...and know how much business you will have next week, in 3 months? 6 months? Or even a year?

In fact, you have the power to set up your future service business now and know exactly how much business you will have. Many dealerships have already achieved great success in setting appointments for the coming days, and, if they are very effective, even the coming weeks. The true success, and ultimately, the future success, of your service department lies in repeat business. That is the customer who visited your service department today who comes back in 3 months or 3000 miles (5000 kilometers) for their next service visit.

Dentist's offices are truly the best example of how pre-setting future appointments is successful. We've all experienced it, we are leaving the dentist's office from our regular checkup, we arrive at the "cashier" to pay our deductible or whatever and, without fail, she asks us if we would prefer a morning or afternoon appointment, 6 months from now, for our next checkup. We look over the counter to see her "shop schedule" almost completely full, so invariably, we say "morning of the 22nd would be great." In many instances, we have no idea whether or not this will be a convenient time for us, yet we book the appointment regardless, just to ensure we "get in."

If we employ this same philosophy to our service departments and to our appointment schedule, we would have much of the same success.

Many service advisors and managers feel that customers won’t make an appointment for 3 months into the future because "they're not sure when it will be convenient." Fair statement, however, wouldn't the dentist's office that is booking 6 months into the future have the same objection from their customers? Of course they did, and they also learned, like any good salesperson, how to overcome those objections and sell the next appointment.

The biggest mistake we make is that we ask if they would like to make their next service appointment. Does the dentist's office ask?

In fact, we should simply assume that the customer will be setting their next appointment each and every time they leave.

Example: "Ok, Mrs. Customer, thank-you for doing business with us at ABC Motors today. We've scheduled your next recommended service appointment for Wednesday, August 3rd at 8:10 am and we will call to remind you of your appointment on the 2nd of August and if, for some reason, you are unable to keep your appointment at that time we will be able to reschedule the appointment for you. Have a great day."

In the example, the customer was never asked a yes-or-no question (closed-ended question) to the making of her appointment. It was simply set for her for the specified date and time. What objection could this customer possibly have? The appointment was set, a confirmation call time was set and the option to reschedule at that time was offered. More often than not, this customer, or any customer for that matter, will simply agree to the appointment. The example shows no "hard sell" or pressure. In fact, it seems quite logical, doesn't it? The confirmation call will ensure that the appointment is kept or rescheduled, and you will know exactly how much business is scheduled for your service department three months from now.

Sell your appointments, just like you sell the maintenance or repair, and you will be amazed at how easy and profitable it truly is.