FEATURE STORY By Bob Clements
Dealing with difficult customers among other common issues
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eldom does a day go by that I don’t receive a question from dealers who have either read my articles or attended my workshops. They
range from issues dealing with employees, finance, floor plans, manufacturers, distrib- utors and customers. During my next few articles, I thought it might be beneficial to group some of the questions together into categories and share my thoughts on how I would handle or deal with them if they came up in one of the dealerships with which I work.
Customer issues Customer problems are an issue for all
dealerships and are a recurring theme in questions that are asked by dealers. I think we would all agree that customers are an important part of the business, but I find in most cases that dealerships bend over way too far to help some customers who sim- ply need to be fired. You all have them — those customers
who regardless of what you try to do, are never satisfied, but continue to come back (probably because other dealers have al- ready fired them). As an owner, it’s impor- tant to understand that not everyone who walks in your door is someone you want as a customer. As a matter of fact, 10 to 15 percent of your current customers create the bulk of the headaches in your dealer- ship.
It may be difficult to think about get-
ting rid of customers you have invested time and money on trying to attract to your business, but when a customer is cost- ing you money or driving your employees insane, it can be a smart move. Of course, you don’t want to let a prof- itable customer go if losing that revenue
As an owner, it’s important to understand that not everyone who walks in your door is someone you want as a customer. As a matter of fact, 10 to 15 percent of your current customers create the bulk of the headaches in your dealership.
22 OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT www.outdoorpowerequipment.com
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