Is Cross selling making you CROSS???

Question

I know that businesses are in it to make money but is anyone else sick of the whole cross sale business.
You know you want a pair of jeans and they try and sell you a belt or shirt, you buy shoes and they try and sell you spray for them etc...

It's everywhere - from Mcdonalds "upsize/fries?" to Banks - "insurance/credit card?"

I am so sick of it.. How many people actually get caught up by most of these things and has there ever been a time where you have felt pressured into actually taking the cross sell.

Businesses need to look after thier customers and help them not SELL them things they don't really need.

From now on i am going to start my own rating system and reward businesses who don't cross sell and thumbs down for those who pressure sell.

Answer 1

My left-brain has always understood that
biz is almost always going to get away
with what it thinks it can, but I've also
held with the school which says
think longterm, don't scare the customer
away.

When I was quite young I remember drifting
into a jeans/shirts store and hadn't so much
as crossed the threshold of the place when
from nowhere this way-too peppy voice
hit me with, "HI! Welcome to __ would you
like to try our ___....?"

I remember distinctly looking at her a bit
condescendingly as I One-Eightied on
the spot with, "Tell your management to
be real--people don't want to be bombarded."

Same with the Phone-Answering policies of
way too many places. They give you a speech
before you can say "Hi &/or this is what I'd like,
this is who I want to speak with..."

In no way am I pining for the "old days" or
insisting things should move at the pace
of Kansas/Iowa (all due respect to them),
merely expressing a truism that must
be addressed within business's decision
walls.

One fine day, Political Correctness will be
abolished and, hopefully, replaced by some
fair logic sense mixed with empathy!

Or am I way too idealistic?

Answer 2

They do it because it works.

If it didn't work, they wouldn't do it.

And the easiest customer to sell to, is an existing customer.

As the recession deepens, expect even more of it.

Business reality 101