A survey by Castrol has revealed that technicians are missing out on opportunities to offer high quality consumables alongside a vehicle service – with 5 out of every 10 motorists saying they would be ‘happy for their workshop to upsell more expensive, premium-quality consumables if the benefits were explained.’
Comment from JLM CEO
Responding to the survey, Gilbert Groot JLM founder and CEO said: “This is something we’ve been saying to technicians for many years. The days are over when promoting additives was something most technicians would swerve. This was in part because they were suspicious of the quality of additives and lubricants. And in some cases, rightly so. However, with the growth in products over parts set against the backdrop of budgets being tightened, not to mention rising fuel prices, even the most sceptical mechanics are now talking to us. In their defence the market remains flooded with inferior products, denoted by their low price and demonstrable lack of active, working ingredients. However, we have built the trade trusted reputation of our brand with top tier technicians. They advocate for our products which helps in building our reputation across the board. But we need more technicians in general to take a fresh look at high-quality additives for prevention, cure, and performance. Not only do they keep workshop bills down but a whole new world is opened up to the motorist. A reasonable workshop bill is not delivered at the expense of cutting back on the work completed on their vehicle. And motorists can see how a small investment in additives will help keep their vehicle running optimally with good fuel efficiency.
More than just maintenance
Additives now go beyond simply ticking the maintenance box. In some situations, for example the MOT, additives such as the JLM Emission Reduction treatments can actually turn a failure into a pass by reducing the emissions to the legal standard in just one application and within a few hours. How important is this for the technician looking to deliver the very best service to their customer and for the motorist, anxious to ensure their vehicle remains legally roadworthy? Additives now tick many boxes. Savvy technicians recognise this.
Survey reveals opportunities to build garage revenue
The Castrol research also revealed an even bigger win for garages – not simply to use trade quality products as part of vehicle servicing and repair but also to recommend some products to their customers – motorists and commercial. These are the additives that will help keep vehicles in good working order all year long. The garage benefits with an ongoing income stream through regular repeat purchase. And a healthy vehicle also means vastly improved fuel economy. So trusted additives will deliver significant and growing ROI for the motorist and fleet owner.
Why technicians must act now
“Motorists being ‘open to paying more for better-quality consumable items for their car, provided the benefits are explained to them first’ is welcome news for any technician,” continued Gilbert Groot. “But they must act on it and fortune favours the fast! This means having conversations with JLM where our unrelenting focus is on delivering trade quality formulas, underpinned by rigorous testing – in the laboratory and in the workshop. Fundamentally it’s the responsibility of the workshop to promote the benefits of every product they recommend to their customers. Because if they do this then everyone wins.”
