Upselling?

So here is something that probably bothers some people, but maybe it does not bother everyone.  I know it is something that bothers me.  I mean, it is not the end of the world.  But it is just something that has always rubbed me the wrong way.

I am talking about upselling.

Upselling.  When someone working in retail, food, service, or any other industry tries to get you to buy something a little bigger and more expensive.  Sometimes it is just as simple as a waiter or waitress asking if you want dessert.  Other times it is a newer model of a car instead of the one that you are looking at.

Why does this bother me so much?  What makes me uneasy about it?

I think that it bothers me because the very nature of upselling is the opposite of customer service.  The goal of upselling is essentially completely selfish.  Upselling does not add value to the customer.  It is not giving them a better product.  It is not giving them a better price.  In most cases, it is not even giving them something that they want.  The goal of upselling is to try to get the customer to buy more of something or something bigger and more expensive in order to bring more profits in to the business.  It is business-focused.  It is employee-focused.  It is not customer-focused.

That is my issue with upselling.

Give me a person who listens to me and actually cares about what I want and need – and that person will get my business every time.  They don’t need to upsell because I will give them my business all the time.

Just some thoughts…