Upselling and Cross-Selling
- Created:
- February 4, 2022
- Last Updated:
- November 14, 2022
To give customers the best possible experience, it is important to assist in your customers’ decision-making process. There are many ways to efficiently assist your customer in the field, one of which is through a series of methods called upselling and cross-selling.
WHAT IS UPSELLING AND CROSS-SELLING?
UPSELLING is a sales method in which the customer is encouraged to select a different product/service option. These options are more expensive but are always of a higher quality than the original.
For instance, let us say you work at a fast-food restaurant. A customer asks for a small order of French fries to go with their burger. The small fries are not expensive, but they aren’t a large quantity either. You suggest that they order the larger order of fries. It costs a little more, but there are more fries. The suggestion to buy large fries instead of the small order is the essence of upselling.
CROSS-SELLING is the method of selling additional products that were not originally part of the order. These products are optional, but can either help or work well with the original product or service.
For instance, let’s head back to the fast-food restaurant. A customer just orders a burger. You then ask if they would like fries and a drink. The fries and drink are not a part of what the customer originally wanted, but they would complement his original order.
UPSELLING AND CROSS-SELLING EFFECTIVELY
Both upselling and cross-selling are extremely effective at selling higher price/quality products, but only if done right. Here are some strategies to ensure that your upselling/cross-selling pitch is as effective as possible:
- Under no circumstances should you ever:
- Talk down to your customer
- Be overly aggressive on the pitch
- Use scare tactics to force their hand
- Instead, you should:
- Treat the customer with respect
- Focus on the quality of each option
- Be up-front and straight-forward with information
- Use the “Good, Better, Best” Method when pitching products/services.
- Good Items have a lower price-point and are often the bare minimum to get the job done.
- Better Items are a bit more expensive but are often the industry standard. The benefits now begin to offset the cost.
- Best Items are the most expensive, but the benefits now greatly outweigh the cost. This option, in general, has the most benefits.
No matter which option is chosen, make sure to take steps to ensure the customer is comfortable with their decision.
- Address the lifespan, warranty information, and benefits of each option
- Verbally clarify and confirm their decision
- Answer any, and all, questions regarding options
- Proceed accordingly with the originally requested task
WHAT IF THE CUSTOMER SAYS NO TO UPSELLING AND CROSS-SELLING OPTIONS?
The customer is not always going to choose any up/cross-selling options, but there are ways to try your hand at it again.
Upon rejection of an upsell or recommendation, remember to let the customer know:
- The customer can save time and money by avoiding another service call
- You are more than happy to take care of everything
- In the event of a safety hazard, if the customer wants to refuse a recommended product or service, they need to sign off on the refusal. In this case, SSC is not accountable for the customer’s decision.
No matter what the customer chooses, the decision is ultimately theirs. Politely acknowledge the customer’s choice, continue with the original task, and give the customer our information. This ensures that you can answer any questions they may have, and it may even give you another chance at an upsell or cross-sell later. Most importantly, make sure that when you leave the site, you are leaving the customer satisfied.
