For starters, I was confused.  Once I clicked on that “Add to Order” button, was I was going to be immediately charged for that extra item? Or would I have the opportunity to remove it from the cart before my order was finalized?  Either way, it didn’t give me any time to think it over, research the product, or do a price comparison.

Secondly, I’m not an impulsive buyer.  I rarely make a purchase unless it is well thought out.  And forcing me to go through multiple pages of upsell products in order to get to my order confirmation page just didn’t sit well with me.

This past week, direct response copywriter and marketer Michel Fortin posted his opinion about this method of upselling on his blog and it has sparked some  passionate comments from his readers.  Michel compares it to taking the customer’s order and holding it hostage.  And his wife, Sylvie, actually refers to this as “upsell hell.”

But what’s interesting is that Michel and Sylvie aren’t against upselling.  In fact, they are big proponents of it.  And in all truth, so am I.  The issue isn’t with the upselling itself, but the timing of it.  The Fortin’s and I believe that upsells on the web should occur *before* the customer enters their credit card number and submits their order.  It’s just common courtesy.

On the flip side, our opponents say that they utilize this method because it works.  It allows them to close the initial sale (they’ve already captured the buyer’s credit card number) and it gives them the opportunity to sell more products without the risk of the customer abandoning the shopping cart.  They believe that they are in jeopardy of losing the sale altogether if they offer upsells before the sale is clinched.

While I agree that statistics prove this method works in the short term (as it did with me), more often than not, it ruins any chance of a long-term relationship with that customer.  Overall, it causes distrust and resentment.  Yes, you may get that extra sale or two, but will the customer come back and buy from you again in the future?  Or have you scared them away forever?

Personally, I’d rather profit less from the initial sale with hopes of profiting more in future sales from customers that come back and buy from me time and time again.  And while this is partially because I am committed to running an ethical business, my desire to get repeat customers runs deeper than that.  Let me explain.

Studies have proven over and over that repeat customers:

• Cost less. Snagging a new customer is costly and time consuming.  We all know how expensive advertising is.  But in addition to that, it takes time and effort to get the customer to trust you and make that initial purchase (a good example would be answering pre-purchase questions.)   In contrast, the repeat customer has already bought from you, already trusts you, and is often eager to buy from you again.
• Buy more. Repeat customers will not only come back and buy from you again, but will often buy larger quantities.  This provides you with more sales revenue that didn’t require you to invest in additional advertising.
• Refer others. Referrals have often already made up their mind that they are going to buy from you.  They’ve heard good things about you from someone they likely trust.  They are less skeptical and more open to you than someone who has never bought from you before.  This results in an easier sale, that again, didn’t cost you additional advertising dollars.

As you can see, it’s just good business sense to try to retain your customers. But it doesn’t work when you use in-your-face selling methods such as the upselling technique we’ve been discussing today.

Instead, it’s a process that means treating your customers with dignity and respect.  It begins before they buy from you, continues when they make the purchase, and ends with exceptional customer service.

The next time you are tempted to jump on board the “upsell hell” bandwagon, remember that the effects are long term.  Ask yourself if it is really worth losing customers and ruining your reputation in the process.

Remember, it’s always about the customer.

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I thoroughly enjoyed reading Mario’s post. It’s not only well-written, but entertaining. In essence, it details Mario’s experience in contacting, via email, four car dealerships with a simple request. He asked each of them whether they: 1. Had the base (no options) car model of his choice in a specific color in stock, and 2. If so, what was their asking price.

One dealership never replied. Another emailed with hype and spam and never said whether they had a car meeting the specs on their lot or not. The third emailed him with a quote that included options and a dealership fee. Mario responded to them asking – again – for a base price without a dealership fee, but in the process, they made a big mistake. They took two days to get back to him. During that time, he was already well into the buying process with the only dealership that promptly and accurately answered his email.

I once had a client tell me she didn’t want to communicate with her web site visitors by email. She was used to doing business by phone and that’s what she was comfortable with. I told her she needed to learn to effectively communicate by email or she would lose business. She was so set in her way of doing things, however, that she ultimately decided a web site was not for her.

Another client insisted on providing only his phone number as a contact method on his web site. Interestingly, he was out of business within a year. Whether his failure to provide an alternative to a phone number as a contact method contributed to that, I don’t know. But it does make you wonder.

Many web site visitors prefer the convenience and anonymity of email over the telephone. The problem is, just as many online companies don’t want to be bogged down with answering emails. Neither do they want to invest the time and money in training staff to do the job. As a result, they neglect emails or do a poor job of answering them and their sales suffer.

What these businesses seem to miss is that the Internet is accessible to almost everyone, and people are no longer limited in who they can buy from. To top it off, it’s easier than ever for folks to shop around and compare prices. However, it’s not always the lowest price that wins the sale, but often, the business that responds timely, accurately, and respectfully to any inquiries the customer makes.

There’s a sense of peace that comes with knowing that someone who cares (or at least appears to) is on the other side of the web site. And, truth be told, some customers are willing to pay more for that assurance. Some won’t buy without it.

Remember – it’s always about the customer.

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When I sold this web site, I emailed the owner of the consumer confidence organization with a request to cancel my membership since it was not transferable to the new owner. And even though I have other web sites, I did not wish to continue my membership with this organization.

Here’s why: During the 5 years of my membership, I never once had a client tell me that they found me through this organization, nor did they express any increased confidence in my company due to my membership. I think it was because the organization simply wasn’t well-known enough, therefore, it wasn’t recognized by my customers to be something of value. The membership seal I so proudly displayed on my web site meant absolutely nothing to most of my site visitors.

But getting back on track here. A full week went by and I didn’t hear back from the owner regarding my cancellation request. I thought that was rather odd, so I emailed her again, reminding her of my cancellation and requested also that she remove me from her mailing list since there were no options to unsubscribe in her emails or on her web site (membership required that you receive her newsletter).

I’m assuming she received this email since I never received another newsletter from her. But she never did respond to me. She could have used it as an opportunity to try to retain my business or at least say she was sorry to see me go. In my opinion, her lack of response was unacceptable. After all, her business was about integrity, ethics and good customer service. Maybe she felt I wasn’t worth responding to since I was no longer a paying customer.

This is exactly why you can boast that you have the greatest customer service on the face of the earth and it means nothing to your site visitors. In truth, it probably makes them roll their eyes. They read promises of exceptional customer service on nearly every business web site, yet almost every business will fail – at some point – to deliver. Just like the consumer confidence membership seal on my web site, the words “great customer service” mean absolutely nothing to web site visitors.

Which brings me to the point of this post: Don’t waste valuable space on your web site claiming great customer service – unless, of course, you want your visitor’s eyes to glaze over while they mutter “yeah, right,” and click away. Instead, use that space to tell your visitors what they want to hear through customer-oriented copy that is targeted towards their wants and needs.

Web site space is valuable and you have just a few seconds to capture your visitor’s attention and draw them in. Don’t waste it with meaningless, overused words.

Remember – it’s always about the customer!

Want to learn how to write web site copy that gets your customer’s attention? Karon Thackston’s Step-by-Step Copywriting Course will teach you how. Packed with real-life examples and exercises to help you sharpen your skills, you’ll soon be on your way to writing web site copy that sells.

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