The Intro Upsale

What is an "UPSALE" you ask?  Great question.  Have you ever gone into a restaurant, ordered a burger and Coke and had the waitress ask, "You want fries with that?"?  That is an upsale.  You might have been buying a new car and the salesman asks if you want pin striping or undercoating.  That too is an upsale. 

Today I want to mention a great way to use your INTRO to open opportunities for other gigs.  In selling this is called an "UPSALE".

The salesperson asks you to add additional items to your purchase or even suggests a more expensive item.

I know, you are thinking, "What does this have to do with storytelling?"  Lots!

Most of us have (or should have) an intro already written up that we provide to the person that will introduce us to the audience.  It usually tells just a bit about you, your experience and what you will be doing for that performance.

An easy addition to that introduction you provide can be a quick listing of a few programs suitable for the audience.

An example, "Mary's other programs include an anti-bullying program, Celtic Tales for St. Patrick's Day and "Mom to Mom" a fun filled look at raising a family in today's hectic world."

The quick mention of several of your best programs can them be coupled with your thanks as the end of your program.  "If you liked what you saw, don't forget the other programs mentioned earlier.  Stop by, say hello and ask about scheduling for your group or event!"

Those simple mentions can often lead to folks asking for information, cards and phone numbers.  I always ask if they would like for ME to call Them to discuss a program.  I have a card and a pen for them to give me a name and number.  They give me the card back and I tell them to keep the pen (with my name and info on it!)