Upselling can feel sleazy. If not done the right way, you can come off as a pushy salesperson. On the other hand, some clients can get angry with you if they find out you offer a service they need but never told them about it.
So how do you gently inform a client that you provide a service they're looking for elsewhere?
In my world, that comes up frequently. I have to be careful, as any given client could be helped by a number of the services we offer. Many use us for just one or two things, but others use us for a number of services.
Once I had a client with a larger organization. I had never let him know that we can do what's called a cultural assessment survey, and he told me he was talking to someone else about doing one.
Inside, I had the reaction many of you may have had. I found myself thinking, ”Why the heck didn't you ask me about that!?"
But it was really my fault. I had never let him know it was something we do.
At that point, it would have been easy for me to say the wrong thing. Instead, I asked a few questions, which ended up opening the door for further conversation.
So if your client or prospect brings something up that you can help them with, you can respond with, "That's great! Have you figured out yet who you're going to use?"
There are a couple different ways they might respond to that.
Maybe they say, "Well, yes, we have to use XYZ company."
Then you can respond, "When you say you have to, what does that mean?" Or even, "Are you happy about that?"
Of maybe they respond with, "No, we haven't figured out who we're going to use."
Then you can say, "Okay to tell me no, but are you open to a suggestion?"
Most people, when asked if they're open to a suggestion, will say that they are.
So you can continue, "You may not be aware of this, but that's actually something I help with as well. Would it make sense for us to have a conversation about that?"
Regardless of whether they have or haven't decided who they're going to use, responding the right way can open the door for further conversation without coming off as a pushy salesperson.
