Lip Service
First Class Telephone Skills
These companies have benefited from Margie's ability to tailor telephone skills training to their specific needs. Click on automotive and parts for a sample course outline.
State Farm
HBO
Frontier Airlines
Dish Network (Echostar)
Hewlett-Packard
Aveda Spas and Salons
Back to Top
Calming and Retaining
Angry Customers
Everybody gets angry! It’s a normal emotion. The way we handle customer complaints and outbursts of anger can make the difference between either losing or retaining the customer’s business. This training provides an understanding of what triggers anger in customers and what customers really want when they are upset. Business specific real life scenarios give participants an opportunity to skill practice calming themselves and upset customers.
YOUR PEOPLE WILL LEARN
- What causes customers to become angry
- Why customer complaints should be encouraged
- Their level of effectiveness through a “Personal Anger Attitude” survey
- When a refund/restitution is justified
- The seven things angry customers want from service providers
- The very first thing to do when someone “blows up”
- Six tips for maintaining control when under fire
- Six steps to calming the angry customer
- Strategies for managing the swearing customer
- How to eliminate escalation to the third level of customer anger
- Active listening—it’s hard work but worth it
- How to implement the feel/felt formula
- To identify weak words that trigger anger
- How to use the five “W” words to uncover the real problem
- How to create empathy statements that calm
- Why saying “I’m sorry” is required even when it is not your fault
- Why it’s important not to blame shift
- Three forbidden phrases never to use with angry customers
- Whether the customer is worth saving
- Emotional first aid to help us quickly recover—8 “get real” questions
- From real life scenarios—skill practicing elements of calming, implementing and providing resolutions
- It’s always about our attitude
WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
Everyone in your organization who has any contact with customers
LENGTH OF PROGRAM:
Three hour AMI approved course
Recommended in conjunction with Lip Service: First Class Telephone Skills
Back to Top
Selling from the
Inside Out
What if after talking to a complete stranger for five minutes you were able to determine what their driving force is? Would this power with people help you in hiring, selecting leaders and interpersonal relationships with co-workers?
Each of us has a particular behavioral pattern - a distinct way of thinking, feeling and acting. Few of us, however, understand the power of our behavioral style and how it interacts or conflicts with others. Participants will complete an electronic (on-line) profile or a Profile Preview© to get a whole new switched-on awareness of themselves and others. A DVD of the four personality styles speaking directly to the participants as to their needs and expectations plus a 45 minute humorous overview of the four styles enhances the learning.
YOUR PEOPLE WILL LEARN HOW TO
This program includes a 45 minute fast-paced humorous overview of each of the style strengths, weaknesses and fears and how we can better communicate with each other based on these tendencies.
Back to Top
Purchase
Clients
Winning Women Customers
With fifty-one percent of our population being female, you are also aware that the majority of your customers are women. What do women customers want? Are you cashing in on their loyalty, unending referrals and wealth? What specifically are you doing to gain their trust? This class will show you exactly what to do to increase your share of this often overlooked market.
YOUR PEOPLE WILL LEARN
- How female savvy they really are
- That women are not just buying groceries and clothing but also big ticket “guy” things
- The influence of mothers in the workforce and what women buy. Truth in numbers
- How much of the conversation should be directed to the woman when addressing a couple
- About a new breed of woman consumer who is, in all likelihood, out-earning her spouse
- Why it no longer fits to say, “Do you need to check with your husband?”
- To rid ourselves of the image of men carrying the cash and that spending stops at age 55
- That women refer from their circle of influence twice as many prospects as men do
- To identify thirteen adjectives/phrases women use to describe how salesmen talk down to them
- From a poor sales example, better words to use when selling to women (an activity)
- Sixteen tips for Winning Women Customers: From point of contact to post sale
- That by simply meeting the needs of a woman, they will automatically exceed the expectations of a man
- To “Sweat the Details” of a “clean and comfortable” environment. An itemized checklist. (an activity)
- How to connect and educate women through the “Takeaway Bag” and by conducting a “Women's Car Care Clinic”
- How to increase their share of the largest market segment-women
PURPOSE/RESULT
Participants will have an increased awareness of how to better communicate with women customers as well as how to create a more comfortable
buying experience resulting in more referrals, loyalty and increased profits.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
Those who sell products or services to women.
LENGTH OF PROGRAM:
Three hours—please add fifteen minutes for breaks
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Margie Seyfer has been conducting specialized training in the automotive aftermarket since 1994. Women trends is one of America's hottest new topics and one that has lacked training in predominantly male dominated industries where customers are primarily women.
Back to Top
Purchase
Attitude is Infectious
AMI Approved
Up to one hour keynote available on this topic
The most successful small businesses are those where there is mutual respect and input of ideas by employees. It is an environment that supports employees as a team. Many times, in the automotive business, implementing a team concept is viewed as untenable. This workshop dispels that myth and shows owners and employees how to implement a team concept both with technicians and front office staff.
Half day to full day program activities:
- Attitude self assessment
- How to rev up our vocabulary to energize our people as well as ourselves
- Ten traits of positive people and root causes of poor attitudes
- Determining the results of negativity at work
- Neutralizing the US Vs. THEM mindset
- Managing your mouth—eliminating why, won't, can't, don't, they
- Managing anger effectively-visualizing how we will react in advance
- Two points of view—Exploring how to find the positive beyond the negative first reaction
- Attracting and retaining positive employees
- Recalling our best/worst boss—how we would want to be treated as employees
- Learning how to conduct employee feedback conflict resolution exercises that open communication and repair work relationships
- Five tips for fostering team spirit in an automotive business
- The underutilized power of the written thank you note
- Eight ways owners can create a workplace employees will never want to leave-and not one of them is about money
- Improving your attitude culture—what are you going to do about it?
Additional topics can be incorporated into this program. All of the above topics are included in a three-hour program.
PURPOSE/RESULT
Creating a healthy, supportive and productive work environment
WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
Owners and management level personnel and spouses, if desired
This training includes real life experiences from automotive shops around the country
Back to Top
Purchase Book
