Are We Ready To Sell And Make Big Money

My heart sank the other day. When I heard that exact phrase of this post’s title.

It was in a restaurant.

A touristy kind of place for casual yet slightly upmarket dining, in a location to die for, fairly unencumbered by competition.

In the area behind me, an impromptu staff meeting took place.

The shift manager clearly not happy with ‘performance’ so far during the day.

His main beef seemed to be the apparent absence of upselling.

Many (most) of the menu options allow to add extras, at a price.

He wanted them to always ask if any extras were required.

A classic selling situation you might think.

Yet consider the circumstances.

Imagine how you’d feel if every single time an order was placed, the waitron went on to ask about an extra.

It wouldn’t take long before it grates. Badly.

The manager then urged his staff that the more they did this, then the more they’d earn in tips. People would leave a percentage of the whole meal. Not tot up the bill less extras, you see.

There’s plenty wrong with this.

Putting money before achievement is always (A-L-W-A-Y-S) the wrong way round.

Leads before ‘conversation’, anyone?

Then there’s the obvious 101 #fail monotony of “d’you want fries with that?”

There are so many different and more effective ways to introduce and refine upselling than this.

My time in said establishment suggested that they value their operations over client experience.

A tragedy.

Especially galling as my meal was pretty decent.

Come to think of it, you still hear today sales conference perorations deploy this very phrasing (and flawed framing).

Who would buy from anyone who’s mantra was ‘are we ready to sell and make big money’?

Especially when compared to those thinking, ‘are we ready to get every order spot on and deliver an outstanding meal out’.