If this is your first read, please read habits 1-5 before reading this section.
Habit #6. Stay positive…ALWAYS
On the habit of positivity... This is, for the most part, all in your hands and almost entirely up to you. Yes, your boss and your environment can bring you down, if you LET them. But if you chose to, you can learn to be a force of great and positive change little by little.
A supportive environment is important, and a strong leader is vital. There is only so much one can do when there is no one to help you change or create a better environment for the customer. So to be clear, if you are in one of these environments, I am not saying this is all up to you. How long you endure through these situations IS up to you, however.
I have done my share of “moving on” when clear issues were causing a lack of quality service to my customers. In any given shop at any given time, there are usually several that I can find within my first few days of being there. When you have brought to light how certain policies and processes that impede your ability to impress your customer should be changed or removed altogether, and there is no action, a mental note should be made.
We all have things that define who we are. Personally, and professionally. For me, professionally, those things are very clear. I will not work long in an environment where my ability to impress a customer is hindered in any way. I may exist in that environment for a time, suggesting things that will improve the customer experience. If after 1-2 years those issues, which are clearly affecting many people, are not addressed in some way, I throw up the peace sign and off I go.
Everyone must decide for themselves how long and how much room they are willing to give before drawing their lines in the sand. But before you draw your line, it is important to take a beat and consider if you are being stubborn, or if there is a clear reason for the line you are about to draw due to a moral, ethical, or emotional reason that is vital to your own code of conduct.
If there are issues you are unsure how to approach, reach out. Each situation will be different and how you handle them will be different as well. I do recommend one-on-one coaching on a case-by-case basis.
We all know, generally, this industry is full of negativity, it is all around us and being directed toward us at every turn from everyone.
It can come from customers, techs, people we work with in our department, and other departments.
If you LET it, it will penetrate your very soul and poison you against any goal you put in front of yourself. Giving up is easy when you can blame others. So the best piece of advice I can give you is to find your "reasons", not the excuses. You need to build a sheet of armor around your mind and your heart to stay true to the goal and the direction you are going.
Do not let people hang out at your desk complaining about the boss or the processes that make it “impossible” to succeed. If it is just the environment, everyone would be failing the same way. But if someone is succeeding and others are not, that is not totally environmental. People can choose to let things around them affect their performance or find a way to make it work within the environment in which they are.
Do not be the person that goes desk to desk complaining of this issue or that. Instead, seek out solutions to the issues and take them to your bosses.
Do not let comments or remarks stab through your armor at any time. Remember your goals and do not let anyone stop you from achieving them. Because people will try and do so to keep you on the same level, stagnant, not growing and not changing. Why? It is more comfortable, and change is scary for most. Seeing someone else change, means they can change also. If they put forward the effort to do so.
Do not let people hold you back!
Read books that fill your brain with good information and help you create goals and habits that move you forward instead of having nothing to motivate you.
If you are not sure what to read, start with "The Slight Edge" by Jeff Olson. It encompasses everything I am trying to say to you here.
Have someone you can turn to when you need an ear, a sounding board, and a motivator to refocus you on your goal.
Take small steps toward your goal every day and change will happen. Do nothing and you will go backward. There are no neutral choices. Period.
Always try to turn negative interactions into positive ones when you are dealing with customers. The aim should be to try and work together with that customer toward a solution instead of squaring off with them and going toe to toe. Look for creative ways to help people. Face it, we do have the inside track on how to come up with solutions that do not fit the mold.
You can find out what they need and how to satisfy that need by using habit #7.
Habit #7. Practice empathy.
Forming the habit of using empathy has been one of my life’s greatest challenges because before, I truly just did not care about people's circumstances or issues. All I was looking for was the sale and that was it. I was a stone-cold killer in that sense. I sold a ton of stuff, which leads me to believe that this style can get you by and get you paid. But if you want to be an all-star, you have to ramp it up and be real! That is what people want and more importantly what they need.
What is empathy? It is the ability to put yourself in someone else’s position and see how the circumstances may affect them, and how you would feel if it were you. You can use empathy to your advantage in many ways.
While I was refocusing myself in 1999 I didn't even know what the word “empathy” meant. And I honestly did not know until maybe 2015. But it was by cause and effect, that I was forced to learn its meaning and its nature. Later, when I was trying to improve my approach toward people, learned I was using it without knowing what it was.
Understanding what someone is going through in life, helps you curate a plan of action for the customer when it comes to all the items that need repair or maintenance on their vehicle. This is VITAL. Without this skill, you come across as a cold, uncaring person trying to get people to spend money they may not have. So here are a few tips on empathy.
Firstly, I learned that it is really hard to fake empathy. Your customers want to connect with you and see the real you.
There is something subconsciously delivered when you are not being genuine that people pick up on. You know what it feels like when someone is not being truthful about their emotions. This is why YOU can also pick up on when people are not being genuine with you. We naturally pick up on micro-expressions that people just cannot hide. They are so quick you have to really focus to see them consciously, but they are there.
Secondly, there is a fine line between someone needing empathy from you and someone trying to embellish their issues and get a deal from you or just feed their victim complex. Now that you know what I am talking about, you will start to pay more attention to the micro-expressions that tip you off.
Just one example of micro expressions is the expression of :
Surprise
You will see the following before they consciously mask the emotion they do not want you to see.
a. Eyes wide open
b. The bottom and tops of eye whites are visible
c. Wrinkles on forehead
d. Jaw open teeth visible
e. The skin on the brow area is stretched on the bottom part
Thirdly, when you are in tune with the nature of the people you are serving, you attract more people to you because you are being real. Things start to click and flow instead of feeling like you are swimming upstream all the time. You will be aware of who needs empathy and who does not. This is important because if you try to empathize with the wrong personality type, they will be insulted.
Fourthly, you are here to help people. So help them. If a small discount is going to make a huge difference, give it to them. If assistance from the manufacturer is in order, and you think you might be able to get it, ask for it. It should not matter if the job goes to warranty or internal, you will still get paid. The percentages and labor times are lower or maybe nothing, yes, but keeping a customer happy and having them see you as their knight in shining armor will pay off long-term in bigger ways 90% of the time. Play the long game! Remember the previous habits, chipping away at the defense until we get a passing lane.
It has taken me many years to learn how to be genuinely empathetic, but I think I have nailed it. It only takes me a few moments to figure out where a customer is coming from and how they may be feeling at any given moment and how I am going to exceed their expectations.
If you are struggling with this, real-time coaching is the best way to learn it faster and in action. To book a coaching session on this please email me at:
You can also check out my recently published book:
"Building a Gold Standard Service Advisor: The Evolution of Service"
Comments