Did you know that 20% of your customers want to buy more from you?

You might be leaving money on the table if you’re not offering additional items, add-ons or accessories. It’s called upselling, and you probably experience it every week. If you play your cards right, you can increase transaction size, and double or triple your profits!

If you’ve ever been in a McDonald’s, then you’ve experienced upselling through one of two questions:

1. Would you like fries with that?

It’s a simple phrase. Just ask your customers to buy one more item.

Think of the impact this has on revenue (and profit) at McDonald’s. The company operates over 31,000 restaurants, and serves nearly 47 million customers each day. They ask the upsell question 47 million times a day. Now I’m not sure how many people say yes, or how much more profit McDonald’s earns because they ask the question. But they wouldn’t be doing it if it didn’t work. It DOES work.

2. Would you like to supersize that?

Another great question. The idea behind this promotion is that, for an extra 39 cents, a customer could dramatically increase the size of the meal. And McDonald’s could incrementally increase the size of its profit on that transaction.

McDonald’s isn’t the only company to have figured this out. In fact, you probably experience upselling on a regular basis. I went into Nordstrom to buy a suit, and left with four shirts and seven ties that I hadn’t planned to buy. I purchased an iPod Touch at Best Buy for my daughter, and was offered an extended warranty. In each case, I was encouraged to add on to the purchase I was making.

Are you asking YOUR customers to add on to the purchase they’re making?

Maybe when a customer buys one item at the regular price, they are able to get a second at half price. Maybe you offer them a complimentary item related to the original purchase, like a warranty, accessories, or something else that adds to what the customer is buying. Maybe you create a package that contains every item you sell.

You have to figure out what works best for your business. Write out three or four ways you could upsell to your customers or clients.

Upselling is an easy way to increase revenue, and to double or even triple your profit per transaction profit. Try it out, and see what happens. You’ll be glad you did!