On our way home from a ski trip recently, we pulled into a fast food drive-thru for dinner.  After I placed each person's order, the voice would say, "Is that all? Is that all?"  Then this past weekend, I called for some Chinese carry-out.  After I placed each person's order, the voice would say, "What else? What else?"

Does anyone else see a marketing lesson in that? 

We know the value of upselling current clientele.  It can be a huge boost to profits and extremely cost-effective since the customer is already right in front of you.  But do we squander those opportunities by asking, "Is that all?"  Wouldn't we open up more opportunities by asking, "What else?"

One way suggests the conversation should be ending.  The other way keeps the dialogue wide open -- as open as the customer wants it to be.

Getting your customers to talk and explore rarely has bad results.  This begins as a training issue and then becomes a management issue.  Some employees will do this instinctively while others will be content as mindless order-takers.  Teach them the difference and help them build new habits. 

Give the customer a chance to explore.  Let's replace "Is that all?" with "What else?" and see what happens!

Labels: bad habits, bank, credit union, customer centered, customer service, customers, differentiation, employees, management, marketing, messaging, salesmanship