Something the NOLN 2024 Operator of the Year Jeffrey Crafton wants to make clear is that achieving this title would not be possible without his team.
“I could not do this without my guys,” Crafton says. “This is an award for every one of us, really. It’s me, Justin Smith (district manager), Jason McCarley (district manager), and all of our managers and technicians and every single person that works for us—the reason that Sayle Oil Company and myself are able to earn this award.”
Established in 1947 by Isaac Sayle, the family-owned Sayle Oil Company is based in Charleston, Mississippi. Ike Sayle is the current president, with Jimmie Stennett and Kevin Sayle as co-vice presidents.
The company has wholesale lubricants, propane, and a quick lube department—where Crafton serves his role as the director of lubes overseeing 15 shops across north Mississippi, with branding that includes the Sayle Oil Dipstix brand as well as Service Pro and Shell Rapid Lube.
It’s a big company, Crafton says, but not so big that it doesn’t feel like a family. And family is a connection that runs deep for him when it comes to automotive.
“The automotive industry itself is really in my blood,” Crafton says. “My grandfather, my father, and then all of my uncles were diesel mechanics.”
An Inevitable Career
Crafton remembers tinkering around on cars, four-wheelers, and dirt bikes as a kid. He learned about vehicle maintenance young; he recalls with fondness. He says he always knew he was bound for a career that required working with his hands.
“I can remember being an 11-year-old kid and changing oil for my dad on his vehicle because he was determined to show me how to do that,” Crafton says. “I don’t know if it was more him wanting to show me how to do something or he just didn’t want to do it himself, but either way I was doing that kind of stuff as a kid.”
He never paid much attention to quick lube shops growing up, mostly because his family took care of preventative maintenance themselves. But during his senior year of high school, everything changed when he got a call from a friend working at a Sayle Oil shop. There was an opening on the team, and Crafton took it.
Heading into the job, he remembers thinking it was going to be easy—it was a job to get him through his last year of high school. He had the knowledge and skills to do the tasks already, but he quickly realized he was in an entirely different environment than he was used to.
“Being in a pit is totally different than laying on your back changing oil,” Crafton says.
The start of this job was his first true introduction to the quick lube industry. There were some learning curves, but from then on it was full steam ahead. After working in the pits for a while, he moved to the top and then became an assistant manager. This is when he started to really lay down roots with Sayle.
He was enjoying the work and doing a good job—and it wasn’t going unnoticed. Crafton relishes working with others, talking to customers, and says he has a “knack” for being able to get along with anyone.
“After becoming assistant manager, I got to thinking, ‘Well, maybe this will work out for me,’” Crafton says. “Next thing you know, I’m 20 years old and they’re asking me if I’d like to run one of our locations.”
Customer Consultation
It wasn’t long before Crafton sharpened his skill set by moving his work through multiple different Sayle Oil shop locations. After having those experiences, he says eventually one thing led to another and his boss at the time approached him about becoming a training coordinator for Sayle Oil. Crafton was happy to do it.
“I took pride in seeing the stores get better and helping people get better, and meeting new people and going to different places,” Crafton says.
He held that position for about a year, and then the director of lubes job opened. He moved into the role in 2017. Crafton says he’s learned everything through on-the-job training, meaning that he’s gathered skills along the way while working and learning at Sayle Oil that have blended well with his natural ability to communicate and connect with people. He says he took the director of lubes role and never looked back.
“My leadership style is more of a hands-on approach,” Crafton says. “I enjoy getting out in the shops and working with our crews. I enjoy ... the customer aspect of it all, and that’s really what motivates me and my style of leading is being able to work with our crews and our guys and our technicians.”
Crafton acknowledges that, by the nature of his work, sometimes he’s sitting in an office doing paperwork. But he is always itching to get in the shops and put boots on the ground.
He’s also motivated by making positive improvements at the shops—mentioning how a personal approach to work helps add to a culture that people want to be part of. He says the turnover rate has improved “tremendously” because of such efforts.
Additionally, Crafton says collective car count over the last six years is up, as are ticket averages. Some of this growth is organic, he points out, as it can depend upon factors like the type of oil being used. Something that never changes, though, is the emphasis Crafton and Sayle Oil place on being “car care consultants” for customers.
“Talking with customers, being a consultant, not trying to be a salesman (and) not trying to be pushy,” Crafton describes.
This involves being thorough by checking everything and giving customers an option to add services on. This, in turn, increases add-on sales. But Crafton emphasizes that it’s about informing the customer—not forcing them into a sale.
“So, I try to tell my guys, ‘Nobody wants to be sold anything,’” Crafton says. “They want to be told about their car. They want to be told what they need, or what could make their car better or make it last longer.”
Plan Accordingly
A customer-first mentality is standard for Sayle Oil employees. It all comes down to care. Crafton says he personally can go to a shop location and if he sees a customer he’s worked with in the past, they often remember him as well. Crafting these connections turns them into repeat customers.
“There are so many places that people can go to get their oil changed, so we want to give them a reason to come back to us,” Crafton says.
Crafton says Sayle Oil employees are trained in customer service and efficiency—but overall, it’s about providing a job well done. The goal is for the customer to walk away satisfied and without any unknowns about the shop’s service.
“We want customers leaving feeling like we just gave their car the best care as possible,” Crafton says.
This is a mindset that’s certain to continue for Crafton, even as aspects of the industry shift. While not all Sayle’s shops are modeled this way, the most recent building, Dipstix Tire & Lube in Oxford, has six bays and includes mechanical service alongside oil changes. Crafton also says some shops that had car washes have since had those converted into mechanical bays.
It’s a strategy that still encompasses all the services Sayle is already doing consistently—oil changes and ancillary services such as filters—but also anticipates and responds to changes.
“So, we can offset ... the fact that return mileages are going up and then electric vehicles are going to be more prevalent in the near future,” Crafton says.
Another forward-facing component of consideration for Crafton is his career. He’s dedicated to the work he does with Sayle Oil, a company he’s been at since he was just a teenager.
“I see myself doing this for the rest of my life, and hopefully I get to do it for Sayle Oil Company for the rest of my life,” Crafton says. “It’s just, I enjoy the people that I work with. I enjoy the customers. I enjoy all aspects of it. I enjoy being around vehicles.”
Take Center Stage—Together
When he started as director of lubes, Crafton says Jimmie Stennett told him something he won’t soon forget.
“He said, ‘Jeffrey, always be there for your employees. Always be there for your guys—have their backs. If (you) do that, they’re going to do what you ask them to do most of the time—you're always going to have people giving you pushback. That’s just life,’” Crafton says. “He said, ‘If you’ll always be there for them, you’ll gain their respect.’ And that what I try to do.”
Crafton says he can’t claim perfection—no human can, after all. But what keeps him going is offering respect to everyone and helping others grow. This kind of care naturally extends to customers, as well. Crafton says he considers customers to be the strongest driving force at Sayle Oil.
“One of the things that we like to say is (that) we want to make people ... feel like they’re part of the Sayle family,” Crafton says.
That’s why Sayle Oil does things like customer appreciation days. These days often involve setting up tents at a Sayle Oil shop location, conducting giveaways, handing out water, catering food, and providing discounts.
“We just try to really make it a big deal and let people ... see what we’re doing and ... give back to the people (who) give to us,” Crafton says.
It’s clear that it’s the people who make a difference for Crafton. His team and his customers are a common theme when he talks about his job. He says he may sound like a broken record with the number of times he brings up those two groups, but his continued efforts to shine the spotlight on them showcases what makes him a strong leader.
It’s one thing to love your job. It’s another thing to have love for the individuals you work with and the customers you serve. For Crafton, it’s all the above—and it’s exemplified by the values that guide Sayle Oil Company.
“We do work really hard, and we’re motivated to make our customers happy, (our) employees happy, and the rest is all going to fall into place,” Crafton says.
