Upselling is adding value to a sale by either selling another product or service or a more expensive product.

Fast food outlets do this very well: “Do you want fries with that?” and you think, “why not”, and the up-sell is done!

It’s about giving customers ideas of what else they can buy. Upselling is a great way to increase revenue, yet many businesses don’t do it. Whether you are a tourism operator (sell them a full day trip instead of a half day, an extra night, a combo or a package), a retailer or a builder, there are always opportunities to up-sell.

Up-selling is relatively easy as the customer is already buying your product.  All you have to do is to convince them to buy more.

There are also ways to up-sell if you are selling a product online. You might have seen on online shopping sites such as amazon.com : ‘customers that bought this product also bought that product’: ‘if you buy two or more products, you get free shipping’.

Here are 5 upselling tips:
- Identify upselling opportunities
- Offer a matching or complementary product
- Sign customers up for a loyalty programme
- Train your staff the essential up-selling skills and opportunities
- Implement the upselling strategies in your business

Till next week, Marijke

Did you know that women influence 90% of all travel decisions  - and close to 90% of all consumer buying decisions as well? (the guys reading this will probably nod…)

Girls like to shop, that’s no secret. We also think differently than men and make buying decisions in different ways men do.

A few things to keep in mind when you work on your website content, social media,  put together brochures or any other marketing for your business:

• Human connections are the key to attracting women to your product or service. They communicate to forge relationships based on mutual values and interests. Avoid over-automation, focus on one-on-one experiences and facilitate story telling. Also ensure you have photos of your team and some background info on them on your website. This makes it a lot more personal!
• Women like detailed information to absorb & digest. Women use smart shopping skills and do a lot of research before buying. The pre-purchase process is much more important to women than it is to men. Create a culture committed to helping customers determine the best choice, not the quickest sale.
• Women also comparison shop. They gather data through reading and research, and compare your product or service against competitors.
• Women set priorities according to the needs of those most dear to them, so identify ways they can support family members with purchases.

Is your marketing meeting these needs? Does your website provide enough detailed information? Does it encourage your customers to communicate with you? Does it say anything about the people working in the business?
If you keep women in mind in marketing your business, more will buy or book your product and your business will grow!

NOTE: registrations are now open for the 2016 Marketing for Success Programme. Click here for more info! Limited spaces!

Till next week, Marijke

I was just reading Destination Queenstown’s newsletter and see that several tourism businesses are having their annual locals’ day.
What a great community and marketing initiative! They offer their tourism activity at a heavily reduced rate, and often the money goes to a charity.

Why have a locals' day? Well, it's a great initiative that achieves the following:

• Locals experience the activities and are likely to recommend it to others (tourists to the town or visiting friends & relatives). Word of mouth & recommendation is still one of the biggest sources of information for people to book/buy your product.
• Locals will ‘brag’ about it in social media
• It is a good way to encourage Tripadvisor ratings
• Businesses that donate to charities or community projects create goodwill and are more likely to get chosen by customers over businesses that don’t
• It’s an opportunity to create some business over the quiet times
  
• It will increase awareness of your business
  
• Promoting your locals’ day will generate some free publicity!

So, what can you do to get locals to experience your product or service?

Till next week!

Marijke