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People want things that are different. As much as any customer wants to fit in, they also want something that sets them apart. Dealerships can get into tricky territory when it comes to upselling golf carts and adding customizations. Sometimes they lower the price of a golf cart, but then sell the accessories without any discount in order to close the deal. This is traditional upselling.

To Discount or to Upsell?

We’ve written before about how it’s crucial to avoid de-valuing the core buy – the golf cart itself. Lower the price too much, and a customer may begin to wonder how much you had increased the price in the first place. When they wonder that, they start to evaluate the golf cart itself as less valuable. There’s only so far you can go before they start to think of the golf cart as inhabiting a lower valuation bracket than they originally thought.

In this case, it can be better to set a lower limit below which you won’t go – unless the customer really fights for it, which means they’re ready to close a deal. It can be better to take a hit on accessories than on the golf cart itself. Give them a deal on additional golf cart customizations without lowering the price of the golf cart as much. Keep the price relatively steady, but add in bonuses that they’ve asked about or might enjoy. This makes them start to think of the total package as inhabiting a higher valuation bracket than they originally thought.

How the Customer Feels

The difference is that when they start to devalue a golf cart package in their minds, they doubt the entire reason they came to the dealership in the first place. You’ll never close on them then. If the price has plummeted severely and they still haven’t bitten, it’s because now you’ve made them doubt their own ability to assess value. They may feel less in control, even if the price points that have been offered are close to the target they had in mind.

If they start to value the golf cart package more highly in their minds through additional customizations, their reason for being here is reinforced and reassured. In short, they’re getting offered more than they were looking for and you’re upselling more golf carts as a result. Regardless of whether the price is a bit higher than they were targeting, the attitude that’s being communicated is still one of getting a deal. They feel more in control, even if the price points that have been offered are closer to your target as a salesperson.

Different Approaches for Different Customers

As you grow as a salesperson, you’ll learn to assess which kind of customer will respond to which kind of approach. Very knowledgeable ones who walk in the door with history and parts prices may just be seeking a discount. More casual lookers who may not even be planning on buying today are often more willing to be talked into a deal through added customization instead of lower price.

With businesses, your added customizations must always be precise. Businesses will buy out of need more than desire. You’re not shaping a narrative for them the way you would with individual customers, you’re helping them cross off a long checklist. The more boxes you help them mark off on that checklist, the more likely they are to buy. That means added golf cart customizations should serve a business purpose that you can describe to them in a sentence or two, not with a story.

Golf Cart Customization Made Easy

There’s no right or wrong way to go about it. It depends on your sales philosophy, what you’re good at, and your sense of the customers themselves. One way to make upselling easier is a golf cart customization app. One that’s updated regularly enables you to sit side by side with the customer and make adjustments as a team. Using a golf cart customization app this way helps them feel like you’re all on the same side, more of a problem solver who’s helping them than a salesperson selling to them.