What’s An Upsell?

Posted on April 2, 2008

Since there are so many new marketers coming online in the last year, I thought it would be helpful to open the topic of upsells for fresh discussion. This is another ‘basic’ and well worn topic. The post below is an introductory post only and is not a formula for product launches.

The up-sell works best for instant download info products, but you can also use this income generating technique for shippable items.

If you’ve ever been in a McDonalds’ restaurant you already know what an upsell is. “Would you like fries with that?”

Internet marketers can sell three types of products as their upsell. The complimentary product. The add on, lower priced product. Or a deluxe, upgrade option.

Most info product marketers offer their front line products at a relatively low price. This breaks down the barriers to creating a relationship between seller and customer, making it easier to entice the customer to add more items to their ‘cart’.

A few years back upsells were so popular (and abused) that whenever a lower-priced report was being offered (front line) for sale, savvy surfers wouldn’t even consider the purchase. They were so certain that low price meant pitchy upsell that they’d close their browser window without further consideration.

It was a major problem in the industry because when something works, and someone writes a report about it, we all use it to extinction. However, if done correctly, and ethically, the upsell still works in niche markets or behind the scenes with follow up email marketing.

Here’s a hypothetical. Let’s say you’ve created a high priced info product and you haven’t purchased any products or are following any set rules on product launches. You don’t have a list or much money in your advertising budget. One marketing technique you might consider is to create a smaller product (from your existing content) and offer it at an introductory price. Your larger, high priced info product then becomes the upsell.

Now I don’t know what you might be selling, but this is nothing more difficult than taking two or three chapters or techniques from your high price product, and, at the end of the content, add a link “for further study” or “for more detailed training” which displays the higher priced, full feature, product. If done it correctly (your intro product is good quality and delivers on it’s promises, and your pitch within isn’t glaring and pushy), you’ll net many sales and many affiliates in the process.

Keep the promises you make, treat your introductory product as a real product delivering real information, and above all treat your customers with respect. You’ll finish with a top notch reputation, customers who happily refer your products to others, and one more product (therefore more income streams) to show for that little extra work.

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