Proven Tactics

 • Proven Tactic No. 1: Using an upsell. Have you ever been to McDonald's and had the server ask, "Do you want fries with that?" Of course you have. Who hasn't? Those five simple words are an example of an upsell.

When someone is visiting your Web site and they click to go to your order page, they are more likely to say "yes" to your offer of a complimentary product because they are in what I call "a buying state of mind."

There are many ways to do an upsell. For example, one of our clients sells religious videos online. He used an upsell to one of his other videos, and 33 percent of his site visitors purchased the upsell. Had he not used this tactic he would have lost hundreds of dollars.

Look for ways to offer complimentary products as an upsell.

      • Proven Tactic No. 2: Make a recommendation. This tactic is similar to the upsell except it is implemented AFTER a successful order is placed, usually on what is called the "thank you" page. This tactic involves you adding a few lines of text at the bottom of your thank you page that says, "Recommended Reading" (if you sell information products such as books, tapes, etc.) or "Recommended Resources," "Recommended Products," "Recommended Services" or something like that.

What you want to do is offer up to three complimentary products or services. Don't make it complicated. Simply add one or two lines of text for each recommendation.

For example, "Recommended Resources: Click here to increase your energy with the new Energy Workout Program. Click here for our new Energy Workout Video." This is a simple tactic, but it is very powerful.

• Proven Tactic No. 3: Use a downsell. A downsell is initiated when someone visits your order page and leaves without ordering. I'm sure you've been to a mall recently and visited stores without buying anything. This happens on the Internet all the time.

One Web tactic we've recommended is called an "exit pop-up," which is designed to show when someone leaves the order page without buying. We use this tactic to make a last ditch offer to our potential customer, offering them a lower priced product.

I have a client who uses this strategy to sell a lower priced training course to people who can't afford his more expensive $249 course. His Web site brings in an additional $2,675 per month from this tactic alone. Obviously, I can't promise you will make that much money from this tactic, but you should be able to increase revenues.