How To Upsell A Cheapskate

Have you ever pulled up to the drive-thru and before you could get your window down, the employee was asking, "Would you like to try one of our triple decker milkshakes today?!" 

And when you politely say no - and proceed to ask for what you came to get - they finish off by saying, "Is that all? Would you like one of your triple decker milkshakes to complete your order?"

Um. Didn't we already have this conversation??

In the past, these kinds of upsells were only limited to fast food restaurants. Now, almost anywhere you go you'll be hit with a million dollar add-on question. And in most instances, the script the poor clerk has been given to recite is all wrong. 

Why? Because it's a script. It doesn't change. They spit out the deal of the day to every customer they encounter. No matter what the person is buying. 

Office Depot got it right though. I absolutely love that place. Not because they try to milk me for extra cash when I go in to get copies made, but simply because when they do - they push something on me that I actually might need. 

The last time I went in for copies, the manager (yes! their managers really do work and don't just stand around with hand-held talking devices trying to look important) glanced at my press releases and said, "Would you like to see how these would look on colored paper?!" 

Well yes I do...and why didn't I think of that??

He walked me over to their selections, patiently let me look at about six different colors, and then he broke it down as to which colors cost what. Maybe he could look in my eyes and tell I was one of those kinds of people. If you give me too many choices, I can't commit. But when you put a price tag on those options, my ass can make a buying decision quick, fast, and in a hurry!

So why didn't he try to direct my attention to the marked down printers right behind me? Duh. I obviously had a printer of some sort and I didn't come in asking for one. I came in wanting copies. It was his job to make me leave with better copies than I knew I wanted. 

That's how the sales process works. You listen. You identify a need. And then you offer a solution specific to that customer. Not a one-size-fits-all lame attempt to merely increase the number of items sold per transaction. 

Is it hard? Not at all. Is it easier to train inexperienced sales teams to recite a script? Probably so. But we all know that easy and effective are not the same.