Upselling quotes (good/better/best)

[gnubler]

How do you upsell in your price quotes? 99% of my quotes are done via email, some are just typed into the email, bigger ones have a formal quote generated from my invoicing system. Whether I'm asked or not, I often include good/better/best options - such as making a flat vinyl sign vs adding dimensional letters or other upgrades. Most people have no idea what they want, so I usually kick back some images of other signs showing the options.

Too often my customers are just choosing the cheapest option. I'm tired of cranking out flat panel signs, I can do so much more and it would reflect so much better on their business as well. What are some effective ways to upsell a sign in the quoting process without coming across as a sales slime or uppity?

 

[Notarealsignguy]

You have to make the choice on your own based on what the job is and provide 1 option, maybe 2. If there are 2 options, make sure they are obvious and far apart. People want choices for lunch, not these kind of choices. The format of your quote doesn't matter either, just reply to the email. Upselling and asking too many questions in itself is slimy to me

 

[CanuckSigns]

You have to make the choice on your own based on what the job is and provide 1 option, maybe 2. If there are 2 options, make sure they are obvious and far apart. People want choices for lunch, not these kind of choices. The format of your quote doesn't matter either, just reply to the email. Upselling and asking too many questions in itself is slimy to me
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I agree to an extent, I have found I get a better closing rate if I use terms like "standard" or "typical" when quoting signs. People don't know shit about signs and they care even less, so if they think they are buying the "standard" sign they sleep better at night, everyone wants to be like everyone else.

Now, if you get the sense that a particular client wants something higher end, you can shift what "standard" is, now you have 3 levels, economy, standard and deluxe, 9 out of 10 people will still go with standard, a few will go deluxe, but almost No one will go economy.

 

[netsol]

i have been considering a way of building the good/better/best into our quotes (perhaps a template that prints in 3 colors to highlight the difference & upgrades

i am currently making a pricing sheet for different materials with some sort of "quick ship" option, so clients know that sizes/material combinations of a certain color can be picked up in 24 hours, (or conversely, if you want larger than a 64" banner, it will be several days more). still sorting it all out. the problem is, not making it complicated enough that i am the only one who understands it.

 

[FireSprint.com]

I think this makes alot of sense if there is a clear Good/Better/Best option. For example, banner stands have economy options, and high end options. You get what you pay for. They are also generally designed differently. The differences are easy to explain.

If you are creating a site sign, or vehicle graphics, you should probably use a "Better" material for the job and call it a day.

I would stay away from Good/Better/Best in design work altogether. This should just be billed by the hour, with better happening with more of a time commitment.

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That being said, what's critically important here is taking a moment to get to understand your customer's needs. If they are all over the place, I believe it's your job to help them navigate our industry. Don't use a good/better/best approach to overcome just not asking your customer what their budget is and what are they trying to accomplish.

For example, we get quote requests all the time for 50 yard signs, all the way up to 50,000 yard signs for the same customer. I know if we get this request, someone has not done their homework. No one, who has a legitimate need for 50,000 yard signs, cares how much we charge for a one off order of 50.

 

[Gino]

I would just offer them one price and tell to either like it or lump it and then say...... Have a Nice Day, sunshine...............

 

[Signscorp]

I won't offer a lower priced option if i want them to go with dimensional. It's hard to make the decision to go with a $1500 sign when you know you could get away with a $400 sign. But as mentioned in this thread, nobody knows what a sign is worth until you tell them.

Sometimes people just want a quick cheap sign though, so know your audience. If i could have my whole business just selling quick cheap signs i would!

 

[signheremd]

Good/Better/Best works in some cases, like retail where you are trying to get business from different type of customers for one product. But in custom signs too many options sounds like you don't understand the customer's needs or wants. best place to start is to ask questions and takes notes. Offering dimensional letters as a second option can be a good way to sell more of those - but be sure to convey that such an option would be your recommendation "if it is within budget." For regular customers, you should already have an idea of what they typically want and expect - for them, the ease of working with you is as important as the knowledge that you know what they like.

 

[Stacey K]

It depends what they are asking for. Today I had a customer send me a new white pick up truck photo that will be driven by the company owner. He wanted the logo on the bottom of the doors in either black or black/red and concluded with asking "what do other people do" - which leaves the door open for upselling.

I sent a quick proof with the regular logo which was red/black, a black version and a white reflective version which is like ghost graphics (with a screenshot of a white/white police car at night). I end the email with "the majority of my customers go with just the plain vinyl, I love the ghost graphics so I always include those and if you really want to get fancy, you have the rocker panel option, which is less common."

In this case, I know they aren't real flashy people but I wanted to give them the 3 most common options but also by including that the majority of people go with plain vinyl, this doesn't make them feel like they are being cheap. I did not include any pricing except for exactly what they asked for...plain black or black/red vinyl. If they like the idea of the reflective or the rocker panels, they will ask for a price. In Notareals words...

 

[gnubler]

The format of your quote doesn't matter either, just reply to the email. Upselling and asking too many questions in itself is slimy to me

Anyone else want to chime in on this? It just seems so informal to type estimates/pricing into an email, but if that's what most are doing then so be it. On bigger jobs with many components I generate an actual estimate and send the customer a link or PDF attachment.

Most of my customers don't know what kind of sign they want and don't know what their budget is, which is why I present a couple options with example images to figure out what they're after. Kind of like what Stacey mentioned above.

I wonder if the Ain't Nobody Got Time Fo' That lady is looking for a sales job? Hustle and shake down all potential customers.

 

[gnubler]

I would just offer them one price and tell to either like it or lump it and then say...... Have a Nice Day, sunshine...............

Not always that easy, especially as a newer small business in a small town where word gets around fast. I just quoted a big job and they said it was way over budget and then gave me a number to work with. I didn't tell them to get lost, but requoted it on different materials/sizes. Trying to work with people, not piss them off.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

When you have a million options, you end up working like a monkey swapping material 100 times a day which is very inefficient. It becomes more difficult to gang jobs which wastes material plus you end up with prints laying all over the place rather than rolled up on a tube waiting to laminate. Not to mention the hassle of keeping this much stuff in inventory. It may be a bit different for a big shop which has the volume to burn through a lot of material and not have to worry about it as much but most people here seem to be small operations.

 

[Gino]

Not always that easy, especially as a newer small business in a small town where word gets around fast. I just quoted a big job and they said it was way over budget and then gave me a number to work with. I didn't tell them to get lost, but requoted it on different materials/sizes. Trying to work with people, not **** them off.

Yes it is that easy. You just don't know what you're doing or talking about and people can see through you that you're desperate. Evidently, you misquoted the job the first time around, so ya lost the big one and YOU turned it into a smaller paying job.

If your vehicle was running rough and you took your vehicle in and they said, you need 2 new injectors. It's gonna cost $1,600 and we suggest you do them all...... are you gonna say..... that's over my budget. Do you think they're gonna quote ya on some other items and lower your cost ?? Oh, we'll put some other tune-up parts in there for $375 or a different kind for $680 or another kind for $812. Take your pick.

 

[gnubler]

Yes it is that easy. You just don't know what you're doing or talking about and people can see through you that you're desperate. Evidently, you misquoted the job the first time around, so ya lost the big one and YOU turned it into a smaller paying job.

Nothing desperate about it. This particular one was an attempted upsell, actually a good example for this thread. I didn't misquote anything and tried to push for a nicer display than they had in mind (like the Standard vs Custom mentioned upthread). They loved the concept but not the cost, so worked it down to a manageable number. How would you have handled it? Tell them it's this or nothing? I want to be easy to work with, not a stubborn PITA.

 

[netsol]

I think this makes alot of sense if there is a clear Good/Better/Best option. For example, banner stands have economy options, and high end options. You get what you pay for. They are also generally designed differently. The differences are easy to explain.

If you are creating a site sign, or vehicle graphics, you should probably use a "Better" material for the job and call it a day.

I would stay away from Good/Better/Best in design work altogether. This should just be billed by the hour, with better happening with more of a time commitment.

---

That being said, what's critically important here is taking a moment to get to understand your customer's needs. If they are all over the place, I believe it's your job to help them navigate our industry. Don't use a good/better/best approach to overcome just not asking your customer what their budget is and what are they trying to accomplish.

For example, we get quote requests all the time for 50 yard signs, all the way up to 50,000 yard signs for the same customer. I know if we get this request, someone has not done their homework. No one, who has a legitimate need for 50,000 yard signs, cares how much we charge for a one off order of 50.

yes, the reseller has to do his homework.
i have been a computer consultant for about 35 years.
these days, we still provide oversight for clients who now use a large MSP for day to day tasks.
a long running theme, is that many of these companies, after 10 years of billing

I would just offer them one price and tell to either like it or lump it and then say...... Have a Nice Day, sunshine...............

i only disagree, because i remember my father, going to sears, to buy appliances.
while it took the salesman a little while, he was always able to waltz my father from the $110 budget washing machine, to the$600
flagship of the fleet. one option at a time you could always convince him that these things he never heard of were things we could no longer live without.

i catch myself falling into the god/better/best trap (even though i am incredibly cheap)

 

[ProSignTN]

It's obvious everybody owns a printer and no one is a salesman. Give them want you tell them to want, at your price. Or, let'em go to cheap signs are us.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

I make more money in the middle. Cheap and high dollar always seem to bite me but at least the cheap ones go faster.

 

[Gino]

Ya know treating every thread with kidd gloves is getting terribly dumb.

There's a time and place for using the three tier system, but not for every frickin' transaction.

First of all, ya need to look the part and act the part. If ya ain't got that, use your 3 tier system and look like ya don't know what you're doing.
Awwww, I'll take what's behind door #2.

When you approach someone, either in person or online, ya need to find out exactly what it is they want. If they want channel letters, some monolith sign structure or a pylon sign..... ya need to know what these things are worth. You need to know it going in within 2 or 3 seconds. You assess the situation. Don't shoot from the hip, but ask them right up front..... do you have a budget ?? IF it sounds realistic, THEN you tell them, you can quote it with .050 aluminum or ACM. Front lit or halo. This is where you get the feel of what their intentions are. Tell them, it might go a bit above their budget, but you can possibly get it lower. It all depends on their desires. They make the decision to go cheap or not...... NOT YOU. You need to educate the customer and after doing it for 50 years, ya get damned good at it.

Just had a lady who asked for two wall murals about 9' x 22'. She had all the files and eventually made everything perfect for me to print and cut. Are you sure this is what you want ?? This is gonna be kinda expensive. That's Okay.
Gave her the price..... and they had a guy to instal it. I've worked with him before and he is quite capable.
Oh, we weren't expecting it cost that much.
Sorry.
2 days later, she came back with a much more simpler layout. It certainly reduced the cost and now, they want us to instal it.
I didn't offer 3 tiers. It is what it is.

Quote people on what they want, not what you think you can get away with to show off or make more money. Pack that in with each and every quote ahead of time.

A flat panel sign with raised letters would look stupid and be totally unnecessary, unless a letter fell off and got ya in trouble.

Basically, there is no real upelling, unless the customer says, hey, what if I............ ?? Or you make a little side comment about something which might interest them.

Doing this online as you indicated is not a good idea. Online sh!t is not a good idea. If you're gonna be installing this stuff or they're picking it or whatever, they can come in and you do you pow-wow in person.

 

[Stacey K]

UPDATE TO POST #10: This was a real life example of how to handle good/better/best...

Customer just emailed they liked the all black cut vinyl option. Just to reiterate, they asked for a price for the black cut vinyl but also wanted to know what others do. I gave them the black vinyl price only but then mentioned 2 other options (that obvioulsy costed more) but I did not waste time calculating it out. If they had any interest they would have just asked for a price. Either the all black option was within their budget or they simply didn't realize they already knew what they wanted. Win for both of us!


Original post...
It depends what they are asking for. Today I had a customer send me a new white pick up truck photo that will be driven by the company owner. He wanted the logo on the bottom of the doors in either black or black/red and concluded with asking "what do other people do" - which leaves the door open for upselling.

I sent a quick proof with the regular logo which was red/black, a black version and a white reflective version which is like ghost graphics (with a screenshot of a white/white police car at night). I end the email with "the majority of my customers go with just the plain vinyl, I love the ghost graphics so I always include those and if you really want to get fancy, you have the rocker panel option, which is less common."

In this case, I know they aren't real flashy people but I wanted to give them the 3 most common options but also by including that the majority of people go with plain vinyl, this doesn't make them feel like they are being cheap. I did not include any pricing except for exactly what they asked for...plain black or black/red vinyl. If they like the idea of the reflective or the rocker panels, they will ask for a price. In Notareals words...

 

[gnubler]

Again, the most crucial question in the business. I prefer to ask how much they'd like to spend, but get them to communicate something as far as what they can afford. Otherwise you'll find out that they got a $50k loan for their remodel, and spent $49k on new bar tops and thought the remainder would cover a new sign while they're at it.

Yes! I know we've gone over this in other threads but it does relate to this topic too.

What are some effective approaches on figuring out a customer's budget? Never once have I gotten a number to work with, they just say I don't know. Which is why I use the 2-3 tier options in quoting so they can see a range of what things might cost. When I see new higher-end signs being installed in my area I sometimes do some sleuthing to find out which shop made them, and how I can get the opportunity to bid on projects like this instead of the usual cheap stuff.