The Non-Annoying Way to Upsell

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From: Marks Motivation Mail [motivation@chattertonworld.com]
Sent: Wednesday, January 06, 2010 5:52 AM
To: ;
Subject: The Non-Annoying Way to Upsell

The Non-Annoying Way to Upsell

Adding on to a sale is a great idea. And like a weapon in untrained hands, it can be dangerous. Annoying too.

Everywhere from the coffee shop, the electronics store, web sites, and anyone with a pulse pushes
additional products after we buy something.

Or without a pulse for that matter. I saw a commercial for a really cool vegetable peeler and grabbed the phone to order. I reached an automated service that
took me through about 10 different upsell questions before I could finally buy. It was complicated and
annoying. I'm sure they are smart people and must have run the numbers, but I wonder how many people
give up because they can't understand the instructions, or are so annoyed they hang up.

Again, adding on to a sale is very smart, when done the right way.

So what is the RIGHT way to do add-on selling? Below you'll see the "Primer Technique," and
it's just a taste of the tons of examples, tips, techniques and step-by-step processes for variety of applications in Jim Domanski's, "Add-On Selling:

USING THE "PRIMER" TECHNIQUE FOR CROSS- AND UP-SELLING
By Jim Domanski

Let?s talk about those situations when you?re in an order-taking mode.

You know, the phone rings, the friendly voice says, "Yes, I?d like to place an order." Regardless of whether these
are the calls you handle all day long, or if they?re a welcome respite from the grind of outbound calling, you
can make these orders more valuable.

And you can learn important selling skills in the process. I?m talking about cross-selling or up-selling.
Specifically you can make the whole process easier on yourself by using the "primer" technique.

First of all, a cross-sell or an up-sell is easy because a sale has already been made. The customer is in a buying
mood. What this really means is that he or she is open and positively inclined towards an additional purchase. A
customer who has just bought can buy more.

There are some who will argue that this is manipulative selling which takes advantage of a customer.

I disagree.

You are not being manipulative. In fact, you are being a BETTER salesperson by reminding a customer of additional
benefits that could be derived from the additional purchase. It?s like when I go to McDonalds and the server
says "Would you like fries with that today?" Something clicks inside and says "Yeah, sure. Sounds good."

Customers are intelligent people who make decisions every day. If they do not need or want the item that you have
offered, they will tell you. There were times when I did not want fries with my Big Mac and I told the attendant
that. Guess what? She neither leapt over the counter and knocked me down, nor was she the least bit offended. She
offered it politely and I declined politely. So the message here is get rid of any hang-ups you might have
about the customer perceiving you as some aggressive bully. You?re not.

"The Primer" is a technique that makes the process easier. The primer means that you have preconditioned or "primed"
the customer for a cross- or up-sell. It goes like this,

Customer: "I would like to order the burgundy crewneck sweater, please."

Sales Rep: "Oh, that?s a good choice."

Or, "I just love that one."

Or, "It?s one of our most popular sweaters."

Or, "I think you will like that one."

Or, "I have one myself."

Of course, all these statements would have to be true if you were to use them. The point is that you are giving
your approval of the customer?s purchase decision. I know that must sound a little weird at first, but when most
people buy an item, there is a moment of uncertainty. They wonder if they made the right choice, if they paid too
much, or if they really needed it. Most of us consciously or unconsciously seek approval from others. By "approving"
their purchase you actually make them feel "correct." In essence, they did the right thing.

The next step is easy:

Sales Rep: "You know, we have some great silk scarves that would go perfectly with that burgundy. Would you be
interested?"

What?s the very worst someone could say to you after you have just paid them a compliment about their original
purchase decision? The worst one could say to you is "No, thank you."

But, more likely, you will have tremendous sales results.

Priming goes beyond pre-conditioning a customer to an additional purchase suggestion. It injects life,
personality and charm into the conversation.

Most of us are used to giving our orders to some bland, lackluster individual on the other end of the line. When
we find someone who has an obvious interest in the product, we feel even more inclined to buy more.
Enthusiasm is a catchy thing and adds a whole new element to the selling process.

To reemphasize, the comments on a particular product or service must be absolutely sincere. The majority of
customers will know if you are scamming them. Cross- selling and up-selling is simply rich in potential.