Rookie mistake: You’ve got several products or services you can offer a prospect, and you start by offering the first, or main one, then hear an opening for another one so pivot to that one, and describe another—and then another.

Result? Stalled sale. “Let me think about these and get back with you.”

Sound familiar?

Luckily, there is a best practice around this and it is:

Stick with your main product or service, close that deal first, then circle back around and pitch the ancillary product/service. You can use the intel you got from your initial pitch to open up the upsell.

Something like, “You know, {first name}, the last time we spoke, you mentioned you had trouble with your XYZ. We have other clients in your situation, and they found our…very helpful. Can I ask you how you’re handling….”

And off you go!

The dangers with offering too many choices are you’ll often talk past the close. Not only will the prospect be confused, but you will be, too. Once you get to the end of your presentation, your offer will be muddled, and that will make it difficult for your prospect to make a decision.

In addition, often times other products or services bump up the dollar amount, and this often slows down decision making as well.

Note: There are two exceptions to this:

1. While this rule applies in a general way (80% of the time), there are times when you should pivot and offer something that is more in alignment with what your prospect needs/wants. I’m sure you know when this happens.
2. When a prospect is totally in and buying anything you’re offering. At that time, load them up! They are in “the ether” as we used to call it and the old adage, “strike while the iron is hot” applies here.

Your best practice, however, is to secure the deal on the product or service you’re pitching, then circle around for the upsell.

Another note: The best time to do that is right after they buy—don’t wait too long, as they’ll cool off and want to “see how it goes.”

So, simplify your offer, make it easy for your prospect to say yes, then circle back around with any upsells using the intel you gathered during your pitch.

Happy selling!