Tell, Don’t Sell

A friend of ours is writing a book.  She copyrighted it but still hasn’t completed it.  We figured she is still in her research mode on how many businesses sell and don’t tell.    We were intrigued by her concept.  Fact is, we tend to abide by her philosophy.  We can’t really sell anything.  The customer is the one who makes the final decision based on what we “tell”.  This brings along another thought.  When businesses are telling are they “fairy telling” or “actual telling”?  This is what any one customer asks themselves.  Now, our friend has agreed that to sell a book is difficult and she has asked if we could “publish” her comments on this site.  Because she has been in the automotive industry on and off for the past 28 years, we thought this appropriate, as many of her stories will likely relate to our industry.  So do understand that although she is interviewing us, and writing this on our behalf, and adding us to some of her stories, all that is printed here is copyrighted under her book that she will compile from these blogs.  Her copyrighted book to be released who knows when called “Tell, Don’t Sell”.

The firs thing that Jane told us was that she appreciated the honesty of a business.  Telling, to some sales people is taboo.  To her, when she was a recruiter in the automotive industry, then later when she had her own auto repair company, telling a client or customer the brass tacks was necessary to retain the integrity and values of the business.    We asked her if she succeeded using her “Tell, Don’t Sell” approach.  She was blunt and honest and said “no”.  This, of course, led us to question why she was trying to promote this method of business etiquette.  It was quite obvious to her.  She stated that although she had been taken (and these stories are to unfold as these posts move along), that during the time she was in business, and although always a tough road, her customers and clients appreciated her honesty, integrity and value system.  So in essence, she told us that even if the businesses she worked for or owned did not pan out, there are specific reasons, and they were not about the “tell, don’t sell” philosophy.  In fact, they had nothing to do with that.  In the case of the placement agency, it was bad management and communication within the organization.  In the case of her own company, she just had bad luck buying two months before one of the worst recessions since 1991.  The first one is something a company has control over, the second it does not.

Her stories of how she handled these issues, both as employee and as employer are to follow.  But suffice it to say, we are happy that she started off as a client, and is now a great friend and believes the same things we do.  Tell, don’t sell.  Leave it up to the customer/client to decide.  If he/she comes back, it’s usually to “discuss” the issue.  Ask why.  Ask questions.  This because you are telling, not selling.  It gives them an open window to feel comfortable enough to communicate with you.  Selling puts pressure on your customers.  Telling them the story invites them to speak and share their opinions.

Now, in truth, we suggested Jane change her title to “Explain, Suggest, Don’t ‘Tell ‘Them’ or ‘Sell to Them'”.  She chuckled.  In the interim, seeing as that title has been posted, be assured, it’s also copyrighted, so don’t try to steal it. 🙂  To this she explained the “Tell” means be honest and open and give disclosure, and the “Sell” meaning a more bullying approach, which she does not condone, as there are some people susceptible to this that later regret it and have remorse towards the business that created that feeling of “I need to buy” but later the feeling “Oh my, I really couldn’t afford it, or needed it, or…”.  So we are okay with her title now.

Until the next post, have a great day and night.

The Paint Touch Up And Go Crew (and if Jane did not quote us right, we will be on her to change to content tomorrow.)

World’s First Street Legal Flying Car On Sale Now for $300K

This is amazing! Check out the link!  See it in action!

http://www.treehugger.com/aviation/worlds-first-flying-car-let-rich-people-live-out-boyhood-fantasies.html

The Petersen Automotive Museum takes King George V’s 1910 Daimler to Pebble Beach.m4v

Unsafe Auto Body Repair

Travelling In the Early Days

 

We have people who have told us about their early travels.  With 30 plus experience in this business, we actually remember.  When we say “we”, we speak to at least three of us.  Storage was not as accommodating as it is today.  One of us remembers a father packing up for a wife, four young girls, and an aunt to travel across the country in a station wagon.  Not much room for comfort, no videos, no Smartphones, not much for any luxury, other than singing songs you knew, a tape player that had batteries, and long hours of scenery and stopping off at tourist spots.  How times change.

This picture is nothing like what some of the roofs of travelling cars looked like.  Trust us.

To the younger generation, be thankful.  To the older, be thankful for the memories and the gratefulness we have that we don’t have to tie up (no bungy cords then) to the roof all the luggage we used to have to carry. 🙂

Remember When? We Do! The Good Old Days At The Drive-In

We love visiting Hemmings Blog.  The old pictures are amazing.  This one was  a Photo courtesy from the Los Angeles Public Library

 

 

We are telling our age, but then again, having been in the autobody business for over 30 years, that in itself is telling.  Now all this has changed, and there are fewer and fewer drive-ins, but they are still so much fun to go to, and although they are now connected to the radio instead of a side speaker, the experience still remains a feeling of going back to the 60’s, and maybe for some earlier.  We also remember how great it was to be able to bring our babies and not worry about them screaming and crying in a theatre, of cooking up some hotdogs in the back of the truck, of starry nights and popcorn.  When was the last time you went to a drive-in?

 

The Arrowhead Teardrop Car

It’s interesting what you can find when you search for “bad auto body work” to educate yourself and the public of how auto body work should NOT be done.  Googling such a request provides some interesting information.  Nothing to do with bad work, but some intriguing facts and such.  So here is one we found particularly interesting.  With this, our opinion is no one wants to have a negative when it comes to auto body.  Otherwise, we would be showing some here, rather than this. 🙂

 

Paintless Dent Removal for A Leased Car

Paintless Dent Removal for A Leased Car By Eric Mello When leasing a car, the lessee must be able to take care of that car, and that includes keeping it looking as good as new so that at the end of the term the lessee does not have to pay extra. The problem is that car accidents can make a car appear old and worn and there is never any special protection against being in an accident – that is why they are called accidents in the first place. They are sometimes simply unavoidable. Whether you are leasing your car or you outright own it, a car accident can mean dents, and dents can mean spending a lot of money fixing them. Well it used to mean that, but it is no longer true. These days when the lease term ends, and you bring the car back, whether you lease it again or not, the dealer will inspect the car to make sure you did not damage it more than it already was when you began the lease term. Additionally, the dealer will make a note of anything that was originally there as well, whether you can see it or not – they can as they have an eye for it and are trained to see even the tiniest dings and dents. If the car is worn more than what the normal wear and tear would be, you will be charged for the excessive use of the car, which is then added to the final lease payment. In many cases, these damage amounts are outrageous and you would have paid less had you taken the car to a professional to have it fixed – even if a dent or other blemish was not your fault. In many cases, paintless dent removal is an option to fix many of these problems, but how are you supposed to know if it is an option for your car? It all depends on what is wrong with the body, and there is a way to tell before you bring it back to the dealer. A lease inspection service can determine the extent of any damage, whether you were in an accident or not. Because this type of service uses the same inspection techniques the lease dealership does, it can tell you whether you would be charged for any wear and tear on the car or not. If you would be, then they can tell you exactly which dents and blemishes would benefit from paintless dent removal. Paintless dent removal is a low cost way to remove dents that can benefit many car lessees. Not only can this process remove dents, but it can leave the car looking as good as it did on the day you leased it, meaning you will not have to pay those outrageous fees. Using special stainless steel tools, from the inside of the car body, you can remove the dents and other blemished yourself, or you can pay someone to do it for you. Massaging the dents from the inside leaves them so clean and like new that without a trained eye looking at it, one could never tell there was something wrong, and because this process doesn’t use any type materials, the cost is kept to a minimum. This means not only are you happy with the repairs, but the leasing dealer will not charge you for the damages and everyone wins. Eric Mello and his hand picked professional team has been restoring cars to look like new for nearly 6 years. Dentech is the largest paintless dent removal company in the New England area.

 

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