One of the hallmarks of highly successful companies in virtually any industry is the ability to upsell to your existing customers. Up-selling means to be able to sell more than what the customer intends to purchase. While you may not realize it, everyday  your business is presented with upsell opportunities.  It’s what you do with these opportunities that make the difference! Really?... Every day? …Where, when, how? …With your most targeted and attentive audience  -- your callers waiting on hold!  That’s right, every time you place a caller on hold, you have a captured, interested audience to whom you can advertise companion products, add-ons, and higher margin products.  You’d be surprised at how much of an impact using on hold messages for suggested upselling can have on your bottom line. In fact, GlobalComm Marketing reports that businesses receive a 20% increase in requests for product/service offerings  being mentioned on hold when using a professional message on hold system.

“ The best example of upselling is the fast food industry. A burger may be $1, but it's easy to upsell the customer by offering fries and a drink for $1 more. If purchased separately, the fries and drink would cost $2. Thus, the customer doubles the cost of his purchase to $2 because he perceives a value of $3. Upsell a product by telling the client how much it is worth or how it can add value to his life for "less than it usually costs."

There are numerous strategies on how to up-sell. Nordstrom's department stores are excellent at offering new shoes or a bag to accompany their dresses and suits. Professional sports teams all make substantial revenues from merchandise sold to ticket buyers. How about you? What are you doing with your upsell opportunites? Are you capitalizing and increasing the sale, or are you leaving money on the table? When was the last time you purchased a new car without at least one extra? The art of Up-selling does not require one to be pushy, but just convincing enough to encourage the customer to take advantage of the suggested product or service. 

You may be saying... "Ok, but we don't sell apparel, tickets or automobiles”.  We’ll take a look at a specific client example. We have a client who is in the non-medical, senior care industry. With all the baby-boomers this is a large, very competitive industry. So our seasoned copywriting staff  took an in-depth look at the client versus his competition, and while they may not sell apparel, tickets or automobiles, what they do sell is: The time of caring individuals,  trust, security and comfort." So, that's exactly what you should be "upselling" in your on hold script -- “Value added services”!

We buy the automobile GPS system from Ford with our new car, not because they are the only manufacturers, or even the cheapest. We buy because it's convenient, we trust Ford, and THEY OFFERED IT TO US. We buy a jersey and a giant foam finger and a $7.00 hot dog at the ballpark, not because we need any of them, but it enhances the experience, and THEY OFFERED IT TO US.  The bottom line is you are presented with countless upsell opportunities. When it comes to selling companion products, add ons or even higher margin products,  IF YOU OFFER THEM TO THEM,  they'll purchase them.

Creating brand loyalty doesn't come easy, especially in uncertain economic times where purchasing decisions are made purely on price rather than brand affiliation. There have been numerous studies over the years, proving that loyalty is characterized by an emotional and behavioral response. At a time when the market is extremely cluttered and fragmented, consumers are reserving their loyalty to those brands who connect with them deeply and sincerely. Today's consumer is interested in the brand's philosophy, values, ethics and community advocacy. Starbucks is one example of a brand that lost brand power as consumers reacted to its 'corporate giant' status.

Consumers are becoming more demanding in their expectations, and it is extremely important for brands to develop emotional bonds and relationships with their customers.  Consumers want brands that deliver on brand promises all the way through the “brand touchpoints.”  Offering a good quality product or service is just the beginning of the story. When a customer gets a good product from you at a reasonable price he develops certain expectation. Now it is your responsibility to fulfill that expectation by maintaining the quality. If they don't get good product in the second or third time they will switch to some other brand.

On hold messages allow you to maintain consistency when it comes to your brand image! Your callers’  telephone interaction has direct correlation of how prospects and customers perceive your brand.  If you leave the caller on hold in silence, within a few seconds frustration begins to set in. In fact, studies show that callers who wait in silence on hold will hang-up within less than 45 seconds. However similar studies conclude that 88% of callers prefer on hold messages versus canned elevator music or dead silence, and that callers will wait up to 3 times longer allowing you to serve them. The benefits to your brand when having on hold system are numerous for your brand image.

When customers buy your product or service for the first time they actually make a trial purchase. If they are satisfied they will keep coming back to you. Making a good product is not the end of the story. Many of the business owners do the same mistake. As soon as a product is bought they forget the customer. If you want to hold back a customer for repeat purchase you should improve your customer service. When done right, a professional music on hold marketing system engages your audience, extends a positive brand experience and builds brand value and loyalty. Consumers are still attracted to brands that deliver what they promise Quality is a vital attribute for securing consumer commitment and brand loyalty. Offer great service to a customer who have bought a product or service. They will surely come back to you as everybody prefer safe, familiar and quality product.

It doesn’t matter if the interaction is taking place online, offline, or through some hybrid model  – at some point in time your potential (and existing) customer’s are going to interact with your brand over the telephone. And what will your brand’s telephone experience say? …Will it capture the essence of who you are? …Will it convey the soul of your brand?  …Will it make for a memorable brand experience? 

Odds are that unless you’re using a professional marketing on hold system, your callers are experiencing brand disconnect.  You might ask, “is your brand’s telephone on hold image even really that important?”  - Yes, it is! …Brand disconnect hurts, because if it occurs it weakens the message of who you are in the eyes of your customer. It forces them to question your honesty and your authenticity. And that’s what separates the brands people seek out from the ones we steer away from.

Here’s a familiar scene:  You’re sitting with friends, talking about funny TV shows or commercials.  Someone says something like, “Hey, remember that commercial with the gorilla dancing in his car while waiting for a light to turn green?”

“Oh, yeah, I think I remember that one.  What company was that for again?”

And nobody remembers the advertiser!

“Um, I think it was for a mortgage company . . . no, no, it was for life insurance . . . oh, no, wait, I think that was that commercial with the talking buffalo.”

Well, guess what–if you can’t remember who an ad was for, no matter how entertained you may have been, there’s very little chance the ad has been successful in making a connection between the potential user and the brand doing the advertising.

A telephone on hold Brand image has the task of communicating the essence of your brand with two types of audiences. First, to your existing customers so that you are focused on building and maintaining brand loyalty. Secondly to those callers who may not yet be in the buying cycle, but are "wool-gathering" for that time when they are ready to purchase. In order to protect your brand, you need to develop a telephone on hold strategy for how you’re going to keep your brand image consistent. That’s why when using on hold messaging as a part of your brand-marketing strategy, you need a well-written, engaging and creative on hold script that connects your callers to your brand. It must connect to what is essential to the brand and how that brand’s products and services will affect prospective users, both emotionally and practically.

You need to build your brand on core values and remain consistent with all aspects of your brand image marketing. With telephone on hold messages, you strike that balance between holding the audience's attention and delivering to them a positive message with some creativity, so they pay more attention! …If the creativity is done right, a connection with the brand is initiated.  When the time came to perhaps look into buying the product, or at least to recommend it to someone else, that name brand would likely be on their list of considerations.