Chris Collins and a co-host explain why auto shops should price batteries low to attract seasonal traffic, then upsell inspections and repairs. They stress testing every car you can (about 60 to 80% are testable), using consistent 'battery fine' messages to build trust, and recommending the right grade, like AGM for heavy electrical loads.
One thing that. That I find with shops is they, most of the time, don't understand how to create a pricing strategy for what they're selling for labor. Because there's different types of labor, and along with that, labor are parts. Right. And a battery is a. Is a part. And oftentimes they think that maintenance is all, you know, one thing that has to be competitive.
But.
But really there's different things in maintenance that need to be competitive. And one of the things that I always find, especially in colder climates or warmer climates, is batteries drive traffic whenever there's a shift in season. So whenever there's a cold snap, people need a battery, they go out, it's cranking slow, or it won't start, and they have to jump it. The first thing they do is call, and they want to know, do you have it? And how much? And oftentimes that's one of the most overlooked. Like, people will say, oh, well, we're competitive on alignments. And I'm always like, how many people are calling shopping a price of an alignment? Not very many. But when people need a battery, they're picking up the phone and it's, do you have it? And how much? And so when I create pricing strategies, I always price batteries to be competitive in the sense that I know that they're going to bring people in and they're going to drive traffic. And also think about the psychology of a customer is if you go out and you ex. You know, when you go out to get in your car in the morning, like, that's kind of an unconscious thing, right?
It's like, yeah, you don't want to think about your battery.
You're in a script, and, you know, you're just getting in. And then when you have that surprise of, oh, no, it's turning slow, or, oh, it doesn't start, now I got to get a jump.
You.
You're way more open to the idea of when we do an inspection, maybe we should. Maybe we should fix that oil leak. Maybe we should replace those belts, whatever it is, because that unforeseen surprise has you in a state of, oh, I don't want that to happen again.
Yeah.
And so batteries drive traffic in. They create an opportunity for you to do an inspection. And. And they also create a mindset of wanting to maintain and prevent surprises. So pricing them strategically is very effective. You know, the northern part of the U.S. and the Southern part, where it's really hot, and Canada for sure.
Like, and you've got your product grades within there, too. So interstate would Have a M line and MT and an MTP and MTX all. I think that's where it's important for customer service advisors. You made the point. Ask why I need a new battery. Why? Well, it didn't start and then dig in. Why did it die? Did it die as it's four or five years old and that's okay, but it's like it's only two years old. Well, tell me more about what you're running. It's like, well, I've got this massive stereo system and I've put in these aftermarket televisions and you know, satellite systems and things like that. So. Well, perhaps Mr. Customer, you, you should consider upgrading to this AGM battery rather than the factory spec'd, you know, one that's just a little bit lower.
Yeah. You know it's funny, I have a new Range Rover and I want to upgrade the stereo because it's got a factory stereo and that factory stereo is okay, but it's not loud enough for me. I need it louder. It's very clean. But I was driving this morning, coming here and I was wishing that there was more. Like I was wishing it went to 11 and I bet I would have to upgrade the battery to do that.
You can, you should find out for sure. Yeah. And it can't hurt. You know, an AGM is going to last a lot longer anyway. But you know, some people, you want to be conscious of what their budget is, but you also don't want to sell them something that they're going to have to return early because nobody's going to be happy about that.
So what do you see in shops or dealerships that are selling the most batteries? What is their mindset? And then what is the system that they're consistently doing that's creating that outcome?
Yeah. So we worked with large accounts, large. I worked personally on the Firestone Complete Auto Care and the shops that did it best were, it was about leadership. You know, it was top down leadership. The, the owner or the manager said we're going to test every car. Now we know that's not actually possible because our best national account tests about 60% of cars.
Oh really?
Yeah. And our, even once we did a pilot with our own interstate people in service base testing every car they could. And you can only test about 80% because sometimes it might require removing upholstery or back seats or you've got a battery that's, you know, it's kind of an afterthought for engineers. They've put it in the trunk under the spare tire. And it's just impossible to get that customer in and out and to test that. Plus you get a lot of voltage drop in that long line from the battery to the engine. So it's not an accurate test. So really can only test about 60 to 80% is about the most you're going to be able to do. But if the manager is saying, we're going to test every car we can, and then he empowers the customer service advisors. Look, if you get an ro, it needs to have a battery test attached to it. And if you don't, you are empowered to go to that technician and ask, hey, where's the battery test? And if they said they can't do it, just jot a note on there. And then the manager spot checks it, you know, a couple times a week just to go through the ros and make sure that battery is in fact being tested.
So the leadership saying, we're going to test everyone we possibly can, and then holding people accountable to that and empowering them to hold people accountable. It's that simple.
Well, and then this is what I wanted to talk to you about is like, it's also about delivering that message to the customer. And three out of four times you've got a chance to say, hey, good news, battery's fine, we tested it should be fine, or it's looking a little iffy. You should come back in in a couple months. Let's test it again. And the more you do that, the more you build that credibility, the more they're gonna trust you when it is time to replace.
Yeah, so I always look at that as a deposit or equity with the customer. So all the times that you tell them that it checked out okay, whether it's the battery or the inspection, you're creating equity in the sense that if the first time you ever mention the inspection is when they need to buy something.
There can be mistrust there.
Not always like you're being upsold something.
The good news kind of like, you know, it builds equity. Like he it should be okay and it is okay. So hey, but just taking the time to mention it is a deposit in an in the future. Thanks so much for watching this clip of Service Driver Revolution. We're uploading new stuff every day, so make sure you subscribe and click the bell icon so you don't miss out. If you have a question you'd like us to answer on the show, call 8333 Ask SDR and we'll answer your question on the show. That's 8333. Ask SDR for special deals on our books and training. Head over to offers Chris Collins inc.com Now that's offers.chriscollinsinc.com I'm Chris Collins, and I'll see you in the next video.
