5 Ways To Keep Wholesale Clients Happy Throughout The Repair Process
Customers are hard to acquire and easy to lose. So how do you prove your value and make yourself hard to fire as a SMART Repair technician looking to grow the business? Here are 5 customer retention strategies to help keep you top of mind with your wholesale customers:
Meet and beat your deadlines: Time is money, and the longer a vehicle is in the shop, the more money it’s costing the dealership and insurance. If you can have the repair done in less time than the estimate, you’ll not only have a happy customer, but you’ll have a happy dealership.
Be a problem solver, not a problem maker: Things don’t always go according to plan, and that’s when you need to spring into action providing your wholesale client with ways that the job can get done without any additional stress. You are handling and working the repairs, while they are trying to keep a smooth operation on all areas. One thing to keep in mind is that dealers may not even have the experience in automotive repair that you do, so it’s important you show in more ways than one that the job can, and will, get done. Offer solutions to their problems. Keep in control of the situation by not letting it get out of hand. As Nelson Mandela once said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
Go Above and Beyond: When a Repair Tech has secured a coveted relationship with a dealership or a wholesale account, it’s because dealer saw a Technician going above and beyond the call of duty. How can you gain a dealer’s loyalty with you? You may be doing the job properly, but sometimes it’s as simple as thinking outside the box. Maybe it’s as simple as taking care of customers by reviewing an estimate with them, or even offering to repair a vehicle wherever it is located, even if it is a little bit out of your way.
Show gratitude: Although we grew up learning how to say “please” and “thank you,” it’s actually rare nowadays. Being grateful is much more than the words and all about the actions nowadays. One way you can show gratitude is by sending your dealers a muffin basket with a thank you card, as this shows that you truly value the business they give you and the trust they have in you. Another way could be remembering your dealer’s birthday and send them a thoughtful card. One successful Technician secured the relationship with his dealership by bringing dessert to the weekly employee lunch. Whatever it may be, don’t take the work given to you for granted.
Communication: Whether it’s noticing that your technicians are slacking in the work environment or if you have ideas of how to reach out to more PDR customers during hail season, communication really is key. The number one reason why people don’t communicate with their boss is out of fear. But when the wholesale clients are trusting you with the repairs, there should be no reason why you can’t have an open line of communication with them. By keeping them in the loop throughout the repair process coincides with being a problem solver and shows that you respect them. If you want that respect reciprocated, you need to be the one who makes the first step. And hey, it doesn’t cost a thing to be a respectful individual. Your dealers, just like your customers, will always remember how they were treated. Be sure it’s a good memory.
As you can see, these are 5 simple and effective ways that you can keep wholesale clients happy throughout the entire repair process. You may be thinking you can’t be focused on pleasing your boss when you’ve got repairs to handle, but that’s where you are wrong. It all comes down asking yourself how important your work is to you and what you’re willing to do to secure it. You attract what you put out and if you work hard, the right people will notice. In the words of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Blood, sweat, respect. First two you give, next one you earn.”
