Most small companies already sell a second thing to their customers, but they do it by chance. A salesperson remembers to mention it, or the customer asks. The add-on is a maintenance plan, an extra module, a faster delivery option, a training session or a second licence. Sold well, it helps the customer and adds revenue without the cost of finding someone new.
Sold badly, it feels like a sales push right after the customer has paid. This article describes a routine for a company with a few staff and a small number of possible add-ons: when to make the offer, how to word it and how to see whether it works.
Pick the add-on first
Start with one add-on that fits a real need of your existing customers, not with the one that has the best margin. A useful test is to look at the last ten customers and ask what they asked for after delivery, what they worked around, and what they bought elsewhere. If the same request appears three times, you have a candidate.
Write down in one sentence who the add-on is for and what problem it solves. "For customers who run the system with more than five users and want a named contact for urgent issues" is a good sentence. "For everyone who wants more" is not.
Choose the moment
An offer is welcome when the customer has just experienced the problem your add-on solves. Pick one or two triggers and write them down. Common ones are:
- After delivery, once the customer has used the product for a few weeks and the first results are visible.
- When usage grows, for example a second team starts using the service or the order volume doubles.
- After a support request that the add-on would have prevented, once the issue is resolved and the customer is satisfied.
- Before a known busy period, with enough time to set the add-on up.
Avoid the moment of an open complaint, an unpaid invoice or a price change. If you are announcing new prices, keep that message separate, as described in announcing a price change to existing customers. Offering something extra in the same week confuses both messages.
Also look at the signals that a customer may be unhappy. If someone is already drifting away, an offer will not help; a call will. The routine in spotting customers who may leave fits better there.
One offer per customer, with a pause
Decide how often one customer may receive an offer. A reasonable rule for a small company is one add-on offer per customer in a quarter, and never a second one if the first was declined, until the trigger appears again. Customers who say no should not be asked again next week with a slightly different wording.
Keep a short list of who was offered what and when. A shared spreadsheet is enough. It prevents two colleagues from offering the same thing, and it is the base for measuring results.
Check the rules for marketing messages
Offers sent by email or text to individuals can count as direct marketing. In the UK the rules on electronic marketing allow some messages to existing customers under certain conditions, such as a clear way to opt out at every message, but they differ for individuals and companies and depend on how you collected the contact details. Before you start, read the guidance from the data protection regulator and agree one wording for the opt-out. If you are unsure, offer in a conversation or in a message the customer asked for, such as a quote. Links to the guidance are at the end.
Also describe the add-on accurately. Claims about what it does, and its price, must match what you deliver; the general rules for business advertising are summarised by the government.
Write the message around the customer
A short message works better than a brochure. It has four parts:
- Why now: what you noticed about their situation.
- What the add-on is: one or two sentences, in plain words.
- What it costs and what happens next: the price, the date it would start and who sets it up.
- An easy no: a line that says no reply is needed if it is not useful.
Here is an example for a company that builds internal tools:
Hello Anna, since the order tool went live in September, your team has sent us three requests for reports. We can add a monthly report pack, with the three reports set up and updated automatically, for a fixed price of £X a month. If you would like it, reply to this message and we will start next week. If not, no problem, and we will not ask again this quarter.
Notice what is missing: no list of other products, no deadline pressure, and no vague "special offer". The customer can answer yes or no in one line.
For larger customers, do the same in a call. Mention the observation first, the offer second, and write the agreement down afterwards. A key customer review is a natural place, as in a quarterly review meeting with a key customer.
Make accepting simple
If the customer says yes, the next step should take minutes: a confirmation, an updated order or quote, and a date. Many offers fail not because the customer said no, but because nobody sent the paperwork. Name one person who confirms within one working day, and write the add-on into the customer's record so that invoicing and support know about it.
Track two numbers, then a third
You do not need a dashboard. Once a month, count:
- Offers made: from your list.
- Offers accepted: customers who said yes, and the value.
The ratio between them is your acceptance rate. If you made ten offers and three were accepted, that is 30%, and you can compare the next month. Add a third number once you have a few months of data: how many of the customers who accepted are still with you after six months. An add-on that sells but leads to complaints is not a success.
Look also at the reasons for a no. Write one word next to each declined offer: price, timing, not needed, already have it. After a quarter, these words tell you whether to change the add-on, the trigger or the price.
Review and adjust
Once a quarter, sit down for thirty minutes and look at the list. If the acceptance rate is very low, the offer is probably aimed at the wrong customers or the wrong moment; change one of these. If it is very high, you may be underpricing it or you could offer it earlier. Change one thing at a time so you can see what made the difference.
Start this week
Choose one add-on and write the one-sentence description of who it is for. Pick a trigger and list the customers who match it today. Send the offer to the first three, using the four-part message, and record them in a simple list. In a month, count the offers and the replies. That small start tells you more than a long plan.
