Carl Sewell of Sewell Village in Dallas, Texas took his business from a small family owned dealership too the biggest Cadillac dealership in the USA. He did this by totally focusing his team on providing outstanding, undeniable and first class Customer service. Sewell reckons each Customer is worth $330,000 dollars to his business, in vehicle sales, referral business parts and servicing. Each member of his team treats all Customers has VIP red carpet celebrities, they get first class service, every time at a fair and reasonable price.
Sewell’s way of doing business becomes self-perpetuating
- If you’re good to your customers, they’ll keep coming back because they like you
- If they like you they will spend more money with you
- If they spend more money, you want to treat them better (You can’t do enough for someone who is going to attract or spend $330,000 with you)
- And if you treat them better, they’ll keep coming back and the circle starts again
Sewell started by looking at everything he did in his business, what worked?, what didn’t. He then took time and visited all of the Competitors personally, observing what they did well, he then went back and did it better! Finally looking at the models of successful business outside of the Automotive industry, Sewell adapted, fine tuned and improved the best in Customer Service and engineered them to work successfully in his Dealership.
The final component, his team were hand picked, not on experience but on their attitude, each person went through a thorough training program designed to deliver the values of the business. Anyone who felt they could not deliver the values left the business as quick as they came into it.
The team became inseparable and more importantly indispensable. As a result they savoured their victories together and analysed their losses under a microscope so they would not be repeated. This incredible journey and performance bought them many awards and more importantly a high level of profit for the business, so securing all their futures.
Listed below are the ten commandments of Customer Service
1. Bring them back alive
Ask customers what they want and give it to them again and again and again.
2. Systems, not just smiles
Saying please and thank you doesn’t ensure you’ll do the job right the first time, every time. Only perfect systems and process guarantee that.
3. Under promise, over deliver
Customers expect you to keep your word. Don’t just keep it, exceed it!
4. When the customer asks, the answer is always yes.
Period!
5. Empower everyone, that means everyone
From the valeter to the admin team, make sure everyone is held accountable for solving Customers problems, as soon as possible
6. No Complaints? Something’s wrong
Encourage everyone who interacts with your Dealership to tell you how you are doing, either good or bad.
7. Measure everything
You can’t monitor it, change it, mend it, fit or even increase it if you are not measuring it
8. Salaries are unfair
Pay people on performance, salaries are unfair to your staff but more importantly your customers as they breed complacency and mediocrity. Reward everyone in the business on their performance, a great performance gets a great pay check.
9. Your Mother was right
Show people respect, be polite. It works, remember what you give out comes back, only in greater proportions either good or bad.
10. Japanese them
Learn how the best really do it, make their systems your own, then improve them.
Your Challenge today is to reflect with your team on the above commandments and to identify how they could be implemented in your business.