At McDonald's it's called "You want fries with that?"
At Just For Laughs, we call it "The Second Yes."
Let me explain.
Last week, we launched out Christmas-time pre-sale campaign for next year's festival. (You can check out the uber-basic website here, but it ain't gonna mean much if you don't speak French.) As the newly-installed President of the company, I was called upon to deliver a pep-talk to our ticketing box-office workers, each of whom deal with hundreds of calls every day.
My message was simple:
Don't let anyone off the phone without three attempts at getting "The Second Yes."
The Second Yes is more than just my cheerful euphemism for "an up-sell." What it is, is taking advantage (and I mean that in the most positive way) of a person's inner euphoria when they're buying something.
Over 90% of people who call our ticket box-office* end up buying a ticket to one show or another. Rationally, it stands to reason that when they pick up the phone to call (inspired by our ads, pre-sale direct mail campaign, whatever), they have made the commitment to purchase something.
And once they've taken this decision, they're in a good mood.
But this mood lasts ever so briefly. The window of opportunity closes well before they recite the digits that make up the expiry date on their credit cards.
So that's why The Second Yes has to be thought of, and acted upon, even prior to the confirmation of the First Yes.
Finding The Second Yes is an art.
It ain't bludgeoning people over the head until they cry mercy or hang up the phone (as was the case with me when I purchased a few tubes of Mighty Putty adhesive a couple of years ago and dealt with a salesperson so insanely tenacious that a starving pitbull would pale in comparison).
It's trying to understand what someone's buying, why they're buying it, and recommending a companion product and/or service that enhances the original purchase.
Examples chez nous include:
- Additional shows by similar or same artists ("If you like Jean-Marc Parent's Gala Show, you'll probably dig his new one-man show 'Torture'.")
- Price points ("You know, for only $25 more, I can give you Gregory Charles show on top of your Gala.")
- Unique services and experiences ("After the show, would you like to join us and the artists for dinner in our VIP tent behind the theater?").
It ain't easy, but our CRM tool helps identify purchase patterns. Even without that technological crutch, first-time buyers can be finessed down the path towards The Second Yes by listening to and conversing with them, and playing off their questions and choices. In other words: "Don't Take Only One Yes For An Answer."
Business is tough. Getting to The First Yes is enough of a challenge.
But once there, not gunning for The Second Yes is a crime.
And so went my Pep Talk.
That said, enjoy this:
*(The same approach, by the way, is being developed for our new transactional website, iPhone and Android app, making their debut in April of 2011.)