Upselling? Cross-Selling? Help! I’m Confused!
Upselling and cross-selling. Do you these two phrases confuse you? If they do, you’re not alone. As if it isn’t enough to worry about selling the main thing that you do, you now need to sell other stuff too? Don’t panic!
It’s not actually that complicated. Let’s quickly explore what they both mean and how they can genuinely help you sell more in your business.
Upselling
This is where you try to get a customer to buy something in addition to the primary thing they want to buy (thereby making the primary product more expensive). For example, if a customer buys a torch, you might suggest batteries, or they buy a tablet and you suggest a tablet case. Upselling relates directly to the item purchased and the chances are that the customer will genuinely need these things.
Cross-Selling
This is where you suggest something else to buy with the primary product, not because it necessarily goes with it (although it might enhance it). For example, if a customer buys a camera, you might suggest they buy a tripod or coloured lenses. If they want to buy a pair of gloves, you might suggest a scarf and a hat. The additional items are not necessary but could be nice to have.
Of the two techniques, you will not be surprised to hear that upselling is the more successful – after all, you are improving their experience with their original purchase aren’t you. Think about that torch with no batteries. Not a lot of good is it? They will have to buy batteries from somewhere, so why not from you?
So with a little bit of thought, you might be able to work out some genuine upselling offers that achieve that magic ‘win win’ – more sales for you and a customer who is delighted because they don’t have to waste time to enjoy their brand new purchase. Who says doing good business shouldn’t be a pleasure?
Janet is an award-winning sales trainer, based in Enfield, north London and trains small businesses and entrepreneurs how to sell more.
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