Increase Value with Upsells & Add-ons

One of the most common upsells or add-ons in American culture is the phrase, “Would you like fries with that?” As a consumer, we are often given the option to add a service, fee, or add-on to most transactions. You’re not always charged for being added to an email list, but the service is certainly being marketed to you for a reason: to increase sales and customer loyalty.

Using upsells and add-ons is an excellent way to increase sales and revenue within your portable restroom rental business. Additionally, many of the upsells and add-ons offered directly benefit the customer’s experience and can be incredibly beneficial during an event, festival or the duration of a long-term rental.

Upselling doesn’t always mean pushy sales; quite the contrary! Upselling gives the customer an opportunity to invest in products that will suit the needs of clients, employees and event participants. In the portable restroom industry, quality of experience when using a unit is important in obtaining repeat business. Simply suggesting a different item to a potential customer indicates your interest in their specific event. When you are willing to listen to the customer and their specific need, you are more likely to land the contract deal and create the potential to work with the customer again.

Working with a First-time Customer

Consider this — you are planning a large event where over 50 people will be attending a backyard celebration. When you contact a business offering portable restroom rentals, you know your event needs, not so much the portable restroom add-ons. It is the job of the customer service representative to suggest particular add-on features that will make the event a complete success.

A first-time customer will appreciate the suggested selling, especially if the add-on directly benefits user experience. A food expo benefits from including handwashing stations just as much as a night event can benefit from a tap light or solar light. These aren’t always products the event planner thinks of during an initial consultation, so it helps your sales and their event to suggest them!

Train Your Staff to Know Which Features to Offer

Properly training your staff, including drivers and service technicians, is an important aspect of suggested selling. Training and knowledge for your employees will continuously serve your business, especially when they are familiar with features that can be included in certain rental contracts. Adding suggestive selling into an employee’s dialogue should be seamless and easy because it relays benefits to the user’s experience, not just revenue for your company (although that is a plus, too).

For example, a simple fee can be included in a long-term construction rental to anchor the portable restroom unit(s) to the ground instead of allowing it to be freestanding. As an add-on, it not only ensures the client will be less likely to have a unit tip over in a wind or rain storm but also saves your employee an extra trip for cleanup and servicing.

If your units are being rented for a music festival that is expected to draw a large crowd, offer the customer the option to pay a fee for potential damage or added insurance. The event coordinator isn’t in control of how each and every unit is treated. Insurance and damage waivers give the client a sense of relief if damage to one or more units does occur.

Beneficial Add-on Features

For your business revenue and for customer satisfaction to be mutually beneficial, train your staff to offer some of the following upsells and add-ons:

• Fuel surcharge
• Disposal fee
• Environmental fee
• Damage waiver fee
• Winter fee
• Delivery fee
• Additional handwashing stations
• Tap lights or solar lights
• Handicapped unit (for a larger event)
• Lock to the unit (if unit is delivered to a public place overnight)
• Add-on to change billing cycle from monthly payment to every 28 days, giving you a 13-month cycle vs. 12

One of the most important aspects of suggestive selling is how relevant the suggested add-on pertains to the client’s needs. Adequately training your staff and adding upsells to the dialogue can greatly impact your customer’s positive experience, as well as put easy money back into your pocket. This allows you to continue running a successful business in the portable restroom rental industry.

Looking to Take Your Portable Restroom Business to the NEXT LEVEL? Download our FREE Guide: “Your Guide to Operating A Portable Restroom Business.”

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