How to Upsell… from the Heart

Do you upsell?

It doesn't matter if you offer services or products, whether digital or physical. The fact is, if you don't upsell, then you're leaving money on the table.

Some entrepreneurs are hesitant to upsell, particularly those who are uncomfortable about selling in the first place. Upselling can also be unattractive to marketers who are focused on “serving” their customers.

Is this you?

Upselling makes you feel sleazy and pushy. Those never-ending upsells by some Internet marketers are downright annoying and you don't want to be like them. (If you've ever registered a domain name with GoDaddy, you have a pretty good idea of what “upsell hell” means)

Listen: if you don't upsell then not only are you missing out on extra business, but you're also shortchanging your customers.

Let me show you a way of upselling, which stems from a genuine desire to help and serve your customer to the best of your ability.

You do want that, don't you? Then let's get started.

Upselling, Step by Step

Upselling from the heart begins by asking yourself one question:

“What does my client/customer need to achieve his/her goals?”

This implies you've listened well enough to really know what your client really wants to accomplish. Your next step is to brainstorm all the ingredients and elements necessary to bring your client to the achievement of their goals.

When you brainstorm don't worry first about whether or not you can provide everything your client needs. Just get all your ideas out. Later on, you can decide to either outsource or refer to others the elements you can't provide.

When you make your offer or proposal, give your client options. The first option is the basic package, the one they asked for. For example, if a prospect approached me to make a sales page for them, my basic package would be the sales page.

Then give another option, the “enhanced package.” This will have pretty much everything your prospect needs for success in the particular project you're helping with. My enhanced package, for instance, could include a sales video, a series of pre-launch emails for my client's in-house list, and pre-launch emails for my client's affiliates to send out.

Whatever you do, don't give more than three options, because having too many choices can confuse people. And you know what they say: A confused mind doesn't buy!

As you can see, this approach is best done one-on-one, when preparing proposals for individual clients or customers. But what about in the virtual sales process? Can it also be applied?

I think so. When selling one-to-many, we must imagine the different levels our prospects may be on (again, not more than three). Prepare different packages or offers for each level, and let your prospects choose which one is best for them.

For example, the Bronze Package could be your ebook. The Silver Package includes the ebook and a pre-loaded mp3 player. The Gold Package includes everything in the Silver Package, plus three half-hour coaching calls with you.

Upselling Makeover

Upselling from the heart is a new way to look at upselling. When you upsell this way, you're being more sensitive to your prospects' desires. You're doing your number one job, which is to look out for their best interests. And you're doing everything you can to provide that which will help them succeed.

Tell me, do you get upset when the fast food worker offers you a dessert with your meal? You don't, and that's because dessert is a normal part of a meal. You don't accuse the server of trying to rob you of money. No, because in fact, some people would be much happier with their meal if they had it with dessert.

Click here to read an example of upselling out of greed rather than generosity, and why it doesn't work.

Try upselling from the heart when you formulate your next proposal or product offer. You'll be surprised how many more services and products you'll sell by following this formula.

Do Share

Do you upsell? If not, why not?

If you do, how do you do it, and how do you feel about the results you've been getting?

Share your experience and thoughts in the comments below. And if you like this post, feel free to share it with your friends online. I do appreciate your tweets, likes and comments.

photo credit: darkpatator