Art
Siegel

Build Sales With "Just One More Thing"

There is a momentum to buying: Once customers cross that threshold, they are more receptive to additional purchases -- as long as the add-on is a natural complement to the initial purchase. You can use the component of buying psychology to substantially increase your profits if you establish procedures to Build Sales With "Just One More Thing." 

It happens so often that we usually don't even notice it. We sit down in a nice restaurant, and soon the server appears and says something like: "Hi, my name is Judy. What can I get you to drink?"

Increasing The Order Value

Let's switch from that fine restaurant to a fast-food place. If you order just a hamburger, the person behind the counter will say: "And what would you like to drink?" If you order a burger and a drink, you'll hear: "Would you like fries with that?" And if you order the burger, fries and drink: "How about a nice apple pie for dessert?" or "Do you want to maximize that?" 

It's no accident that nearly every server in every restaurant asks these questions. Just about every training program for servers teaches them to always add at least one more item to every order, and the items they add are always high-profit items: alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, daily specials, French fries, coffee and desserts. This sales approach makes an enormous contribution to a restaurant's bottom line.

The add-on sale works because buying has a natural momentum to it. As long as your wallet is out, it doesn't take much sales effort to get you to spend a little more. People who will shop all over town for the best price on a car will then buy high-markup premium tires or a fancy radio without flinching.

Will this technique of adding one more item contribute to your sales and profits as well? It probably can if you stick to these aspects of buyer psychology:

Prioritize
Wait until the customer commits to the principal purchase before discussing add-ons. You want to take advantage of momentum, not add to the customer's perception of the total purchase price.

Consider the timing
For example, most people order alcohol before a meal and dessert after. Always offer add-ons at a time when most people would think of them on their own.

Keep it relevant
If the customer orders a burger and a Coke, it makes sense to offer fries. If the customer orders the low-calorie salad and a Diet Coke, it would make more sense to offer a fat-free yogurt dessert. Offer add-ons that most logically match what the customer has already purchased, not necessarily the ones most other people buy.

Make the size appropriate
Each add-on must be appropriately lower in cost than the principal purchase. For most purchases, the total of all add-ons should not exceed 50% of the price of the customer's initial purchase. If you go beyond this price, the customer may experience sticker shock and reconsider the whole deal.

Use assumptive phrasing
"What can I get you to drink?" is an excellent example of an effective, assumptive sales question. It is a friendly, non-pushy offer, but it implies that any rational person orders a drink. On the other hand, "Would you like something to drink?" is more likely to get a "No, thank you," response.

Avoid statements of finality
Think about the last time you were at the checkout of a chain store. Chances are the clerk rang up the things you put on the counter and then said: "Is that everything?" Phrases like that or "OK, I'll write this up," say you believe the customer has already bought everything he or she needs. Even if the customer were thinking of adding something else, statements like these indicate that the deal is final before the customer can decide to buy another item.

Using Add-Ons As Closing Tools

So far, we have talked about add-ons when the customer is already buying, and your goal is to increase the value of the order. But sometimes suggesting add-ons can be useful when the customer hasn't yet committed to the primary purchase.

The most familiar example is the purchase of a new automobile. Any car salesperson worth his or her commission knows better than to ask for the order outright. Instead, car salespeople wait until they feel a customer is getting close, and then pull out an order form: "Let's go through the options on this model and see what your ideal car might look like."

Then they go through the color options, the radios, the trim, the windows and locks, the light group and every other option, always following this pattern:

Salesperson: The next item on the list is the stereo. What kind of music do you like to listen to?

Customer: Mostly classical, but I also like AM for the news and political talk.

Salesperson: In that case, you should like the model 2300X stereo. It has a CD player, which will give you the best quality for your classical music, and it also has the best AM reception so you can stay with the news when you drive into the fringe areas.

Customer: Yeah. That's important.

Salesperson: And since you're not really into rock music, we can save you money by going with a moderate-powered speaker system with a nice treble/bass balance.

 Customer: Good.

The salesperson continues by asking the customer about personal preferences and then suggesting an add-on that best fits those preferences.

By the end of the options list, the salesperson has described this customer's dream car. Its options are exactly tailored to the individual's tastes, from tires to window tinting. The customer now sees this as the most ideal car he or she has ever owned. All that is left is for the salesperson to ask a few questions about the customer's budget and payment preferences in order to communicate the price in a way that the buyer will find acceptable.

Well, perhaps we are exaggerating a bit. It isn't really that easy to sell a car or anything else, but the add-on principle remains an excellent closing technique. With each small add-on and detailed feature you get the prospect to agree to, you are that much closer to agreement on the whole package.

SeaBird Associates Inc
3011 NE 7th Drive
Boca Raton, FL 33431
Phone: 561-750-9233
E-mail: Art Siegel

About Art Siegel