Upselling

Upselling is a sales technique that encourages customers to purchase an upgraded or more premium version of the product or service that they are looking to buy. In other words, it encourages customers to buy a higher-end version of a product than that they intended to.

The classic example of upselling can be found in the automobile trade. Anybody who’s ever purchased a base-spec car will have almost certainly had the salesperson attempt to sell the next best model to them, or the high-end luxury model that comes with self-parking and heated massage seats—has anybody ever used those?

Still, with upselling increasing revenues by 10-30% on average, it’s easy to see why it has become such a common sales strategy. 

Side note: Upselling shouldn’t be confused with cross-selling, a technique that aims to sell customers additional products or services that complement the product that is being or has already been purchased.