Which Is More Important To Being Successful In Windshield Repair?

[Delta Kits]

One of our members asked me to put up a poll asking which of these things is more important to becoming successful.

It's an informal poll, so no "unfair poll" remarks like last time!

[Jeremiahswindshieldrepair]

Of course you know my answer to that. SALES ... reason being is you have no jobs to perform your masterful customer service and quality repairs on if you have no sales. The nice thing about being able to sell is you then have jobs that give you experience which makes you able to deal with more people more successfully. In other words you can learn customer service through attrition but sales needs to be learned deliberately ... but honestly if you have bad customer service don't bother getting into the biz in the first place .. sales is based on honesty and within that honesty is a fiduciary responsibility to treat your customers fairly and accurately. Which is in essence the definition of customer service, to do what you say you will do and be concerned about THEIR welfare before during and after the transaction. So being able to sell is basically being able to transfer the feeling of honesty and integrity to that other person and making them feel as though you will be taking good care of them and their needs no matter how long or what excess effort it might take. If you portray this in your sales presentation then don't do it in your work then you aren't even a good salesman let alone a good businessman. They both are the same thing.... salesmanship = customer service ... you need to have congruancy of both because neither tands on their own.

At least that's what my 4 year old daughter Naomi always tells me .. who knows if it is all true??

[screenman]

How do you give good customer service if you do not have the customer in the first place.

Sales is the start of your business customer service comes after.

[jeff2]

I guess I may be reading more into the questions, I believe you have to have sales ability, but it does not have to be "Excellent". I look at "selling" simply the offer of a service to a potential customer, it begins there, you develop techniques the longer you do it and might find a specific niche you feel comfortable with. You have to make good on your "sale" by doing a repair to the best of your ability. IMHO

[StarQuest]

I can honestly tell everyone reading this that I've never been some super salesman in windshield repair or for that matter in any other business I've been in during the last 25 years. What I can tell you is that I've always successfully dominated an area of business by offering a higher quality service then my competitors, without ever lowering my prices.

In the last few years I've managed to steal 10 accounts away from both Harmon and Safelite in both repair and replacement. They have super salesman working for them so how did I beat them out? I've done this without payouts, buying donuts or offering incentives. I simply out serviced them and all my accounts realized the importance and savings with that.

Do you have to sale to get those initial accounts? Of course you do! Do you have to be excellent at it (or a sales professional) to acquire new accounts? I wasn't! Having the natural ability to sale a product or service is great! Having the ability to provide a excellent product or service is even better!!!! Sorry to say this but not many sales pros I've been involved with over the years have delivered half of what their selling. If you want to become sucessful in WSR I would suggest you deliver 100% of what your selling;)

[cure4glass]

Salesmanship will certainly be advantageous in getting the accounts, but customer service and quality is what will keep them.Both are essential to survive in business imo.

[repare-brise]

Both must co-exist in harmony, at some points in a comapnies evolution one or the other will take precedent, but success requires both to varing degrees IMO.

Merci

[Repair1]

Service is the key! With good service you will win more accounts than any talk or price could ever achieve. Money Management/ Business Management is very important, since this is a seasonal business at least here in snowy Utah anyway. If you look at how the big boys run it you will see they separate sales and service. I think it was zig zigler that said,

[GlassStarz]

Service is the key to keeping an account sales gets you that account If you cant sell you cant work

[jeff2]

3 Step Recipe for Sales Sucess
1.) Know your product.
2.) See a lot of people.
3.) Ask them all to buy.

quoted from Rick Harman 10/1/1999