About Me

I should have started my blog with an initial post about who I am... So let's get into it! :)

My name is Olivia, and I am currently a senior majoring in marketing. Eventually, I would like to work on advertising campaigns, and being a part of the creative process that goes into them. I'm all about creative expression:)

 I turn 21 in 18 days (!!!). I'm a fairly quiet person until you get to know me. I'm often times very spontaneous in my decision making, and I think the fact that I don't like making decisions attributes to my spontaneity. I'm also fairly sensitive, and I have to remind myself not to take things too personally sometimes.

This makes me sound like the laziest person alive, but I love eating and sleeping. Both are seriously in my top 5 favorite things to do in my spare time. I like a bunch of other things too, like skiing, snowboarding, swimming, camping, reading, crafting, singing, etc., but when it comes down to it, the simple pleasures in life are what make me the most content.

                     

Coffee is one of my favorite things on planet Earth, hands down. My love of coffee is pretty unhealthy, and I don't even know how well the caffeine works for me anymore, but I keep convincing myself I need it in order to stay awake. That, or I just convince myself that I need it because it's delicious. Speaking of which, excuse me while I go buy myself a dirty chai that I don't actually need...

I LOVE travelling. Love it. It's one of those things that I never feel guilty spending money on, because the experiences and the memories that I take away from travelling are, in my opinion, priceless. On two separate occasions this past summer I traveled to Portland to visit friends, once by plane and once by car, just because I wanted to. Although I could have spent that money on more important things, like my credit card bill or car insurance, I didn't. And I don't regret a single thing.

(Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach, OR; Multnomah Falls; The Goonie House in Astoria. SO COOL:))

A few fun facts about me:

• I hate sleeping with socks on. I can't fall asleep until I've taken them off.
• Deep water in natural bodies of water TERRIFIES me. Not because I can't touch the bottom, because I know how to swim, but not knowing how far down the bottom is or what's lurking down there absolutely terrifies me.
• Macaroni and cheese is my favorite food group. Obviously I know that it's not a food group, but it really should be. 

This is me in a nutshell:)

Upselling Consumer Behavior

People like being told by others what they want. Simple as that. How many times have you been out at a restaurant, scanning the menu for what seems like hours, only to reach the conclusion that you have no idea what the hell you actually want? Maybe this doesn't actually happen to you. Maybe you always know what you want, and don't need someone to hold your hand and help you choose. But believe me, I see it happen all the time. Usually, I'm the one doing the hand holding...

My name is Olivia, and essentially, I get paid to hold people's hands, influence their behavior, and help they make decisions. That description makes me sound like some sort of a high school guidance counselor, but I'm just a server at a restaurant in town. A lot of our customers are pretty familiar with the menu; what they like, what they don't, what they'd be willing to try, etc. However, I never fail to work a shift where a customer is completely at a loss for what they want. Insert hand holding here.

"What's good here?"
"Well, were you thinking about a burger, a salad, a sandwich...?"
".....um....I don't know. What do you recommend? Item X or item Y?"

Ryan Gosling gif
(I'm pretty much the Ryan Gosling in this case) 

If I had a quarter for every conversation I've ever had at work that has followed this same basic format, I probably wouldn't need to work anymore. 
When a customer is in doubt, I always try to upsell. Essentially, all upselling means is that I'm trying to get him to spend more money than he was probably planning to originally. And since he didn't know what he wanted to begin with, upselling will more than likely be successful.  

Examples of upselling attempts that have proved to be successful in the past:
1. Would you like to add guacamole with your nachos? 
2. Do you have a preference in vodka for your martini? Nikolai is our well; we also have Grey Goose, Belvedere, Absolut...
3. Would you like to add a soup or a salad to your entree?
4. Would you like to try our creme brulee or tiramisu for dessert?

In short, some people just need to be told what they want, at least in the food industry. When there are many products from which to choose, many consumers get overwhelmed, and lose sight of their preferences, and would rather have an outsider help them choose. Asking others for their opinions or recommendations about a product gives validation to the customer that that product is a good choice. Receiving confirmation about a potential purchase from someone else is who is more well-versed with that product instills more confidence in the consumer, so that they are able to make a decision, and be satisfied with it. 

Being in the service industry can be frustrating, because consumers' behavior is so unpredictable that you never know who can make a decision alone, or who needs a good hand holding.