Increase your sales with up-sells and cross-sells

What's the difference?

• Up-sells - Offering an upgrade, add-on or more expensive item.
• Example: for a telecommunications vendor, moving a customer from a basic plan to a plan with more features.
• Cross-sells - Offering additional and complementary products to an existing sale.
• Example: in a sports equipment store, after the customer selects golf clubs, offering balls, shoes and accessories.

Why do these work?

     It's all about the customer's frame of mind.  When a customer decides to purchase something, they are in "buying" mode.  By up-selling or cross-selling at that moment, you are better able to meet their needs and have a unique opportunity to increase the value of your sale.

It's all in the timing, delivery and expectation

  There are three main components to successful up-selling and cross-selling.

1. Timing
   • For up-selling, the offer must take place while the customer is deciding to buy.
   • For cross-selling, the offer must take place after the decision to buy is made.
2. Use the right words to show the benefit to the customer.
3. Make the offer with confidence and with the expectation that the customer will agree to the offer.

     For example:

• Up-sell for a language learning center - "These 10 classes will help you improve your Spanish.  When you select 15 classes, the cost per class is lower and you also improve your pronunciation."
• Cross-sell for attorney - "I'll have the will ready for your review next week.  Since we're drafting this important document, it would be cost efficient and wise to include a health care proxy - should I include it?"

     Up-sells and cross-sells can be leveraged online and offline and are part of any successful marketing plan.  Make sure your staff is carefully trained on these techniques and aware of the importance to your company.

Successful cross-selling and up-selling is to focus your efforts on meeting your customer's needs, rather than pushing more products and services. When these marketing efforts are well thought-out, practiced and delivered, those added sales help you grow your business.

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Solutions for Growth is a marketing consulting firm that helps small businesses grow by increasing their sales through practical and achievable marketing tools.

Services include marketing advice and strategy, online and offline customer acquisition and retention tools (new and revised websites, email marketing, social media and printed material), sales development, retail layout and signage.

David Fischer speaks on marketing topics for company and association meetings.  These are upcoming events.