Show-and-Tell Approach to Selling Services Builds Trust

Anyone who has stopped for a quick bite at lunchtime has almost certainly been asked if they’d like an appetizer, drink, dessert, or something else. Call it the “would you like fries with” approach to adding some extra. This isn’t limited to the food service industry.

Across the retail sector, offering something extra is an effective way to increase sales and, in turn, profits.

It can include extended warranties, maintenance plans, product bundles, or other offerings. This is sometimes called an “upsell,” and most consumers expect it. However, studies have shown it must be done right to be effective. Consumers may expect the upsell, but they strongly dislike irrelevant, high-pressure, or untimely offers that can make them feel manipulated. When done incorrectly, such as pushing a service that isn’t needed, it can break customer trust and, in turn, lower customer loyalty.

In the automotive service industry, where consumer trust isn’t as high as it could be, shops will need to walk a fine line when selling add-on services. Offers should match what the customer already needs to avoid it being seen as a transparent cash grab, which will only lead to churn. Moreover, customers should never feel that they lost control by being forced into decisions they didn’t ask for.

Ben Capelle, owner and operator of Costa Oil 10 Minute Oil Change franchise locations in Mentor-on-the-Lake and Perry, Ohio, explains that a little education goes a long way.

 “We take an educated approach versus a traditional hard sell,” Capelle tells National Oil and Lube News. “You never want to force a sale, and instead you want to try to educate someone, and in some cases that involves showing them what the product can do or how it will help them.”

A Dirty Air Filter May Be All It Takes

Customers who go in for an oil change largely don’t see the process. They are paying for a service that may extend the life of their cars, but it doesn’t look or even operate any differently when they pull out of the parking lot. Convincing those clients to pay for even more services presents a challenge, because they’re not getting fries with that.

Capelle says that his guys are trained to pull out an air filter, which can be presented to the customer. It is part of a “show-and-tell” approach to offer extra services to the clients. This allows the customer to see what they are paying for.

“Sometimes this is a clean oil filter, and we tell the customer they don’t need to do anything,” adds Capelle. “Other times, they’ll see it is dirty, and they can show the customers and say, ‘This one has seen better days.’ That presents a visual, as people know what a dirty filter looks like. Sometimes during a coolant exchange, we’ll show them so they can see what really dirty coolant looks like.”

That builds trust, especially among repeat customers who will understand that the upsells aren’t routine. For other services, there will still need to be an explanation of why something might be needed.

“If it is an additive, it is about education,” says Capelle. “We need to stress, ‘This is going to help you get better fuel economy. Have you done it in the past?’ Then we can explain it to them.”

According to Capelle, Costa Oil 10 Minute Oil Change remains very committed to getting customers in and out of the shop quickly, which limits the number of extra services it can offer. It hasn’t added or even dropped many of the add-ons.

“We have a very limited pool of value-added we offer the customer,” admits Capelle. “We’re very much an oil change shop, and don’t offer a lot of services. But it is still about education.”

Let the Customer Decide

Extra services should be offered, but if the client declines, it should be left at that in most cases. Unless something presents a real danger, the customer is always right. Attempting to add a few dollars during what the customer expected to be a quick oil change won’t result in repeat business.

“We are very low pressure, and we try to let the customer decide,” Capelle tells NOLN.

Instead of a high-pressure sale, customers should see value. This is also where promotions can come into play, and Capelle says he will offer package deals customers can choose from. That helps the client feel in charge.

Extra services can also be mentioned when going over pricing at the start of the process, and presented if needed. If a tech sees an issue, they should say something, and whether it results in an add-on service, it may still build customer trust.

“If someone comes in with a car that has more than 150,000 miles, we’ll mention a high-mileage additive, and then leave it to the customer to decide,” says Capelle. “Other products, we can ask after we’ve started the work. While my bottom side guy is under the car, we’ll ask about wiper blades.”

This is where the show-and-tell while educating comes into play again.

“If you show someone a dirty cabin filter, nine times out of 10, they’ll see it is really gross and say I want a new one,” says Capelle. “So we see this as ‘show-and-tell’ with a very heavy emphasis on education.”