The quick upsell can spell profit

Jan. 1, 2020
Upsells are a great way to generate additional gross profit.
John Shoemaker upsell upselling services Upsells are a great way to generate additional gross profit. They give you an edge with customers and can actually give customers confidence in your repair by showing them you have an interest in their vehicle.

Always examine the vehicle closely as you write an estimate, not only for unrelated damage but little things that give you upsell opportunities.

How does the pinstripe look? Is it faded or damaged? Will the new one you install in the repaired area make the rest of the vehicle look bad?

Your objective is to return the vehicle to pre-accident condition. Will a mismatched pinstripe meet that objective? That's an opportunity for an upsell.

"Mr./Mrs. Customer, you may notice your pinstripe is a little faded. During the repair on your right front fender we will be replacing the pinstripe and the new fender stripe may look like a mismatch. I recommend we restripe your vehicle during the repair to make sure everything matches well and maintain your vehicle's appearance." Since your insurance company is paying for the repaired area I can reduce our normal $79.99 pinstripe charge to $50."

You will charge the insurance company for the pinstripe so the only expense you will have is the labor. Since it is generally easier to restripe a vehicle than it is to match an existing stripe, you have made your job easier and added $50 to the bottom line.

There are a couple of upsells you can quickly generate through your detail department. The first deals with the exterior of the vehicle. Offer the customer an opportunity to have the unrepaired area of their vehicle waxed.

"Mr./Mrs. Customer as I look over your vehicle I can see that the environment has caused your paint to fade. When we refinish the repaired area the new paint will have a fresh luster, which will make it look different. I can buff and wax the remainder of the vehicle for $100 and give your car a fresh, like-new appearance."

This upsell helps you in a couple of ways. First it helps you with the paint match, especially on white and red vehicles, and when the customer sees the shiny vehicle, it will make your delivery easy.

You can recommend to the customer that they bring their vehicle back in 30 days to have the repaired area waxed free of charge. This will give you a second opportunity to look at their vehicle and open the door for additional upsells.

The second detail upsell deals with the interior.

"Mr./Mrs. Customer as a courtesy we will wash the outside of your vehicle and vacuum the inside to make sure we do not send any of our dust home with you. In addition, we offer a complete detail service at a reduced cost to all our collision customers."

The benefits of this upsell are the customer will absorb your expense of washing and vacuuming the vehicle after repair and you have the opportunity to generate $125 to $150 in detail income. Whenever you gain income and eliminate an expense, you have added net profit.

In addition to these quick upsells, there are several upsell opportunities in the repair shop. You can offer paintless dent repair in blend panels, generate additional labor hours through rock chip repair in repair/blend panels and offer headlamp restoration when you replace only one headlamp. These are easy upsells when you present them to the customer as a way to allow you to help them make their vehicle look better.

Tire replacement also offers upsell opportunities, especially when you are only replacing one tire in the repair. By working with your tire distributor, it's possible to find deals that will allow the customer to replace all four tires at a reasonable price making that betterment the insurance company charged them a little easier to swallow.

When I look at upsells I look for items that increase the value of the customer's vehicle and reinforces my genuine interest in them and their vehicle. When you use this strategy your bottom line will increase and in most instances your repair and delivery will go smoother by increasing the customer's confidence.

About the Author

John Shoemaker

John Shoemaker is a business development manager for BASF North America Automotive Refinish Division and the former owner of JSE Consulting. He began his career in the automotive repair industry in 1973. He has been a technician, vehicle maintenance manager and management system analyst while serving in the U.S. Air Force. In the civilian sector he has managed several dealership collision centers, was a dealership service director and was a consultant to management system providers as an implementation specialist. John has completed I-CAR training and holds ASE certifications in estimating and repair. Connect with Shoemaker on LinkedIn.

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