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M E M B E R N E W S
When the phone rings,
nothing else matters
When Alexander Graham Bell invented the first practical telephone,
he presented it to US President Ulysses S. Grant, who commented
‘What a great invention, but who in the world would ever want to
use one’.
He couldn’t possibly know that about 140 years later, everyone would
not only want to use one, but in the world of business, to be without
one would be corporate suicide.
Even today, many small business operators still regard the telephone
purely as an emergency communication device: to order parts
quickly, to phone home, to chase up a customer.
A phone is a lot more than a communication convenience. Every
phone on the desk of a business is a lifeline to money and profit.
For most people, the first contact with a vehicle workshop will be
through a telephone conversation and what they hear on the phone
will determine whether they do business with that workshop. The
tone of the first conversation will establish the customer’s first set
of expectations about the workshop and the standard of service
they will receive.
It’s not enough to be able to answer the telephone. Without a
telephone handling procedure, clearly understood by everyone
capable of picking up the phone, this communication device will
not pay its way.
This might seem far-fetched, but it would be possible for a business
to be sent to the wall in a very short time if phone calls were handled
badly, with rudeness or disinterest. The reputation of the business
rests largely on how the phone is answered.
When the phone rings, nothing else matters.
There’s a simple six-step phone procedure which all businesses need
to adopt to get the best out of Mr Bell’s great invention.
The six steps are fully explained at www.tatbiz.net.au/capricorn but
in brief, they are:
1. The greeting
2. Ask questions, listen and take notes
3. Build value and prescribe a course of action
4. Assume the sale and book them in
5. Get their details
6. Thank them and confirm
Even if all six points are studied and carried out to the letter, the
phone call can still turn sour if the person answering the phone is
having a bad day.
So the first and most essential step in all phone handling is to slow
down and smile just before you pick up the receiver. Believe it or
not, the smile will travel through the copper wire and will be felt at
the other end.
Use the templates and samples provided at www.tatbiz.net.au/
capricorn to develop your own telephone answering procedure.
Supplier Focus
Multispares Limited
Location: Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch
Zones serviced: New Zealand nationally
Number of years as a Capricorn Preferred Supplier: 10
Website: www.multispares.co.nz
Background
Multispares is an independent company providing mainstream distribution
of high quality bus, truck and trailer parts. Multispares has grown from a
supplier of Leyland parts established in 1976 into a large public company
offering a wide range of parts for most truck and trailer models. The
business is based on an integrated network of 14 wholly owned warehouse
and sales outlets located around Australia and New Zealand.
PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
Multispares runs an online catalogue with more than 1 million products and
applications. When Capricorn customers call our national parts hotline,
they are automatically connected to their nearest Multispares branch. Our
staff use this catalogue to quickly and efficiently interpret most customer
requirements. Capricorn customers can request a password giving them
access to their account from anywhere, allowing them to use this catalogue,
place orders and track order progress.
All Multispares branches provide twice daily deliveries to the local
metropolitan area and are located to provide overnight freight at reasonable
cost to most regional areas.
The range of products stocked at all Multispares Branches includes high
quality components for engine rebuilds, filtration, lubrication, cooling,
John McKenzie Automotive
Location: Invercargill, New Zealand
Zones serviced: New Zealand nationally
Number of years as a Capricorn Preferred Supplier: 8
*Manual gearbox specialists*
electrics, brakes, clutch, steering, suspension, driveline and many
accessories. If the product isn’t in stock when customers call then we will
get it in overnight.
BENEFITS TO CAPRICORN MEMBERS
• Discounts for all Capricorn Members
• Immediate access to a credit account
• Consistent high quality backed by a 12 month warranty
• Huge range of competitively priced products
DIsTRIBUTION cHANNELS
Australia and New Zealand nationally.
It doesn’t matter how good the technicians are, how great the
location, how brilliant the website – if a phone call can’t be converted
into a loyal customer, paying the phone bill would seem to be a
waste of money.
So if the intention of a business is to generate and improve sales,
everyone who works in the business must be trained in a well
structured telephone procedure, and then be able to carry it off
with confidence.
Background
Purchased in 2004, John McKenzie Automotive are specialists when it
comes to vehicle dismantling and also offer a range of aftermarket parts
and services. John McKenzie Automotive are based in Invercargill and
visit their trade clients in the area. We operate a full time workshop with
5 permanent staff who work on rebuilds for our trade customers.
Products and Services
John McKenzie Automotive specialise in manual gearboxes for Japanese
vehicles including utes and 4WD's. We sell manual gearboxes on an
exchange basis and undertake manual gearbox re-builds for other
workshops.
Vehicle dismantling is one of our specialist areas. We purchase vehicles for
dismantling and sell the refurbished parts onto our trade customers. We
also supply aftermarket lamps and seatbelts.
We stock a huge range of Japanese ute and 4WD gearboxes and are the
experts when it comes to dismantling Japanese vehicles.
BENEFITS TO CAPRICORN MEMBERS
John McKenzie Automotive are specialists. We don't spread ourselves too
thin. We pride ourselves on being honest and always make an effort to get
back to our clients. We respond to client requests, giving them the best
advice based on our years of experience. Capricorn Members can have
confidence when they deal with John McKenzie Automotive.
DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS
Whilst we can distribute nationwide, being based in Invercargill we
predominantly service the southland and central Otago as well as the lower
half of the south island.
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