I know firsthand that people are willing to pay a premium for outstanding service. Again and again, I’ve been told, “Joe, I shopped around before coming to see you, and I’ve got you beat by a hundred bucks. But I’m going to buy from you because there’s one thing nobody else can give me, and that’s you Joe.” When I hear a comment of this nature, it’s the most flattering compliment I could receive. Repeat sales are so easy and require little effort in comparison to the first time these customers were sold. People are truly grateful for the extra effort I put into servicing them, and they don’t forget it when the time comes to buy another car. The truth is they’re sold before they even walk in to see me because I’ve won them over by giving outstanding service the first time around.
Give your customers so much service they’ll feel guilty even thinking about doing business with somebody else. I’ve always believed that the first car I’d sell to somebody was the beginning of a long relationship. To be successful in any business, it’s essential to give the customer so much service that he or she will come back again and again. When you consider how many cars a satisfied customer buys during his or her lifetime, the first one is just the tip of the iceberg. I estimate that over an average car buyer’s lifetime, he or she spends several hundred thousand dollars buying cars. And when I project how many friends and family members are referred by a contented customer over the years, the number runs into seven figures.
Winning lifetime ever lasting relationships isn’t based on a single mammoth act. You build ever-lasting relationships by never letting up on the servicing of your customers. When you bombard your customers with perpetual service, you don’t leave any openings for a competitor to get his or her foot in the door. What’s more, they will send other people to you; it creates a snowball effect. When you give steady, reliable service and keep in constant contact with your customer, especially if a problem does occur, you can work with him to solve it. But it does require a self-discipline that never stops.
Dedication to providing outstanding service cannot be a whim, and it cannot be something that is extended only to a select group of customers. Every customer, no matter how affluent, is entitled to the best possible service. “The customer is king” must be a continuous motto for every salesperson. When I shook the hands of my customers as I gave them the keys to their new vehicles, I complimented them on their purchase decision and reminded them, “Today you also bought Joe Girard”. I made a promise to them right then and there that I would be there for them if they ever needed anything. What ultimately assures success is the quality of service rendered. The payoff comes with repeat business and referrals by satisfied customers!
