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Car Count Daily

Hey shop owners. Welcome to this edition of Car Count Daily. My name’s Ron Ipach, but you can call me Captain Car Count, because that’s all I’ve done for the past 20+ years is help thousands and thousands of auto repair shop owners just like you to get and then keep all the top quality customers in their shop.

Today, we’re going to be talking about that dreaded price shopper. You know who I’m talking about. You answer the phone, they say, “How much is …” whatever. Your mind automatically sinks down and you’re thinking, “Oh crap, here we go. It’s a price shopper. All this person wants to do is call around and call around and call around and compare prices.”

Well, let me tell you, chances are they’re not a price shopper. They might be shopping price, okay? Understand, but that’s human nature. I honestly believe that they just don’t know what to ask, so let’s just imagine this. How often do you put a water heater in your house? Probably once every few years, several years. Maybe every 10 years you put a water heater in your house.

Let’s say this morning you went to get in the shower and there was no hot water. You realize, “Okay, the hot water heater is out.” Now, you don’t know what a water heater should cost these days, because you have nothing to compare it with. You’re going to call up the plumber, you’re going to call up the hardware store, whatever. What’s the question you’re going to ask? Chances are you’re going to say, “How much is a water heater?” To you, it’s an intelligent question. To the person answering the phone who is just in the mindset of, “Oh, this person is just interesting in price,” they’re saying, “Oh, here we go, here’s another price shopper.”

This is what’s happening time and time and time again. Look, I’m thinking I’ve asking an intelligent question, as in, “How much is the water heater,” or, “How much is a set of brakes for my car,” if I don’t know. On the other end, you’re treating them like price is the only thing they’re looking for. Just because they lead with price doesn’t mean that that is the biggest problem, okay?

The other thing is, look, if I’m calling around to plumbers asking about water heaters, I’ve just assuming that the installation of it is a commodity, that just anybody can do that. And look, when it comes to auto repair, that’s the way the public normally thinks is just anybody can do that. “I need a new set of brakes on my car. Anybody can put a set of brakes on my car.” They feel it’s a commodity. It’s your job to get them out of that commodity mindset. It’s not what you do. Putting a set of brakes on my car, a lot of other people can do that. It’s not what you do, it’s what else you do.

What else are you doing for me that’s going to make me feel more special, that’s going to make me feel like I’ve chose wisely in choosing you about everybody else? And it’s not price in a lot of cases. For some people, they’re very price sensitive, but you offer them other amenities, other things, other convenience items, other things that are going to make them more excited about just the money, you have a very very good opportunity at making that sale. What do you have to offer that’s going to take you out of that commodity space and not just be able to be compared apples to apples with somebody else?

And if you have those things, are you letting them know? If you have, let’s say, free loaner cars, let’s say you have an amazing warranty that you can offer, or you’re going to simply just give them a free inspection before you give them a price, or there’s a lot of dozens of other things that you could do to sway that person to come to your shop, and you may not even have to give them the price, but if you do, if you do give them a price, you need to also let them know why you are special. I don’t suggest you give them prices, but you’ve got to let them know why you’re special, why they should choose you, even if you’re the more expensive option over your competitors.

Understand, it is your sales ability to be able to convert that price shopper to an appointment. You’re not going to get all of them, but understand, most of them are not calling around because they’re interested in price. If you’ve got it in your head and say, “Oh no, everybody is so price sensitive, everybody that calls me is price sensitive,” well that’s all in your own head. You’ve got to get that out of your head and understand it’s your sales ability that’s going to get them in the door, and then wow them, blow them away, let them know why they chose wisely and chose you. But you’ve got to handle that price shopper on the phone right away, and turn that person into a high dollar customer.