Upselling: works for retailers so why not for caterers?

The retail sector is famous for its clever upselling techniques, including encouraging customers to talk about their needs to enable the sales assistant to suggest additional items, asking questions, making recommendations, and closing the sale with a friendly attitude to encourage repeat business and perhaps get that extra sale. These techniques could also work for caterers selling equipment to restaurants, pubs and cafes. Read on for tips on how to make upselling work for your catering business.

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1. Don’t be pushy

The first thing to remember when upselling is not to be pushy. If a customer senses you are only after his or her money, they will be less trusting and less likely to succumb to the upsell. Trying to upsell constantly can also make a customer feel that the products or services are inadequate if they don’t continuously buy add-ons.

2. Do your homework

If you know your client, you know the products they really need. Try to plan in advance for each customer and think about what items will really benefit them. In this way you can stay one step ahead, have the right products and details to hand, and impress them with your knowledge of their industry and their needs.

3. Plan like a retailer

Caterers can learn from retailers by thinking about how best to present their products. Learn about the parts that make your equipment unique or special and make sure you mention these in your sales pitch. Commercial catering equipment that is well crafted from a reputable provider, such as https://www.247cateringsupplies.co.uk, has lots of benefits. Make sure you present the equipment with the buyer in mind to make it as attractive as possible.

4. Offer incentives to staff

The people doing the selling need to feel motivated to upsell by their manager. It is all too easy to sit back and let the customer buy only what they set out to buy. Encouraging upselling by offering bonuses or other benefits, prizes or gifts will motivate staff to make more effort to secure an extra sale.

5. Every little helps

An upsell does not always need to be a large purchase. Every small item counts; therefore, always think about those little extras, such as small kitchen accessories. Low-cost items are often easier to sell as an add-on and can be a spontaneous purchase.

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