What’s the difference between a $31 and $60 oil change?

I took our Honda Odyssey to Grease Monkey to have have the oil changed. As I sat in the waiting area, several customers came looking to do the same. Listening to the exchanges was interesting. Whenever someone would ask for a basic oil change ($31), the person behind the counter would ask if they would like to upgrade to one of the following:

1. High Mileage Oil ($47) 
2. Synthetic Blend ($52)
3. Full Synthetic ($60)

Several people came in with cars well over 100,000 miles. These people would be good candidates for the high mileage oil. Yet I didn’t see a single person upgrade to any of the fancier, more expensive oils and I think I know why: The Grease Monkey employee could not explain the benefits in layman’s terms.

I would guess that most customers who use a quick lube and oil shop are also owners who don’t know all the nitty gritty technical details of their cars. They want to get in and out with minimal fuss. I’ll bet few know what kind of oil the manufacturer of their car recommends let alone the difference between 5W-20 and 10W-30.

The Grease Monkey employee might have given a great technical explanation on why a synthetic oil would be a better choice, but the soccer mom, the teenager and the elderly man I saw today were lost seconds into the explanation. The Grease Monkey employee was using words like grade, viscosity and SAE which confused the customer. And when a customer is confused they will revert to what the know. In this case it meant asking for the standard, least expensive oil they’ve used before.

Although the Grease Monkey employees were helpful and well trained from a technical level, they were not able to explain their services to customers who would benefit most of their services and upgrades.

Can your employees explain the services and products your company offers? Better yet, can they explain them in the terms your customers will understand?