The Art of the Upsell: Sales Advisory for Hidden Revenue

The fastest path to business growth is often through your existing customers, not new ones. By taking a sales advisory approach, you can uncover hidden revenue through strategic upselling and cross-selling. This blog will explore why simple transactional selling fails and how frameworks like solution selling can generate long-term revenue.

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From "Is That All?" to Strategic Growth

For many businesses, sales is a simple transaction. You get an order, you fulfill it, and you ask, “is that all?” This approach is a missed opportunity. It closes the door on further value and leaves money on the table. Think of the difference between a simple transaction and McDonald’s famous "Would you like fries with that?" a small question that has generated billions in extra revenue. In the world of B2B sales, the opportunity runs even deeper.

I once got a call from a customer who needed a battery charger. Instead of just taking the order, I asked a few questions and discovered they didn’t just need a charger they needed a complete system, including a cabinet, breakers, batteries, and commissioning. What could have been a low-value sale became a full project because I took on a sales advisory role.

The key to upselling is not to push unnecessary extras, but to uncover and solve your customers' unmet needs.

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Why Upselling Matters for Business Growth

Acquiring new customers is expensive. It requires significant investment in marketing, lead generation, and long sales cycles. In contrast, expanding with your existing customer base is incredibly cost-effective. They already know and trust your brand, so selling them additional solutions reduces your costs and increases profit margins. A customer who buys once may generate a small amount of revenue, but one who continues to engage in upsells and cross-sells becomes a high-value, long-term partner, dramatically increasing their lifetime value.

The transactional “is that all?” approach fails because customers don’t always know what they need. By asking deeper, consultative questions, you get a clearer picture of their full project or challenges and can identify revenue opportunities they haven’t considered. This shifts your role from a simple vendor to a trusted advisor.

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Sales Advisory: A Framework for Hidden Revenue

A sales advisory approach transforms the sales process from a transaction into a strategic partnership. Instead of just selling products, you become a problem-solver.

Consultative Selling

This method puts the customer's needs first. By taking the time to understand their challenges, you can build trust and credibility. This helps you identify gaps and opportunities for value addition across their business, positioning you as an advisor rather than a supplier.

Account Management and Growth Planning

Effective account management goes beyond just maintaining an account; it involves actively nurturing it for growth. This includes:

• Scheduled account reviews: Discussing upcoming projects and long-term goals.

• Opportunity mapping: Identifying where your products or services could align with their business pipeline.

• Proactive engagement: Don't wait for them to call you. Anticipate their needs and initiate the conversation.

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Practical Strategies for Upselling and Cross-Selling

Strategic upselling is relevant, and customer focused. It happens when you:

• Map the customer journey: Identify natural points for upselling, such as during onboarding or when they are due for an upgrade.

• Use solution bundling: Create more value by grouping products or services into convenient bundles that simplify the customer's experience.

• Leverage data: Use your customer relationship management (CRM) tools to analyze purchase history, usage data, and customer segmentation to tailor your offers.

Cross-selling expands the relationship across new categories. It works best when it follows structured frameworks like Solution Selling or Land and Expand. The goal is to provide a complete solution to the customer’s challenge.

In my own experience, this has led to incredible results. What started as supplying products to a customer for their equipment once turned into hiring out our test facility to them. This created a completely new revenue stream and transformed the relationship.

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Empowering Growth, Securing Success

The art of the upsell and the power of cross-selling are not about quick wins. They are about building sustainable business growth through stronger customer relationship management. Too many businesses rely on weak tactics like "is that all?" which fails to deepen customer relationships.

For your business, the message is clear: hidden revenue opportunities are already within your existing customer base. By strengthening account management, mapping the customer lifecycle, and building trust, you can unlock these opportunities and secure lasting success.

At Josty, our focus is on helping businesses like yours master these practices. If you're ready to move beyond transactional sales and discover how sales advisory can transform your results, now is the time.

Why Businesses Evolve: Adapting for Long-Term Success

Businesses rarely succeed by standing still. Evolving your business model in response to market trends, shifting customer needs, and competitive pressures is essential for sustainable growth and long-term success. This post explores why businesses evolve, provides real-world examples, and offers practical strategies to future-proof your own enterprise.

In business, change is not just inevitable it’s essential. The most successful companies are those that embrace evolution, anticipate market trends, and adapt quickly to new realities. Consider some of the biggest names in the world today. Amazon began as an online bookstore; Netflix mailed DVDs before becoming a streaming giant; Nokia was once a paper mill before dominating mobile phones. The question every business owner and leadership team should be asking is: Is your current business model the same as when you started? If it is, there’s a strong chance you’re missing opportunities or worse, falling behind.

At Josty, we work with businesses to empower growth and secure success by helping them recognise when and how to adapt. Sometimes evolution is about innovating products; other times, it’s about adjusting pricing models, diversifying revenue streams, or shifting operational focus. The bottom line? Adapting to change is no longer optional it’s a survival skill.

Why Businesses Evolve

Businesses evolve for many reasons, but they typically fall into a few major categories:

• Responding to Market Trends: Market conditions shift constantly. Businesses that pay attention to trends can position themselves ahead of the curve. A 2023 PwC survey found that 75% of global CEOs were actively adapting their business models to keep pace with changes.

• Customer Needs Drive Change: Your customers will tell you what they want. A small microbrewery I worked with, for example, noticed customers wanted a place to linger. They pivoted to add a restaurant section, which eventually became their primary revenue stream, demonstrating a powerful response to customer demand.

• External Pressures: Legislation, economic conditions, supply chain disruptions, and competitive pressures can force a business to change. A manufacturing facility I worked with had to adapt its entire workflow when supplier reliability dropped, pivoting to local sourcing to survive and thrive.

Examples of Business Evolution Across Industries

Evolution is not industry specific. Tech giants like Netflix and Apple continuously pivot, but so do other sectors. Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) brands like Coca-Cola have expanded into healthier products to meet consumer demand. Even smaller businesses adapt I know of a restaurant that began bottling and selling its house-made sauces turning a feature of their meals into a significant new revenue stream.

How to Recognise It’s Time to Evolve

The Harvard Business Review notes that over 50% of Fortune 500 companies have merged, been acquired, or gone bankrupt since 2000, often because they failed to evolve. Key triggers for change include:

• Technological disruption (e.g., AI, automation)

• Shifting customer demographics and purchasing habits

• Declining sales or shrinking profit margins

• New competitors entering the market

• Rising operational costs or supply chain issues

Strategies for Evolving Your Business Model

The key is to anticipate change rather than just react to it.

• Embrace continuous market research.

• Test small before committing big.

• Invest in innovation.

• Diversify revenue streams.

• Engage with your customers regularly.

• Ensure any new direction is scalable.

Final Thoughts

The history of business is a story of evolution. From the corner store that expands into e-commerce to the multinational that pivots its entire product range, growth comes from recognising when to adapt. If there’s one lesson that stands out, it’s this: staying the same can be more dangerous than changing. The businesses that thrive in the long term are those that treat adapting as a core competency.

At Josty, we’ve help companies of all sizes implement strategic planning and innovation frameworks that not only respond to current market shifts but also future proof their business. The choice to evolve isn’t just about survival, it’s about seizing the opportunity for long-term success.

For insights on how to streamline your operations and build a more resilient business, visit our website via the link in our bio.

What’s Driving You and Your Team?

 

In every business I’ve worked with across industries, sizes, and stages there’s a common thread that determines whether a company performs at its peak or just ticks along: what drives the people inside it.

Is your team just clocking in and out each day, collecting their paycheque, doing what’s expected and nothing more?
Or are they driven by something bigger growth, purpose, challenge, pride in the work, or a shared vision for success?

The difference between these two is massive. I’ve seen teams where salary isn’t even in the top three motivators. These are the companies that consistently exceed targets, foster strong internal culture, and attract top talent without throwing money around. In those environments, pay increases come as a result of success not as the only reason to show up.

But on the flip side, I’ve also seen teams, sometimes including senior leadership, where money is the primary or sole motivator. And in those cases, you’ll usually find something else:

• Siloed departments

• Low collaboration

• Mediocre output

• High turnover

• Blame culture

• Resistance to change

When pay is the main driver, people tend to do the minimum required. Their focus narrows. Team spirit disappears. Innovation stalls. That’s because there’s no shared goal just personal gain. And when personal gain becomes the only thing people care about, businesses lose their edge.

So, ask yourself honestly:
What’s driving your team?
What’s driving you?
Are you cultivating a culture of curiosity, shared achievement, pride, and purpose? Or are people just counting the hours till payday?

True performance comes when people care when they feel connected to something larger than themselves. That might be:

• Building a product or service that genuinely helps people

• Achieving growth that opens up new opportunities for the team

• Seeing customer success as their own success

• Learning and improving every week

• Being part of a team where everyone has each other’s back

These are intrinsic motivators that create resilience, loyalty, and passion. They build organisations where people stay longer, contribute more, and help drive transformation from the inside out.

As a business owner or manager, one of your most important jobs is to build and protect that kind of culture. To ensure people know where the business is heading, how their role contributes to it, and why it all matters. That starts with leadership being driven by the right things too.

Because if you’re only in it for the money, you’ll never get the best from your team. And if your team is only in it for the money, your business won’t perform at its potential.

There’s always a bigger purpose if you’re willing to define it and back it up with the right behaviours, recognition, and strategy.

If you’re unsure whether your business has that purpose baked in, or how to identify the right drivers for long-term performance, culture, and growth, we can help.

Head over to Josty.nz to explore how we support business owners and leadership teams to embed meaningful drivers, improve team alignment, and achieve sustainable success.