Want to start upselling? don’t make these 7 crucial errors

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We have all experienced a company trying to get us to spend more on an order for a small amount. It leads to an awkward situation where you have to decline. But upselling doesn’t have to be an embarrassing event. In fact, upselling has benefited our business with customers leaving with greater satisfaction. Here are 7 crucial errors to avoid so you can make upselling work.

1. One Upsell Per Sale

It’s so important to keep the trust with your customers if you are hoping for them to return again to your business. They expect a good and timely service every time they buy from you. They want to order the product which they have decided on and get back to their life as soon as possible. So if you delay this by upselling several products, it’s going to discourage them to visit again. In fact, they might switch to a different site where they can make a purchase quickly. Therefore, you need to make sure you keep the trust intact by just upselling once per sale to keep them happy. That way, they can decline, or take you up on the offer and then be on their way sooner than later.

2. Unrelated Upsell

You need to make sure the product you try to upsell to the customer fits the same criteria as what they are buying. For instance, if they are looking at buying a laptop, it would be suitable to offer software that they can use with the device. So many companies make errors by offering an unrelated upsell. It annoys the customer who then might not return to the site. After all, you will lose credibility if you are trying to sell items unrelated to the original purchase. It shows you don’t know your target audience well enough to know what products will entice them. And you could end up risking your reputation for the small chance the customer might actually buy the unrelated item. Therefore, make sure you only offer an item which is related to the sale. And as Forbes says, pick products which actually solve a problem to complete a successful transaction.

3. Ignoring The Upsell

It’s easy to tell the difference between a customer who is just browsing the site, and one who is ready to splash the cash. They will be looking at the items on the site, and will be more receptive. For instance, they might ask questions and will stick around for longer. So one big error you can make is to ignore the customer by not upselling to them. You could lose out on a significant sale which will increase your takings. Therefore, do target those customers who are in the buying mood. Catching them at their most receptive will ensure you make a successful upsell which will lead to a greater profit.

4. Do Not Overuse The Upsell

You need to make sure that you are not just upselling to all new visitors. If you do this, you are going to end up with a low conversion rate and you could reduce your reputation. It could also be a waste of your resources if you are constantly upselling. Therefore, to make sure that you do make successful upsell transactions, you need to target your customers prudently. You only want to upsell to repeat customers who are already loyal to your business. You could use advanced software to find specific customers to target who have spent over a certain value with each sale. And that way, you will be using the sales technique wisely.

5. Do Not Ignore The Downsell

A lot of businesses think the only way to secure profit is by upselling. But downselling can also play an important part in boosting your profits. In fact, it can make all the difference on whether you make a sale with a customer. If they don’t have much money to spend, you can then ensure they still leave the site with one of your items. And they might return in the future with more money to spend. So don’t be afraid of using this option if the customer does decline your original product offer. By offering them a cheaper product, you can then still make a sale and you are shifting stock to earn you money. At the end of the day, you want them to leave with something rather than nothing. Just make sure you carefully use this tactic as customers might try to get you to go lower if they reject the initial price.

6. Don’t Redirect to Upsell Page Straight After Subscription

While it is good news when a customer clicks on a subscribe button, you need to make sure that you don’t make the vital error of then sending the customer straight through to a sales page. You might have their attention, but you could lose a potential sale if you do try to do the hard sell. You need to first make sure the customer knows exactly what they have signed up for. You don’t want to leave them confused about what happened as you could lose their trust.

7. Not Using The Urgency Technique

Customers are a lot more receptive to a good bargain. They want to ensure they are getting a good deal with their purchase. So you need to make sure you use the urgency technique on your site. You want to advertise products which have a finite lifespan before it disappears to encourage customers to take action. If they believe there is only a short time remaining, they will quickly make a sale before they miss the opportunity. And you should pick select items to put ‘Limited time only’ or even ‘limited stock’. By doing this, it will ensure they make a decision quickly on the item and you will get that conversion.