the art of the upsell

At work, I need to upsell. This isn't objectionable to me, because everything we have to offer, I feel like really helps people, however, I struggle with it because of the stigma associated with that word.
I was talking to someone the other day and he asked, "are you upselling me right now?". My answer was simple, "yes, for your own good."

The same scenario applies in my home life as well. My son may not ask, "Mom, are you upselling me?" when I try to convince him that asparagus is the real treat, not the gummy bears he wants, or when I "trick" him into cleaning up his toys. But I've learned that upselling him on the things that are good for him is a lot of what parenting is about at this age.

Three year olds can not be reasoned with rationally. But, you can convince them that this shiny object is shinier than all the other shiny objects, even if it might require them to (insert household chore/task/favor here).

One day, he'll be using those tactics on me to convince me to let him stay out later, go to whatever concert, have whatever video game system etc. and I'll know he learned it from the best!