615-358-7096

Shop Employee vs. Shop Representative

Every interaction you have with your customers is a reflection of your shop's goals & ethos and whether or not you are bought in with them. This goes beyond branding and beyond being the face of the company. It gets to the root of poor mindsets like "not my customer," "they weren't going to buy anyways," "sorry, it's just company policy, my hands are tied," ... the list goes on. The more you see yourself as just an employee, the less you will care - the shorter you'll be with customers on the phone, the less you'll try, and the bare minimum will become your standard. When you have someone else (the company) to blame, there's no reason to have any pride. Pride comes with ownership and being your shop's representative.
Dec 12 / James DeVito
The inspiration behind this article came from a moment I had with an employee at a small local business. I asked about a seasonal special they were running and this person said something to the tune of “yeah, I guess they want to focus some attention on that.” They want to…not “we.” He was referring to the owners of the business. The weight of what had just occurred caused me such an immediate pause that I had to grab my phone and make a note to come back to it later. The employee? Just another day at the J-O-B.

Employee Mindset 

What this represents is an employee mindset that leads to non-ownership of the customer experience as it’s connected to the policies, processes, and structure of the business. What does this sound like in practice? “It’s our company policy to not give quotes over the phone but…” That’s an employee blaming the business for not being able to give the customer what they want - making the company the bad guy. “My boss is really putting pressure on us to…but let me see what I can do.” Now the manager is the bad guy. No one needs to be the “bad guy” for you to be the good guy. When you are working in a customer-facing role in your business - ESPECIALLY if your role is to solve customers problems - playing the blame game doesn’t help anyone. There’s a person talking with YOU who needs YOUR help to solve their problem. In their mind, you ARE the company and you should be able to provide them with a solution utilizing your business processes - which are based on your company goals (more on that later).

Buy-In 

Do you have full buy-in on how your shop operates and the why behind those things. If not, you’ll never be able to have ownership over what you’re recommending to your customers. Not just the recommendations themselves but the process you’re leading them down, the next step, everything. Without buy-in > you don’t have ownership. And without ownership, you don’t have conviction. 

  • Why does your shop price things the way they do? Are you okay with being more expensive than another shop and can you confidently - with conviction - talk about that to a customer. 
  • Do you have buy-in on not giving quotes over the phone?
  • Do you have buy-in on not using customer supplied parts?
  • Do you have Buy-In on the 300% rule?


If you come across something in your store that makes you say “Man, I just don’t know if I agree with that.” Many times this is because you don’t have a full enough understanding of “the why” behind that policy or process. You need to ask your manager about that so you can come to terms with it and not let it affect your mindset, headspace, and attitude when working with your customers.

If I were to go to an interview with a shop right now, I’m not just asking about HOW they do things but also WHY they do those things. I’m interviewing them just as much as they’re interviewing me. I need that buy-in so I sell with confidence and, again, conviction. From day 1 I’m selling with:
- “yeah WE can definitely help with that and OUR first step inspection process will guarantee that WE can provide with an accurate repair estimate that’s attached to an accurate repair recommendation. Are you available to come by right now?”

NOT

- “Yeah, this shop seems to do things a little differently. I’m new here and still getting the ropes but…”

Come Into Alignment with Goals of the Shop 

What are your shop's larger goals?
  • Delivering on the best customer service a shop can provide alongside doing the repair right the first time.
  • Providing a great place for people to be employed and find careers.
  • To be the cheapest or be the best?
  • Giving customers not just what they want but also what they need.
  • Taking care of customers and doing the right thing.
  • Give back to the community through things like giving away cars to families in need, brakes for breasts, free LOF’s for veterans around veterans day, toys for tots, etc.


Your Sales

The more you have an employee mindset…
The more you push back on and don’t have buy-in on the way your shop operates…
The more you push back on and don’t share your shop's goals…

The more you’re not in sync with being your shops representative, …the more sales you will lose. Period. It will show in subtle ways: from your word choice, to your enthusiasm, all the way to your commitment to helping customers find solutions. Do you put them first because you have pride in yourself and pride for the business you represent? Knowing that your level of effort is a reflection on the company’s goals; and because you have buy-in on those goals & share them, you give your best effort every time.