If you have been in the adult world for any length of time, odds are pretty good that you have heard the term “upselling” before now. Even if you are new to marketing or advertising, it is fairly likely that you are familiar with the term. That’s because it is such a popular concept in sales that literally everyone is doing it.
Let’s take a look at the technique of upselling.
What is Upselling?
Upselling is a technique that is used to get someone to buy something after they have already purchased a product or service, or to get them to increase the price or scope of the product or service that they have already started the purchase process on. If you want a simple example of an upsell process, go into your local grocery store and you’ll see examples everywhere. If you were to go to the candy aisle, you might see a single chocolate bar for $0.99, but a sign next to the candy bar tells you that you could buy two candy bars for $1.59. Obviously, the second one is a better deal. You’re saving around forty cents.
Why is Upselling Important?
Upselling is an important part of the marketing and advertising process for several reasons. First of all, there is the opportunity. When someone is already purchasing a product or service from you, you have a much greater chance of selling them again. This is particularly true, if you can offer even more value for the upsell. Upselling is also important because it brings in more revenue. This is obviously the point of the upsell, and for companies that have fewer customers in larger purchases, upselling may be essential.
Common Examples of Upselling
There are numerous examples of upselling out there. We’ve already covered one that happens in your local grocery store. Some other common examples include someone at a travel agency buying a vacation for seven days and then being talked into buying three more days of a vacation because the price is just so good in comparison with their original price. Another good example of the upsell is in the computer world. When you buy a new computer, you often have the opportunity to purchase additional software, a warranty or professional installation, as well as technical support. These are all examples of upsells.
Expert Tips: How to Upsell Your Products
Some of the expert tips on upselling include:
- Offering a lower price in proportion to the value of the upsell compared to the value of the original sell. Remember the original candy bar example, or the practice of buy two get one free.
- Offering some sort of benefit not related to cost. An example of this might be someone who gets prestige because of an upgrade, or get something that can’t really be quantified by what it actually costs.
- Get information before you attempt the upsell. If you can find out what sort of buttons the customer has, then you will be able to push them and get them to spring for the upsell.
- While there are exceptions everywhere, most of the time you should try not to exceed the 25% limit when attempting upsell. That is, the amount of the upsell should not be more than 25% of the total purchase price.
- Do not push too hard for the upsell. You don’t want to lose the original sale because you’re trying to upsell. A gentle reminder or two is all you need.
Summary
The upsell is useful tool that companies can use to get more revenue from a single sale. While most customers are probably not going to go with an upsell option, some will and you get that revenue increase simply because you asked for it. However, it is important to remember that customers are already buying something from you and you want to be appreciative of that. That’s why following the expert tips on upselling correctly without losing the original sale are going to be your most important keys to success.
