I was setting up my electricity for my new house and the provider offered to connect me to a third party that could coordinate my move and offer me discounts at home improvement stores. How convenient! The third party compared rates of the two local TV/Phone/Internet providers so I was able to also schedule those services to be hooked up. I was identified as someone in the midst of a move and the utility added value to our relationship. This partnership saved me an additional call to set up my entertainment services and, before the call was over, I had several Home Depot coupons waiting in my Inbox.
We are all looking for ways to cross-sell and to up-sell when we talk to our customers. Thinking like a customer helps to increase revenue through partnering. It is important to bundle a logical, related service or product. If you’re selling home appliances and you have a customer that’s ordering several appliances, your call center agent could ask if they are remodeling their kitchen. Would it then be fair to connect them with a design firm to assist in their remodel? It’s acceptable to do a few follow-up questions (maybe they are a DIYer) to see if they would like coupons or a consultation with a home improvement store. But, attempting to sell a PC is not. Knowing your customer and thinking about logical, related products and services will not only increase your revenue and enhances your corporate partnerships, but you may just gain a loyal customer for life!
See the intelligence that can be captured from customer experience.
“I recently placed an order with your company for my new wedding invitations and about a week later you called me to see if I’d need any thank you notes. I did and you saved me a trip to the store!”
“About a week after I had cable installed in my new apartment I was contacted by a local retailer to see if I wanted to upgrade my TV. I didn’t have the money at the time but a year later I got a great deal by going into that store. I wouldn’t have known about them (and their great deals) unless they had called me a year prior.”
“What’s so funny to me is that I’ve been married for 5 years and I’m still getting offers to join your company for dating services. Absurd – I don’t know where you got my info from but it’s wrong, wrong, wrong!”
Happy Monday!
