Quick Tips to Help You Up-Sell

Earlier in the week we looked at how to increase sales by utilizing the tactic of “up-selling.”  We’d like to help you get started by providing a few ideas on incorporating up-selling into your business.

1. Offer another product/service during the purchase – While checking a customer out be sure to look at the items for an opportunity to add-on.  For example: a retail store selling scrubs may recommend a pair of pants that compliments the top I just purchased.  I may not have even thought about a pair of pants while shopping but once suggested I’ll be thinking about how great that will look.  Same holds true for an e-commerce site.  This same retailer can configure their site to offer recommendations based on purchase selections.
2. Checkout page – While someone is purchasing from your website incorporate a box to your shopping cart to encourage additional purchases.  To see this in action visit www.officedepot.com or www.staples.com.  Additionally, you can send a product offering in the confirmation email.  You’ll need to make the offer fantastic to get the customer to order again.
3. Up-sell them in an outbound email – When the time is right send out an email to your customers to up-sell readers a product they don’t have, my want, or something they need to know about.
4. Give them a call – After a customer has made a purchase, give them a call to follow-up.  While you have them on the phone, casually offer them an addition product.  You may phrase it as “the super widget will extend the life of your machine.  Most of my customers couldn’t see running their machine without one.  I’ll be by your shop on Friday, should I drop one off?”

If you have an idea about how to up-sell, please, post away.  We’d love to hear how you add-on to a sale.