Accountants Are Far from Natural Salespeople – so How Do We Upsell?

When you think of a salesperson, you picture slick hair and a shiny suit from some boutique hipster joint in the inner suburbs. Lets face it, that’s just not us. We are accountants. We like the numbers and we like order. We’re not known to be colourful or even cheerful if we are completely honest with ourselves. With the odd exception, our social skills are just a bit lacking. 

So how do we upsell our services when schmoozing and smooth talk are beyond our reach? The answer lies in the same skills that make us brilliant accountants. We use a formula. We find a formula that works, we learn it, we repeat it. That’s how we upsell. We use our strengths to our advantage.

Follow this simple upselling formula for accountants;

1. List 2 services that you would like to upsell but currently don’t such as;
   1. Tax planning
   2. Business advisory
2. Choose 1 and set a 3-month target such as;
   1. Tax Planning – I will offer tax planning services to 50% of my existing business clients every time, after I provide a service to them in the next 3 months.
3. Establish your call to action line, learn it by heart and use it every time after you provide your current service to your client such as;
   1. Looking at your current situation, our tax planning service could save you x amount of dollars per year by using tax strategy x and y.
4. Know your fee. Your client will then ask how much for the extra service. Ensure you establish your fee beforehand and then let your client decide whether they would like to proceed.

So, the formula is; 

Choose service + set target + call to action + Preparation + Repeat = Upsell Success 

Do not be disheartened if your client does not take up the new service. You will be surprised how many customers will at least appreciate the offer. After all, you’re looking out for their best interests. Upselling your services will save your clients more money in the long term.

Remember, upselling is the easiest form of selling. You already have your client. They have already bought into what you are selling and trust your knowledge and skill set. All you need to do is what you do best; save them more money.