Upselling has long been an effective way of increasing your revenue. The old saying, ‘would you like fries with that?’ rings out across the room at the slightest mention of the word upsell, but upselling is not limited to fast food. The opportunity to upsell exists across basically any industry. ‘Would you like us to wax your car for an extra $30?’ or ‘We can mow your back lawn too for a discounted price’ are both examples of upselling a service. Even in schools there are opportunities. ‘If you pre-enrol your second child at our school you are eligible for a discount’.
Here are 7 tips for a successful upsell:
1. Ensure you are adding value
If the thing you are trying to upsell doesn’t help your parents then you shouldn’t be upselling. If you are offering your parents things they don’t want or need then you will only alienate them and impact your rapport with them negatively. If you are struggling to decide whether the upsell you are offering adds value, then ask yourself if it helps solve a problem for your parents.
2. Know your parent
You have to know your parents to know what upsell will add value to them. Use your schools personas to help identify the problems and needs of your target audience.
3. Discount the upsell
This tip needs little explanation. Placing a discount on your upsell will provide a greater incentive for your parents and will increase your chances of being successful.
4. Don’t be pushy
It is important to remember that your relationship with your parents is more important than any upsell. If they leave the conversation feeling annoyed or dissatisfied then you have done something wrong. Either you offered the wrong upsell, the price was too high or, and the most likely option, you were too pushy in your upsell. Remember that they are people too and deserve to be treated as more than just dollar signs.
5. Provide a guarantee
A guarantee will help your parents feel safe with their purchase. It is important to provide a guarantee that doesn’t place too much risk on your shoulders whilst offering enough value to justify the guarantee to your parents.
6. Sell the benefit
You can better convince your parent to accept the upsell by highlighting the benefits instead of just the features. You will often see car advertisements show a happy couple comfortably enjoying the new place their car has taken them in favour of a list of new features the car might have. The benefit is the warmth and comfort as they drive across the country but the feature is the heated seats, so sell the warmth.
7. Make it easy/simple
The easier it is to accept the upsell, the more likely it will be accepted. Streamlining sales processes is one way of making the sale quicker, easier and more likely to be accepted.
