Upselling vs. Overwhelming - How To Enhance Value Without Losing Customers

“Upgrade, Don’t Upsell - Create an Experience They Can’t Resist”

Have you ever walked into a car dealership excited to purchase a new vehicle, only to leave feeling bombarded by endless add-ons, warranties, and service packages? 

Or how about the time you found yourself trapped in an online checkout funnel with seemingly infinite upsell pages? That feeling of being overwhelmed is exactly what drives customers away.

What if I told you that there is another way to do this without compromising your business growth, offering additional value to existing customers, and without creating any unnecessary tension?

People Love to Advance, Not Be Pressured

Think about the last time you leveled up in a video game or received a promotion at work. Remember that feeling of achievement and progress? That's the exact emotion we should be tapping into with our customers.

Instead of "upselling," what if we focused on "upgrading" our customers? This subtle shift in perspective changes everything.

People naturally resist being sold to, but they love advancing. They love growth. They love achievement (Pink, 2009).

• Instead of forcing upsells, guide your customers toward natural progressions.
• Instead of pushing the next sale, upgrade their experience in a way that feels exciting.
• Instead of overwhelming them with choices, create a clear path forward they actually want to follow. (Dixon et. al. 2013)

From Pushy Sales to Empowering Progress

When Maria* (Fictional story based on true events) first started her consulting business, she packaged all her services into one comprehensive offering. Potential clients would listen politely during her pitch, but most would never follow up - the few who did often seemed overwhelmed by the scope.

"I was trying to give them everything at once," Maria reflects. "But it was like trying to drink from a fire hose."

Following advice from her mentors, Maria restructured her business into a progression of services. Now, clients start with a focused package addressing their most immediate needs. Once they experience success, they naturally ask, "What's next?" (Mehta et. al. 2016)

"My sales increased dramatically," she says. "But more importantly, my clients started seeing real results because they could focus on mastering one level before advancing to the next."

Creating an Advancement System

The above story is based on true events and has been inspired by lessons that my mentors Bob Burg and Richard Weylman often share. 

When you focus on delivering a superb customer experience, your clients will start asking, “What’s next?” (Weylman, 2021). Instead of resistance, they crave the next level of engagement with you (Burg, 2007).

To transform your business from overwhelming to upgrading:

1. Break your offerings into logical progression levels that build upon previous successes 
2. Focus first on delivering exceptional value at each stage 
3. Celebrate achievements with clients before introducing the next level
4. Frame the next steps as advancements, not additional purchases
5. Let clients set the pace of their progression

When you create this kind of system, something magical happens. Instead of you pushing products, clients begin pulling for more. (Herbach, 2024). The question changes from "How can I sell more?" to "How can I help them advance?" (Dobrokhotov, 2023).

The Advancement Challenge

Take a look at your current offerings. Are you presenting customers with everything at once, potentially overwhelming them? Or have you created a clear pathway for advancement that empowers them to grow with your help?

Remember: People don't enjoy being sold to but they love to advance. When you help them level up rather than simply selling them more stuff, you transform the relationship from transactional to transformational.

And in that transformation lies the true secret to business growth, customers who aren't just satisfied but become eager to discover what's next on their journey with you (Heath & Heath 2017).

If you'd like to learn more about building a customer advancement system that helps your clients progress naturally from level to level, reach out today for a conversation about how we can help.

Sources: 

1. Burg, B. (2007). Endless referrals: Network your everyday contacts into sales (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill.
2. Dixon, M., Toman, N., & DeLisi, R. (2013). The effortless experience: Conquering the new battleground for customer loyalty. Portfolio/Penguin.
3. Dobrokhotov, V. (2023). The art of after-sales marketing: Turning satisfied customers into loyal brand advocates. Virtual Inspiration.
4. Heath, C., & Heath, D. (2017). The power of moments: Why certain experiences have extraordinary impact. Simon & Schuster.
5. Herbach, C. (2024). Placing people at the heart of customer experience journeys. In Customer Experience in Fashion Retailing (pp. 65-92). Routledge.
6. Mehta, N., Steinman, D., & Murphy, L. (2016). Customer success: How innovative companies are reducing churn and growing recurring revenue. Wiley.
7. Pink, D. H. (2009). Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.
8. Weylman, R. (2021). 100 proven ways to acquire and keep clients. Advantage Media Group.