In this article we are going to take a look at how to expand your product range and capitalise on cross sells and up sells.

When considering whether to expand any product range you need to choose products that are related to the products you are already selling, if your website is based on selling equipment for diving you wouldn't start selling a new item for cricket on the same site, you should ALWAYS sell related products on the same site.

There are several ways we can sell more product?

1)Up sells at point of sale

2)Cross sells at point of sale

3)Down sells

4)Back end sales

Let's discuss each one?

Up sells

At Mc Donalds they always ask "would you like to super size that", this is an upsell?

We can apply this in our own businesses very simply? If for example you sell wine and some one buys two bottles, you can offer an upsell to six bottles for just another ?15.00, approximately 10-20 will take this offer.

Down sells!

Many times people will leave your site without buying anything. You can use a downsell to help improve your conversion rates.. lets say that someone is about to leave your site.. and a popup window appears making them a special offer for a related low priced product? will a percentage take it? You bet!

If we can up sell/cross sell / Downsell items at the point of sale we will be able to add significant revenue to our bottom line, as I mentioned earlier approx 10-20% of buying customers will normally accept an up sell at the point of sale, by offering the new product as an up sell/ cross sell we save on the number one expense of actually getting the customer in the first place.

This next point is HUGE?.

Backend Sales

Back end sales is selling other related products after the initial sale.

For example lets say you've sold a camera, would it be possible to go back to the same customer a week or two later and ask if they would be interested in purchasing a flash or camera bag? Then a week or two later a back drop, yes , yes and yes and believe me this is where the BIG money is made? finding the customers who will buy again and again?

I see the majority of business going out day after day in search of a new customers and yes you should be doing this too, but they fail to tap into the wealth that is hidden in their customer database? as they say "there is gold is them there hills" well my friend there is gold in your list of past customers? go dig for it!

One way to do this is via autoresponders

Auto responders

Set up an auto responder - a series of set messages that go out at predetermined intervals on auto pilot?

Lets say that a customer bought a mountain bike from you, a week later we make him an offer for body amour (mountain bike padding), then two weeks later we make him an offer for a cycle rack, then a few weeks later we make him an offer for a set of gloves and so on?

You could set up a system that continues to make him offers for a year or two then try to resell him another bike! The great thing is once you've set the system up you can forget it? it will run on autopilot? To learn more about autoresponders click here.

Add upsells / cross sells and back end selling to your business to make the most money possible without increasing your marketing costs!

David Berriman is the author of import mentor and dropship mentor

if you would like to find out more about his work visit

http://www.import-mentor.co.uk

http://www.dropship-mentor.co.uk

http://www.lazer-marketing.com