Phone Script for Oil Change price caller

[mspecperformance]

Hey guys, what type of phone script do you guys go with when someone calls about an oil change?

 

Had a call earlier this morning inquiring about an Oil Change. I gave her a price right and didn't say much else other than we use BMW Synthetic Oil (she had a X3). I was kind of distracted and busy and that was the end of the call. I looked into my tracking software and the lead was generated through my website.

 

For future reference, how do you guys handle oil change price shoppers?

 

Also do you think I should give her a call back and see if I can salvage that potential customer?

[Joe Marconi]

This is a tough topic. First of all , if someone is calling around for prices, they could be looking for the cheapest price. With this person, A BMW owner, she must know what kind of a car she has?

 

People call for prices for two reasons, they don't know what else to ask, or they truly are looking for the cheapest price. If they are looking for the cheapest price, they may not be your customer (or future customer), unless you are a discount store.

 

I instruct my service people to ask questions and avoid price, if at all possible. Thank them for the call and say, "How did you hear about us?", "Is this a car you plan on keeping for while?", "What is the car primarily used for?" How long have you owned the car?", "Do you rely on this car for work", And the biggest question..."Are you calling around for prices, or are you looking to schedule an appointment?

 

If you find that price is the only concern, you may have a tough time bringing them in. I don't like playing games over the phone either. Some shops will give a bottom line price or starter price, to get them in and then upsell when they arrive.

 

We usually invite first time callers to come down and meet us, we give them options on everything. We ask a ton of questions and hope for the best.

 

The reason why you ask questions? Because no one else does. It sets you apart.

 

Should you call back? It can't hurt...and you might learn something from it.

[RWI]

Perhaps I'm wrong but I see this as a red flag right away, someone that wants a price on something so simple is surely not my target customer.

[FROGFINDER]

I've sometimes in the heat of the moment said $1000.00, Is that too High? To low? Please you tell me. and I may tell them $1.99 plus parts,plus fluids,plus labor, plus tax, plus fee's. I then ask that they bring the car in for a free service estimate and a hand wash. If they don't like what I have to say they owe me nothing.

[mattsauto]

I work with phone scripts all day. The biggest thing as Joe commented is asking open-ended questions, then ask for the business. In the case of a high-end car owner, I'd also want to know where they bought their car. If they say, "Jim-Bob's Used Cars" then they bought it because it was a BMW and may have no idea what it takes to maintain that car and are definitely looking for the cheapest everything. If they say the BMW dealer, then they likely know what they have and probably want to make sure you know what to do to their BMW (e.g. service intervals, etc.). I've broken many a heart at the parts counter when it came time to replace the alternator on their beemer. They couldn't understand why it was so much more than their Chevrolet.

Typically, you want to lead off a phone customer with the cheapest thing first, but with something like an oil change I'd tell them straight out. "Mam, your oil change for that 2004 BMW X3 is going to be $59.99 plus tax and includes x qts of Synthetic oil and a synthetic filter, chassis lube, and a complimentary 5 point inspection (or whatever).... Mam, it's been our experience that BMW owners want the best for their cars so we offer the best up front. We don't cut corners and we don't play pricing games. We know what the dealer charges for this service and are happy to provide the same service for less." I'd let them decide whether they wanted the best for their cars or not. When they show up, perhaps offer a coupon or something to reward them and get them back in the shop for something you can make money on. You can bet, if they're the loyal customer type, they'll tell their friends about that reward, then light up your website/yelp/Facebook with compliments.

 

Just thinking out loud.

[mspecperformance]

I work with phone scripts all day. The biggest thing as Joe commented is asking open-ended questions, then ask for the business. In the case of a high-end car owner, I'd also want to know where they bought their car. If they say, "Jim-Bob's Used Cars" then they bought it because it was a BMW and may have no idea what it takes to maintain that car and are definitely looking for the cheapest everything. If they say the BMW dealer, then they likely know what they have and probably want to make sure you know what to do to their BMW (e.g. service intervals, etc.). I've broken many a heart at the parts counter when it came time to replace the alternator on their beemer. They couldn't understand why it was so much more than their Chevrolet.

Typically, you want to lead off a phone customer with the cheapest thing first, but with something like an oil change I'd tell them straight out. "Mam, your oil change for that 2004 BMW X3 is going to be $59.99 plus tax and includes x qts of Synthetic oil and a synthetic filter, chassis lube, and a complimentary 5 point inspection (or whatever).... Mam, it's been our experience that BMW owners want the best for their cars so we offer the best up front. We don't cut corners and we don't play pricing games. We know what the dealer charges for this service and are happy to provide the same service for less." I'd let them decide whether they wanted the best for their cars or not. When they show up, perhaps offer a coupon or something to reward them and get them back in the shop for something you can make money on. You can bet, if they're the loyal customer type, they'll tell their friends about that reward, then light up your website/yelp/Facebook with compliments.

 

Just thinking out loud.

 

Good stuff, thanks for sharing.

[mattsauto]

You're welcome! Hope you see double digit increases coming in the new year in customer growth!!