At a local coffee shop this morning, I ordered my normal black eye (coffee with 2 shots of espresso), demonstrating the willingness to pay more for added value. The friendly employee punched the order in and said, “Is that it?” Like a compliant child, I said, “yes ma’am.”
Upselling 101: In life, conversations have an unstated “flow” to them. We’re conditioned not to go against the grain, not to rock the boat, not to argue. Ask me if that’s it, and you make it easy to follow the comfortable flow to “yup”. Some retailers train employees to ask, “what else can I get for you today?” Better, but you still asked me to think, identify my problem, and be creative enough to match my need with one of your solutions.
Stick with me…there’s a marketing term called “Mapping”. Companies map a new product based on what customers are used to getting. For instance: We’re launching a new business magazine, we mapped it after those that business people are used to reading. Similar size, paper stock, # pages as widely accepted mags like Inc and Fast Company. Fast Food restaurants do it too: Numbered meals, Packaged as 3-4 products into a simple choice consumers are used to making. 2 windows, 60 seconds.
By nature, Americans eat out because it’s easy, it’s convenient and requires little thinking, so mapping your customer experience with what we expect is a good way to build your revenue model.
Problems come when you allow consumers to decide on the experience by saying “is that it.” Successful retailers make small but intentional adjustments to the expected mapping trail. They ask questions after you buy coffee, like, “Have you tried our scones? Wow, they’re incredible. What’s your favorite flavor? You gotta try a sample of this…see what you think.”
Most restauranteurs & wait staff have all fallen into the lazy, industry-overused default of, “Hey! (corny smile, chuckle)…did you save room for dessert?” Newsflash: Americans are overweight and embarrassed by it. And people don’t “save room”, they order meals that fill them up, for the price they pay! That question is the easiest one for us to maintain our pride and say “nope. I don’t indulge. No thanks.” Loss of sale.
Words are so powerful. How about breaking the mold? Remember, I’m eating out because I’m tired and I want to be treated well. How about, “OK guys, here’s our dessert tray. Instead of you having to decide, pick the 4 you think are your favorites. I’m gonna bring you 4 forks and 4 bite-sizes for you to get a taste of what your missing for tonight or next time! No charge.”
Regardless of your industry, the point is this…different results require breaking the expected flow, doing something different. Product quality & service are important. But words are the most powerful thing your employees have. Ask yourself when the last time was that you spent time crafting HOW they said things, instead of just WHAT they said. If you’re in retail/restaurants, consider incenting employees for per-ticket increase for a month after a week of training. Digging deeper with your existing customers means long term stability. Give your customers more than 1 reason to come back. Make no mistake…the power of words will take you a lot further than you think.
Action Item for Leaders: Spend an hour this week listening to how your employees interact with customers, and listen for the missed opportunities.
