When I talk with auto repair shop owners, they often ask me about how to handle concerns or objections to the cost of repairs. Here's how you can do it easily.
Agree with your Customer: To start, your job as an auto repair shop owner is to have your customer get to KNOW, TRUST and LIKE you. You can start by agreeing with your customer! That's right! Agree with them.
Under no circumstances should you ever argue with your customer. It's not ever going to end in your favor.
What do you say?: Before you say anything, remember that your best chance is to speak to their emotions. You may say something like, "Mr. Jones, I understand exactly how you feel. It's a lot of money".
Isolate the Concern: When you're faced with a concern about pricing of the work you've quoted, the best thing you can do (for everyone concerned) is to ISOLATE the issue. What you're trying to do is to find out if it's really the price that's the problem, or something else.
How do you Isolate your Customers Concern?: Simply ask them, but you have to ask them in the proper way. You could say, "Mr. Jones, other than the price of the work I quoted, is there anything else holding you back from having this work completed today?"
Basically, what you're doing is 'hunting' to see if there's any other objections. Of course, if the response is about 'something else besides the price', then you really know that price isn't the concern.
At that time, you should have an answer as to what the real problem is. In order to get the job, be sure you frame your next question properly. You could say "Mr. Jones, if I can <resolve that problem>, are you prepared to proceed?"
In essence you've put them into a corner. If they answer "yes", you've got the job. If it's still a "No", then you still haven't got to the real concern.
On the other hand, if it's all about the price, your only option would be to offer substitute parts (possibly no-name or lesser quality) that would let you reduce the overall cost.
'Reframe' the Concern and put it into Perspective: In other words, have your customer look at the quote from another viewpoint.
If you look up the work 'Perspective' in the dictionary, you find the following:
per•spec•tive [per sp矇ktiv]
particular evaluation of something: a particular evaluation of a situation or facts, especially from one person's point of view Speak to their emotions:
You've got another opportunity to speak to your customers emotions. Remember, people purchase on emotions and justify with logic AFTER.
How do you put the concern in a different Prospective?: As an auto shop owner, you have a couple of strategies you can use. First of all, look at the mileage and value of the vehicle you're working on. As an example, a $500 repair on a car that's worth at least $6-7,000 dollars isn't a lot of money, considering the value of the vehicle and the pride of owning a well running car.
You can also appeal to safety concerns. "When you consider the safety of you and your family, it's really not a lot".
Although I don't like to stress this last tip, (because some people go way overboard), but if the repair involves systems that could lead to a breakdown, you may want to gently remind the customer about that. You could say "I understand your concerns, but let me ask you this. What's the cost of your safety and avoiding an unexpected roadside breakdown?" You may even follow that up reminding them that "Do you know, the average tow bill is $_____, and you wouldn't want that added expense, would you?"
In some cases, you have to remember that for some car owners, the cost of the proper auto repair is out of reach. But following this strategy is a great way to get to the bottom of it and help your customer make the right decision.
Along with that, I strongly suggest that you format a written quote system for all of your repair estimates. Do it the right way and you will only compete against yourself. That is, offering a "good - better - best" repair estimate, you let the customer choose the price he wants to pay and demonstrate that you understand their particular situation.
