It's easy to believe there's a fast track or easy pass to the next level. Believe it or not, getting ahead is much more complicated than applying best-of-the best-strategies. Best-in-class demands simplicity. Here's my argument.
Simplicity, at its core, requires a significant amount of effort and careful consideration. We've all become really good at complicating things and we need to stop. So stop! If things are complicated, they get diluted with other complications.
We can choose what appears to be the more difficult road, which is the simple road — one that's intentional and gets a desired outcome without negatively affecting anyone or anything else. Being a student of your craft — whatever that craft is — and then intentionally raising the bar is a must in order to elevate yourself above the rest.
It's easy for us to view ourselves and the way we navigate each day based on the past. But let's be real. The past is gone and today is for the taking. Sure, answering your dealership’s phone with true passion or dialing in on the perfect inspection for an oil change/rotation appointment isn't as easy as it seems, at least when done at an extremely high level consistently. But that's what it takes.
Taking your business to the next level improves the customer experience and that changes the game. If you've made someone's experience different, you have made what I call “a pausable difference.” Your customers will literally pause and let you know you’ve done something fantastic. That's game-changing.
Regardless of your position, you have the ability to positively affect many lives each and every day. My argument is that if you excel within your role consistently, great things will come. If you go out of your way to ensure that the expectations of your role are well-surpassed, your customers' expectations will be surpassed, as well. Isn't that the goal? So let's change that mindset. Your goal is to make customers so happy with their experience that a positive view of your business and our overall industry takes shape.
That's a tall vision that we should be proud of. The truth is, very few consumers have a positive view of purchasing what we're selling — and for very good reason. They compare tire and oil change service to other service retailers, like Starbucks and Instacart. We all know it's not a fair comparison for a million reasons, but it is.
If you're watching and listening to the popular view about us, it's not that good. Most still view their experience as stressful, inconvenient, desensitized and something less than their basic expectations for their investment. Most people simply don't appreciate our service to them. Therein lies a huge opportunity.
Let's pause for a moment and clarify why people buy. People buy because their perceived investment is less than the perceived value of what they’re purchasing. The good news for all of us is there are very few who are delivering on that expectation.
I'm asking you to simply excel and to be the absolute best at what it is you're paid to do — to invest in yourself and learn the skills of your trade, with true intentionality. I’m asking you to invest your time in training and to get certified as much as possible. I’m asking you to hold yourself and those around you to a knowledge and performance standard well above the competition and more importantly, well above your customers’ expectations.
Make sure customers can gladly and conveniently rely on you and your team to help them make the most out of their investment, whatever that looks like.
There's only one magic bullet and that's you. Start putting your effort and influence into your own outcomes.
I'm certain that you will change today and tomorrow for not just you and your business, but those around you. It's time we all take ownership for the way customers see our industry and do something about it.
To clarify, I'm not calling anyone out for doing anything wrong. Most tire dealers aren't doing anything wrong. They’re simply doing. In most cases, they're doing what has been done before. We assimilate to existing cultures. We've all allowed ourselves — or have been allowed — to perform at a certain level.
That level to which we hold ourselves and those around us is what ultimately determines how satisfied our customers are with our service and ultimately how they view our industry.
You and I both know what an exceptional experience looks like. We've all felt what a game-changing experience feels like. It's likely we can all identify the behaviors that made the experience game-changing.
So let's change the game.
Let's inspire, guide and motivate ourselves and each other to deliver such great service that our customers take a positive view of our industry.
