A Look at the Science of Upselling

Have you ever brought your car to a shop for a simple oil change, only to end up having all your filters and tires replaced? You might feel bad about the shop and about yourself after the incident, not able to explain how you were tricked into giving in to the mechanic’s suggestion when all you really wanted in the first place was a simple change of oil! Well, this happens all the time, and we’ve had some mention of this in the past.

That, friends, is what you call upselling. That is a selling technique that many establishments employ, not only auto repair shops. Even fast food chains employ that technique. Remember the time you gave in to the counter personnel’s suggestion to upgrade your fries and drinks? That’s upselling, and there’s nothing illegal about it.

As a car owner, however, you’d want to avoid incidents like this. Often, the extra services offered to you may not actually be necessary, so you’re just like wasting money. To avoid falling into this technique (or trickery, as you may want to call it), you must anticipate upselling when you bring your car to the shop. And, you must have the courage to say no when the mechanic starts his litany of extra service offers.

If you tend to give in easily, bring a list of services that you want performed on your car when you go to the shop, and show the list to your mechanic. Tell him that those services are the only (and you mean the ONLY) services that you want done. Once he insists anything, just refer on the list and remember—that’s all you need, and nothing more. Upselling will always be a part of any business enterprise, but you can deal with it effectively if you’re prepared.