Kalimex, the UK distributor of JLM Lubricants, discusses the valuable opportunity upselling provides to the independent workshop.
Building new income streams for your workshop is within your grasp. Take additives and lubricants. Once viewed with suspicion by technicians they’re now at the forefront of the sustainability revolution, playing a big part in the Repair over Replace and Products over Parts movement. If you’re not yet promoting additives for customers to use in between workshop visits and, explaining how you’ve used them for servicing and repairing their vehicles, you’re missing out on significant sales.
Here are eight top tips to help you become the ultimate additives’ advocate.
- You’re in this for the long haul so choose your additives’ brand carefully. Do other technicians endorse them? Do they have a robust trade reputation? Do you receive support from the supplier – at the end of the phone as well as email? Are their products bargain basement or competitively priced because they deliver on their claims? How big is their range? A few products per category is insufficient. The company you choose should have a broad range of tried and tested products with many designated professional use only, plus of course a first-class pedigree.
- Don’t base your decision on low price. It’s a flawed strategy. A Castrol survey revealed that technicians are missing out on upselling additives with 51 per cent of customers saying, ‘they would be happy for their workshop to upsell more expensive premium quality consumables if the benefits were explained to them’.
- Explain to customers why you’re recommending a particular brand. A conversation – face to face, online and in print should include benefits, the reputation of the company and their trade credentials. In the Castrol survey 30 per cent of motorists said they worry that workshops use lower quality consumables and yet still charge a higher price.
- Take advantage of point-of-sale promotional merchandise, posters, signage, display units and leaflets offered by your chosen brand. Promote the company on your website and in your social posts. If customers can see the brand and can read about it when dropping off and collecting their vehicle they are forming a positive impression before the real conversation begins. Research has shown this form of brand promotion puts the customer in the right frame of mind so that when you’re talking to them, they are receptive. It also means they can research the company beforehand which is reassuring.
- When providing an estimate for a customer include the additives you will be using with a brief explanation why. Can you link to the product(s) for expanded details? Customers are interested in sustainability and want to ensure their vehicle can remain in good health and on the road for longer for less. Additives tick all these boxes so don’t overlook this at estimate stage.
- Build another growing income stream by selling additives to customers for use in between workshop visits. The ideal time is of course when you’re handing the keys back after a service, a repair, vehicle MOT or a health check. Again, explain the benefits – cost saving, performance improvement, maintenance of vehicle health etc. You can also promote additives in your email promotions and your social posts. Cultivate the habit of a minimum one-a- month promotion where you spotlight three great additives. Consider an exclusive offer to encourage action.
- Ensure every member of your team is on board with your ‘additive strategy’ from the person helping the customer check their vehicle in to the technicians and any sales staff. It starts with you being enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the brand you are promoting and the products you will be stocking for repair, maintenance, and upselling in between workshop visits. Every person in the business is an ambassador for your brand so ensuring early buy in and consistency of message is crucial.
- Do the sums! If you’re considering stocking high margin, trade trusted products and promoting them to customers why not make an estimate of what this new revenue stream could mean for your business? There’s nothing quite like seeing the figures to motivate you to go all out.
Remember, promoting additives and lubricants complements your skills, your business, and your customer service. Customers are looking to you to recommend products that you can stake your hard-won reputation on. These are not the cheap-as-chips formulas on sale in the local supermarket. So, be firm, be convincing and be enthusiastic with your recommendations knowing that you really are delivering the best service and giving the best advice to every customer.
