Think about how much you could potentially add to your business each day in add-on sales if you or your people were trained and focused. Now multiply that by five days a week. Now multiply that by 52 weeks per year. Now multiply that by the number of sales or service representatives you have. A mere $100 per day x 5 days per week is $26,000 per year. If I have ten representatives, that’s $260,000 per year!
And speaking of staff, I recommend giving them an incentive on the add-on sale. I know there may be some “purists” that disagree, and that’s okay if you do. But wouldn’t it be nice to give them a “raise” without having to pay more and more just for them to exist? Sooner or later, the business isn’t sustainable because we continue to give raises without increasing profits.
How to Make Up-Sells Consistently
First, you must train yourself in sales. This is a worthy endeavor. Get everything you can from the Zig Ziglar Corporation on sales training. Train your staff. Zig always said, “Everyone in the company may not be in sales, but anyone can cost the company a sale!”
And by the way, what if the receptionist asked a question like, “Did you get the XYZ product? It’s really amazing!” The receptionist can then help make a sale. That brings me to the next point.
Ask Questions
Remember that selling isn’t telling. And telling isn’t selling. Determine the additional items you have to offer. In the interview process, include some questions that will reveal the prospect’s beliefs about that product or service. Ask questions that bring up that conversation.
Here’s an example: The first business I started is a high-end cleaning firm that cares for stone floors, Oriental rugs, and fine textiles. The most profitable and most valuable up-sell is sealer for the stone and fabric protector for the textiles. We built questions into the script such as, “Did you get protector the last time you had this cleaned?” We don’t sell it at that moment, instead we gather information (the more they tell, the more you sell).
Later on, during step five, we outline that the solution includes sealer or fabric protector. Not having investment furnishings protected costs the client big time down the road, yet many companies fail to even mention it. The result is the customer’s property is at risk and the company doesn’t make the profit it could. The owner doesn’t reach his or her life goals, which may include passing on some of those profits to a good cause. Can you see how this all fits together in a phenomenal business?
Once you have opened the conversation, ask for permission to share more. Once you get that permission, you can go into a full interview on that particular service or product. If demonstrations or a free trial is appropriate, be sure to offer that.
A final note…don’t offer anything until you have established rapport with the client and you have secured believability. You must establish yourself as a trusted consultant and representative before attempting an extra sale. Many times this is accomplished by WOWing the client with the primary service or product first.
