You might ask, "What is a follow on sale?" A follow on sale is
the sale of any product or service that comes as a direct result
of a previous sale. An example of this type of sale would be
selling an upgrade to a an existing software product
As we have discussed in other articles, there are companies out
there making much more money from follow on sales than from
original sales. We have also discussed some specific strategies
for increasing your follow on sales, strategies such as:
mentioning your complimentary products on the thank you page
that should follow your order page, giveaways, free training
courses, e-zine subscriptions, and mailing lists.
All of the strategies mentioned above are excellent ways to
increase your follow on sales but they are not the only
techniques you should be employing. I have also found the
following methods to be very successful.
1. If you ship a physical product, include sales and order
information for your complimentary products. At minimum
include a picture (preferably full color) of your product
and a URL that the customer may visit to get information or
order the product. A toll free number is a great item to
include here. Also include a postcard for the customer who
does not have ready access to the Internet.
2. If your product is electronic, like software or an e-book,
include an ad for your additional products. This option
should be used with caution, people do not like to be nagged
by products they paid for. Have the ad come up only the
first time the product is used or have a disable button on
the pop up.
3. Establish a "private" area of your web site and grant
access, for free, to any customer purchasing your products.
In the unique content of this "private" area you have the
opportunity to do some follow on selling.
4. Consider gathering more information on your customers,
such as mailing address, date of birth and telephone number.
You will need to decide if providing this information is
mandatory or optional. There is the potential that some
customer will not want to provide such information. Making
it required information may cost you some sales. Guard the
information you collect carefully and use it only for the
purposes defined in you privacy statement. Send a thank you
letter for purchases, send your customers a birthday card and
follow up with them via telephone to be sure that they are
satisfied with the product. These are all opportunities for
follow on selling.
5. On your order form, ask customers if they want to be
notified of new products, updates and upgrades. Maintain a
separate mailing list for those customers who indicate their
willingness to receive this information. You could also
offer the option of allowing the customer to be notified via
postal mail.
As mentioned before, the follow on sale is not easy to master.
It is a delicate balance between salesmanship and becoming a
nuisance. As with most powerful tools, these techniques hold
the promise of great success or spectacular failure. Take the
time to test and refine your methods before attempting
widespread application with real customers. With practice and
careful application, these techniques will contribute greatly
to your profits. And as always, that is the real bottom line.
About the Author
Tony L. Callahan is president of his own Internet marketing
company, Link-Promote < http://www.link-promote.com >. He also
publishes Web-Links Monthly, a newsletter full of tips, tricks,
tools and techniques for successful web site promotions. To
subscribe, send e-mail to: < Web-Links-subscribe@topica.com >.