How to Upsell Anything

Scenario: "Dude, just offer them our other services after they buy something. We'll make billions. Woohoo. Yay!" The suggested scenario:

1. Service Rep: Yo! Thanks for purchasing. We also have this other shizzle that you might need: [yadda, yadda, yadda].
2. Customer: No, thanks. I don't need it.
3. Service Rep: Oh no! Ahh!

Potential after-sales: Gone. Don't fret. Business "experts" tell you that you're leaving Benjamins on the table if you're not trying to sell something after a customer's purchase. We'll let you in on a secret. Three levels of sellers really exist:

1. The Noob: Thinks about the first sale. (Leaves money on the table.)
2. The Advanced Noob: Thinks about both the first-sale and the after-sale. (Misses much more than succeeds. Again, leaves money on the table.)
3. The Kick-Booty Sales Genie: Thinks about solution-selling. (Almost always has a shot at more sales. Optimal selling genie.)

While Noob and Advanced-Noob are making making $1-2, the kick-booty sales genie is making $10 through fulfilling needs. To upsell like a sexy beast, start selling solutions to your customer's problems. How? We'll explain.

First Step: "Why Did They Buy?"

To first step to understanding how to upsell anything: Know why people buy.

1. Samantha doesn't buy a lamp. She buys light.
2. Samantha doesn't buy a book. She buys knowledge.
3. Samantha doesn't buy a blackberry. She buys productivity.
4. Samantha doesn't buy ski tickets. She buys fun.
5. Samantha doesn't buy salad. She buys health.

Your product -- whether that's a sandwich, a storage bin, web design services, or whatever -- does a particular job for the customer.

What are You Really Selling?

Sure, you sell: __________. But really, what you're providing is a solution to their problem. The first step to upselling: "Why did your badass buy our product?" In other words, what need did your product fulfill? Once you have that, move on to the final step. (It's a simple, sexy, two-step process.)

Second Step: Fulfill Those Needs

Say your badass runs a salad restaurant. You sell delicious salad meals. If you were a sucky-suck-seller, here's what you'd probably do to try upselling:

1. "Yo! Thanks for buying!"
2. "Do you want to buy more salad for your children?"
3. "Wait, wait. What about buying some more cro - tons?"
4. "An extra orange wedge for your salad?"

Chances are: You'd sell nothing. And even more likely: Your company = "Creepy." Don't look creepy. Look sexy.

Looking Sexy by Fulfilling Those Needs

What would a super-badass-super-seller do? First, confront the facts:

1. "Hey, do our customers really buy our salad meals?"
2. "No! They buy health."
3. "Since they buy health, we must find ways to help them fulfill that need even further."
4. "Yay!"

So your badass ponders, contemplates, and thinks of ways to do that. Eureka! The next customer transaction:

1. "Yo! Thanks for buying!"
2. "Here's a complimentary little manual to keep your life buzzing with good health."
3. "We're also having a special on books that keep your heart in tip-top shape."
4. "And, if you're looking for a fun experience, we're offering a joint service with the local Curves gym to get your booty lookin' sexy."

Cash register: Ring! Yay for your badass.

So Simple, Yet So Rare

If we could pull a number out from our behind, we'd say not more than 1 out of 5,000 companies actually focus on solution selling. They're:

1. leaving lots, and lots of money on the table
2. leaving customers needs unfulfilled
3. destroying their true-badass potential

If you're looking to increase your sales after a purchase, do this shizzle:

1. Understand what need your product fulfilled.
2. Seek ways to fulfill that need even further.
3. Congratulate-yo-self.

You just doubled-tripled-quadrupled-blabupled your sales, and made your customer super-duper-oh-my-mutha-gosh happier with your business. To start upselling:

Fulfill sexy needs -- further.

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