Far too often sales people and employees aren’t trained on effective ways to upsell, chances are you either offend customers by being too pushy, or leave money on the table that customers would have willingly spent with you. Either option is costly. When it comes to increasing revenues from current and potential customers, often times not enough attention is paid to upselling. While added benefits of a professional on hold system include creating a positive brand impressions and improved caller experience, its primary asset is still to be used an effective means of “selling more goods.”

Effective on hold upselling strategies...

Assumptive is the key. You’ve got to assume that the customer will naturally want this. Your on hold script begins the upsell with a brief benefit, then if possible, adds something unique about what you’re selling. To avoid sounding pushy, particularly if the upsell requires some elaboration, you simply prompt the caller to inquire with your staff for further details.

Why is upselling on hold is so important?

Upselling using on hold messages is practically effortless.  A funny thing happens when you understand advertising, communications and marketing -- you can creatively draft an on hold script, designed to persuade or prompt callers to inquire (or buy) a little extra or “up-grade” before the final purchase. 

A carpet cleaning company,for example, might inform or suggest to callers the benefits of having professional carpet or upholstery protectant applied after the cleaning to help resist against spots, stains or premature resoiling. In fact, you may even receive a discount on this with certain services already being performed. These upsells are usually small purchases that the buyer doesn’t have to put a lot of thought into. The bonus is they can be extremely profitable for you as the sales person and for your organization.

Why upselling on hold is so profitable...

Using the carpet cleaning company example above, consider this:  Let’s say the average sale for scotchguard protection is $65.00, less the cost of labor and materials of $20. That’s an extra $45 per job! Now let’s say you book 3 new cleaning appointments per day, and one of those 3 who had heard your message on hold ad about the scotchguard protection offer, and added it to their job. Do the math, that’s nearly an extra $1,000 per month, and a huge profit marginin effortless upsells! So, upselling on hold is one of the highest and best uses for your business, as well as for your prospects and customers waiting time.

Other businesses like HVAC service companies, pest control, pool cleaning companies, etc. offer service maintenance contracts that add value and savings to their customers, as well as profits to their bottom line! In fact, studies have shown significant increase in the sale of service/maintenance contracts when mentioned in an on hold script. Upselling these Service/Maintenance contracts are not only extremely profitable, it also helps to prevent customers from leaving to a competitor. 

The 3 biggest mistakes in upselling!

1. No attempt is made to upsell.
2. The salesperson comes across as being pushy
3. The upselling is made in an unconvincing manner so the customer generally refuses.

The Bottom line, On hold Upselling is easy...

Every business owner should realistically look at whether or not they could improve the way they up-sell. For most businesses, the addition of a professional message on hold program can help make a world of difference. A professional on hold marketing agency, will help to develop a Focus on the customer needs-not yours. That perspective empowers you to upsell effectively and with integrity. Other effective upselling techniques with your on hold marketing is to promote any companion products or services. For example a spa or salon may promote retail hair, skin or nail products for that “salon look at home.” Another example could be package deals for Group related products.

With fewer sales opportunities in play, competition is fierce. So, you can either try carrying around a lucky rabbit’s foot and hope for the best, or you can  “do something” to capitalize on invaluable marketing opportunities you’re missing out on. Outsmarting the competition doesn't have to mean breaking them, or outpacing them, or even giving them a run for their money. Instead, it can mean flourishing in your market in spite of their existence.

That’s exactly what professional music on hold marketing can do.  Let’s face it hold happens, and while you might not think so – it does! Today callers are transferred to other personnel, departments and voicemail. Believe it or not, this on hold time presents a unique opportunity for you to create a great brand impression, capture more sales opportunities, retain callers and provide for a great caller experience. 

Unlike print or other time consuming advertising channels, on hold advertising media is unlike any other marketing vehicle. It’s easier to manage, less time consuming, more targeted and gives you the competitive advantage of adapting quickly as your market changes.  Customers today, more than ever, want value, choices, convenience, information, respect, involvement (to feel a part of your business), security (by way of warranties, service plans, customer support), and enjoyable experiences.

On Hold Messages gives you the chance to communicate will callers to promote these features and can create the image that says you provide it all. You may never be presented with a more captive audience, and opportunity for your small business to win business away from large organizations, and that's exactly what Outsmarting Goliath is all about.

While we all wait for the economy to rebound, what steps are you taking to generate revenues? One sure fire way to increase sales is to increase your exposure through advertising, but effective advertising can be expensive and many times your return is a mystery.  Hands down the most beneficial thing you can do for your callers, your business and your bottom line is to implement a music on hold marketing system.

Think of it like this - -  on hold messaging is like having an insurance policy on your other marketing efforts. You spend valuable marketing dollars to get an interested prospect to call your business. But what happens if you lose that caller because they became frustrated waiting in dead-silence and hung-up? This is where on hold advertising becomes an invaluable marketing opportunity to reinforce your other marketing efforts by educating and informing callers about your offerings, promotions and to keep callers on the line.

Think you don’t need to be concerned about hold time or what your callers hear while on hold?

Well, consider this – 1 in 5 callers placed on hold take action based on a message they hear while waiting on hold (AT&T survey) and 1 in 5 converts to a 20 percent increase in revenues!

Let’s take a look at a sample analysis of what advertising on hold can do for the average business.

Phone Traffic Analysis (Listed below is an example of a company receiving 50 calls per day):

Average number of calls per day (50)

Business days per month (22)

Total callers per month (1,100)

Amount of callers placed on hold (national average 70%)

Total callers placed on hold (770)

Time on hold (national average 30 seconds)

Total seconds on hold (23,100)

Divided by 3,600 seconds per hour = Total hours on hold (6.42)

Multiplied by 12 months per year (77)

= 77 hours of FREE advertising each year, and all to a captive audience.

Just imagine what you could tell (or sell) prospects and customers by using on hold messages and almost 100 hours of targeted marketing time.