UPSELLING........

If you've read my tips, you know that Beth and I lost our two new kites in the trees. Beth's kite got away from her, but my line snapped. It was only 30-pound test line. I blame the kite shop for not trying to upsell me a roll of 70-pound test line.

Upselling is selling customers the highest quality or quantity of something that meets their needs. There's a fine line between upselling and overselling. Be careful not to cross that line or you'll lose a lot of long-term sales and referrals for a few extra bucks today.

Overselling breeds resentment. When you go to a butcher for a pound of hamburger, you don't want to leave with a side of beef. And if some cunning butcher sold you a side of beef, you might get angry when you got home and couldn't fit it in your freezer.

You'd probably stop going to that butcher, and tell all your friends about your bad experience.

When I say upselling, I mean upgrading the customer from a pound of ground round at $1.99 per pound to a pound of ground sirloin at $3.99 per pound. Sirloin is a better cut of meat. And it's less fatty, so it's better for your customer. You get the point.

Or perhaps your customer is having a big cookout and doesn't want expensive ground sirloin, but really needs three pounds of ground round to feed all of his guests. That's what upselling is really about - helping your customer, not just helping yourself.

Try simply showing your customers the next option in quality or quantity that seems appropriate, explain the benefits, and let them decide if they want to upbuy. How can you help your customers to see the advantages of upbuying?

-- Phil Sasso

Everything is marketing.....

"Go Fly a Kite!" my assistant, Pat, said briskly walking into my office.

"Pardon me?" I replied, startled by her comment.

"You just got a package from "Go Fly a Kite," she clarified.

"Open it," I said feeling a surge of excitement.

In the package were two kites to replace the ones Beth and I carefully
worked to place in trees in a nearby park.

I'd emailed the kite maker's customer service department last week
asking them to take pity on me and give me some replacement kites
at a discount. I never expected to get two free kites in return!

Think the company was foolish? Think again.

As a new hobbyist, what kite brand will I buy from now on?

Because I took the time to write them, it was obvious that I was a
serious kite hobbyist and wanted to stay loyal to their brand. Lest
you think I'm a little over-the-top, let me take a moment to explain
how kites have changed since we were kids. A "pro-sumer" kite can
cost anywhere from $20 to $250 a pop! (My kindergartener won't be
flying any $250 kites anytime soon, grant you!)

In college, my marketing prof gave us extra credit for participating in
an experiment. We wrote a letter to a company about a product
costing $10 or less that had failed. His findings? Most companies
responded by sending two replacement products or coupons good for
two replacements. The reason? By overcompensating, they were more
likely to turn a dissatisfied customer into a loyal one.

And don't forget, customer service's main objective is to support your
marketing, to diffuse problems and to smooth over ruffled feathers.
Customer service isn't about the one product at hand but about
protecting the lifetime value of that customer's loyalty.

What's your customer service policy? How do customers respond to
it? What improvements can you make?

-- Phil Sasso

Ad-Vice...

Recently, I launched a first-time radio campaign for a client. It’s a direct response spot for an unknown brand of big-ticket vanity product that fits a narrow target market. It’s not available in stores. There’s no website mentioned. And the 800# doesn’t spell anything or have a catchy jingle.

I carefully explained to the client it could take weeks before the phone rang. We needed time to build brand awareness, to create a need -- and at the very least get the audience to remember the phone number. I believed the campaign would work, but it would take a while to get results. He just needed patience.

I was wrong. Leads started flooding in from day one. I never expected such instant results. It seems the moment the ad airs, the phone rings.

I’m not suggesting you consider radio advertising. It’s not for everyone. But I am suggesting that you consider the effectiveness of advertising methods and media you may not have considered before. I think the reason this spot works, aside from my excellence in writing and directing, is that no competing product uses the same media.

Now, I’m convinced this campaign will exceed expectations. (Sometimes even I’m surprised by the power of advertising.)

What new marketing technique have you not tried, lately?

-- Phil Sasso

UPS and Downs...

As I was watching my Bears win the NFC Championship this Sunday, I saw a new UPS "whiteboard" commercial (whiteboard.ups.com).

In the campaign a spokesman stands in front of a whiteboard with a brown marker Illustrating his UPS sales pitch.

The commercials are focused, simple and memorable. They don't try to cover a lot of ground. (no pun intended!) Each just gives you one reason to choose UPS.

The one I remember explained how one driver can pick up all your packages -- overnight, international or ground. Obviously the competition requires several drivers and several calls.

It's a low-budget approach. UPS didn't spend a lot of money on expensive special effects and graphics. They just paid a talented copywriter and film crew to shoot a poised spokesman And it will probably draw a lot of new customers to UPS.

I really like the commercials -- even if I really hate UPS.

Although UPS has lost time-sensitive packages and refused my claims -- TWICE -- I still think their ad is good. It's smart and strategic.

But the ad won't influence ME. I won't ship with UPS again.

Good advertising can sell a product or service ONCE. But no amount of good advertising can sell a bad product or service THE SECOND TIME.

My Bears are going to the Super Bowl. Win or lose, I'm proud of them. But I'm hoping FedEx spent the $2.6 million to promote their services during Super Bowl XLI.

Go Bears! Go FedEx!

- Phil Sasso