner, click." Writer is still looking for the paperwork, keys... gets the manager involved... chaos! ... Five minutes later the phone rings again. It's Ford Customer assistance. They want to know why we are giving the customer a hard time. (Fuck you Ford) Apparently the bastard called Ford before contacting us! Multiple calls to the customer to all known phone numbers go unanswered. ... Four hours later the truck arrives on a hook. So you work on PLYCON Transport trucks to huh???? I've got at least one of every type mentioned here the worst is the guy that shops every dealership for warranty work till one fixes it and brings all his retail work to "His Mechanic" but when said "mechanic" screws it up he comes in with all his alldata and internet sourced TSB's to try to make it Fords problem. I didn't want to fix it but my worthless spineless Ford rep wants to spoon with this asshole and give him a hand job so I gotta fix his screw ups for warranty time /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smhair.gif /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smhair.gif /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smhair.gif /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/banghead.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey Kaylor Posted September 9, 2007 Share Posted September 9, 2007 So you work on PLYCON Transport trucks to huh???? I've got at least one of every type mentioned here the worst is the guy that shops every dealership for warranty work till one fixes it and brings all his retail work to "His Mechanic" but when said "mechanic" screws it up he comes in with all his alldata and internet sourced TSB's to try to make it Fords problem. I didn't want to fix it but my worthless spineless Ford rep wants to spoon with this asshole and give him a hand job so I gotta fix his screw ups for warranty time /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smhair.gif /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smhair.gif /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smhair.gif /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/banghead.gif yeah, us indy's get them too. i have customers that drive for 3-4 hours to have work done, and will hang around while its being done (yes, even on a damn head gasket job on an F550. that is really fun....) although i will have to say, the ones that come to us have no problem spending the money. we have two customers that bring us every piece of equipment they have due to us fixing a truck that was on the verge of a buyback. we have a big issue with local dealers and lack of repeatable repair results, so there are a few local owners that come to us and pay to have it fixed instead of being done under factory warranty. hell, that last batch of recall letters that went out on the rangers and crown vics (that stupid wire harness replacement instead of replacing the switch) wound up with us having 6 calls the very next day after i got mine for my ranger! our local dealership parts dept. manager was rather pissed off when i called and ordered 20 of the wire harnesses, because i tried to get some of the customers to go and have it done, and they told me they would rather pay for the parts than bring them in! there are two dealer techs that have their own following at the two semi-decent dealers in this area, and they basically run the SM's dispatching work due to the fact that if they left, the dealer would have no techs that would do the work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Clayton Posted September 10, 2007 Author Share Posted September 10, 2007 Wow, sounds like the local dealerships keep you guys in business. Lets hope they don't get their act together for your sake. [Jim's gonna blister me for saying that] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted September 10, 2007 Share Posted September 10, 2007 Nah, Brad... I'm jaded these days.... I'm beginning to wonder if the guys that call us "stealerships" might be riht more often than not.... Shrinking SLTs wont make a man want to put extra effort into something... and modern society sees more and more people doing "just enough to get by".... I babysit severl of them every day.... (but I'm told I'm not allowed to use that term anymore). I come from a different background than most and even when I do my absolute best, I agonize over whether it was good enough or not.... That's just me.... If you think I can criticize others harshly, you want to see me criticize myself.... (I'm sure the witch doctors... I mean shrinks... I mean psychiatrists would have a name for it... but I'm in denial, anyway) /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif Mechanics are like cooks, fat strippers and automobile drivers.... many do it that shouldn't.... There are shops that have a hard time finding customers for "today".... and there are shops backed up in retail work for two weeks.... That sends me a message. There are shops that need some sort of a "sale" to draw customers.... there are shops that only give deals to their best customers.... (or somebody that whines loud enough). Joey has folks that drive out of their way to visit the shop he is in.... THAT speaks volumes and is what we should strive for... We can be the techs his customers are trying to avoid.... or we can be the techs being sought out by those that want to avoid bad techs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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