Has anyone ever made you aware of this strategy? As soon as you hear of it, all of a sudden it becomes obvious to you. Your reaction will likely be one of anger for being manipulated. That’s what happened to me with the marketing technique called “upselling”. It’s defined as persuading “a customer to buy something additional or more expensive” (Oxford Languages).

A friend made me aware of upselling. He had an electrical problem on his tractor so he loaded it onto his trailer and drove it to the nearest tractor company in Issaquah. When my friend arrived, he was advised to buy a new tractor instead of fixing the electrical problem. My friend’s response was to tell the salesman to just fix the electrical problem.

I had a similar experience after being told the above story. A small part on my vacuum cleaner broke. It would cost about $3 retail. I tried to get a replacement on Amazon, but the vacuum was so old that they were no longer making that model. So, I decided to call the vacuum cleaner manufacturer. The sales representative’s advice was to buy a new vacuum. My reaction was one of anger. A new vacuum would have cost me hundreds of dollars, but by using scotch tape to fix the problem, which I had been doing, I spent virtually nothing.

I have come to realize that upselling is common. Sometimes, companies push employees to upsell by basing their pay on increased sales. The problem with this is that as soon as the customer recognizes he has become a victim of upselling, then trust is destroyed with that company. It’s good to ask whether a company pays its employees more for selling more.

If you look up the definition of upsell, you will find a technique described to get around customer resistance:

“You’ve got to assume the customer will naturally want this. Begin the upsell with a brief benefit, then, if possible, add something unique about what you’re selling to avoid sounding pushy, particularly if the upsell requires some elaboration, ask for the customer’s permission to describe it” (Userpilot Blog).

Here are some of the fifteen techniques described to successfully upsell:

FOMO (Fear of Missing Out): “The premise is simple—customers only agree to an upsell if they see how it benefits them and don’t want to miss out.”

Limited-time free trials: “Before the free trial runs out… send them a reminder prompting them to upgrade. This works because it creates a sense of urgency and reiterates the product value users just unlocked.”

Offering a blend between upselling and cross-selling: This is a common sales technique used in e-commerce. It involves putting multiple products in a single package to increase sales by encouraging customers to buy more together. Offering too many options leads to psychological customer friction. Customers get confused, struggle to choose, and go ahead with their original purchase declining additional offers.”

Showing what other customers bought: “Once again, Amazon is a master of product recommendation, showing what others bought who had similar wants and needs. The recommendations are non-intrusive, appearing more like compelling suggestions than pushy sales tactics.”

Any of these upsell techniques sound familiar? Is it bad to use these techniques to upsell a customer? Is it immoral or unethical? That depends on the motivation of the seller. If the goal is to serve the customer, then no. But if the motivation is to make greater profits through greater and more expensive sales, then yes. In other words, “it depends.”

Sales people and companies want to make more money while customers want to pay as little as possible for the best products that fit their needs. The line between upselling and offering additional benefits is narrow. Becoming aware of these upselling techniques protects customers from paying more than what they can afford or really need. Knowledge of these and other upselling techniques protects potential buyers.

You’ve been educated to become more aware of these upselling techniques. The sales person who tried to get my friend to buy a new tractor to fix an electrical problem, or the person who tried to get me to buy a new vacuum because a $3 part was no longer available are examples of blatant and clumsy upselling.

Now that you know about upselling, you can be better prepared in the future. Knowledge is power and ignorance is not bliss—it’s expensive. Caveat emptor, “let the buyer beware”, is the watchword for all customers.