Regarding parties, up–selling can be a piece of cake. However, your staff may feel differently about this type of sales process. This article on up–selling focuses on the challenges and benefits to the consumer, the business, and the individual employee. Selling is helping in its finest form and I hope this will give you a resource to increase sales during the coming months.
Where does the reluctance come from when it comes to asking for the up-sell? Why does the up–sell often feel like a “hard sale”? There are a couple of basic answers to these questions.
Employees tell me that they feel like they are putting pressure on a customer or that they are asking them to buy too many things. And, depending on their approach, they are probably right. Here’s an example of a real phone call. After a call where a guest was booking a group event, the employee said, “Would you like to add balloons to each table?”, (guest response-no), the employee said, “Would you like to add extra pizzas to the basic package?”, (guest response-no) and so on. When I questioned the supervisor about the call, they told me that the employee received a higher evaluation as long as they offered a minimum of 3 additional up–sell items. It is not enough to have a salesperson offer additional items…we must teach them to “sell” it so that the guest will purchase the items.
The best way to ensure you offer the upsell items a guest will buy is to LISTEN to the guest. They’ll tell you what is important to them. When you use a sales qualification process to understand the party experience the guest is planning, you’ll have all you need to upsell. Let me give you an example. “Are you planning a party for a group of all adults or families with a mix of children and adults? Do you want to come during the day or in the evening? Were you planning to serve a buffet, or were you thinking of appetizers?” These questions put you in a better position to help the guest plan the best party possible. So much of the time, we try to let the guests tell us exactly what they want without suggestions. Who knows more about your facility than you? Listen to the guest’s needs regarding the event. They are counting on you to help them plan an awesome experience. It’s not about bowling, mini golf, laser tag, or arcade games. It’s about the experience.
The second best way to sell additional items to every event is to avoid yes/no questions. Rather than saying, “Would you like to add more gameplay to your children’s cards?” Give choices–“Mom, I can upgrade your child’s party with $5.00 in gameplay for only $3.00 or double that play for only $4.00 more – which would you prefer?”
Finally, it is wise to evaluate how you utilize your website. Do you have a reservation system available? Statistics show us that the average upsell item goes up when people book online. People shop at their leisure and consequently use the visual to make decisions. Take note and ensure you have a nice visual display at your center that includes all your upsell items. Guests are motivated by the things they can touch and feel.
It’s not rocket science. When your guests buy more, whether you ask, “Would you like fries or onion rings” with your burger or an upgrade to a group event or birthday party, you increase your bottom line! If your average event is $200.00, it only takes an upsell of $20–$40 in products to improve your 10%–20% revenue. It’s good for your customers to have more with their event. Great selling is helping. Help your guests have the best event possible by paying attention to the party’s goals. If you’ll make the up–sell focus all about the customer because you care about their experience then you’ll increase your sales without using hard–sell techniques. Make it fun for you, your staff, and your guests!
This article is reprinted from the Party Professor articles in Replay Magazine. If you want access to the archive of the Party Professor articles (and much more), sign up for Xpress Training.
