Direct Sales Consultants Upsell at Checkout
| The upsell is a bit different than the cross sell although they are basically the same thing. An upsell is when a sales person convinces the customer to purchase more expensive items, upgrades, or other add-ons in an attempt to increase the profit of a sale. |
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Cross-selling, on the other hand, is when a seller tries to sell something else in addition to the original items. “Such and such product compliments that nicely.” Both techniques have the same result.
One of the surest and most effective marketing strategies for a home-based direct sales business is upselling. The idea is to add a little offer or bonus at the time of purchase to “sweeten the deal.” Using the upsell at checkout almost always results in extra profit, and it leaves both the customer and the consultant feeling good about the transaction.
It doesn’t matter if you are selling makeup, crafts or storage containers, upselling is just offering something else your customer already wants or needs anyway. Here are four great ways to use the upsell to your advantage in a direct sales party plan business.
Increase Sales With Business Samples
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Everyone loves getting something for free, and direct sales consultants almost always have free samples to leverage. The trick is to use the samples in a way that gets more sales at checkout. |
One way is to offer to add a related bonus product if a certain amount of merchandise is purchased. For instance, a makeup consultant could include an inexpensive sample pack of lipstick colors for each sale of full-size powder and blusher. In this example, perhaps the customer had only intended to buy the powder. But now she has incentive to buy the powder and blush together so she can have fun experimenting with new lip colors. This is how to upsell with a “free” bonus.
Sales That Buy One Get Another For Less
One of the best known upsell methods is to offer more of the same at a hugely discounted price. For instance, a candle consultant who is about to sell an expensive candle gift basket could offer another of the same at 30 percent off. This gets the customer selling herself by thinking who else might enjoy the gift of candles. The discount just makes the additional purchase more enticing.
Upgrade to Upsell & Increase Sales
Another way to get the customer to buy more at checkout is to offer an upgrade if a certain dollar amount is reached. For instance, a purse distributor could create an offer of free gift wrapping for customers who purchase at least $250 worth of merchandise. Again, the upsell offer gets customers thinking of someone who would like to receive a purse as a gift, and naturally generates the urge to buy more purses.
Sale Coupons for Next Time, This Time
One of the most renowned ways to get a repeat sale is to insert a discount coupon for next time. But why not allow customers to use those “next time” coupons today?
This upsell strategy relies on customers thinking you are giving a special deal that wouldn’t ordinarily take place. Make sure the discount coupons you give upon checkout clearly state that coupons are to be used only on a future purchase. The sales representative should point out the coupon upon checkout and mention that it can be honored today if the customer happens to see anything else she would like to buy. Simple but effective.
Sales Consultants Increase Profit, Happy Customers
Don’t forget to upsell (or cross-sell) at checkout. The direct sales consultant who upsells will show an increase in party business profits and have happier customers, too.