Cross-selling and Up-selling
A customer is not just a customer. He or she is also a hot prospect for many other products and services that a company sells. This isn't surprising. If you buy a hammer and a box of nails at ABC Home Improvement, chances are you're going to return to that store when you need lumber for your new deck.
There are two techniques that a company uses to sell more stuff to its customers: cross-selling and up-selling.
Cross-selling involves getting you to buy other products associated with the one you're already buying. If you have a favorite brand of shampoo, it makes sense for that company to persuade you to purchase their conditioners, mousses, and other hair products. (That's why you'll often see coupons for related products inside product packaging.)
Automotive dealerships actually cross-sell you all the time. The new car is the big-ticket purchase. But servicing that vehicle during your years of ownership is where the real money is made. That's why soon after your new car is delivered you begin to receive letters, flyers, e-mails, and even phone calls from your dealership announcing “spring tune-up” specials and other deals.
Up-selling is a little different than cross-selling. It involves persuading you to buy a more expensive version of the same product, or add on to a current product. For example, if you move into a new home and call the telephone company to activate your service, the operator might say something like, “Would you like to add our voice-mail service for just $8 extra per month?” That's up-selling. Even McDonald's uses this technique when they ask if you would like to supersize your order.
So just because your target audience is existing customers doesn't mean you can let your hair down and relax. Especially when cross-selling and up-selling, you need to be as determined as ever to craft copy that connects with the customer and persuades him or her to buy.
