Customers May Not Want to Hear the Truth, So Lie?

[Joe Marconi]

Customers May Not Want to Hear the Truth, So Lie?

 

Last week I attended a business luncheon, comprised of local business owners. At the table where I was seated, a local contractor was telling the group that sometimes he feels he needs to lie, because the customer does not want to hear the truth. I jumped right in and said, “Please make me understand, your customer may not want to hear the truth, so you lie”? He went on to say that instead of informing the customer that they are behind due to staff issues or problems at another job site, he would tell the customer that the wrong material came in, or the lumber was wrong, or make up some other fib. I said, “Really?” He replied, “People don’t want to hear the truth”.

 

This got me thinking about our business. When things go wrong in our day, are we afraid to tell the truth? If your tech makes an error and a customer’s job will not be completed when promised, should we tell the customer, the wrong part came in?

 

I think we all need to think about what’s right and what is wrong and hold ourselves accountable to uphold our morals and ethics. When you break down everything we do in life, it always comes down to who we are as a person. Business is business, but our business is an extension of who we are. Isn’t it?

 

If there are flaws in this contractor’s workflow, and his job planning is inefficient, he needs to work on that and not try to make it up by lying to his customers.

 

Lies begin to compound on top of each other and before you know, you can’t remember one lie from another. Humans are wired to tell the truth, not lie. Abraham Lincoln said’; “No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar”.

 

I don’t mean to step up onto my soap box today, tell me your thoughts, please.

[HarrytheCarGeek]

The way I deal with delays are by preparing the customer ahead of time, for example, when quoting the job in addition to price we tell the customer that a job typically takes a certain amount of time barring any delays.

 

However, rusted bolts, hidden defects or damage will cause a delay.

 

Most customers will not pay attention to you when you are telling them this, yet I make it a point to repeat that delays can occur. This practice has become second nature and cannot tell you how many times it has saved my butt.

[xrac]

Joe, you bring up a valid point and discussion. Truthfulness is almost a thing of the past in our society. It is much easier to blame circumstances or someone else then to own up to our own failings. It is very easy to fall into this trap. The unrealistic expectations and high paced lives of our customers helps create some of this but does that make it right? I don't think so. Romans 12:17........ Provide things honest in the sight of all men.!

[IntegrityAutoCare]

As the name of my business suggests, my absolute goal is to remain honest and diligent in every aspect of my business. There has been more than one occasion I have had to tell a customer that I messed up and so their vehicle will not be finished when I promised, but as a general rule my GOAL is to maintain a standard of excellence whereby I don't keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again. There will always be unforseen circumstances, however, and I am trying to break myself of the habit of blaming myself for not anticipating that rusted bolt or not ordering the part I MIGHT need ahead of time when I had no real way of knowing that's what the problem would turn out to be. As HarrytheCarGeek said, I also have found it beneficial to cover my butt ahead of time and make VERY clear to the customer that the time estimates are just that....estimates. I cannot guarantee there will not be any delay with unforseen problems or unavailable parts.

 

With all that said, in my effort to run an honest business, I struggle with another area of customer communication perhaps some of you vetran shop owners might be able to help me with. When I am working on a car, especially during routine service jobs, I make it a habit to keep my eyes open for other potential problems with the car that may require attention in the near future, but that aren't causing drivability issues YET. Unfortunately this habit leads me to see ALL KINDS of issues...many times requiring expensive repair bills, that the customer simply had no idea they needed. This creates problems for me in that I want to inform the customer of EVERYTHING that their vehicle needs so that they can be aware of the problems and (presumabely) make arrangements to get it repaired, but in my limited experience I have found that my customers [to tie this into the thread topic] simply don't want to hear the truth! If they bring it into me for an oil change and I hand them the $35 bill they want that to be the end of the transaction. When I tell them that their vehicle, in addition to regular maintenance, needs new tires, tie rod ends, ball joints, brakes, and has leaks in every major system they look at me like I am from another planet! To THEM...they thought it was running and driving just fine! Then, when I tell them it will cost over $1000 to fix all that stuff they either never bring it back to me or they go straight out and trade the vehicle in! I have come to dread even telling people all the things that are wrong with their car....they ask me to "check it over" just for good measure because it is running and driving fine, so the expectation is that I will come back and tell them about some piddly hose clamp I tightened or that I replaced a turn signal bulb for a cost of $20 extra. I am also very well aware that when I consistently find extra expensive repairs that customers need but did not ask for it makes me LOOK like I am just trying to milk them...which is really not my intention at all. What's an honest mechanic to do?

[xrac]

That is a tough one and is one of the reasons that I do not advertise cheap oil changes because those promotions generate a lot of customers who are interested in cheap and not interested in taking care of their cars. By advertising an oil change with a FREE tire rotation I seem to get a better quality customer. With new customers I try to be gentle on inspections and estimates. I hate having to drop a bomb on a new customer. If I have to I try to provide a lot of detail and explaination. If they have safety issues I will definitely let them know and will take them out in the shop and show them what I am seeing. If I have a long list of repairs that are needed I try to let them know that I will help them priortize the repairs to fit into their budget. I let them know that there have been times in my life I didn't have money to buy gasoline to drive across town. If I think they should get rid of a car I also let them know that. I want the customer to know that I am their advocate and will help them keep their car operational and safe as long as is practically possible. If we can't turn a customer into someone who will trust us and maintain their vehicle as they are able then hopefully they will not feel comfortable with us an will take their vehicles on down the road.

[Joe Marconi]

I agree with xrac, you need to identify those customers that appreciate and value what you bring to the market place. Bill Cosby once said, "I don't know the secret to sucess, but the secret to failure is trying to be please everyone".

 

You bring up very good points and I can say that this has been an issue at my shop too. But, those that are my profile customers trust me, and I will always tell the truth. I wish everyone would. This notion that if we tell the customer everything will upset the customer is wrong. Imagine your doctor holding back a health issue because he was afraid that he may sound pushy or just trying to make money on you.

 

Stay true to who you are, find out what your story is; Why you went into business. You will find that it's a lot more that just buying tools and fixing cars. Who you are and why you do what you do is what creates your brand.

 

Think of Harley Davidson, is it just a motorcyle? No, it's a Harley.

 

I hope this helps.