What my internship taught me about upselling

During my internship at the Mandarin Oriental Prague, I won the award for the Best Upsell Intern. Upselling is a sales technique where a seller invites the customer to purchase more expensive items, upgrades, or other add-ons to generate more revenue. Here are some of my tips on what it takes to succeed in upselling.

 

1. Smile genuinely and a lot!

It might seem obvious, but it’s essential. Approaching someone with a genuine smile might just be the tiny detail needed for an upsell to be successful! 

 

2. Believe in what you’re selling

It’s important that you know what you’re selling and that you believe in it, no one would ever buy something you wouldn’t want to buy yourself – it shines through.

 

3. Share your upselling experiences with your manager

You are the one selling – the management who defines the upselling strategy is not. They need your feedback in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the strategy so that together, you can maximize the upselling revenue. Think them over, and then share your ideas! Work hard with the tools given to you, stay open minded to new opportunities and projects, and don’t be afraid to express opinions & ideas. A young and fresh opinion is usually well valued if you can show you have put some thought into it. Show that you want to contribute to the development and the success of the company you’re working for!

 

After Sandra Nilsson graduated from IHTTI, she was determined to start her career with a management training program. The Vita Futura program with Starwood Hotels & Resorts offered an opportunity to try out more than 10 different departments at the prestigious St. Regis in Abu Dhabi. This experience shaped her interest in Revenue Management and when she finished the program, she accepted the role of Revenue Manager at the Swissôtel in Basel. You can reach out to her on LinkedIn to ask her about her professional journey since graduating.