Yes, I’m aware the title of this post comes off a bit used car salesman-ey. Read on and you’ll see it’s not a complete sleaze fest.
Growing a loyal client base is extremely valuable in all aspects of business. I like to break it down into a few simple things:
- Setting realistic expectations from the getgo
- Following said realistic expectations
- Returning phone calls and emails
While that may seem like the most generic thing you’ve read today, it seems to be a magic formula that’s helped grow my business.
“Includes a brand new clear coat from the factory!” img source: captivatedev
When realistic expectations are set, no one should be surprised with what they’re getting.
When you’re returning emails and phone calls, you’re providing good customer support. This is all business owners care about.
I get calls on a weekly basis from business owners who curse out their previous web guy – sometimes it’s not warranted, but a lot of the times it is.
Whether the guy took off to Aruba and stopped returning phone calls, or whether he installed a crappy plugin that exploited the entire website. Most of these things usually lead back to either lack of communication, or a misfire from the very beginning when expectations weren’t clearly laid out. Is support included with the build? Who takes responsibility if the site gets hacked? Blacklisted by Google?
You may be asking yourself what the hell this has to do with upselling. The answer is everything.
If you take good care of your clients, they will take no issue when you tell them it’s time to give their website a much needed makeover. They will trust your judgement when you tell them GoDaddy sucks and it’s time to switch over to WPEngine hosting. You will be the first one they call when they need a maintenance plan for their website.
The Bottom Line:
The art of upselling involves taking care of your clients. It’s not so much an art as it is something that will fall into your lap after you treat people the right way… but that wouldn’t have been as catchy of a title.
Now I’ll leave you with a sleaze fest from one of the greatest opening scenes in film history. Coffee is for closers!