Customer Service: Making Money by Giving Stuff Away

I had an interesting experience with an automobile repair facility. My car would soon need new tires, so I stopped into a place I had never been before because I was driving by late in the day. I talked to Bobby. I said, “I’m going to soon need new tires, and I need some advice on whether I should replace the shocks, too. The car has 55,000 miles on it.”

Bobby and one of his associates said, “We’d love to sell you new shocks, but, unless you have a specific problem, you really don’t need to replace them till 100,000 miles. The quality of shock absorbers has improved so much, that they last longer now than they did ten years ago.” Well, that was an unexpected surprise, and good news.

Then we talked about tires and Bobby said, “Let me take a look at them.” We walked out to my car and he bent down, looking at each tire and feeling the tread depth. He said, “You don’t need tires yet, but you are close. This is as front wheel drive car, so you should have your best tires on the front. While you are here, why don’t you let me do a free tire rotation for you?” Another pleasant surprise!

It was the end of the day, so I could take 15 minutes for a free tire rotation. While sitting in the lobby, I thought, “While the car is on the lift, I wonder if he’d change the oil. It’s due now.” So Bobby’s technician changed the oil. The free tire rotation generated a little $24.00 sale, paying for itself. While I waited, Bobby printed out a quote for new tires based on the kind of driving that I do.

What’s the lesson?
1. Bobby established trust with me immediately by telling me the truth: I did not have to buy new shocks.
2. He made a goodwill gesture, almost like saying, “Thanks for stopping to get a quote for new tires,” rotating my tires for free.
3. I was going to get the oil changed anyway, so he took care of that with very little extra time consumed for me.
4. It was the end of both our days, so he spent a few minutes chatting with me, and further developing a friendly, trust relationship, something hard to find in the auto repair world.

Bobby would probably not have volunteered the free service if it had been the middle of the day, and his waiting area was full of people getting their cars serviced or repaired. But he had an idle technician, who was getting paid anyway. He had a genuine prospect for tires, and he wanted me to come back in a few weeks. So he did a smart thing: he showed that he valued my potential business, and he treated me with courtesy and friendliness.

Guess where I bought a new set of tires about six weeks later? From Bobby.