Fast Food and RV Dealers

by: Michael Rees

Other than the fact that many RV salespeople eat fast food while working, what do fast food restaurants and RV dealerships have in common? Let’s find out with two examples of experiences I had recently at fast food places.

The Popeye’s Experience
My partner and I were in a town conducting some training, and, like many RV salespeople and managers, decided to stop at a fast food restaurant for a quick lunch.

We pulled in to a Popeye’s for some chicken. Now, I know we weren’t going to spend much money there, but it would have been nice if we had received some kind of customer service.We received no welcome, no interview, no building of customer rapport, just someone with their fingers on the till waiting to take the order. “Yes,” was the one word that finally spat out of the order-taker’s mouth. Although this was not a customer-friendly experience, it didn’t stop the sale from happening. After all, we had made the trip, arrived at our destination hungry, and ready to pay for food, so we did just that.

The food was good, the service sucked, but they made the sale. The restaurant made the same amount of money with lousy service, as it would have with good service. Popeye’s has been around for a while, and will probably stay around, because it’s good fast food.

The Chick-Fil-A Experience
Two days later, we went out for lunch again. This time we drove a little further away to a Chick-Fil-A.

As soon as we pulled up, we noticed a difference. The building was clean, a definite air of professionalism hitting us smack in the face as soon as we opened the doors. The place was busy, with a number of people in line waiting to place their orders. The line of cars for the drive-thru circled the building. I immediately thought we would be in for a long wait, and wondered if we would be able to eat there and return to the dealership within our lunch hour. Then came the best experience I have had in a fast food restaurant. Although we were not next in line, the people behind the counter acknowledged us and promised that they would not be long. They welcomed us to the restaurant, and they were correct, the line moved quickly.

“I’ll be happy to help the next guest in line” came from a smiling face behind the counter. I gave my order, paid the bill, and received my meal. Here’s the kicker, when I thanked them for my food, they responded, “My pleasure.” What a difference from, “You’re welcome.” I really believed it was their pleasure to serve us the way they did.Why? Because, they are “differently better” than other fast food restaurants. They took pride in who they were and what they did.

This terrific experience didn’t end there. As we ate, a host came to our table to ensure our meal was good, and asked if she could top off our drinks for us. After a few more minutes, the owner of the restaurant visited us to ensure our satisfaction. Although he didn’t single us out for this attention, we felt special.

On getting up to leave, the host immediately noticed and came over to the table and cleaned it for us, so we didn’t even have to drop anything in the trash.What a difference from two days prior, and, we didn’t pay any more for the meal we had at Chick-Fil-A than the meal we had at Popeye’s.

The Difference
Now, I expected the experience to be better at Chick-Fil-A, because I know the company’s background. I know that the owner, S. Truett Cathey made a conscious decision a few years ago to have every employee of Chick-Fil-A to respond to a customer’s thank you with “my pleasure.” He announced it at one of their annual conventions. However, to announce it and to have it firmly in place are two different things. How did that happen? It‘s called accountability, desire, tenacity, and respect.

He held his people accountable for implementing his request. He visited different restaurants without them knowing who he was to check on implementation. He visited one where he did not get a “my pleasure,” and instead of talking to them about it right there, he went back to the headquarters, and went down the line, through the proper chain of command, so it finally got to the owner/operator of the restaurant in question. They changed their process. This process is management, not micro-management.

He had the desire to put this process in place, and the tenacity to do what it took to succeed. He had the respect of all of his subordinates, so they willingly went about the task.

What Should RV Dealerships Do?
So, what does all this have to do with RV dealers? Although sales go through, it doesn’t mean that the dealership will have repeat business from those customers if the service was poor. RV dealers sell fun. Make sure to remind your people of that, remind them that they all need to be very proud of what they do and take pride in their dealership.

A couple of the dealers we work with have started to say “my pleasure” instead of “you’re welcome,” even to each other. They are becoming differently better.

With many salespeople experiencing less income than in prior years, their attitude sometimes reflects this. As a dealer, you need to change that. You need to have thedesire, respect, accountability, and tenacity to make sure your customers enjoy the best experience ever while at your dealership. Make it happen while you still can.