Want to know one of the quickest ways to earn extra money? Upselling your clients. The problem is, upselling is exceedingly difficult to do. “Upselling remains a highly sought-​after (yet rarely achieved) feat in the world of sales in the United States,” according to a recent article by Selling Power. “This is primarily a result of relying on incomplete market research and using upselling techniques that approach clients with no interest in additional features or newer models.” Selling Power points out that most sales reps fall short because they assume upselling is a one-​size-​fits all process. It’s not. When you’re upselling clients, you need to craft a strategy based on their needs.

How to Determine if Upselling Your Clients is an Option

When Clients are Vocal

During the sales process, your prospects probably will not be afraid to tell you exactly what they want from the solution to their problem. And if the product or service you initially offer them has holes in it that they aren’t completely satisfied with, they’ll say so. When your basic product doesn’t offer everything the prospect wants from your solution, there is a good chance upselling your client is a distinct possibility. Bring additional products and services your company offers to the prospect’s attention. Tell them that, for a slightly higher price, they can get everything they want.

But alas, there will be some clients who won’t be as forward about their desires. And they may even be fully content with your product or service as-​is. You may think that, in these cases, there is no opportunity for upselling. Don’t lose hope just yet. Instead, do your research.

When Your Clients Are Silent

The prospect may not be open with you today about how you can go about upselling them, but perhaps they’ve been vocal in other ways. First, you can check their social media profiles. You may be able to find posts they’ve made concerning needs of their company or their own business goals.

There are also other people in the prospect’s company you can go to for answers. In a previous blog post, we mentioned that gatekeepers are also decision-​makers in their own way. They can also give insight into their boss’ problems and aspirations that can open the door for upselling.

Selling Power also says that you can reach out to purchasing reps for further information. Let's say that your prospect is buying hundreds of laptops for the entire office. Technology isn’t their forte, so they need help making decisions on which models to go with. “Speaking with the client’s purchasing rep to understand the specific use case toward which the company will apply their new devices can help your sales professionals build a case for an upsell or additional complementary purchases,” says Selling Power. A traditional computer may not have all of the features the prospect wants from their computers. But some products you could upsell to your client do.