We can spend enormous amounts of time and energy selling something to somebody and yet we can leave money on the table by not up-selling where the opportunity exists or cross-selling an applicable add-on.
If you find you are guilty of the then need to take a leaf out of the fast food business’ selling manual. Order a burger, chicken sandwich or whatever and you’re immediately asked if you would like to turn that into a meal. Then to top it off they ‘up-sell’ the ‘cross-sell’ by asking if you’d like to ‘go large’. Before you know it a snack turned into a meal and for the retailer $2 turned into $5 or $6!
The best of it is that we (their customers) don’t mind, we even appreciate the suggestion; it’s like they’re doing us a favour.
Fries and a drink are the obvious complimentary products and so the chances of a ‘Yes’ are extremely high. And should the vendor’s recommendation be refused there’s no offence taken. So why is it that so many salespeople don’t offer additional, complimentary products and services? For many salespeople doing this can feel like we’re being pushy, yet the fast food example is proof that when it’s done right it doesn’t feel like it. In other words the key to cross-selling and up-selling is to make applicable and appropriate suggestions.
I recall in my first official sales role selling fasteners (bolts, screws, etc…) I worked for a company where we didn’t sell many nuts compared to the amounts of bolts we supplied, yet in most cases every bolt needs a nut to secure it. My colleagues who had worked there for years told me that the reason for this was that we were relatively expensive compared to other suppliers. In light of this the nut price lists were strategically positioned at the back of the price list. Strangely though I found that because I offered them I sold more than they did. On becoming sales manager I made a radical change and put the nut price list on the page adjacent to the bolts so everyone asked our customers if they needed any and surprise, surprise … the entire team sold more! We were still more expensive but in offering them we saved our customers from having to buy them from somewhere else and so in many cases they accepted our higher price.
Identify your complimentary products to cross-sell and up-sell and then go for it! As a result you’ll sell more, increase your average order value and you’ll do so without having to necessarily spend lots more time doing it.
I wish you every success!
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