Upselling on the Phone

The sale keeps going until the customer indicates he’s done buying, Bruggeman notes, adding this is where TSR listening skills come into play. “When the rep gets the message that the buyer is done buying, then it’s time to end the call—not before.”

Reps Need the Right Mindset

According to Kislik, telephone reps need to understand that it’s part of their job to make these upsell or cross-sell offers. The problem, Kislik says, is that most inbound reps don’t believe their job is to sell anything. So in terms of training, the upsell/cross-sell aspect of the job should be presented as part of being “helpful and giving service to the customer.” Kislik says it’s important to stress to the TSR that the choice to buy is up to the customer.