If this is your first read, please visit habits 1-7 as all the habits tie together.
Stemming from the last habit, Empathy, we will open that topic up a bit more and dive a little bit into Habit 8:
8. Observe and use emotional intelligence
This habit is closely related to the habit of empathy. Practicing and using emotional intelligence is usually second nature for most women.
Reading and responding to emotion is part of our DNA and the networking in our brain. I have seen a few men use it well also. People who are in touch with their own and others’ emotional nature make great advisors. This is like creating a good running game strategy so that you can open up some passing lanes down the field.
Some customers can be very defensive, or untrusting, so we need to find a way to chip away at their armor to try and open them up to considering the services that will keep their vehicle in sound running order.
A huge point of clarity here, this does not mean manipulation. Persuasion is the art of letting customers understand the needs of the vehicle and why they are needed. We then give them time to reflect and decide if now is the right time for them to move forward with the suggestion. It is made of their own free will. There is no cohesion here. No lying and if done well the customer should have zero negative feelings here.
Not every word track works with every customer to start to build rapport. It must also be genuinely YOU. So don’t fake it. Be real. Sincere and true to yourself or your customer will smell you and your insincerity coming a mile away.
Sometimes you will try starting a conversation and you will be met with stern looks or impatient body language. And that is ok. You need to change it up. The art of learning how emotional intelligence works takes a lot of practice.
Some people are all business all the time, others are more laid back. I have had one thing work great with one person, and the same thing does not work on others. But now I have seen pretty much everything. So when a customer is giving me certain signals, I can access my memory bank and deliver the techniques that work best.
This is why each day you need to prepare mentally for what you could face. You may need to change up the play if you see that there is an obvious blitz coming your way. And this skill takes practice. You need to read the reactions, comments, body language, and overall tone of the communication coming from the customer.
As you start to develop the habit of observing and using emotional intelligence, the more you will notice that most of the situations you are facing daily have already happened in one interaction or another. So they should be stored in your memory as to how they went to be called upon at a later date when needed. If they did not go well, do not use them of course. Create new plays so that you can find one that works.
So when you see things leading to a familiar place, change up the play and surprise the person you are dealing with.
9. Treat every day like it is a month end
This one is more of a nuts and bolts habit. But very important!
Close every work order possible every day as soon as you are able. Period.
Procrastination is a hard habit to break.
I cannot stand leaving work orders open. It causes me mental distress. I like to close them as soon as possible. So when I was younger I started pretending like every day was month end.
This habit has served me well for sure. Every time my boss comes to me with my open work order list is it always shorter than anyone else’s, even though I usually write much more than everyone else, and it is always filled with current work orders that cannot be closed for reasons out of my control.
This way, when it is a real month's end, it is business as usual and you are not there until 8 pm closing things that have no business being open in the first place. This also speaks to not wasting time as well.
This gives you a clear picture of where your numbers are at daily, accurately so you can monitor your goals daily, weekly, and then monthly. You can calculate your average daily sales, and then project where you will be by month end. You will be able to know how much work is ahead of you this way.
If you think you could benefit from some real-time, one-on-one coaching in your own environment, message me at:
You can also check out my recently published book:
"Building a Gold Standard Service Advisor: The Evolution of Service"
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