Previously we have discussed how to get more of your customer to renew. In this post we will look at some ideas to get your customers to buy more.

Up-selling and cross-selling are not about the hard sell or getting someone to buy something they don’t really need or want.  When done properly the process should almost feel like a service in its own right.

One of the best examples online of up-selling and cross-selling is Amazon. Put an item in your basket and you are presented with “Customers who bought this also bought…” with the majority of the suggestions being more expensive items. If you go back to the home page it will have changed to show you items based on your browsing history along with items they feel are associated with that item e.g. putting a men’s skater brand watch in my basket had them showing me jewellery, trainers and accessories.

If they don’t know about it, they can’t buy it

It may sound obvious but the first step is to actually tell a client about the range of services you can do for them. So many websites keep information about their products features buried deep in the depths of their website never to see the light of day. To make sure, once a customer has signed up you should send a welcome email that lists all the services you perform.

Bundle services

Being able to buy everything from one place is always an attractive proposition to clients who don’t want to have to shop around. If your core product is web hosting for small sites you can look to provide creative services to help them with their banners, logo, HTML emails etc (and vice versa). Always keep an eye out for opportunities that may arise from any offhand comments a client may make about needing work in a particular area.

Time to renew

If you run monthly, quarterly or annual contracts which require the client to renew at the time of prompting (and I hope you do prompt and don’t leave it to the customer to remember to renew!) inform them about the benefits of upgrading to a higher spec package and what great value it is. Also remind them about the other services they can buy from you.

Limited time offer

If a customer doesn’t bite straight away or you want to run a promotional campaign, offer the bundled services at a discounted rate cheaper than if they were bought separately. To create a sense of urgency and prompt a quick response, run it as limited time only.

Give them a free taste

Getting your foot under the table is always the hardest part. To reduce the client’s perceived risk offer them something for free such as a scaled down version of your service so you can demonstrate your value. A lot of the application developers for the iPhone and iPod touch offer a ‘Lite’ version of the application to get people hooked and wanting more (which they then have to pay for).

Ongoing services

Ongoing services such as annual site reviews, PPC account management or monthly SEO reporting are a great way to establish a steady revenue stream and maintain a relationship with your client. When any other work crops up you can make sure you are top of the list when they look for a supplier.