Many fishing professionals feel bananas bring bad luck or a chemical imbalance to the fun times. I overheard one of our senior
coaches, George Zeeks, relate The Banana Theory to spoiling our customers.
(Photo: L. Ancheles/Getty Images)
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How many times have you purchased a bunch of bananas at the store? I'm talking that perfect, firm one, just the right shade
of yellow and smelling exactly like a banana should smell. You bring the bunch home and maybe even snack on one or two right
away. Then, like a lot of other things, we forget about them.
The next time we look for that perfect banana, we find instead a soft, mushy thing that looks like a leprous banana with big
black spots. In every business, there is a time when the customer is in a perfect position to make a purchase. There are also
circumstances that come up to "spoil" that opportunity and leave us in a far from perfect situation.
The Banana Theory differs in all its various forms, but always deals with the same problem. How do businesses sabotage their
own ability to sell their product by not paying attention to the customer? I have trained and coached managers and owners in the automotive industry for many years, and very few of them like the customer
who waits. One of the most disliked consumers is the lowly oil change customer who waits for his car. The quick lube industry
has embraced this customer and has been profitable doing the very thing many service providers dislike the most. In our economy,
we need to wake up and smell the banana. If you are having problems with low car count, low repeat business and low customer
loyalty, read on.
The Banana Softens
Fulfilling the customer's expectation is the key to success in every industry. In automotive, we have some control in setting
that expectation, but we cannot forget what the customer wants. Many shops not only forget what the customer is expecting,
but purposely set up situations that cause the opportunity to turn into a rotten banana.
QUESTION OF THE MONTH
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From the time that the customer is greeted and the work order written, the clock is ticking. A meaningful, accurate expectation
of when the car may come in for service needs to be established. If we quote when the car will be finished, then we have already
shot ourselves in the foot.
Most advisors, when they quote a finish time on a service, do not allow any additional time to perform any services that the
car might need and the customer may want to have done. The customer is now thinking of the things they need to do when they
leave your shop and they are making their plans based on that "finished" time that we quoted them. Always quote the expected
time that we will start on the car, not finish.
Once the car is in the bay, we have 15 minutes to bring the customer out to the car and present any additional services that
they might need. This means we have to do a courtesy check of the car, find any issues and have that courtesy check back to
the advisor within approximately six minutes. I know there are people out there reading this and saying it can't be done that
fast and still do a good job. Keep an open mind. The quick lube industry has been doing this very thing, correctly, profitably
and with very good customer response for many years.
The Banana Turns Brown
For the naysayers, let's break down what we need to do to get the estimate back up to the advisor in six minutes. As soon
as the car enters the bay, we should be working as a team to do a quick check on the lights and turn signals to make sure
they work. Approximate time: one minute.
Before we even set the lift, we need to check under the hood for fluids, filters, belts, hoses, etc. Approximate time: two
to three minutes. After setting the lift and taking the car in the air, we can do a visual check under the car for CV boots,
muffler problems. Approximate time: two to three minutes.
Posted 2009-07-08 23:45:11.0
