Until his untimely death at age 58 last week, Tim Russert had drawn the highest ratings and the best of Washington’s insiders and spin doctors.

The anchor of ''Meet the Press'' on NBC began his dominance of Sunday morning TV so long ago that the Internet had not yet boomed, no one had ever heard the name Barack Obama , and Hillary was considered the best bet to continue the Bush-Clinton dynasty.

Politicians seemingly can take any fact and spin it to make it sound positive for them. And Tim Russert knew it!

While no one would suggest that people are stupid, it could be suggested that people believe what they hear until someone else proves them wrong. And any time someone who is considered to be an expert regarding a certain topic speaks, people have a tendancy to believe what they say. Provided, of course, they say it with confidence and bold conviction.

This is why you have an advantage. As a service professional, you are considered by most to be an expert regarding the service needs of a customer's vehicle. How you present your goods and services, and the manner in which you provide the reasons for your recommendations, will ultimately determine your success. Do you spin a great story or don't you? Do you present your recommendations with confidence based on the data you have or not?

Too many service consultants simply sit back and let the customer tell them a story without telling the customer one of their own. Simply walk around someone’s vehicle and look under the hood and you'll find plenty of stories to tell. And it's good stories that catch the attention of the voting public.

Successful politicians tell good stories and so should you.

Now once again, I'm not suggesting you tell false stories.

Good story tellers can make you believe anything, but that isn't my point here. My point is that not enough of you even try to tell your customers what they need. Instead you let them drive the process, resulting in lost revenues and unhappy customers. That's right! Customers who spend more money are happier! Not when you sell those things they don't need, but when you help them by identifying maintenance or safety concerns they do need.

Take a lesson from the politicians. Spin some good stories and get a vote of confidence from your customers at the same time.