'Tis the season for giving, and what better way to give than by showing your customers some love? This holiday season, make sure you're not falling into the trap of upselling during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Upselling is when a business tries to sell a more expensive product or service to a customer who is already buying something. It can be an effective sales technique, but only if done correctly.

For many of us in the eCommerce world, BFCM is the time of year when we make our biggest yearly sales - but it’s not always easy. Read on to learn more about what the biggest problem with upselling is during BFCM and what you can do about it.

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The Biggest Problem With Upselling During BFCM

The biggest issue with upselling is that it can come across as pushy or insincere, turning customers off and damaging your relationship with them. Besides this, it can end up putting a damper on your sales numbers.

So how can you fix this problem? First,  ensure you are providing the most value possible for your customers. Secondly, ensure that you only offer products or services that are truly beneficial to the customer.

Don't make the mistake of upselling during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. These two days are some of the busiest shopping days of the year, and shoppers are looking for deals - not to be bombarded with sales pitches.

This often leads to frustration on the part of the customer, who feels like they are being manipulated into spending more money than they originally intended. The key to successful upselling is ensuring customers feel like they are getting a good deal on what they are purchasing.

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5 Tips For Upselling Successfully During BFCM

If you're looking to increase your sales and profits, then upselling is a great way to do it. However, there are plenty of ways to do it right and ensure that you see an increase in sales.

Here are five tips for successfully upselling during Black Friday and Cyber Monday:

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1. Get Creative With Your Offers

One of the best ways to fix upselling problems is by getting creative with your offers.

Offers such as 'free gift' or “free consultation” can be a great way to entice customers into buying something more expensive than they originally intended.

However, you mustn't overuse this tactic; otherwise, it could come across as spammy and pushy (and no one wants their inbox full of these kinds of emails).

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2. Make Sure Your Upsells are Relevant to Your Customers' Purchases

The first step to fixing your upsell problems is ensuring that the upsells are relevant. The second step is to make sure the upsell is not too similar to the original purchase.

If you're offering a gift card for$100  and your customer buys an item for $100, then it makes sense for you as an upseller to provide them with another $100  gift card - but not if they already bought something worth more than that on their own.

That's just adding insult to injury and may leave your customer frustrated and overall dissatisfied with the shopping experience.

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3. Use An Email Newsletter Subscription Offer As An Upsell

One of the best ways to upsell is with an email subscription offer.

Email newsletters are one of the most effective forms of outreach because they're easy for people to read and don't require much effort on your part.

They also give you the opportunity to make your email address look like a blog or social media profile so that people will be more likely to click through it from their inboxes.

You can use this strategy by offering a free gift with purchase, a discount on the next purchase, or even a free gift for signing up for your newsletter (which will be delivered automatically).

If someone buys something from you after signing up for the said newsletter, then it's even better! You'll have built trust in their mind before they've actually done any business with you.

Now when they do buy something from you later down the road (or anytime soon), there won't be any doubts about whether or not those products were worth buying before.

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4. Be Persuasive

When you’re talking to customers, it's important that you don't just listen - you also pay attention.

This means asking questions and listening to their answers. It also means being empathetic and understanding their needs, even if they aren't the same as yours (and even if they're not in your product line).

If a customer isn't buying right away or their purchase decision is based on something other than price or value, take some time to figure out why they haven't made a purchase yet.

Ask open-ended questions like “What do I need from this purchase?” or “How would my life change if we had this product?"

These types of questions will help you discover what information might be missing so that if/when they eventually decide on an upgrade later down the line, it'll be easier for both parties involved because there won't be any surprises!

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5. Create a Sense of Urgency

You've got to make the customer feel like they need to buy a product right now. But you also don't want them to feel like they're being rushed into a decision or that there's no time for reflection or consideration.

It's always recommended to use phrases like "limited time offer" or "only 24 hours left." This will give the impression of urgency without being pushy, which is key when selling online.

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Conclusion

So there you have it, the top five ways to improve your upselling skills. With these tips under your belt, you should be ready to push your sales numbers through the roof and make sure that every customer who walks through your doors leaves feeling inspired and satisfied.