"Certified Service Advisor"

Module 1: Successful in the role of a service advisor

Subtopic 6: Tools of communication

Areas of communication

Communication
Non-verbal
Verbal

Language Body language

Written Spoken Distance

Volume Posture

Tone of voice Facial expression

Tempo Gestures
Pauses Eye contact
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The interpretation of body language is an interplay…

... of the situation ... ... the spoken word ...

... the surroundings ... ... the people involved ...

Therefore: Be careful not to judge prematurely!

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Functions of body language

•Signaling function

•Language supporting function

•Feeling expression function

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Gestures … and their interpretation

Gestures emphasize or clarify the spoken word.

Examples of hand positions:

Source: http://www.kassenarzt.de/w3.php?nodeId=7078

Typical hand positions:

• Offering a seat with an open palm.
• Palm up pointing towards own body indicates openness.
• Finger on mouth: Wanting to hold something back.
• "Double-barreled pistol": Wanting to "shoot down" the other person.

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 The pen as a barrier

Source: from Sammy Molcho: Understanding body language correctly

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 Index finger as a sign of dominance (open and concealed)

Source: from Sammy Molcho: Understanding body language correctly

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 Appeasing…

Source: from Sammy Molcho: Understanding body language correctly

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Facial expressions ...

… refer to the visible movements of the face (mouth and eyes).

… clarify the mood/emotions of the conversation partner:

• surprise
• anger
• sadness
• happiness
• fear

… are often a factor in deciding whether we like or do not like somebody.

… provides quick feedback about the effect of the spoken word on the conversation partner - so observe carefully.

Approx. 65 muscles are needed to frown -

but a smile only needs about 10 muscles - and life is already tough enough…

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Eye contact - a glance says more than a thousand words

Eye contact…

… creates a "bridge" from person to person.

… indicates perception and establishment of contact.

… can be pleasant and encouraging - but also probing and penetrating.

… strengthens one's own position in critical moments:

• when dealing with complaining customers

• when stating/discussing prices

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Posture... on the way to a total work of art

Posture …

… Provides information about the state of mind of the conversation

partner:
• How is your customer sitting in their chair?
• How does your customer enter the dealership?

… Interpret within the overall context:

• Folded arms do not necessarily indicate that your customer has a closed and negative attitude - perhaps they are
straining to listen to you.
• A change in posture is often a signal of "inner change" in the customer (e.g. he leans forward and is ready to sign
the order).
Successful customer discussions take place on one level - stand up if the customer
is standing in front of you and then offer them a seat.

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Posture and its effects

If you're depressed, it's

This is how I stand extremely important to stand
when I'm depressed. in a certain way.

The worst thing you can do So, if you want to get

is stand up straight and lift something out of your
your head up because then despondency, you have to

Fritztoons by H.Writh December 2009

you feel better immediately. stand like this….

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Distance - Keep your distance
From 3.00 m

1.50 m to
3.00 m

0.50 m to
1.50 m

Up to 0.50 m

Intimate distance

Personal distance

Social distance

Public distance

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 Closeness or distance?

Source: from Sammy Molcho: Understanding body language correctly

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Knowledge about body language helps you ...

... to use your own body language deliberately:

• Increased understandability and customer orientation
• Awareness for the effect of our body language signals on customers

... to understand the signals expressed by our customers:

• What does the customer really want to tell us?
• What sort of mood is he or she in?
• How does the customer respond to my statements?
• How close or distant am I from my customer?

... to use your own body language as a means for positive conversation:
• Establish a pleasant conversational atmosphere
• Reflect to the customer that I am really interested in their issue

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A few practical tips ...

Avoid body language signals which could have a negative effect on your customer:

• Continuous (monotonous) nodding when listening.

• Excessively pronounced facial expressions (particularly negative ones) such as frowning, pressing your lips together.
• Raising your index finger or clenching your fists.
• Holding a pen in your hand
(tempts you to play with it or acts as an extension of your index finger).
• Postures which your counterpart could interpret as "closed"
(e.g. arms folded in front of your chest).
• Continuous rocking onto the tips of your toes.
• Standing in front of products whose function you want to explain.

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Areas of communication

Communication
Non-verbal
Verbal

Language Body language

Written Spoken Distance

Volume Posture

Tone of voice Facial expression

Tempo Gestures
Pauses Eye contact
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Conversational tools

Holding a conversation

Inform Question Listen

Speaking techniques Open Passively

Arrangement of arguments Closed Actively

4 promoters of understanding Tactical "Paraphrasing"

Conversational climate

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Arrangement of arguments

1. Chain of arguments

Argument 1 Argument 2 Argument 3 ...

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Arrangement of arguments

2. "Arguing the pros and cons":

Pros
Cons

Conclusion:
"After weighing up all advantages and disadvantages
I recommend that you …"

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The four promoters of understanding
Simplicity:
- Simple presentation
- Short, simple sentences
- Commonly used words
- No technical jargon
- Specific, illustrative presentation
Brevity/conciseness:
- Restrict arguments to key points
- Avoid "softening" and hypothetical
phrases
- Brief and to the point
Breaking down/ordering:
- Clear sequence of arguments
- Underlying thread is recognizable
- One thing after the other
Additional stimulation
- Use specific examples from the
world of the customer
- Why not a joke, if it fits?
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Question techniques

Closed
Open questions
questions

?
"What, Why, How" questions: "Yes" or "No" questions:
• Opening the conversation • Make a decision
("Should I order you a ...?")
• Background information
("How often …?") • Bring conversation to a focus
("Has it been rattling for a long time?")
• Prompt to talk
('"...how do you see that?") • Convert purchase signals
("Are you ready to sign?")

Tactical
questions

•Alternative question
("Will you be paying with cash or by card?")
•Suggestive question
("Now I'm sure you'll agree that...?")

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Why is listening so difficult?

•When listening, our "map" meets the "map" of our conversation partner

•In conversation, we encounter the world of the other person

•Each conversation partner tries to "defend" his or her "map" with appropriate arguments and
evaluates, consciously or unconsciously, the "map" of the other person ("correct" or "incorrect",
"good" or "bad")

•Each conversation partner identifies very closely with their own "map" and thus they find it
difficult to be interested in the "map" of the other person

•However, it is exactly this interest which forms the basis for true conversations - otherwise a
monologue between two people results, possibly with an internal "struggle" against the other's point
of view

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Which skills are needed for listening?

•The ability to put one's own opinion side

•The ability to tolerate differences

•The ability to incorporate feelings and intuition in conversations

•The ability to not have to understand something immediately

•The ability to ask further questions

•The ability to put negative evaluations aside

•The ability to interrupt as little as possible

•The ability to express what one has understood

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Fundamentals of listening

Brain capacity
350-400 WpM

Speaking speed
120-140 WpM

WpM = Words per minute

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Types of listening

Passive listening
• e.g. listening to a presentation, the radio

Active listening
• Verbal indications of attentiveness (yeah..., sure...)
• Eye contact and turning towards conversation partner

"Paraphrasing" (rewording what you heard)

• Rewording what you have heard reduces the risk of misunderstanding, e.g.:
"Have I understood you correctly, that..." or "If I have understood you correctly, then..."

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Conversation inhibitors

Devaluing the customer in a conversational situation

• Commands (First have a good look at your vehicle before you order something from us!)
• Playing things down (... These things can happen ...)
• Pigeonholing (… That is normal for this model series ...)
• Evaluating (... You shouldn't see it like that ...)
• Talking about yourself (... That's interesting, but here we recently had ...)
• Persuading (I wouldn't think about it for too long if I were you, the time is right!)
• Threatening (How about you say that to the boss!)
• Worldly wisdom (Well, appearances can be deceiving!)
• Irony (Well, it looks like you drove just a tad too quickly there…)

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Dealing with negations

Do NOT think about the Eiffel Tower now - it's not possible!!

Instead of: "Because of the ... I am sure you won't break down in the next two years."

Preferably: "You can drive without worry for the next two years.""

Our brain thinks in images and cannot deal with negation!

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Conversation boosters

All means of communication which aim to…

• Understand the customer well.
• Determine even more effectively what the customer means and show him or her
that you are interested in what they say as a service advisor.

• Paraphrasing
• Summing up
• Clarifying/"getting to the point"
• Repetition to narrow things down
• Putting things in context
• Asking questions

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