It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that “trust and transparency” isn’t a phrase commonly associated with the automotive industry.
And you know what? It’s a real shame, because trust and transparency are two of the key elements of building a successful business (in the automotive industry or otherwise).
At BG, our goal is shake up the old stereotypes about dishonest mechanics or “sleazy car salesmen” and show consumers that you can put your trust in your mechanic, as well as the products and services they offer.
In today’s post, we’ll examine why transparency is the driving factor behind trust, and why trust leads to better customer relationships, sales, and ultimately, whether or not an automotive service business will be a success or not.
Let’s begin by dispelling some misunderstandings about business transparency:
Why “Transparency” Doesn’t Have to be a Scary Word in the Automotive Industry
Transparency doesn’t mean publishing your annual profit and loss form, your tax records, or friending everyone on Facebook—it means being honest about how you do things, why you do them in that way, and what the people who come to your business as customers or employees can expect.
Transparency is effective as a trust-builder because it helps to create a sense of stability and reliability for the people that you deal with. In other words, when you’re transparent about the inner workings of your automotive shop, everyone will know what to expect.
If you’re not sure where to begin, ask yourself the following: are you proud of everything you’re doing? The staff you employ? The products and equipment you’re using?
Because if you are, then being transparent is easy. Let’s dig into that a little further::
Auto Shops With BG Certifications & BG University Are Proud to be Transparent
A well-trained employee is, generally speaking, an employee you can trust and be proud of. When you’re planning on putting a skilled technician on the job for a potential customer, it’s actually much easier to “sell” the service to that customer—whether it’s maintenance, repairs, or an upgrade. Make sure to read our post How Successful Automotive Service Shops Train Their Employees to get a solid understanding of how to make sure your employees have the best training they can get.
When you enroll yourself or your staff in programs like BG University, you can be confident that you and your team are receiving the kind of training necessary to not only do a great job on maintaining your customer’s vehicles, but to know how to sell these services as well.
These employees are additionally trained to share their knowledge with other staff, in effect, creating an in-house training program for your other employees. This positive cycle has a “trickle down” effect on your entire business, ranging from employee satisfaction to customer loyalty.
Furthermore, you can also consider becoming BG Certified, which is a great way to show your customers that not only are you using the best products and automotive equipment in the business, you’re professionally trained to use them.
This is the kind of transparency that you can be proud of—and the kind of transparency that builds trust with not only your customers, but your employees as well. Let’s explore both concepts and see why transparency is always going to end up being a good thing for the continued success of your automotive business:
The Benefits of Improving Trust With Your Customers
Building trust improves word of mouth advertising, helps you overcome sales objections, and allows you to more confidently promote ethical upsells to your customers.
Your customers, when they realize that you’re open about the way you train your employees, what kinds of products you use, and what they can expect insofar as scheduling and turnaround times are concerned, will be far more likely to do business with you again. Why? Because they know exactly what to expect.
Transparency is Good For Your Employees Too
You might recall that one of the biggest tips in our post The Secret Auto Service Providers Use to Reduce Employee Turnover Rate was to be honest with the people you hire—don’t promise them the moon. Be clear about what they can expect, the kind of hours they’ll work, what you want them to do, and so on. Over-promising is one of the best ways to get an employee to quit a few short months later.
Learn More About BG Products & Services for the Automotive Industry
Find out more about BG Certification and BG University, browse our entire catalog, our let us know if there’s any questions you may have. We look forward to the success of your business!
