At Video Business Academy the upsell took clients from a $10K month to $25K. At Acquisition Ace a premium version of the main offer sold 1,000+ times.
Both are upsells, and neither is a cross-sell. The words get mixed up because they come from retail, where an upsell is the bigger coffee and a cross-sell is the muffin. In coaching the line falls in a different place, and it decides what you build first.
What is an upsell in a coaching business?
An offer that takes the client further on the same path. Usually it is their next problem solved: they hit the promised goal, and the next offer starts there. Sometimes it is a premium version of what they bought, with more access at a higher price.
Upgrades and add-ons are shapes of the same thing. An upgrade moves the client to a bigger tier. An add-on attaches one piece, like one-to-one calls on top of a group program.
What is a cross-sell in a coaching business?
A different product next to the program, not further along it. A done-for-you service for something the client was taught to do, a tool they need, or software. It solves a problem the client has alongside the coaching, not after it.
| Term | What the client gets | Example from programs we run | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upsell: next problem | A new result, after the first one | Video Business Academy: $10K to $25K a month | Clients who hit the goal |
| Upgrade: premium tier | The same program with more, at a higher price | Acquisition Ace: premium version at almost double | New clients at the close, or clients mid-program |
| Add-on | One piece added to the program | One-to-one calls on top of group coaching | Clients who take action and want more access |
| Cross-sell | A different product next to the program | A done-for-you service or a tool | Clients with a need the coaching does not cover |
| Extension | More time, same goal | Video Business Academy: more time for clients close to the goal | Clients close to the goal |
Result from a named client with written permission. Typical clients of this cohort saw a range of outcomes; nothing here is a guarantee. How we handle claims.
Which should you offer first: upsell or cross-sell?
The upsell. Once someone hits the promised goal they feel done and want the next chapter. You cannot sell them the same thing again, and a side product does not answer the question they have. The next problem does.
If the upsell is relevant, up to 30% of all clients buy it and 40% or more of the winners. Most coaching businesses have no upsell at all. Building a cross-sell before that is decorating a room nobody walks into.
When is a cross-sell a value loop?
When the client needs it every month for a long time. A value loop is ongoing results in return for ongoing revenue. A program with a start and an end is not one; the client finishes and the payments stop.
A service the client needs to keep running their business can be. An ad service or a tool used every week keeps going because the need keeps going. That kind of cross-sell can sit at the top of the offer ladder for years.
My terms are offer ladders and value loops. An offer ladder is the different things you sell people over time. A value loop is ongoing results in return for ongoing revenue, which keeps clients in the offer.
What goes wrong with cross-sells in coaching?
Done-for-you items, mostly. One small thing done for the client makes people think everything is done for them, and then delivery falls apart. If you cross-sell a service, sell it as a separate product with its own scope, written down.
The other failure is a cross-sell that needs its own team and margin. The premium version at Acquisition Ace works because it costs nothing extra to fulfil. A service with new staff behind it is a second business, and it should be judged as one.
Further reading: Should your coaching program sell a done-for-you service as the next offer? · The back-end offer ladder
Diego Miescher
