Upsell Essentials
“Can we biggie-size that for you?” No one knows the upsell better than the restaurant industry – whether fast food chains double your portion of fries and beverage, or finer places double the cost of your meal by presenting the better value of ordering a bottle of wine instead of by the glass. Plus, they’ll be around later with the dessert menu.
Whatever business you’re in, upsells are a fundamental strategy for adding a sale on top of a sale and increasing the transaction size. Upsells should be presented as a logical decision for the customer, and that begins by making them relevant to the original purchase.
For example, if you get a call to unclog a sink, your upsell wouldn’t go like this: “I’ve un-clogged your kitchen sink drain as you requested. While I’m here, would you like for me to replace your toilet with a water-efficient model?” A relevant upsell is one that improves, extends or adds to the product/service you just provided, and it’d make more sense to talk about the value of routine maintenance.
Also, an upsell often comes with a discount as an added benefit to their purchase. If they think you’re just trying to make another sale, they may reject it. But if they think you’re trying to add a benefit to their current purchase by offering a discount, they could be interested. The Maintenance Agreement fits this scenario as you discuss how it can save on the current service call.
Clearly, if your technician is repairing or upgrading a system, a Maintenance Agreement is a logical upsell. But it won’t happen without preparation. The technician needs training on the services you offer, as well as the know-how to present their value, and the incentive to add an upsell to the job he’s doing.