Hey everyone, I hope you are doing well today. I have received quite a few emails lately from people asking me what is an upsell and what a down sell is. I thought instead of answering all these emails I would just blog about it so that everyone had a chance to benefit from it instead of just a few people. In this blog post, I will be going into detail on what an upsell is as well as what a down sell is.
Let’s Get Started!!
Upsells Are Everywhere!
Whenever you go to McD’s do you notice that the cashier always tries to sell you something else when you place your order? “Would you like to get 2 Apple pies for $1 today?” Even though they call it suggestive selling that’s just another fancy name for it. The proper term for this is Upselling.
It doesn’t matter where you go, upsells are everywhere. Just the other day I went to Fazolis and was asked if I wanted extra cheese on my lasagna. This is another example of an upsell.
What Is An Upsell?
This is where you’re offered extra products or services that in some cases you don’t really need. You see this no matter where you go and it’s just another marketing tactic used in an effort to gain more sales.
Here are a few examples of upsells below
- When you buy a new computer from an electronics store like Best Buy they offer you a warranty with it or suggest you buy a monitor to go along with it.
- When you buy a remote controlled car from a toy store, you are offered batteries.
- When you buy a gaming system you are offered a game for 50% off
What’s the reasoning behind upsells and why do retailers do this?
Simple, because you already have your wallet out and you are in the “Yes I’m buying something mode” already. It also makes sense to offer you a discounted game for that brand new gaming system you just bought simply because it’s not going to do you much good if you don’t have any games for it now would it?
In order for an upsell to be effective it needs to happen at the time of purchase and the item you’re offering needs to be relevant to what you’re buying.
How do upsells work in the internet marketing industry?
This works a little different in the online business world and it’s not the same as it is in the world of retail.
Let me break this down for you and show you a few key differences!!
- Instead of the products being relevant to each other they are only somewhat related and in most cases aren’t needed
- They can be pretty sneaky sometimes and trick you into buying extra products or services by having a box checked where you’ll be entering into a recurring payment every month. (Always read the fine print) I actually did a review on a product that does this and you can check it out here
- When you buy a make money online course they lock certain parts of it and charge you extra money to gain access to the entire program.
- They make it seem like you absolutely need the product offered in the upsell.(Upsells should accommodate the product not be needed to make the original product work)
- They use something I like to call hook and bait. They usually hook you with a “FREE” or discounted offer and once they get you inside they bombard you with products or services that they claim you need if you want to make money.
What’s A Downsell?
A down sell occurs whenever you abandon your shopping cart or walk away from the offer being presented to you. I’m sure many of you have probably experienced this many times and may not have known the proper term for it.
Here are a few examples of this so that you can get a better idea of what I’m talking about.
You are presented with a make money online package which sells for $47 and if you try and exit the page a pop-up appears offering you that same product at a discounted price.
Another form of a down sell could be them offering to give you something for free in exchange for your email address like you see in the screenshot to your right.
Once they get your email they can send you a variety of different products and services.
This is their last attempt to try and make a sale and you’ll see this whenever you try to click out of their sales page.
My final thoughts on upsells, down sells and the different ways of selling
Upsells and down sells can be a great way to increase your overall sales and I think it’s a great marketing technique that internet marketers should take advantage of if you go about it in the right way. Overall you need to make sure you are providing your readers and potential customers with value.
The product or products you are up-selling or down-selling also needs to be relevant to your initial product and needs to provide a solution to what people are searching for because how do you think they landed on your site to begin with?
Don’t try and trick people by using shady marketing techniques just to get people to buy your product. Provide them with value and you’ll find that you will have much better success this way. I always recommend Wealthy Affiliate as a way to learn the proper way to run an online business and be successful in marketing your products and services to your potential customers.
I really hope this has helped you guys out today and that I have been able to clear up any confusion you may have had about the whole process of how upsells work and the proper way to offer them to your potential customers.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this and answer any questions you may still have on this subject. Feel free to leave them for me below and I will get back to you A.S.A.P.
Your Friend, Scott
Hey Scott:
Thank you for the explanation of upsells and downsells. It comes at a good time for me because I’m trying to figure out how to market my own website without resorting to either. They irk me so much I am sure not wanting to do them to other people.
Your post does clarify the worst offenses that I need to work on avoiding….
Thank you.
You are most welcome Netta!
I’m glad that this has helped you differentiate these 2 marketing tactics and provided you with some solid facts about when it’s OK to use these marketing tactics as well as when it’s NOT OK to use them.
If done correctly and in a helpful manner these 2 techniques can really increase your overall revenue and help you make more money. Probably the best advice I can give you is to make your upsells or one time offers (OTO’s) helpful and make sure that you are always providing value.
If people see the value in these then they won’t feel like they’re being pressured into buying more crap that they don’t need.
Thank you so much for dropping by today Netta and sharing your thoughts on this topic of conversation with everyone here today.
It’s much appreciated.
~Scott~
The Good ole up-sells and down-sells in the online marketing world. I have a problem with this when it comes to the making money online niche world. I feel that they should be more upfront with people who really want to make money online.
I feel that most people will agree with the terms as long as people get what they pay for.
I feel there is a big difference between upgrading and up-selling. I know you didn’t talk about upgrading, but eventually as a business grows people will upgrade their business once they start to make money.
These upgrades are to enhance their business and people will naturally upgrade if they feel the need for it.
As for the down-sells, irk they irritate me. If the business is worth a buck then so be it. Charge them a buck. When you go to a store and you expect the price to be as it may, well that’s the price it should be.
I find it quite rude to charge people a different price for something depending on the action they take. Thanks for sharing your wonderful article.
Hi Evie,
It seems like we’re faced with upsells and down sells no matter where we go and they seem to be really prevalent in the online world. This is especially true for the make money online niche like you have already mentioned.
Instead of locking part of the product that they have paid for behind a pay window and trying to squeeze more money out of you for something that should be included with your purchase be upfront and honest with people and give them what they paid for.
I agree that there is a big difference in upgrading vs upselling and naturally you’re going to want to upgrade your business once you start to make more money.
Like you, I also hate downsells and I feel that whoever does this don’t believe in their product if they have to lower the price of it just to try and make a sale.
I want to thank you so much for stopping by Evie and offering your thoughts on up-sells as well as down sells.
Cheers
~Your Friend, Scott~
Great post! I had experience before creating upsell and downsell offers when I was creating the sales funnel. What successful upsell and downsell strategies can you recommend? Should I undergo training in copywriting so that I can create enticing offers and emphasized the benefits of buying the products or service to the visitors of my website?
Hi Keye,
The main thing to keep in mind when creating any kind of upsells or down sells is to make sure that you are adding value to your promotions. I’m not really that keen on promoting products with upsells and I believe in my product to much to downgrade it by offering it at a lower price with a downsell.
You can create a successful upsell strategy without going through any training in copyrighting if you go about it the right way and like I said above offer lots of value.
Clickbank University actually has an entire course on how to create enticing upsell campaigns that you should check out if you would like to learn more about how to be successful with this.
I really hope this has helped you out Keye and has answered your questions. If you have any other questions for me or need a hand with anything let me know man. I also want to thank you for dropping by and sharing your thoughts with everyone on this discussion.
Cheers,
Your Friend, Scott
Great read. Downsells are something that really turn me off about some of these work from home “jobs” as they call them. It really just screams desperation and it’s one of the many reasons I love Wealthy Affiliate. There are no down sells, you get a free membership to try out the community and services, and 2 free websites. They are also completely up front about the monthly costs for a premium member.
On the topic of upsells, they are a really great way for any business to increase their sales. As you said, when someone is in the buying mode and they already have their wallet out, it is a piece of cake to sell them another item like batteries.
Hi Skigh,
I agree 100% with you that down sells are a huge turn off, and I feel like it’s downgrading the product by offering it at a lower price. Once they find out that they are about to lose a sale they do anything they can to keep you on their sales page.
It just makes sense to join an all inclusive community where everything you need to run a successful online business is there for one low price. The greatest thing about this is that there are no upsells or down sells and you can even take it for a test drive before you decide to invest in their premium training.
I think that every business should have some kind of upsells, as long as they compliment your product and it’s not thrown in your face as soon as you make a purchase. Actually in the retail world, most of the time I take people up on their upsells if I feel I need the product that they’re offering me.
Thank you so much for stopping by Skigh, and sharing your thoughts on this post. I really do appreciate it.
Cheers
Your Friend, Scott
Hi Scott !!
Yeah – I’ve seen a zillion of both of these over the years, and in their place they’re good for both buyer and seller if they’re done with a little class and done unobtrusively.
If I see an upsell done “in my face” so to speak, with outlandish claims, I’ll run.
… and with downsells, I haven’t seen many I’ve liked, and some are just plain awful with a series of popups that just don’t quit.
Hey Joanne,
I agree with you that if upsells are done the right way they can be a very effective way to increase revenue to your business as well as provide value to your customer.
It’s a win-win situation for everyone!!
In the retail world I think this is great, but I tend to have a different opinion about upsells when they are thrown in my face in the online world. Whenever they say you need this product to make money, I’m thinking wasn’t that the reason I bought the original product? How is this product going to help me and why do I need to purchase it?
This usually throws up a red flag for me and I will also run the other way when they start making outlandish claims. I feel that down sells are an insult to the product and that they don’t truly believe in their product and they don’t support it.
If I wasn’t interested in buying it for the original price, why would I buy it at a cheaper discounted price? Thank you so much for stopping by Joanne and sharing your experience that you’ve had with upsells as well as down sells.
It’s really appreciated!
Cheers
Your Friend, Scott
That’s very interesting. I have worked at places on the phone where we were required to upsell, no matter what. I always felt so uncomfortable doing this, as the customer wasn’t even calling for anything like that.
Once in a while I will take an upsell when offered to me, if I think it will enhance my purchase, but often I won’t.
I guess I never knew what a downsell was, or that it existed. I can see how that works now. Thank you for defining these two things!
Hi Jean,
Yea I have also worked at many places that required you to upsell to customers. They had a fancy name for it which was “Suggestive Selling” I never felt comfortable doing this either, but it was a requirement of the job. Like you, I will also take retailers up on another product that’s offered to me if I feel that the 2 products go hand in hand and complement each other.
In the online world, I rarely ever do this because I feel as though they are just trying to squeeze more money out of me. Down sells aren’t that common in the world of retail and you mostly find these online. Sleazy IM gurus usually use these as their last attempt to try and make a sale.
You could also call this hitting the panic button because they’re afraid that they are about to lose a sale so any money is better than no money in their eyes. I’m glad that I was able to educate you on the meaning of down sells and I want to thank you for dropping by and sharing your experience with everyone here today.
Cheers,
Your Friend, Scott
Hey Scott,
As a customer I despise upsells and downsells. But from a marketing standpoint I understand why they’re used.
And in the make money niche these upsells are rarely used as an enhancement to a product. It’s used to squeeze more money out of people because the owner decided not to give you everything when you paid for the product.
And a downsell just says to me, ok if I can’t get you to pay full retail, I’ll try and grab a little less money from you.
Just a scummy way of doing business in my opinion.
The people that get my business and who have my respect are the marketers that say this is the price and you get everything, no upsells no downsells.
And then support the hell out of the product or service. Product owners like this are rare, but they’re out there.
I’ve found a few and when they come out with a new product or service and it’s something I can use I don’t hesitate buying it.
Because I know I’m not going to either be squeezed for more money, or insulted for a cheaper less than complete product.
Great post, keep them coming Scott.
Your friend
Leo
Hi Leo,
Personally, for me as a customer in the retail world I don’t usually mind upsells as long as they are relevant to what I’m initially purchasing and it enhances the product. In the online world though, I feel the same way as you do and feel like they are just trying to squeeze more money out of me and that it’s not needed.
I also agree with you that down sells are degrading your product by saying “If I can’t get you to buy it at this price then if I offer you a discount and maybe I’ll at least get some money out of you” If you believe in the product your selling and support it there’s no need to offer it at a cheaper price. If people truly are interested they will buy it from you.
Maybe they just aren’t in the buying stage right now and chances are they will likely come back and purchase it later on when they have more money. It’s hard to find people who actually support their product and provide value without trying to force you to buy unnecessary things that you don’t really need in an attempt to make a few extra bucks.
These are the kind of people that get my money because I know that I’m not getting squeezed for more money or insulted by being offered the same product at a cheaper price. I do want to thank you for stopping by Leo and sharing your thoughts on upsells and down sells with everyone here today.
Cheers,
Your Friend, Scott