Succeeding in Sales After Automotive Service Advisor Training: 3 Signs Your Customer Is Ready to Buy

If you’re considering becoming an automotive service advisor, you can look forward to selling a variety of services and car parts throughout your career. But while some of the sales you’ll make will be fairly simple—for example when a customer comes in and absolutely needs to have their brakes replaced or another repair performed—other maintenance work will require you to use your sales skills to communicate the benefits of the service to the customer and close the deal. Knowing the right moment to close a sale sets apart the average automotive service advisor from the exceptional one.

If you’re wondering how to tell when a customer is ready to make a purchase, read on for five fool-proof signs to watch for.

1. Pros with Service Advisor Careers Know a Customer Is Ready When They Start Saying “When” Not “If”

A key sign that a customer is ready to buy is when they stop using hypothetical language and start using concrete language. For example, after automotive service advisor training, you might be tasked with selling a preventative maintenance package. When the customer switches from saying “If I get these repairs” to “When I get these repairs”, they could indicating they are ready to move forward. Although subtle, this small change in language is a great indicator your customer is ready to close.

2. Positive Verbal Affirmations Can Show That a Customer Is Ready to Take the Leap

At the beginning of your service advisor career, you might notice that some individuals are averse to being sold to. When first entering your shop, they may seem closed off, doubtful, or hesitant about what you have to offer.

Using your sales skills and automotive knowledge, you’ll work to find a solution that’s a perfect fit for their needs. Once the customer is convinced that what you’re selling is right for them, they’ll likely begin to loosen up and relax. Signs of this could include making more eye contact, smiling, and uncrossing their arms. Once you see this change in demeanor, it’s time to stop selling and start closing.

3. Pros with Service Advisor Careers Know Customers Who Inquire About Pricing Are Closer to Buying

If you’ve been chatting with a customer about possible services or automotive parts for a while and they begin to ask about pricing, this could be an indicator they are ready to take the plunge. As soon as this happens, the roles of the sale become reversed. You’re no longer pitching your product to them; instead the customer is pitching to you in order to get the best price. This is when you should stop selling and listen to the customer to find a great package deal.

4. Asking About Warranties and Delivery Dates Means a Customer Might Be Ready to Buy

At the beginning of a sales conversation with a customer, you’ll likely provide an introduction to the product or service they are interested in and talk about its features and benefits. When the customer begins asking questions about nitty-gritty details, such as warranties, delivery dates, or timelines, it shows that they’re seriously considering paying for a repair, opting for routine maintenance, or any other service your shop may be offering.

Questions about details demonstrate that the customer is now thinking about how repairs are going to impact them moving forward. Keeping this in mind, once a customer starts asking questions about the details, it’s time to begin moving them towards a close.

Did you know our car mechanic school in Cambridge provides leading Auto Service Advisor training?

Contact Automotive Training Centres today to learn more about our programs.