Having a Music On Hold and Message System is Like Cross-Selling in a Box

Just like advertisements or feature news articles, on hold messages must also be catchy and interesting to make the callers stay on the line. But with the high competition among companies, you can use this vital advertising time to cross-sell, cross-promote and up-sell callers while entertaining them at the same time.

To achieve successful cross-selling with your on hold message, here are some golden rules to follow:

Keep Upselling short and simple.

Too much information results to information overload. So, choose only a few things to cross-promote to give your callers a reason how they benefit from this additional item they had no intention of purchasing.  For example, any good waiter/waitress at a restaurant will suggest a wine with dinner (ding-ding, lights go off! This is subtle, yet effective up-selling), or at the end of your meal, how about a cup of cappuccino or dessert? This is  upselling too!

Have you ever had your carpets professionally cleaned? I imagine at some point you have. Did the technician offer you scotch-guard or Teflon protection after the cleaning to help keep your rugs cleaner longer? This is upselling folks.

There’s literally hundreds of ways to cross-sell or cross-promote products and services by advertising them in your on hold message.  Remember that you are given only a short period of time to communicate with your callers, so you have to make the best out of it. By doing so, you can generate additional revenues that you might not of otherwise gotten!

Focus on your caller.

Always give emphasis on the benefits that people can get from your upsell. This way, you are making your callers feel that you truly care for them. For example, many HVAC companies offer their customers a maintenance plan. This is a tremendous add-on sale item. The company promotes that you receive priority service if an emergency happens (customer’s feel like they’re  A #1 when it comes to importance) , you receive special discounts on any service or repairs (saves them money) and you also get annual inspections to keep your hvac system running properly and all for an economical price (looking out for my best interest!)  Sounds great doesn’t it? 

Make Sure your Cross-Sell items are Up-to-Date.

Include two or three ‘companion” items or services and you can find watch your “add-on” sales soar.  By keeping your message on hold updated, you are showing your customers as well as prospective clients that your company is progressive. So, always keep yours up-to-date, comprehensible, and client-focused. You’ll definitely gain positive response from your callers.