upsell hell

Jennifer, I'm quite sure Brian Kindsvater understands marketing...probably far better than you and the vast majority of people on this forum.

Considering the countless - and I do mean countless - times this issue has come up on the forum over the years, it's abundantly clear it's a frustration for a lot of people.

I purchased a product (not through WF, and not related to IM) about a year ago, and had to sit through at 7 upsells before I finally was able to get to the page where I could download my purchase.

Do you know how I felt about the product - and the company selling it - by the time I finally got to the product I was initially excited about buying? And this wasn't a $7 product.

Did all the upsells bother me because, oh, as you suggest, I'm someone who just likes to complain?? Hardly.

Besides the amount of time it took to get through all of them, they also bothered me because each upsell diminished the value and credibility of what I had just purchased. When you buy a product that claims to do XYZ, and then get hit with a bunch of upsells that don't just hint, but blatantly tell you that you also need these to accomplish XYZ or use it more effectively, then that's a huge problem - and not really good marketing at all. Because you've basically now just said, "Hey, I know we said this about the product you just purchased, but really, we lied. It's inadequate. You need all these other products as well!"

So, yes, by the time I got to the end of all those upsells I was about ready to ask for a refund - because the seller had pretty much convinced me that what I purchased wasn't going to provide nearly the value it initially claimed. They had now essentially shown me how inadequate it was without all these additional products, most of which were in the $300 to $500 range (I think the initial product was $97 or something like that).

I didn't hesitate to send them an email and let them know I didn't appreciate all the upsells.

So, I completely understand what Kindsvater and the OP are saying.

Don't be so quick to judge people and condescend by accusing them of just wanting to complain.

I'm not saying having an upsell is bad or wrong. And I DO understand why they are offered. But there's a right way and a wrong way to go about it.

However, if you want to upsell something to me and succeed? Give me a chance to look over my initial purchase. Then hit me up with an email offering an upsell in a few days or couple of weeks - maybe even a month. If I like the initial product, then I'll be much more likely to purchase something else from you. But if you essentially tell me how inadequate my initial purchase was by immediately telling me I also need all these other products, then you just lost your credibility, diminished the value of the initial product, and lost yourself a customer - probably for life.