“Would you like fries with that?”
Upselling exists in many forms, but the principle remains the same. Offer customers the opportunity to purchase additional items to benefit, enhance, and support their current purchases or experiences.
Companies like McDonald’s have been using this approach for decades with great success. As a matter of fact, their question “would you like fries with that?” has sold millions more fries each year.
Let’s look at their system for asking for upsells. It’s simple, the client places his/her food order and then the salesperson asks the simple question. Now, it’s in the hands of the customer to decide if they would like to enjoy that order of fries, apple pie, etc. Simple, right?
And nearly every business benefits from having an upsell system in place. As salon and spa owners, managers, and technicians, we have a lot to learn from companies like McD’s.
The key to McDonald’s success is having a system in place to support upselling.
1) They train their team to upsell. The companies that excel at upselling have set scripts and each team member is trained to ask the right questions.
2) They are consistent. You aren’t only sometimes asked the question; nope, you get asked each and every time! Now, it might be a different add-on from fries, apple pies, or a special featured beverage. But, you will be asked, “would you like to try…?”
The benefit to upselling is two-fold. Additional services generate added salon/spa revenue for owners and service providers. At the same time, customers feel cared for and have a W-O-W customer experience.