EDUCATION CONNECTION
Increase Your Potential with Suggestive Selling By Frank Sciarrino increase your scope, increase your revenue
As someone often traveling from job site
and strengthen the relationship with
to job site, you’re in the market for a new pickup truck that doubles as your office.
your customers by being a sort of one-
The 2022 Ford F-150 has what you need:
stop shop. The add-ons or features are
a console that folds flat as a table for
usually of lesser value than the initial
your laptop and a tailgate that turns into
purchase; however, they aim to increase
a workbench. That tailgate even includes
the “register ring” and elevate customer
a place to put your mug of coffee and your
retention.
phone. Nice! You roll out of the dealer’s lot happy with your new ride and the additional features you discovered during the buying process. That discovery didn’t happen by accident; the salesperson used suggestive selling to sweeten your perspective and get you closer to signing. Suggestive selling isn’t a new sales technique. Our grandfathers were upsold almost every time they were at the barbershop: “How about a clean shave with your haircut?”
Looking to jump into suggestive selling with your countertop sales? Here are a few highmargin, low-overhead add-ons or features you can include with each job: • Most countertop customers are likely to replace sinks and faucets, so why not solve for your customer’s needs and increase your average ticket by offering these items plus installation? • Demolition of the existing countertop, and if done at the time of installation, can reduce overhead.
Even these classic fast-food queries:
• Offer to handle some of the plumbing: Reconnecting
“Would you like fries with that?”
plumbing at the time of installation can save your customer
“Care to supersize for just a dollar more?” Other examples of suggestive selling are in the consumer appliance and consumer electronics industries. Both business segments do a tremendous job of emphasizing the value of extended warranties or protection plans, demonstrating the potential what-ifs that could happen due to wear and tear or system failure. Warranty plans help customers protect their investments from these pitfalls. Waiters at your favorite
from sourcing another provider for this part of the renovation process. • Offer and upcharge for expedited delivery and installation if possible (barring supply chain issues, of course): Incentivize your customer to be at the front of the line and get their countertop installed in days, not weeks. • Add and include steel supports, brackets and other hardware, which emphasizes to your customer the need for
restaurant are typically quite good with this sales technique,
durability against extra and sudden weight.
particularly when they’re telling you about the specials,
• And, like the appliance and electronics industries, help
pushing appetizers and desserts, or suggesting a wine that’ll
your customer understand the common accidental damages
pair perfectly with the ribeye you ordered.
that can occur to surfaces and offer coverage that gives them
The purpose of suggestive selling — or upselling — is
peace of mind. For stone and quartz counters, for example,
to increase the customer’s final purchase package and bring
the Granite Gold Protection Plan covers accidental damage
more revenue to the business. By offering additional products
such as household stains, chipping, pitting, scratches, etches,
or services to increase the value of the overall sale, you can
hard-water marks and deposits, cracks, and caulking, grout
20 • Vol. 15 / Issue 1 • International Surface Fabricators Association
