| Watch almost any old movie and when the hero stops at a gas station, there’s going to be this old, wise-looking gas station attendant coming out.
Who you know will go the extra mile to make sure the hero’s car is in the best condition?
You don’t see much of it these days.
Perhaps in New Jersey and Oregon, and a few other places, where retail customers are prohibited by law from pumping their own gasoline. But it’s still not the same thing. Which is why the story my friend told me really surprised me.
I swear this sounds like it’s straight out of the 1950s.
Right after the car got filled up, the attendant came to my friend and asked:
“Hey, may I check your coolant and radiator?”
It’s a free service, and it’s better to be safe than sorry. The last thing anyone would want is a dead car in the middle of nowhere.
Here’s where it gets interesting:
After opening the hood and checking all the relevant bits and bobs, the attendant came to my friend and said:
“Man, you’re running low on coolant. Look… It’s not that much of a priority and we are a few months away from winter.
But lemme tell ya.
I have a couple of friends who drive the same car. I’ve seen what happens when you don’t put coolant in time… and I’ll be honest, it’s not pretty.
The last thing you’ll want is the water rusting through your engine’s cooling system. It costs a small fortune to replace one of those.
Or worse… seeing your engine overheat in winter when the water in your radiator freezes.
… I’ve worked on this car before, I’ve seen it happen.”
… after which the mechanic suggested my friend buy some coolant for the car and have it poured in ASAP!
My friend gladly took the offer.
And left the gas station with a huge smile on his face. When I asked my friend what prompted him to take the offer…
He told me the way the gas station attendant spoke to him, made him trust his word.
So how does that apply to your business?
When you show your customer you understand their problem better than they understand it themselves…
Plus, you understand it in a way that is unique and specific to them… much like how that mechanic mentioned how he knows the car from past experiences...
It’s almost as if this flips a switch in their heads the moment you do it. A switch that
switches them from just knowing you… to trusting you.
And from the trust, comes the willingness to buy from you.
Here's a quick shortcut to help you:
When you speak to your customers, picture yourself as the wise old mechanic from a 1950s gas station, explaining to someone that there’s something wrong with their car’s cooling system. Explain their problem.
Not the solution (they won’t believe you just yet).
But the problem.
Show them you understand, and know the problem better than they do. Show your level of experience with the problem.
When you do that, their eyes will suddenly light up... and they'll be ready to hear the solution… and pay for it, too.
To Your Success, Paul Hanson
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