TEMPT THE CLIENT … TO BUY MORE Cross-selling & product sales tips

TEMPT YOUR CLIENT… TO BUY MORE

Rob Snoeijen is a Dutch sales inspirer and is the director of the SalesTopics institute that helps businesses accelerate their sales by providing sales training, coaching and consultancy. Rob is committed to helping organisations and sales professionals improve their commercial returns. With more than 25 years of sales experience under his belt, Rob is a leading professional in his field. Driven by his passion for sales, he is the author of three bestsellers. With boundless enthusiasm, he successfully inspires and motivates his training programme participants to ‘do things differently’.

Rob Snoeijen Think of the last time you went to the butcher’s shop. What did the butcher ask you? Would you like a piece of sausage? No, that’s not the question I’m looking for. How about: ‘Is it okay if it’s a little bit more?’ and ‘Can I get you anything else?’ Asking these questions is as natural as breathing for him. But you’d be surprised how many businesses forget to realise cross-selling or haven’t made increasing sales part of their sales approach. They haven’t given it proper consideration and don’t have a plan. A missed opportunity!

Another example. I bought a new pair of shoes the other day. And what did I buy to go with them? You guessed it – waterproof spray, matching shoe polish (even though I’ve already got a shoeshine box full of sundry shoe polishes) and shoe stretchers to keep my shoes in shape. I spent more than 30 euros on these extras. I was struck by the fact that the shoe salesperson was very young, but she still asked me a couple of cross-selling questions. Questions you’re almost never asked at a barbershop. So cross-selling is an exceptionally effective sales technique enabling you to achieve greater results – fast and easy. What are the key elements of this sales technique and how can you apply it effectively in your barbershop?

Cross-selling Cross-selling means trying to sell different relevant products or services to a client.

A few examples: Service station: You go to fill up the car, but the cashier at the register asks if you’d also like the daily special; two packs of gum for a euro or 25% off a croissant and coffee.

Bank: You open a saving account when you’re a kid and go on to take out a mortgage and an insurance mortgage with the same bank when you get older.

Computer store: You purchase a laptop and buy a bag, a wireless mouse and an extra memory card to go with it.

5 PRACTICAL SALES TIPS

To achieve successful crossselling, you must decide in advance which products or services are complementary. Which supplementary products or services do clients usually buy? Which products do clients usually purchase at the same time? It’s important that the products dovetail or are closely related to each other. Otherwise the client will get the feeling that you’re trying to ‘fob something off’ on them. Look at the situation from the client’s point of view, rather than focussing only on increasing your revenue.

The following steps will help you successfully implement a cross-selling strategy within your business:

STEP 1 Which supplementary products or services can be considered for cross-selling?

STEP 2 Which target group is most suited to cross-selling?

STEP 3 What cross-selling campaign lends itself best to cross-selling?

Choose your target group carefully. Focus your campaign on clients who demonstrate approximately the same behaviours or that possess the same characteristics. The key benefits Successfully selling more products yields a range of benefits for both the client and the barber. The top-8 benefits at a glance:

1 Your clients get full information about the products or services that they can actually use at that moment.

2 Client satisfaction rises because the client can make an optimum selection from the wide range on offer.

3 Client loyalty increases because the client is genuinely satisfied and will return.

4 The misconception that ‘I didn’t know you guys also offer this service’ is eliminated.

5 The barber also gains a better understanding of the products and related supplements, which means he or she will make connections more quickly and achieve increased sales.

6 Higher conversion will mean you incur lower sales expenses and purchase your inventory more economically so you can offer the products at a lower price.

7 You strengthen your competitive position compared to your competitors.

8 Your profitability per client ultimately goes up. Guidelines for cross-selling Are you starting to get excited about successfully applying cross-selling in your barbershop? Then it’s time to get started! Remember that there isn’t a golden rule. What works for one business, doesn’t work for another. To minimise the pitfalls and risk factors for you as much as possible, I want to share a few tips and guidelines that you can use to set up your cross-selling campaigns.

Display your range, but don’t overdo it If you show your client too many choices, you run the risk of making this choice stressful for him and as a result he’ll find it hard to decide. It is more effective to display a smaller selection of supplementary products or services. So two cans of hairspray rather than ten.

Keep it relevant Give a lot of thought to which products go together. If you know what your client is looking for, you can align your cross-selling offering to their specific needs. If you look for a book on Amazon, you’ll automatically get suggestions for other books you might like.

1. Always make the next appointment right away 2. Sell the result instead of a haircut 3. Don’t make any assumptions and ask lots of questions 4. Make sure you have a clear goal 5. Help clients make a decision

Make combinations You can offer combination specials in different ways. You could, for example, present a special offer on a combination of similar products or equally a combination with related products. You can give a discount on the total price. An example: the bundle rates for taking out a mobile phone subscription in combination with a new smartphone. A hair colouring treatment in combination with a facial massage. A haircut and shave duo deal.

Social provability Presenting client ratings or specialist opinions will make clients more apt to purchase additional products. Show the number of products sold or share product reviews. Using terms such as highest rating and stating the number of likes will be helpful. Use existing clients as proof.

Existing clients first With a cross-selling campaign, it’s always a good idea to start with bringing it to the attention of existing clients. Give your existing clients the feeling that you’re treating them as your most recent new client. Make them feel special and they will remain a loyal returning client for years. Use example texts The following example texts are often used to create a ‘bridge’ to a cross-selling conversation:

This product is often combined with …

Have you ever thought of...?

This is now also available …

This goes well with …

Recommended products …

Other products in this collection …

Make the most of …

Other clients also bought …

This combination has been made especially for you …

Our specialist’s choice is …

Accessories with this product …

Choose the right timing It’s important to give plenty of thought to determining the best times for showing clients your products. Which phases in the purchase decision process are the best? When the client is still browsing or at the time of their first purchase? Or perhaps both? Also consider different times of the year, such as holidays, events or a certain season during which products sell better. Ask more questions … Cross-selling is extraordinarily effective. It gives a strong boost to revenue growth and sharply increases the average order value. Successfully applying cross-selling isn’t very difficult. Seriously thinking in a structured manner about what could be useful and valuable for clients and the ways in which your business can meet these needs will enable you to substantially increase sales. So make a crossselling plan for your business. I see it above all as a mindset. Don’t approach cross-selling like the usually uninterested cashier at a service station, but rather with the passion of the butcher. Get started and try asking more ‘butcher’s’ questions.