ADDING VALUE & UPSELLING ~ SESSION OUTLINES 2
Session Objectives

Identify why upselling is important, and what skills and knowledge is needed to do it
effectively

Spot appropriate opportunities for adding value and boosting business within their own
and other departments

Demonstrate how to add value and boost sales by offering options and alternatives,
without being pushy
Methods Used

Practical activity

Syndicate exercise

Coaching trios

Role play
Resources Needed

Flipchart and pens

Post-it notes

A clock or timer to keep a check on timings of exercises

Spotting sales opportunities handout (tailored for your business as necessary)

Role-playing scenarios - one per page (tailored for your business as necessary)

Ice breaker
Welcome
Timing: 10 minutes
Welcome delegates to the session
Ask them who thinks that they are involved in selling.
Explain everyone is involved in selling in some way that those who have customer facing roles.
Everyone is in a position to not only help to increase sales and ultimately the business's profits.
Also to add value and give customers an all-round great experience by ensuring they are
made aware of all of their options and don't miss out on what the business has to offer, letting
them know of something they might have forgotten to order, or never even thought of.
Introduce a short icebreaker to put the group at ease and get them talking to one another
and relaxed. See separate document with some potential icebreaker exercises.
This may be the time to mention any sales incentives if you have them.
© Naturally Loyal / Zeal Coaching Ltd
www.zealcoaching.com
Definition: What is up selling and what do we want to
promote?
Timing: 10 minutes
Ask the group for their ideas on what we mean by up selling and cross selling. Ask how they
think this can add value, rather than being pushy or manipulative customer.
Exercise 1 (approximately 3 minutes)
Put the group into pairs and ask each pair to come up with examples from their own
experience outside work where they’ve seen or been exposed to up selling and cross selling.
Ask them if possible to give one example of up selling and one example of cross selling.
The value
Research suggests that 60% of purchases in retail are impulse buys; in other words they are not
what we actually intended to buy initially but through recommendation, suggestion or display
we've been tempted to buy something else.
McDonalds of course are the masters of this - have you ever not been offered fries or a drink to
go with your burger. And when was the last time you bought an electrical appliance and not
been told the benefits of an extended warranty? Supermarkets tempt us with extras such as
magazines and confectionery when placing them near the checkout.
By the same token in a supermarket you'll find some items which are well tucked away, such
as milk and bread. This is because these are low profit items or loss leaders, whereas all the
luxury goods by the checkout are going to be high profit. This is one potential consideration in
identifying what we promote and where we upsell. It obviously makes sense to be promoting
high profit items, but there can be a danger in using this as the only criteria. Unless what you
are promoting is perceived as value to the customer, it's unlikely the sale will be achieved, and
does little to build your customer’s loyalty or trust.
Balance
So on the one hand we want to ensure that what we are promoting is going to be profitable,
but on the other hand we also want to check that it's something that meets our customers’
needs and will be perceived as good value. For example it would be inappropriate to upsell
to a more expensive bottle of wine when it does not appeal to the customer’s tastes, but
highlighting to a customer that buying a whole bottle of wine might work out as better value
than buying wine by the glass could be a win-win.
So that's an example of offering an alternative; up selling might also be selling something
additional for example a side order of vegetables, a spa treatment or a room upgrade.
Explain to the group that although we don’t want to be pushy, if we don’t offer other items
sometimes we’ll leave the customer not even realising that option exists which could lead to
disappointment on their part, so get into the mindset of adding value rather than selling.
© Naturally Loyal / Zeal Coaching Ltd
www.zealcoaching.com
Spotting Opportunities
Timing: 30 minutes
So now the group understand what we mean by up selling, we now want to apply this to your
business.
Exercise 2 (approximately 10 minutes)
Divide the group into small groups (3 to 4 people per group) mixing people from different
departments. Give each group a stack of Post-it notes.
Allocate each group a different area of your business where there may be opportunities for up
selling.
Give the group 4 minutes to brainstorm as many opportunities for adding value add up selling
as they can think of for their area and put each idea on a separate post it note.
Allow one minute per group for them to go through their ideas and collate them all on a
flipchart. Ask for clarification on what they mean if necessary and give recognition where
people have come up with some more unusual opportunities.
Exercise 3 (5 minutes)
So now you have a whole host of opportunities highlight that it’s important to be able to spot
these opportunities.
This time divide the group into pairs, again mixing people up to work with someone different.
Give out your handout on spotting sales opportunities.
Allocate each pair two or three items to discuss and identify how they would approach each
situation to get a conversation going and identify what the customer might need, and what is
the potential opportunity.
As they work on the exercise listen in on their discussions to check that they are all coming up
with the right kind of ideas, and throw in some suggestions if necessary to get them on track,
but without taking over.
Exercise feedback (10 minutes)
Ask each group to feedback their ideas. If for any reason you are starting to get behind time
take one idea from each group, and then go round again each group in turn if time permits.
Sum up (5 minutes)
Get the group to think back over the last week to reflect on how many potential opportunities
they have missed!
Highlight the need for timing - for example, offering something that needs time to enjoy and
savour when customers are ready to go home is unlikely to entice them (although it may give
them a good reason for a repeat visit)
© Naturally Loyal / Zeal Coaching Ltd
www.zealcoaching.com
Product knowledge
Timing: 15 minutes
Explain to the group it is obviously important to know about their products and services in
order to make recommendations. Ask if they only need to know about the things they offer in
their own department. Refer back to the spotting opportunities session and highlight that very
often it will be another department who is making recommendations and suggestions to
customers.
Ask the group what else would tempt them to buy something other than just a description.
Bring out the need to stimulate a desire and get the customer to take action – using the
emotions, identifying what makes this product or offer different and spell out the benefits to
the customer of choosing this now.
Pick out 2 – 3 post-its from exercise 2 and as a group work through some descriptions that
would tempt a customer to upgrade or order / book / buy something over and above what
they intended.
Exercise 5 (10 minutes)
Go back to the post-it notes from exercise 2 and pick out one or two more examples from
each department.
Divide the group again into small groups of 2 - 3, mixing up the departments, and give each of
them 1-2 post-its.
Ask them to say how they would describe each of the products, packages or services?
Only give them two or three minutes to think about this, and when they feedback ask them to
explain it exactly as they would as if you were the customer, so using the exact words and
phrases.
Now ask the group to go back and look at all of the post-its from exercise 2 and flag up where
they feel that they don't have sufficient product knowledge to be able to promote that
service, product or package, and what would be helpful for them to be able to do this
effectively.
Make a note of what else needs to happen and if time allows set aside 2- 3 minutes right now
to set this up.
(Allow staff to experience all the products and services first hand where ever possible - this will
not only make them more memorable, there will be more willingness to promote if they are
confident to talk about it, and it will certainly be easier to evoke emotional appeal through
vivid descriptions of taste, smell, feel, if they've experienced them themselves.)
© Naturally Loyal / Zeal Coaching Ltd
www.zealcoaching.com
Behaviours
Note: this session is also covered in in the delivering great customer service module. If you have
already run this session you may want to use this time for a refresher.
Timing: 10 minutes
Ask the group what skills they think are needed to be able to upsell effectively and meet the
customer's needs.
Write their ideas on flipchart, bringing out the key skills of listening, questions, observation and
then match the offering to meet the needs.
Ask them what type of questions we need to be asking and explain if necessary what we
mean by open questions.
Ask who has heard of the term active listening, and why it is important. Give a demonstration if
necessary of listening actively. Explain the consequences of failing to listen effectively, and
how this can lead to unhappy customers, and a lot of extra work for us when we get things
wrong.
Optional Exercise 4 (3 minutes)
Note: This exercise was also in Module 1, and is repeated in module 3, so you may not need to
do this if you covered this recently. However if you are running this as a stand-alone session, or
you think the group needs a refresher you may wish to use it again, or change the brief a little.
Ask everyone to find a partner and to decide in each pair who is A and who is B. Everyone is
to think about something their partner does not know about them e.g. where they want to go
on holiday this year, what they are doing on their next day off, a hobby or anything else nonwork-related. A is to start by asking B using as few open questions as possible to find out their
‘secret’. B can only answer the questions, and not give any additional information.
Then swap over.
Listen in on the questions and coach them if you hear them asking closed questions.
Get them to reflect on how if they asked closed questions they got little information, whereas
when their questions were open they got to the answer much more quickly.
© Naturally Loyal / Zeal Coaching Ltd
www.zealcoaching.com
Handling objections
Timing: 10 minutes
Whether an objection is perceived or real, staff need to know how to deal with these. One
awkward question can shatter confidence, so explain how to spot and handle different
situations.
Ask the group to call out potential responses they'll get when they offer something over and
above what the customers has asked for and list on a flip chart.
Have a general discussion with examples to cover:

Ask if customers need any other information Accept that customers may have questions
and takes these in your stride

How to distinguish between a definite 'No', and a simple request for more information
before buying

When it's just a matter of timing - they don’t want it yet but ask me again on m y way
back, or they don’t have time now, but let me know about it next time

They want something more, but you've just offered the wrong thing

Explain the need to identify the nature of the objection by asking open questions

How to demonstrate empathy and understanding of the customer's perspective

How to gain trust by matching the response or offering to meet the customer's needs
© Naturally Loyal / Zeal Coaching Ltd
www.zealcoaching.com
Practice makes perfect
Timing: 30 minutes
Letting the group practise in a safe environment, based on different scenarios will build their
confidence and is the most important part of the session so ensure enough time is devoted to
this exercise.
Handling the role-plays
Divide the delegates into groups of three. Each group will work on three different scenarios.
Mix different departments, as somebody from a different department can often spot
opportunities that might otherwise get missed, although make it as realistic as possible so that
team members are responding to a brief that is appropriate to their department.
For scenario one:

Person A will be the customer

Person B will be the team member

Person C will be the observer (as well as being a second customer if the brief requires it)
For scenario 2 each person will change roles, and then all change again for the third scenario
so by the end of the exercise everyone should have been a customer at least once, the team
member once, and the observer once.
Each group needs to go to a different area of the room so that they can't overhear other
groups, and set up any necessary props (e.g. a table to represent a reception desk, table ad
chair for a restaurant scene).
Remind the delegate that this is a safe environment so it does not matter if they end up saying
or doing something wrong. The important thing is to recognise this and then think about what
they should do or say instead. Then practise this.
Explain that you will be looking for some examples of adding value as well as effective up
selling, so the observer should take note of what people do or say which demonstrates this,
and be prepared to feedback examples at the end of the exercise.
Timings
5 minutes for the briefing + allow approximately 5 minutes per scenario (20 minutes in total)
© Naturally Loyal / Zeal Coaching Ltd
www.zealcoaching.com
Role play debriefing
Timing: 10 minutes
Bring the groups together to debrief them and share good examples of adding value and up
selling,
Ask each group in turn for one or two examples of:

What went well

What did they find challenging or difficult

How did people’s explanation of the product match the offer

What phases did people use that make the product or service sound irresistible

What points will they remember when they are doing this for real

Where they feel they need more support, information, practice or training.
Summary
Timing: 10 minutes
Sum up by stating how this will be followed up.
Suggestion: At team briefings (or when quiet) you may want to follow this up by doing ‘spot
check’ on everyone’s explanation of different products or services,
Incentives
Link your upselling activity to any sales incentives.
Guide and support
Encourage them to ask for help when they are not sure.
Observe how your staff handle the upselling conversation and give them feedback after the
event on what they did well, what they could do more of, and give the appropriate support
and guidance on areas where they need more help.
Ask the group to get into pairs and share with their partner one action and one personal
target as a result of the session.
© Naturally Loyal / Zeal Coaching Ltd
www.zealcoaching.com