Digital Dealer - October 2017 - 47

better. Displays will raise
your closing ratio.
A display is the picture
that's worth a thousand
words. The display will
help with the sale, it won't
make the sale.
Look at it this way: if
customers don't know
what you're talking
about-if they can't
picture it-then they won't
buy. Rather than ask for
more information or raise
an objection, most will
simply default to "no."
Sale lost.
But if you show them,
your chances of making
the sale go up dramatically. When people get all the
facts, they usually make
the right decision-which
is to say yes to the technician's recommendations.
Service advisor sales
trainer Jeff Cowan reminds service managers
to keep their displays
fresh. In a recent workshop, Cowan said, "Take
a look at your sales aids
from the customers' viewpoint. Are the graphics
faded? Are the displays
outdated? Do the counter
mats look tired?" Cowan's
advice is simple: keep
everything fresh.
Take a serious look at
your service drive and
your customer lounge.
Honestly, you've probably
got some old posters,
banners, and brochures
that need to find their way
to the dumpster. Frankly, I think freshening up
your sales aids will have
as much impact on your

service sales staff as it
does on your customers.
Everyone likes the look
and feel of new stuff.
Let me close with two of
my favorite sales aids:
THE WORN PARTS
DISPLAY

This is simply a small
shoe-box-sized container
with an assortment of
worn-out parts. For example, you need a water
pump impeller with the
fins eaten away by acidic,
corrosive antifreeze.
This is a great sales aid

gasoline. Explain how
your air induction and fuel
injection service removes
those deposits, making
their vehicle run like it did
when it was new.
I'd also recommend
you have at least one of
the following: cabin air
filter, AC expansion valve,
wiper blade, piston ring,
injector, transmission
valve body, etc. Your worn
parts display box is only
limited by your imagination. It works because
people can see it, touch

it, experience it, and most
importantly, understand
it. Your closing ratio will
go up and you'll have an
easier time cutting to the
chase and making the
sale. A quick walk through
the shop and you'll find
most everything you need
to fill your box.

was actually completed in
the shop by the technician. (If your inspections
are done electronically
then the print-out won't
be dirty and greasy, but
it will still have a powerful impact if presented
properly.)
Let me be clear: You
must give a hard copy-a paper copy of the
actual document-to the
customer. Let them hold it
as you review it together
with them. The last two
mystery shoppers I hired
said that the advisor
went over the inspection
report with them verbally
but they never saw the actual MPI form. That totally
defeats the purpose. If
the customers can touch
it and see it at the same
time you are explaining it,
they will buy. Comprehension and understanding
are necessary to make
the sale.
In summary, God gave
us five senses. The more
of those your customer
can use during your sales
presentation, the greater
your chances will be of
closing the sale.
Happy sales to you!

Every dealership gives
lip service to the multipoint inspection process,
but few really use the MPI
to sell service. The "display" is the actual paper
form itself-the document
the technician filled out. It
should look greasy, wrinkled, and worn because it

CHARLIE POLSTON is an
Automotive Customer Retention and Profitability Consultant with BG Products, Inc.
Charlie has been with BG's
Fixed Operations Division
for over 34 years. He has
trained over 5,000 dealers,
managers, and technicians
- and has been a frequent
workshop leader at NADA's
annual convention. EMAIL:
cpolston@bglsi.com

A DISPLAY IS THE
PICTURE THAT'S WORTH
A THOUSAND WORDS.
THE DISPLAY WILL HELP
WITH THE SALE, IT
WON'T MAKE THE SALE."
for selling coolant fluid
exchanges. Neglected
antifreeze becomes acidic
causing cooling system
component failure. A
coolant fluid exchange
service keeps the antifreeze fresh and protects
all the expensive parts of
the cooling system.
Be sure your box has
an intake valve that
is caked up with carbon deposits. This is a
common occurrence on
gasoline direct injection
engines. When you
show your customers the
intake valve, explain that
deposits rob power and
performance and cause
the vehicle to use more

THE MULTI-POINT
INSPECTION FORM

D I G I TA L D E A L E R . C O M

OCTOBER 2017

47
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Digital Dealer - October 2017
