Like a ton of bricks. Like a smack in the face. Like an unforeseen major auto repair.
Maybe that last one isn’t as well known a cliché as the first two, but it’s just as relevant and, for many drivers, just about as uncomfortable. But when it needs done, it needs done. Your service associates have a tough job. Not only do they keep things moving and organized for your service department, they also have to call customers and deliver the bad news. At this point, they’ve heard it all — from, “I don’t know if I can afford to do this right now,” to “you gotta be kidding me!”
If your associates have promotional financing as a tool at their disposal however, the conversation can go much more smoothly. They need to know how to use the tool correctly to get the most out of it. Often, one of the most effective ways to use promotional financing as a sales tool is to break down the costs for the customer to help ease the shock of a large ticket and make it easier for them to understand the benefit.
Here’s how the conversation goes without promotional financing.
Service Associate: “The total for all of this recommended work is about $1,200.”
Customer: “What?! I just wanted an oil change and now you’re telling me that I have to fork over more than $1,000? That’s ridiculous!”
Service Associate: “Yeah, I’m sorry. So, do you want us to get started?”
Here’s how the conversation can go with promotional financing.
Service Associate: “The total for all of this recommended work is about $1,200. I realize that might be a surprise, but fortunately I can offer promotional financing for this and you could break that payment down to about $200 per month. Would you like more information about that?”Customer: “Yeah, I didn’t expect that. But it’s nice that I might be able to pay it off over time. Do I need to do anything?”
Service Associate: “I’ll just need to get a little information for the application and we’ll get a decision pretty quickly. If you’re approved, we can start the work right away. Sound good?”
Customer: “That works for me.”
No, not every conversation will go so smoothly, but your chances of getting the work and keeping a happy customer can greatly improve when you help them solve their problem. So many customers’ cars are their lifelines and they know that from time to time they’ll have to tackle larger maintenance and repair costs. What they may not expect is that your associate could help them solve the challenge of making these repair costs manageable.
Incorporate promotional financing into your service center and give your associates one of the most versatile tools in the shop.
Click here to view more solutions from Steve Roe and Synchrony Car Care.
