Three menu-presentation situations. Pick the response that follows the framework. Read the coaching notes either way.
1
The First-Time Customer
Scenario: Mrs. Carter just had her 2019 Pilot inspected — first visit at Dyer. MPI flagged: front brake pads at 2mm (red), cabin filter dirty, brake fluid dark, battery test marginal. You've built a CDK menu: Good $420 / Better $740 / Best $1,180. Now you're calling her.
You:"Hi Mrs. Carter, this is Mike at Dyer. Got a minute?" Mrs. Carter: "Sure, what'd you find?"
Pick your first move after she says that:
Line-item quote. No menu structure. Customer feels hit with a number. Conversion drops dramatically.
Menu, but rushed. Skipped confirming she saw the video. Presented high-to-low to a first-time customer (wrong sequence). No headline framing. She's overwhelmed.
Right sequence. Always confirm she saw the video before the menu. The video does the convincing on the brake finding; the menu just lets her choose what to do about it.
Coaching Notes
The video is the proof; the menu is the choice. Skip the video confirmation step and the customer hears the menu as a cold sales pitch. Confirm video first, then headline the finding, then present the menu.
2
The Budget-Constrained Repeat Customer
Scenario: Mr. Reyes is a loyal customer — 4 years at Dyer. You presented the menu (Good $480 / Better $920 / Best $1,540 for brakes + maintenance items).
Mr. Reyes: "Honestly Mike, all three are more than I can swing this month. Lost some hours at work. Is there any way to push this off?"
Pick your response:
Pressure. He just told you money's tight and you're insisting. Trust drops. Customer remembers it.
Tone-deaf. Maybe financing helps. But he didn't ask for it — he asked if it can wait. Read the room. The right move is to find the safe minimum, not push them into debt.
Family treatment. Acknowledged the situation, found a safe minimum below Good, set up the rest for next visit. You just turned a stressful call into a positive memory. Loyal customer gets more loyal.
Coaching Notes
When a customer tells you about a real budget constraint, ADAPT below Good if needed. Care about the customer, not the RO. The Declined Repair Op on the rest becomes a strong warm lead for next visit — and you protected the relationship.
3
The "What If" Customer
Scenario: Ms. Patel is in for an oil change on her 2017 Camry. MPI flagged a coolant flush as due (preventive). You included it in Better and Best tiers.
Ms. Patel: "I've never done a coolant flush. My old car ran fine without it. What if I just skip that?"
Pick your response:
Doesn't land. "Manufacturer recommends" is the most-ignored phrase in service. Customers have heard it for years and learned to dismiss it.
Fear language. Technically possible but unlikely in the near term. Customer feels manipulated. Trust drops.
The cheap-insurance pattern. Acknowledged her experience, named today's price, named the downstream cost, let her decide. Now she has real information instead of a recommendation she'll dismiss.
Coaching Notes
Preventive maintenance is hard because there's no current symptom. The cheap-insurance math works because it converts the question from "do I need this?" to "is it worth $180 to avoid $900?" — and that's an easy yes for most customers.
Roleplays Complete
Three patterns: start with the video, adapt below Good for real budget constraints, use cheap-insurance math for preventive. Run these in your next service meeting as live partner exercises.