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In this episode of The Marketing Factory, host Marissa Candy explores the power of subtle upselling in franchises. She emphasizes that upselling isn't about being pushy but rather about seizing opportunities when customers are already engaged. Marissa shares insights on how simple, complimentary offers can significantly increase revenue without the need for additional products, staff, or marketing expenses. Using the iconic phrase "Would you like fries with that?" as a case study, she illustrates how small, well-timed questions can unlock new revenue streams.

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Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:01:04 - The Power of a Simple Question

00:02:08 - Real-World Franchise Examples

00:04:16 - The Importance of Consistency

00:05:22 - Rules for Effective Upselling

00:06:26 - Digital Upselling Opportunities

00:07:40 - Long-Term Benefits of Upselling

00:08:12 - Actionable Steps for Implementation

Upselling isn't about being pushy. It's about creating opportunity where

the customer is already engaged. Many franchises focus

only on the big campaigns and ignore the in-store point

of sale opportunities. Adding a small complimentary

offer can increase revenue without additional acquisition

costs. No added products, no extra staff,

no extra marketing spend. A small, well-timed

question. That's it. For franchises, this

is gold. Welcome to The Marketing Factory, where we don't

blend in. I'm Marissa Candy, founder and award-winning marketer.

And for over two decades, I've helped businesses think differently about

their marketing, and achieve powerful results. In this podcast, I'll

share proven strategies so that you can create profitable marketing

campaigns that drive real impact for your business. Ready

to turn clarity into action? Let's get started. When was the

last time you actually asked a customer if they wanted something extra?

Not a big campaign, not a new product launch, just

a simple, subtle upsell. Think about the phrase. Would

you like fries with that? We've all heard it a hundred times. And

yet that tiny question created billions of

revenue for McDonald's. So did they add any

new products? Not really. Did they hire extra staff?

No. Did they spend more on marketing? Not

in the first instance. All they did was ask a simple

question and it opened up a whole new revenue stream.

Now here is the million dollar question. Does

your franchise have a do you want fries with that moment? And

if so, are you even using it? So today we're diving into

how subtle upsells can drive revenue, what

makes them effective and how to implement them across your franchise

without annoying customers or overcomplicating your

operations. So let's explore the power of

the subtle upsell. Now, here we have it. Upselling

isn't about being pushy. It's about creating opportunity where

the customer is already engaged. Take McDonald's again.

Their fries up sale generated over $1 billion a

year in incremental sales in the US alone.

This is genius in its simplicity. A small, well-timed

question, that's it. No added products,

no extra staff, no extra marketing spend.

And for franchises, this is gold. You've already

interacted with a customer who's brought in. Adding a small,

complimentary offer can increase revenue without additional

acquisition costs. So now let's dive into

some franchise real world examples for you. And I want you to

think about sportswear store, the athlete's

foot. During back to school season, we

all been there, well us parents have anyway, we're out buying shoes

for our children. For the athlete's foot, their

upsell could be something like adding a simple line like,

does anyone else in your family need new shoes? Multiple

purchases from a single transaction is gold to

adding more profit. And this can happen without any new

marketing campaigns or hiring more staff. And here are some

more examples, because I know you want more. How about a cafe asking,

would you like a pastry with that coffee? Hair salon suggesting, would

you like a treatment to go with that cut? How

often do you say yes to these things already, right? Fitness franchises

offering add-on personal training when someone signs up

for a membership. The pattern's clear. The upsell has

to be relevant, timely, and aligned with the customer's

intent. But here's the brutal truth. Many franchises, they

focus only on the big campaigns and ignore the in-store

point of sale opportunities. Staff are unaware

how to upsell or potentially even too afraid to ask. And

messaging isn't consistent across all of the locations. And

no one is even tracking the results. So who's keeping score

anyway? The reality is this. Revenue is quietly

leaking because the system isn't designed to capture it.

And now here's the secret sauce. An upsell works

best when it reinforces your brand rather than feeling like

a gimmick. For McDonald's, fries compliment the

meal and it makes sense and it feels natural. For

the athlete's foot, suggesting shoes for another child

family member is genuinely helpful for parents. We

don't want to have to keep running backwards and forwards to the shops, right?

Unless you're one of those people that just simply loves the shop. Upsells

should feel like they enhance the customer's experience, not

forcing some extra spend. That's why training staff is so critical,

because they need to deliver the upsell naturally. Just

quickly, if you're a business owner struggling to see results from

your marketing, or you're overwhelmed by the thought of marketing your

business, we can help. Book in a call with my team using the

link in the show notes, and let's get your brand thriving without the

struggle. Now, back to the episode. Here are some rules I've created

for you, so that you can do your own, do you want fries

with that, upsell. Here we go. Number

one, keep it relevant. The upsell should complement the

purchase. OK, we just said that. Keep it simple. One

line. Easy to act on. Train your team. The

best upsells are delivered by confident, knowledgeable staff.

Make sure you align with your own brand values. It

should feel helpful, not pushy. And

of course, you have to track and measure. Test some different approaches.

Track your results and iterate. Don't just say this is

it. and this is going to be etched in stone and there's no

one going to move from that, see how different

ways of saying it goes. The subtle upsell,

it's a low risk and high reward tactic. It doesn't require

new campaigns, budgets or products. So

now that we've covered that in-house, in-store, here

now I would just like to share with you a couple of digital upsells you

might even be missing. And remember, Upselling isn't

just for that in-person experience. Your digital presence is full

of opportunities. If you're running an e-commerce store, suggest

some complementary products at the checkout. If you're doing an email

campaign, put some recommended related services or products

together after the purchase. If you're on social, bundle

some deals in paid ads or organic posts. And for franchises,

Aligning digital upsells with in-store messaging, that

creates consistency and increases the likelihood of

multi-channel revenue. The challenge for

you is ensuring that every franchise location is

capturing this revenue. So you may have to make sure that

you standardise the process. But as we've said before

in previous episodes, allow flexibility for local

adaption. Help them out. Help the local teams out

with some scripts, training, examples. Track

the results at that local and national level that I've said before.

And most importantly, when you have a win, celebrate that

across all the locations so others can see what's working well,

what's performing well, and maybe even adapt it

in their own way. Think of it like a dance. HQ leads

with strategy. Local teams add their flair that resonates

with their community. Beyond immediate revenue, upsells

provide so many long-term benefits. They increase customer lifetime

value. It builds habit and loyalty, empowers staff

to be more proactive, reinforces brand consistency across

locations. And what else? The best part? It's

revenue without any major investment or new campaigns.

So now that you're ready, of course you are, because you've been

listening proactively. We're ready. You're ready

for your actionable steps. Number one. Audit your customer interaction

for opportunities. And I want you to do this. Brainstorm three

to five upsell moments that are natural and helpful.

Remember, it's got to feel and add value to the

customer. Write some simple, actionable scripts. Test

them. Get other people's feedback. Get everyone involved in the beginning. Train

every location that's going to be pushing out this message

or broadcasting this message to your customers, and please make

sure you track those results, adjust and scale. Even

a tiny little tweak, a word, can

compound into significant revenue growth over time. Right,

so to wrap up this episode, scaling franchise revenue

isn't just about campaigns or new products. Sometimes it's

about asking the right question at the right

time. So, ask yourself this. What

is my, do you want fries at that moment? Is

it relevant, timely, and helpful? Are

all franchise locations empowered to deliver it consistently? And

of course, if you want any help identifying

some subtle upsells and training your team to deliver them naturally,

we welcome you to reach out to me, Marisa Candy,

or the team at The Marketing Factory Go online, connect with

us. We're everywhere. We're across all the socials or

on our website. Book in a discovery call because big

revenue doesn't always come from big ideas. Sometimes it's

the small strategic question you've been

overlooking. Bye for now. Thanks for tuning into The Marketing Factory.

If today's episode helped bring clarity to your marketing strategy, please

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