Upselling and cross-selling services to customers are almost givens for any agency looking to keep existing clients. In fact, you have a 60% to 70% likelihood of upselling an existing client, compared to a 5% to 20% chance that you will successfully pitch a new client, according to University of Virginia Professor of Business Administration, Paul W. Farris in his book,\u00a0\u201cMarketing Metrics: The Definitive Guide to Measuring Market Performance.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0Those are some promising statistics. If you haven\u2019t upsold or cross-sold to your clients, this is your sign to consider it. Not sure where to start? We\u2019ve put together five compelling ideas for upselling and cross-selling your clientele. Read on to get started.<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve been in business for any length of time, you probably have several clients that you would love to keep on for as long as possible. These clients might be easy to work with, have large contracts, or have unique marketing needs that your\u00a0digital agency<\/a>\u00a0is very well suited to serve.<\/p>\n Whatever the reason, these are the types of business relationships that you want to nurture. The truth is, it can be nerve-wracking to start upselling existing clients. What if they don\u2019t like hearing pitches for additional work? How do you know when you\u2019re overselling?<\/p>\n Look for these signs to know if you are upselling at the right pace:<\/p>\n If your client is showing signs that they aren\u2019t interested in the upsell, you might still have a chance to cross-sell your services. We\u2019ll talk about that in point 4. But first, let\u2019s talk about how you can punch up your services to make them particularly enticing to clients.<\/p>\n This one might seem obvious. After all, most agencies offer competitor analysis as part of their existing marketing contracts. However, you could potentially add to your toolbox by offering customized reports and presentations on market saturation, competitor advantages, and gaps in marketing strategies that your clients can capitalize on.<\/p>\n Giving clients a tangible, up-to-date road map to their competition not only helps them gain traction in their market but also offers them a service that will need to be updated and customized over time, meaning they have a better chance of staying with your agency long term. We\u2019ll dive deeper into reports in just a moment.<\/p>\n Another tool you can deploy is commissioned market research. Working with consulting firms or data analysts can give you invaluable insights and statistics your client can then use to showcase their value proposition to their own customers.<\/p>\n Bottom line:<\/strong>\u00a0Being the go-to agency for up-to-date market intelligence and research as well as competitor analysis will make your business very enticing to existing clients. It can be work to amass and maintain this kind of data, but it makes your agency both trustworthy and authoritative.<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve been building content, doing technical updates to clients\u2019 sites, and overseeing paid advertising campaigns, you might think you\u2019ve got your client covered from all angles. However, you almost always have room to expand on an existing marketing contract.<\/p>\n Maybe your client is struggling with amplification of their digital content, and your business can offer outreach for a fraction of what it would cost your client to do that work in house. Here are a few other things you can do to build on an existing client\u2019s marketing strategy:<\/p>\n Bottom line:<\/strong>\u00a0You almost always have room to add services to your agency repertoire. Offering additional benefits and marketing tools to your clients makes you their go-to source for virtually all of their external-facing communication, which in turn is great for your business.<\/p>\n Make your agency irresistible to existing clients<\/p>\n Grow your business with the help of Semrush<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Never underestimate the power of a well-presented pitch or report. Having personalized collateral that clients can return to when they have questions, need additional clarity, or would like to check the status of their marketing campaigns is a great way to add a personal touch to the client experience. You can introduce these customizations at any point, but it might be especially enticing when the client\u2019s marketing campaign begins to grow and you have a lot of data and figures to track.<\/p>\n Customized reports and dashboards also give your clients polished materials to pass on to their stakeholders and leadership. Our\u00a0client portal<\/a>\u00a0is a collaborative tool that agencies can charge their clients to use. This is a simple but powerful upgrade to any existing reporting services your agency offers. Our\u00a0Agency Growth Kit<\/a>\u00a0add-on gives agencies all the tools necessary to smoothly and efficiently manage client interactions. In addition, you get access to customizable, white-label client reports, and client dashboards.<\/p>\n Bottom line:<\/strong>\u00a0Offering a customized client experience beyond boilerplate reports and quarterly updates gives your agency the edge on competitors that don\u2019t and won\u2019t go the extra mile for their clients. You can charge clients for this 24\/7 client portal access. This is an effective way to keep clients coming back for more work with your agency. You can also manage your interactions with all of your existing and prospective clients in one convenient space like our\u00a0CRM<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 saving you precious time and resources.<\/p>\n One of the most time-consuming and costly parts of running an eCommerce business is producing and organizing the visual marketing of products and services. If you are finding that you have clients that are averse to upselling, you might be surprised at how eager and willing they are to be cross-sold on additional services your agency offers.<\/p>\n For example, if you have visual marketing specialists in-house, you can leverage their skill sets to take clients\u2019 eCommerce sites from text-heavy, confusing digital mazes (that their customers are apt to get lost in) into sleek, pleasant digital experiences.<\/p>\n Bottom line:<\/strong>\u00a0Cross-selling can be an effective marketing strategy for your agency when you have clients averse to upsells. Cross-selling can include a number of things, but ultimately it\u2019s a way for you to leverage already existing facets of your business in order to expand client contracts.<\/p>\n One of the easiest ways to upsell clients is by creating premium service categories that they can opt into. Here is how to upsell these types of services:<\/p>\n Bottom line:<\/strong>\u00a0Chances are your agency offers services that can be customized and charged at a premium rate. If clients are happy with the existing services you offer, they may be more open to paying for premium services, which in turn creates a lucrative and lasting relationship between you and your clients. The upfront costs of offering premium services to clients are typically minimal and can rely on existing resources. It\u2019s a great way to make your clients feel like VIPs while earning their trust and long-term business.<\/p>\n So, when is the best time to upsell a client? Every agency approaches the upsell process differently; however, a very common time for agencies to attempt an upsell is after a big milestone is reached in the client\u2019s marketing campaign. This is when clients are primed to hear what else you can offer to increase their success and brand visibility.<\/p>\n Another great time is when a client expresses frustration or problem outside the existing scope of your work together. If you can solve this problem for them through an upsell or by cross-selling your services, they will be more likely to be open to the idea. The more successful you are at upselling, the more likely it is that clients will continue to add on additional services with your agency.<\/p>\n How much should you charge when upselling or cross-selling a client? For an upsell, Retail Doctor recommends that you don\u2019t go more than\u00a025% of the initial contract price<\/a>. This is a general rule of thumb, and you can decide what price to set based on your individual business needs. That said, you\u2019ll want to create a price range that doesn\u2019t scare off existing customers. You can even offer payment plans and discounts to clients who opt into multiple upsells or premium packages.<\/p>\nHow to Upsell Clients<\/h2>\n
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1. Offer Robust Competitor Analysis and Market Research<\/h3>\n
2. Build on the Client\u2019s Existing Marketing Strategy<\/h3>\n
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3. Create Eye-Catching Reports, Private Client Portals, and Personalized Dashboards<\/h3>\n
4. Pitch Video and Photo Production for Ecommerce (Cross-Selling)<\/h3>\n
5. Upgrade Standard Client Services to Premium Services<\/h3>\n
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When Is the Best Time to Upsell?<\/h2>\n
How to Gauge Price Increases<\/h2>\n