Conclusion
Don't go away yet. Start the process right for upsells, downsells and cross-sells now.
The Magic Words!
We were in the process of hiring a glazier not too long ago. The confident young man came with an assistant, took the measurements of the glass to be installed and just before he left, he asked, "What about your shower door?"
Frankly, that was at the back of mind. Due to some logistics restraints, we were thinking of doing it much much later but that question came at the right time.
"What about that?" I asked.
Well, since we do glass, if you do install the shower door as well, we'll give you a discount.
The word "discount" meant savings and it immediately triggered my interest. I blurted, "How much?" I was thinking about saving time and the hassle of getting someone else to do it as well.
"It'll cost you X dollars," came the reply.
Long story short, we did some research on the pricing and took up his offer.
How often do we insert that simple question in our offer? From my own experience, not everybody. That means many people has left money and opportunities on the table.
The question is: "Why?"
Stop Leaving Money On The Table
It's just one question.
What's holding us back?
Is it awkwardness? Is it fear? Is it lack of confidence? Or is it because of the lack of a suitable offer?
Start Thinking Like MacDonalds
Before speaking to the next client, think of a hundred and one ways you can do an upsell, a downsell, a cross-sell, etc.
Write down how it's going to be phrased, practice it over and over again.
The glazier went with the flow and asked to fix my shower door. He was doing me a favor by saving me both time and money.
As it was a job well done, I was grateful that he had asked that one extra question.
I'm sure your clients are inclined to think the same way too.
Get Down To Work!
Pen and paper in hand (or your digital notepad), start writing short three-word and five-word phrases.
Write ten phrases, refine them and practice them so they sound natural.
Add another ten.
And another ten.
Keep this list handy and keep adding to it. The more you do it, the better you become.