How to Ratchet Up Your Upsells

Whenever possible, psychographic testing should be used to screen applicants. In many studies, testing has proven to be an accurate indicator of who’ll have success in phone sales and who won’t.

* Train for upselling. Call-center training sometimes goes a little further than the basics of running the phone and order-entry system, Reynolds said. Role-playing and listening to examples of successful upselling techniques are key ingredients in more advanced training. Training also has to focus on overcoming the obstacles to selling for some employees (especially their desire not to be “pushy” with customers).