Paul Tasca's Blog

Paul Tasca's Blog

Paul Tasca  //  

Jan 30 / 2:53pm

If you want to learn how to up-sell, take your car in for an oil change

        Up-selling can be defined as persuading a customer to either purchase a higher quality or purchase a larger quantity of product or service than they  had originally planned. Up-selling results in more revenue for the seller and a larger investment for the buyer.  The consistent ability to up-sell is a valuable attribute of highly skilled sellers.  Up-selling carries with it certain risks including the customer realizing that they have spent or purchased more than they had intended which sometimes causes post purchase dissonance better known as buyer’s remorse.  Skilled sellers will help the customer rationalize the up-sell decision using some left brain reinforcement tactics that greatly reduce the chance of a customer’s change of heart resulting that often results in a cancelled order.

        Today, I had the oil changed in my gas guzzling, American made SUV and I was reminded about the company who I believe most consistently tries to up-sell their customers.  By now you can guess who I am referring to…..that’s right Jiffy Lube!  For those of you who haven’t ever experienced Jiffy Lube or who haven’t been there in a while, let me describe the up-sell scenario that unfolds at every Jiffy Lube location. 

        Jiffy Lube does an admirable job of doing quick, low cost and reliable vehicle oil changes and lubes.  Jiffy lube also does an admirable job of up-selling to its customers by using manufacturer recommended vehicle maintenance as a reason to purchase more than just an oil change and lube.  Here’s what transpires: After the customer brings their vehicle into the facility, a jiffy lube technician will meet with the customer at the service counter while jointly gazing at a computer screen.  On the screen is the mileage of your vehicle and the various manufacturer mileage based recommendations for maintenance items like radiator flushes, fuel filter changes, differential and transaxle flushes and the ever popular, air filter replacement.  My local Jiffy lube guy usually starts with the air filter and says “here is your air filter, it really looks dirty and needs replacement.”

        For those of you who drive a low mileage or late model vehicle, the mileage based recommendations are often not applicable or necessary and as such produce little if any fear or guilt if you elect to temporarily ignore them.  However someone like me who drives an older vehicle like my 1996 Chevy Suburban with 110,000 miles on it, the computer screen comes alive with red exclamation marks indicating recommended and often overdue maintenance.  The Jiffy Lube technician launches into his well rehearsed yet  often monotone rehearsed delivery of telling me what the suggested maintenance is and then pauses at the end of each of at least 5 separate suggestions to ask; “would you like to have this taken care of today?”  My neighborhood technician is a nice guy and at times I find it difficult to patiently and politely wait for him to go through all the recommendations knowing that I will say no to all of them.  Not that saying no is easy for me, in fact part of the reason why Jiffy Lube is so successful in up-selling owes to the fact that most people don’t like to repeatedly say no.  Think about it, how comfortable are you when you have to say “no” particularly to several different options that have been recommended by your auto manufacturer and are designed with your personal safety and your vehicle’s trouble free performance in mind?  If you are like most people, you get uncomfortable saying no repeatedly.  In fact the ability to tactfully say “no” in high stakes situations is a skill set that can significantly increase a person’s performance by increasing the amount of time they have and decreasing interruptions and stress.  (More on the art of saying No in future posts)

        I have spoken with some who refuse to go to Jiffy Lube solely because they dread having to say “no.” Even me the alleged sales professional, have on occasion thought about either changing my own oil, like I used to do back in the day, or going somewhere else to have it done just so I could escape the “no” game and the temporary guilt and discomfort that it produced.  My current tactic is to say “no” to the up sell extras and buy the simple parts like air filters, pcv valves, and antifreeze and do it myself.  The professional sales side of me can really appreciate what Jiffy Lube is trying to do. 

        Today’s savvy product producers and service providers understand that it is much more effective and profitable to increase the sales volume of their current customers than it is to attempt to find new customers. Jiffy Lube is enjoying success due to a well conceived and executed sales plan that recognizes the psychology behind buying behavior.

Paul Tasca     

Author of:

Drumming Up Your Career                                        

Email:  paul@paultasca.com                Web:     http://www.paultasca.com

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