We’re excited to announce a strategic partnership between Yoodli and Arist, combining two leading platforms to revolutionize how go-to-market teams learn, practice, and perform.
What This Means for Customers
Arist customers can now access Yoodli’s AI-powered roleplays to help onboard reps faster, reinforce key skills, and reduce the burden on frontline managers.
Yoodli customers can now leverage Arist’s rapid mobile-first learning platform to push critical updates – from AI upskilling to competitive shifts – to reps in real-time via SMS, Microsoft Teams, and Slack.
Alt: Companies like Novartis, Ecolab and ExxonMobil rely on Arist to push critical updates and training to reps in the tools they are already addicted to. Companies like Google, FranklinCovey, Sandler, Korn Ferry rely on Yoodli to deliver scalable, AI-driven practice. Thanks to this partnership, enablement teams don’t need to choose between speed to market and real-time sales practice.
“Sales enablement is evolving fast. Combining Arist’s mobile-first training with Yoodli’s AI roleplays means teams can now learn, practice, and reinforce skills—all without pulling reps off the floor. It’s a win-win for productivity and performance.”
— Varun Puri, CEO at Yoodli
“We’re excited to partner with Yoodli to offer the next generation of just-in-time training. Our joint solution pushes critical info to where reps already are, builds confidence through AI coaching, and ultimately drives outcomes faster.”
— Michael Ioffe, CEO at Arist
Why It Matters
Traditional training is hard to scale and often fails to stick. This partnership brings together the best of both worlds: bite-sized, mobile-first content from Arist, and personalized, AI-powered roleplay practice from Yoodli.
The impact speaks for itself:
• AI Roleplays boosts operational efficiency by 40% and helps reps achieve a 3x+ improvement in quota attainment.
• Arist customers report pushing critical info like product and competitive updates months faster, 10x’ing the speed and adoption of critical training.
Together, this solution empowers enablement teams to move faster, coach smarter, and drive performance at scale.
Want to Learn More?
To learn more about how your team can benefit from this partnership, reach out to sales@yoodli.ai.
Today I want to share something that has absolutely transformed my professional journey – Yoodli AI Roleplays! SQUIRREL! Sorry about that. Where was I? Oh yes, Yoodli!
Yoodli is like Grammarly, but for barking! It helps me practice all kinds of conversations, from pitching my startup idea (Indy’s Innovative Treat Dispensers—still looking for investors, btw) to asking for more belly rubs in a professional yet persuasive manner. You can even use it for your whole pack if you want!
For example, before Yoodli, my request for extra dinner sounded like: bark bark (jumping) whine whine (big eyes) bark bark BARK. Effective? Sometimes. But with Yoodli, I practiced a more structured approach with 3 talking points as to why an extra serving of dinner is crucial to my productivity:
More Food, More Fetch – “Extra dinner means extra energy, which means I can chase the ball even faster. It’s a win-win.”
Bowl-flation is Real – “I’ve crunched the numbers. They were delicious. But I still need more.”
Emotional Support Snack – “Dinner is great, but have you considered the mental health benefits of a little extra? Happiness levels would skyrocket.”
And guess what? It worked.
Also, my attention span? Not great. But Yoodli gives me real-time feedback and keeps me focused! I no longer interrupt important meetings by suddenly thinking about how good sticks are. (They’re really good, though.) The only thing it can’t do is give me fingers for typing, so I’m using Wispr Flow to write this blog post. Sometimes my nose gets on the keyboard and makes tyyyypes loook likeeeeee thisssssss. But that gets fixed when my human edits the ruff draft.
So anyway if you’re a dog—or, I suppose, a human—looking to improve your communication, give Yoodli a try! And if you made it this far, congrats, you’ve just been part of my April Fool’s prank. Or have you? Woof woof.
See you on LinkedIn! Stay pawsitive! 🐾
Chief Barketing Officer | Professional Good Boy | Speaker | LinkedIn Thought Leader | Expert Ball Catcher
Oratium, a leading authority in sales and executive communications, is excited to announce its strategic partnership with Yoodli, an AI-powered sales coaching platform designed to revolutionize how sales teams prepare for client meetings. This new partnership will enable sales professionals to develop critical skills needed for mastery of customer meetings, including delivery of impactful messaging with Yoodli’s AI providing real-time practice, actionable insights, and personalized feedback.
Combining Expertise in Sales Communication and Cutting-Edge AI
With real-world, practical experience in equipping sales organizations across multiple industries, including Fortune 500 companies, Oratium’s deeply developed sales communication methodologies and intellectual property make them an ideal partner for this cutting-edge technology.
By integrating Yoodli AI into its training and coaching message-delivery and sales-conversation programs, Oratium enables sales teams to:
Leverage Data-Driven Insights: Yoodli’s platform provides detailed analytics on individual and team performance, allowing sales leaders to identify areas for improvement and tailor coaching strategies to drive long-term success.
Enhance Communication Skills: Yoodli’s AI-driven feedback helps sales professionals fine-tune their messaging, improving their ability to connect with clients and deliver compelling pitches.
Increase Sales Success: The partnership combines Oratium’s expertise in sales communications with Yoodli’s real-time insights, driving better client interactions and improved sales outcomes.
Build Confidence and Consistency: Sales professionals can practice key messages in a sage, private judgment-free environment, boosting their confidence and ensuring consistent delivery during important client meetings.
The use of AI in sales delivery and conversation coaching presents an unprecedented opportunity to skill reps. Yoodli AI gives us the ability to scale and to standardize coaching for our clients – this simply would not be possible otherwise, said Tim Pollard, CEO of Oratium. This collaboration allows us to merge our communications expertise and IP with Yoodli’s AI technology. It will be a transformative experience for sales professionals.
Teaming up with Oratium is an incredible opportunity for us. Their deep understanding of sales communication aligns perfectly with our AI platform, and we’re excited to support their methods with Yoodli’s real-time coaching. —Esha Joshi, President and Co-Founder at Yoodli.
A Shared Vision for Sales Communication Excellence
Together, Oratium and Yoodli are committed to delivering innovative, results-driven solutions that help sales professionals excel in today’s competitive market. This partnership elevates the standard of communication training, equipping teams with the insights and tools they need to succeed. For more information, visit Yoodli’s website.
A globally known Fortune 10 tech company needed to train 200 Account Managers based in Europe. Their training program”Storytelling, Executive Presence, and Influence” was on upskilling sellers’ ability to effectively influence stakeholders through compelling presentations.
The Problem
Mastering talking points requires extensive practice and role-playing, but convincing sellers to practice can be challenging. This is often because sellers don’t realize they need to practice, coupled with a feeling that they don’t have time for it. To address these challenges, the customer needed a judgment-free practice environment that could also quantify progress, ensuring that sellers could improve their skills without the fear of negative feedback.
The Solution
The company provided all participants with unlimited access to Yoodli genAI communication coach, often described as “Grammarly for Speech.” Participants initially used Yoodli as part of their pre-work before live training sessions with facilitators to set a base-line. Then, after receiving live instruction, they used Yoodli again to reinforce the concepts they learned in a self-paced environment. This also allowed them to witness their own growth throughout the training week.
Yoodli simulates presentation practice at scale and is the perfect augmentation of live training sessions. Yoodli for enablement teams is like a medical report for doctors. It helps us save time, be more efficient, and quantify progress. –Facilitation Lead
Using Yoodli, participants practiced their presentations and received AI-powered feedback on content, structure, and delivery. They received suggestions on opportunities for conciseness, and analytics on their speaking mechanics, such as pacing, body language, and word choice.
Once participants felt confident in their presentations after using Yoodli, they shared their final presentations with colleagues for synchronous feedback. This combination of AI feedback and peer-to-peer coaching not only reinforced the learned material but also gave them the confidence to present live in front of leadership as the culmination of their journey.
Impact
Completion Rate: 97% of the participants completed the “Storytelling, Executive Presence, and Influence” module.
Confidence Improvement: 94% of participants who engaged with Yoodli four times reported increased confidence.
Qualitative Feedback: Directors who sponsored the program and witnessed both early practices and final presentations noted significant and swift improvements in the participants.
Extended Interest: Two participants requested to extend Yoodli AI coaching to their entire teams beyond the live facilitation.
If you’d like to learn more about Yoodli, reach out at sales@yoodli.ai.
Vautier Communications enhanced their coaching programs by adopting Yoodli’s AI coaching platform, resulting in streamlined processes, a 15% revenue increase, ongoing engagement, and a modernized approach that allows coaches to focus on high-impact training.
Background
Vautier Communications is a leading player in the business communications space, specializing in delivering education and training to individuals and groups. Their mission is simple: help people “speak as well as they think.” Their coaching sessions are structured in small group formats, typically consisting of 12 participants led by one coach, focusing on communication skills across business units. Their two-day coaching programs are built on the principle of “learn by doing,” where participants practice and receive feedback in real-time, guided by Vautier’s team of expert coaches.
Through Yoodli, Vautier Communications achieved a 15% increase in revenue per client and successfully scaled the use of AI and technology across multiple clients.
The Problem
Vautier Communications faced the following challenges:
Manual Video Recording: For years, Vautier’s coaches used SD cards to record sessions, but this method has become impractical. Collecting 12 cards per session, uploading files to Dropbox, and sharing links with participants is time-consuming and limits client access. Many clients struggle to review videos due to outdated technology or lack of time.
Limited Post-Program Support: Vautier’s business thrives on word-of-mouth and referrals, but their touchpoints with clients often end after their intensive two-day programs. The company wanted to extend the relationship by providing more opportunities for participants to practice beyond the coaching sessions.
Static Technology: Although their SD card system worked in the classroom, Vautier recognized the need to evolve. They aimed to integrate more advanced technology that would simplify their process while adding value to their offerings, especially for clients accustomed to digital platforms and on-demand feedback.
“Managing the logistics of video recordings was becoming increasingly challenging, and our clients struggled to access their feedback. We needed a solution that would streamline our process and enhance the overall experience for clients.” – Jenn Alex, Coach & Vice-President of Sales & People
The Solution & Impact
Vautier adopted a bespoke version of Yoodli’s AI platform, customized with their branding and content, to enhance participant experience and extend the impact of their coaching programs.
Their benefits include:
Seamless Integration with Yoodli: Vautier switched from SD card recordings to Yoodli’s AI platform, allowing participants to practice their talks and receive objective, data-driven feedback on communication metrics like filler words and pacing. This streamlined the process, eliminating the need for SD cards and Dropbox links.
Increased Revenue: With Yoodli’s scalable AI solution, Vautier raised their program price by 15%, allowing all participants to access AI-driven feedback and personalized insights. This freed up coaches to concentrate on more strategic aspects of communication training.
Ongoing Client Engagement: Vautier extended clients’ access to Yoodli for three months post-program, allowing participants to practice communication skills with AI feedback in real-world scenarios. This engagement boosted client retention and strengthened relationships, enhancing their referral-driven business model.
Tech-Savvy Future: Integrating Yoodli modernized Vautier’s coaching framework, enabling participants to access feedback digitally and practice anytime with AI-generated insights. This allows Vautier to focus more on high-impact coaching and less on administrative tasks.
“Integrating Yoodli has transformed our coaching approach. Not only have we seen a 15% increase in revenue, but our participants now have the tools to practice and receive instant feedback anytime, making our training more impactful than ever.” — John Vautier, Coach & Vice-President of Sales
Vautier’s Approach with Yoodli
Vautier’s coaching philosophy is direct, intuitive, and strengths-based, focusing on four key areas: executive presence, message organization, delivery, and Q&A facilitation. By integrating Yoodli, they complemented their human-led coaching with AI insights, enabling participants to receive feedback on the most tactical elements of their presentations while continuing to focus on deeper aspects of communication during live sessions.
The result? An enhanced coaching experience that stays true to Vautier’s core values while embracing the future of AI-enabled learning.
You can connect with and learn more about Vautier Communications’ service here. If you’d like to get started with a bespoke version of Yoodli, reach out at sales@yoodli.ai.
Jenn Alex from Vautier and Esha Joshi, cofounder at Yoodli, hanging out in person in Seattle 🙂
The Center for Sales Strategy (CSS), a leading sales performance consulting and training company, and Yoodli, the AI-powered communication coaching platform, are thrilled to launch a strategic partnership. This collaboration brings together Yoodli’s cutting-edge AI technology with The Center for Sales Strategy’s proven expertise in B2B sales training and development to offer a truly unique and powerful solution for sales organizations.
A Powerful Combination of Expertise and Technology
For over 40 years, CSS has been committed to helping B2B sales organizations drive performance. Their approach focuses on turning talent into performance and developing the highest-performing sales professionals. By combining CSS’s expertise in sales talent, training and tactics with Yoodli’s AI-powered coaching platform, this partnership will empower sales teams to:
Enhanced Communication Skills: Yoodli’s AI-powered analysis provides personalized feedback on speech patterns, helping sales professionals refine their communication style and deliver more impactful presentations and pitches.
Improved Sales Performance: CSS’s proven methodologies, coupled with Yoodli’s real-time insights, will empower sales teams to better connect with prospects, build stronger relationships, and close more deals.
Increased Confidence: By practicing and receiving feedback in a safe and private environment, sales professionals can build confidence in their communication abilities, leading to improved performance in real-world situations.
Data-Driven Insights: Yoodli’s analytics provide valuable data on individual and team performance, allowing sales leaders to track progress, identify areas for improvement, and tailor coaching strategies accordingly.
“We are incredibly excited to partner with The Center for Sales Strategy,” says Ajay Jain, Head of Training and Enablement at Yoodli. ”Like top athletes who practice before stepping onto the field, leading sales performance consultants like CSS know that consistent practice is key to reinforcing sales methodologies, and results in great execution.”
“The CSS Practice Coach is a game-changer for sales teams,” said Matt Sunshine, CEO of The Center for Sales Strategy. “It empowers salespeople to practice and improve at their own pace, and receive immediate coaching and feedback, which is crucial for their development and success.”
A Shared Vision for Sales Excellence
Both Yoodli and CSS share a passion for empowering sales professionals to reach their full potential. This partnership represents a significant step forward in providing sales organizations with innovative solutions that drive results.
When looking at how profitable an investment might be, taking a look at the return on investment (ROI) is a must. It can help teams better quantify the potential benefits of an investment in comparison to how much it’ll cost.
In our beginner-friendly guide, we’ll give you everything you should know about ROI, including what it is, how to measure and calculate it, the benefits of using this measure, and how your team can best translate return on investment to customers.
What Is Return on Investment (ROI)?
Return on investment — also known as ROI — is a measure of an investment’s performance. ROI is a ratio that gauges how profitable an investment is by comparing the gain or loss to how much it costs. It’s usually represented as a percentage and can be positive or negative.
What is a good ROI?
Knowing whether or not you have a good ROI depends on many factors, such as the industry, the actual investment, and other things. There isn’t one “good” ROI. However, there are some general guidelines to keep in mind.
For example, many times, a positive ROI is considered a good ROI. Anything about 10% is often seen as a strong ROI, but again, there’s no “universal truth” when it comes to this measure.
Why is measuring ROI important?
Measuring ROI is important because it helps teams evaluate the potential return of investments on business initiatives or stocks. It’s an essential measure for assessing how effective their investments are. That way, companies can make more data-driven decisions.
For sales reps, it can even be a talking point when it comes to objection handling.
How to Calculate Return on Investment (ROI)
In layman’s terms, knowing how to calculate return on investment is a matter of understanding the net return on investment and the cost of the investment.
Here’s what an ROI formula might look like.
ROI formula
There are two main ROI formulas that folks can use to measure how profitable an investment is relative to its cost. ROI measures include the net return in the numerator of the formulate because ROIs can be either positive or negative.
The first ROI formula is:
ROI = ([Net Return on Investment] / [Cost of Investment]) * 100
In other words, the net gain or loss from the investment over the initial cost of the investment. Here’s an example of how that could play out.
Imagine you invested $5,000 in a marketing campaign that created $20,000 in revenue. Your ROI would be ROI = (($20,000 – $5,000) / $5,000) * 100 = 300%.
Now, this is a made-up example, but if this were a real scenario, it would be quite a strong return on investment.
The second ROI formula can be represented like:
ROI = ([Final Value of Investment – Initial Value of Investment] / [Cost of the Investment]) * 100
In other words, the initial value of investment is subtracted from the final value of the investment then divided by the cost of the investment. Then, multiply by 100.
ROI calculators
There are also plenty of ROI calculators that will calculate your return on investment for you. Some common examples are:
Just keep in mind, you should always try to double-check after using an ROI calculator to make sure there are no errors.
The Top Benefits of Measuring ROI
Calculating and measuring return on investment comes with a whole host of benefits. First and foremost, measuring ROI will help you understand the profitability of the investments. In other words, ROI allows you to figure out which initiatives lead to a positive return and which don’t, which can help you understand where to put your efforts. Specifically, this shows you where you should invest your resources so you can pivot to investments that have the highest potential for ROI.
In a similar vein, measuring ROI can help you justify investments or resource allocation to key stakeholders. For example, if your team is able to effectively show the value of these investments to leadership, management, investors, or other stakeholders, they’ll be more likely to lend you their support.
Of course, measuring return on investment also helps teams make more informed decisions based on tangible evidence, no matter what industry you work in.
4 Steps to Improve Return on Investment (ROI)
If your return on investment isn’t what you hoped, don’t fret. Here are four steps to improve your ROI for better results down the line.
1. Pinpoint key performance indicators (KPIs)
To start, identify the key performance metrics that can help you best measure how effective your investments were. Getting an idea of these metrics can also help you set clear goals. When setting goals, make sure they’re SMART — that is, specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
It’s a good idea for teams to track and monitor the relevant KPIs on a regular basis so trends, patterns, and areas of improvement can be identified.
2. Track and analyze relevant data.
Next, track and evaluate the relevant data to your return on investment. To do this, you can use data analysis tools to streamline gathering, analyzing, and visualizing whatever data you’re working with. As mentioned above, this’ll do wonders in helping you pinpoint specific patterns and trends that crop up that’ll shed light on your investments.
Depending on your specific situation, you can use A/B testing to play with various approaches and pin down the most effective methods.
3. Make your decisions data driven.
Based on the trends or patterns you identify, make sure your decisions align with the data you have. For example, making data-driven insights can help you optimize your investments by dividing up your resources into investments with the most significant potential for ROI.
Not only that, but you can use these metrics to constantly grow and improve by pivoting your efforts to address areas for improvement and tweaking your strategy as you need.
4. Optimize and streamline resources and processes.
The last step when improving your return on investment is to optimize and streamline your current resources and relevant processes. Start by allocating your resources to whatever initiative seems most promising based on the data and insights you gathered.
From there, you can work on streamlining whatever processes you can to boost effectiveness and lower costs. Then you can assess the effect of both resource allocation and process improvements on your return on investment.
How to Practice Leveraging ROI with Yoodli
Knowing how to measure return on investment is one thing but knowing how to successfully present that to key stakeholders? That’s a whole other story. However, using a tool like Yoodli can take away some of that anxiety. Here’s how.
Yoodli is a virtual sales coach that uses generative AI to conjure up realistic sales roleplays using simulated conversation. Big-name companies like Google, Dale Carnegie, and Korn Ferry have already used Yoodli for increased seller attainment and lower ramp.
Sales reps can easily practice translating ROI for clients using Yoodli.
Its smooth, easy-to-use interface allows reps and admin alike to easily navigate the platform completely stress-free. It also provides admin personalization for sales enablement leaders. In essence, business leaders can customize Yoodli to make it their own by using their brand-specific methodology and use cases. Yoodli also offers enterprise-grade privacy, including SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR, and more.
Demonstrating ROI with Yoodli’s sales roleplays
Sales teams can lean on Yoodli to practice demonstrating return on investment to simulated conversation partners. For example, reps can take advantage of simulated but realistic sales environments like cold calling or customer discovery calls to explain ROI without risking losing clients. It’s a completely safe space for salespeople to practice getting comfortable describing and talking about return on investment with clients of different personas. The conversations are so life-like, reps go back and forth with their AI partner, just the way a human would.
Plus, Yoodli gives sales reps with specific, actionable feedback based on how they’re able to talk about and describe ROI.
Practicing speaking about ROI as a measurement is a must, especially for new reps.
Google Cloud recently tapped into Yoodli for at-scale training and implementation to get more than 15,000 sales reps certified. The case study results were so positive that Google extended its use of Yoodli to other enablement programs.
Get started for free to see exactly how you can use Yoodli to practice discussing ROI and more at https://yoodli.ai/.
Most Common Pitfalls When Measuring ROI
Although learning how to calculate return on investment is as easy as getting familiar with the ROI formula, there are some easy (and common) mistakes teams make. Here are the most common pitfalls when measuring ROI that reps need to know about.
Overlooking the indirect benefits of measuring ROI
One mistake reps make with measuring ROI is not considering the indirect benefits. Teams can leverage return on investment measures to improve client satisfaction rates, build up brand awareness, and even boost employee morale.
Not using the right metrics
Failing to use the right metrics for ROI is another common mistake. For example, some reps fall into the trap of using “vanity metrics” or metrics that don’t actually represent the performance of an investment. Instead, choose KPIs that can offer actionable insights and are related to your team’s specific goals.
Not considering external factors
Lastly, another mistake folks make when measuring and assessing return on investments is not considering the external factors that could affect it. For example, things like specific industry trends or economic conditions can impact your ROI both positively or negatively.
The Main Takeaway
There’s no question that return on investment is an incredibly useful, essential metric used to measure how profitable an investment is. Knowing how to measure it and translate that measure to actionable insights is the tricky part. Luckily, Yoodli can help reps practice translating ROI for clients in a way that makes sense, whether it’s during a sales pitch, a cold call, or customer discovery calls.
“We’ve been delivering leadership development programs for over 20 years, and for the first time, we’ve seen a 25% increase in management capabilities, including coaching and feedback skills, in just one program cycle [using AI].” – Kris Karauria, COO, BDO Gisborne
BDO Gisborne uses Yoodli AI coaching to scale leadership and manager training, and drive economic development in New Zealand. Through Yoodli, BDO Gisborne achieved a 25% increase in client management capabilities, 100% improvement in participant confidence, and successfully scaled their programs across multiple industries.
Background
BDO Gisborne, part of the international BDO network, has been delivering research-driven leadership development programs for over 20 years. They offer public accounting, tax, and advisory services across 166 countries, with 115,661 professionals in 1,776 offices worldwide.
Within months of implementation, Kris Karauria, COO of BDO Gisborne, saw transformative results. With programs targeting various leadership levels from supervisors to business leaders, they spent eight months building bespoke personas, scenarios, and rubrics. Now, they use Yoodli daily empowering leaders across New Zealand in multiple sectors to drive economic growth in the face of uncertainty.
The Problem
BDO Gisborne faced the following challenges:
Desire to scale leadership and coaching programs without sacrificing quality
Providing metrics around behavior improvements
Giving their clients the opportunity to practice their skills in a safe environment
Previously, BDO Gisborne spent significant time and resources developing tailored leadership programs. They wanted to scale these successful programs while maintaining quality and preserving their valuable intellectual property.
The Solution
BDO Gisborne partnered with Yoodli to create a series of AI-enhanced leadership development programs. With Yoodli, BDO Gisborne:
Developed multiple AI personas to test management skills across various scenarios
Easily were able to integrate the AI technology with existing proven programs
Provided a platform for users to practice, measure, and improve their skills asynchronously
Scaled their work while focusing on program impact
“Yoodli has provided the perfect platform for clients to practice what we teach them and improve their capabilities. The feedback it provides is invaluable to improve behaviors.” – Pete Jarratt, Executive Coach, BDO
Cultural Shift
The implementation of Yoodli has transformed the learning culture at BDO Gisborne and its client organizations. Participants now have unlimited access to practice their leadership skills in a private, judgment-free environment.
Kris shared: “We now have multiple personas, rubrics and scenarios that we can use to suit most situations. The learning curve is flattened for the user and we have dramatically increased the opportunity to monitor and embed individual development.”
The Outcome
Yoodli has been a game-changer for BDO Gisborne. After implementation, the team saw:
A 25% increase in the participants management capabilities, including coaching and giving feedback
100% of participants reported improved confidence
Successfully scaled programs without compromising quality across multiple industries, including horticulture, forestry, engineering, and accountancy
Increased competency and capability levels across various sectors, contributing to regional economic growth
Business leaders, upon seeing the impact on their staff, opted to complete the program themselves
“In New Zealand we have been hit hard by weather events and global economic pressures. After collaborating with various industry players, it was obvious that we need to invest in our people and prepare them for a future of constant change. The program offered by BDO Gisborne has already made a big impact on this and we are excited about the future.” – Karen Fenn, Business Growth Advisor, Trust Tairawhiti
If you’re looking for a way to boost your bottom line and improve your average order value, upselling can be a worthy sales approach.
In our comprehensive guide, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about upselling, including what it is, how it differs from cross-selling, which industries can benefit from this strategy, various tips and tricks, and, of course, how you and your sales team can implement this approach.
What Is Upselling?
Upselling is a sales strategy that encourages buyers to purchase a more expensive, higher-end solution than the one they were considering. It’s a common technique meant to increase revenue.
When a customer comes in for a certain product or service, the seller could use upselling techniques to convince them to buy a better or more expensive version. For example, if a client came into Verizon to buy a new phone, an employee could try upselling to get that person to buy an iPhone 16 instead of an iPhone 14.
Upselling vs. cross-selling
Upselling is often confused with cross-selling and many people mistakenly use the two words as synonyms. However, the difference between upselling vs. cross-selling can be simplified to the number of purchases. While upselling emphasizes increasing the value of just one product or service, cross-selling hones in on increasing the number of products or services purchased.
Here’s an example to illuminate that difference. Let’s consider someone who sells computers. With upselling, the seller might convince a customer who wants a new computer to purchase a nicer model with more features, apps, and storage. However, if they were cross-selling, they could employ techniques to encourage a customer to make additional purchases, like a bundle that includes the computer, a printer, software, and a monitor, for example.
Why is upselling important?
Upselling can be an important part of a sales strategy, especially because gaining new clients can be more costly than selling to customers you already have. Because the efforts teams put in to gain new customers can be much more expensive, upselling can be a more effective way to boost sales.
Upselling in Various Industries
When folks think of upselling, they might think of obvious examples, especially when it comes to industries like software as a service (SaaS) that use subscriptions, upgrades, and other methods to boost the customer lifetime value (CLV). Here’s how upselling works in various industries, from general sales and retail to service-based industries like restaurants.
Upselling in sales
In the world of sales and marketing, upselling is a good strategy used by sales reps to boost revenue. No matter what product or service a rep is selling, they can usually upsell by telling customers about the increased value of another product.
For example, folks selling a product like toothpaste may try upselling by encouraging customers to spend a little bit more money for a specialized (and more expensive) type of toothpaste, like a whitening product. So long as there’s a better, more expensive product, a seller can try to upsell.
Retail upselling
Folks who work in retail use various strategies to encourage customers to buy products that are pricier and have more value. In retail settings, employees can upsell using a variety of methods, like product displays, gifts, rewards, and pre-purchase upsells at the point of sale, for example.
Retailers will also use their online space to upsell by offering higher-value products at different points in the customer’s journey, from the product page to their virtual cart.
Upselling in restaurants
Service-based industries like the food service industry often use upselling to increase profit. The most common way to upsell in restaurants is by offering more expensive options. For example, eateries often offer daily specials which may be higher priced than the usual menu items.
Waitstaff can then upsell by recommending more expensive items based on the customer’s preference. So, for example, if a customer comes in wanting a burger, a waiter could upsell by offering a special, like a double-patty burger with the house sauce.
A similar strategy in restaurants is to suggest a specialty drink. If a client expresses that they’d like a martini, a waitress could then suggest their special martini, like a crème brûlée martini.
Other upselling examples
Plenty of other industries use upselling, too. Perhaps some that you wouldn’t even consider. Take dentistry, for example. Sometimes, dentists can upsell by offering services that go beyond what the patient is looking for. For example, someone who wants traditional braces might be upsold on Invisalign treatment, which aims to achieve the same result as braces without all the brackets and wires.
In a similar vein, folks who work in optometry might encourage someone who needs glasses to purchase more expensive frames or lenses.
The financial industry also has plenty of opportunities for upselling. For example, banks might offer premium credit cards or accounts that go beyond what the customer is looking for.
How to Upsell in 4 Steps
Although upselling in general is a simple concept, as mentioned above, it can be tricky to implement. One of the main reasons is that it can vary across industries. How a salesperson would go about upselling in a retail setting might differ from how they’d upsell in a restaurant for example. But having a general strategy that you can tweak as you see fit is a good start. Here’s how you can learn to upsell in just four simple steps.
1. Identify opportunities for upselling.
The first step to upselling is identifying opportunities where you can upsell. People who aren’t interested in your products or services at all aren’t great options for upselling. Instead, look for clients who are interested and engaged with your product. In the best cases, upselling feels like a natural means of solving a customer’s problems or frustrations.
2. Build relationships and rapport for upselling.
Next, before you even attempt to upsell, make sure you’ve established a relationship and rapport with the customer. Customer satisfaction is a critical aspect of upselling. It’s much harder to encourage someone to buy a pricier alternative to an option they were considering if there’s not an existing relationship or rapport to build on.
Once you have that relationship and rapport, sellers can start to position the upsell as the solution that will address the client’s specific issue. The way you communicate about your product or service should showcase its value. However, don’t oversell — this is a huge pitfall some reps face when new to upselling.
3. Prepare to handle objections to upselling.
After you’ve successfully communicated the value of the product, prepare to handle any objections the client might have to the upsell. For example, some of the most common objections reps face during upselling include factors like:
It’s too expensive or it’s way outside of the budget
The solution is too complex or complicated
There are cheaper options via competitors
Customers also frequently cite a lack of trust as an objection to offers, which is why it can be especially helpful to upsell to existing clients who are already familiar with the company.
4. Close
The last step of any upsell is closing. Many reps prefer to use an assumptive close here. For example, a salesperson might employ an engaging, direct phrase that signals closing and assumes the sale is complete.
Someone doing an assumptive close might say something like, “Would you prefer delivery on Monday or Tuesday?” as opposed to something like, “Alright! Are you ready to make a purchase?”
How to Practice Upselling with Yoodli
For folks completely new to upselling, it can be a bit difficult. Although the concept is straightforward, the actual techniques and skills needed to successfully upsell are learned. For large organizations who want to train their teams to upsell, it can be even more complex. Luckily, a tool like Yoodli can remove that complexity and facilitate at-scale training and implementation.
Yoodli is an online sales coach that uses AI to provide a realistic but simulated environment for reps to practice upselling to customers. Well-known brands like Dale Carnegie, Korn Ferry, and Google have already tapped into Yoodli to increase seller attainment and decrease ramp across the board.
Sales reps can easily practice upselling in realistic sales roleplay simulations.
For upselling to work, reps need to be able to effectively communicate and establish a rapport with clients. For reps who are unfamiliar or less experienced, getting the hang of upselling techniques via simulated sales roleplays is a much safer option than practicing in actual conversations with clients.
With Yoodli, reps can perfect their ability to engage in small talk and encourage buyers to spend a little bit more money for a more valuable product. This way, they can practice as much as they want without risking losing an actual customer. Plus, as a sales coach, Yoodli gives reps actionable feedback based on their upselling methods. Reps can practice in specific scenarios, from cold calling to inbound and outbound customer discovery.
Sales enablement leaders can track their team’s upselling progress, too.
Google Cloud has already taken advantage of Yoodli’s services, and the results were so successful that it extended its partnership. More than 15,000 sales reps at Google were able to use Yoodli for at-scale training and implementation. The case study results were so positive that Google now uses Yoodli for other enablement programs, too.
Find out how you and your team can use Yoodli to perfect upselling skills at https://yoodli.ai/.
Upselling Tips and Techniques
There’s a plethora of upselling tips, tricks, and techniques that salespeople use on the daily to assist with successful upselling. We’ll break down a few of these tips and tricks to ensure you have the best chance of closing when you upsell.
Use customization, personalization, and tailored approaches
One of the best things you can do when you upsell is to use customization, personalization, and other approaches tailored directly to the consumer. Usually, this is a bit easier because most reps upsell to existing customers, so, chances are, you’ll know how to personalize your approach.
Customization revolves around the sales rep fully understanding the needs and pain points of the client. That way, they can give an engaging sales pitch that directly addresses their concerns or requirements. Take advantage of things like customer data and personalized messaging. Even simple acts like using the client’s name can help tailor your approach to their needs.
For example, taking a value selling approach that puts the customer at the forefront can be a helpful way to go about upselling.
Offer value-added solutions
Perhaps not surprisingly, offering up value-added solutions to your customer is another worthy upselling technique. Start by illuminating the special features and benefits, and how they’ll specifically address the needs of the client. From there, you can highlight the return on investment (ROI) to further show the time- or money-saving advantages of your upsell.
Sometimes, giving a demonstration or offering a free trial or test run of the product can help clients see the true value of the solution you’re selling. This helps folks feel more comfortable as they can see or experience it before the actual purchase.
Choose the right time to upsell
There’s definitely a right and a wrong time to upsell. Choosing the right moment to proceed with upselling is essential for sales success. For example, going ahead with the upsell might be a good idea at the end of the sales process, but it’s not a good idea if they’ve already made a purchase or declined multiple times.
In a similar vein, remember not to be too aggressive. There’s such a thing as being too pushy. If a customer says no, especially if they’ve said it more than once, it’s best to respect their decision and not try to strongarm them into caving.
If you think you might have trouble, sometimes creating a sense of urgency by offering discounts or limited-time offers can spark a client to action.
Track your upselling success
One of the most underrated upselling techniques actually happens after the upsell. Many sales teams move on after they’ve successfully completed an upsell, but it shouldn’t stop there. Instead, teams should consistently track any upselling achievements to constantly refine and rework the approach.
Be sure to measure key performance indicators (KPIs) like customer satisfaction and upsell conversion rate. That way, teams can evaluate those metrics to pinpoint trends and see which of their upsell strategies were most successful. Based on your assessment, you can further tailor your approach.
The Bottom Line
Knowing how to upsell is a great skill to have, especially if you want to boost customer loyalty and satisfaction and increase overall revenue. Plus, it’s a versatile approach that many sellers can use in various industries, from selling popcorn at a movie theater to SaaS solutions.
To best hone your skills, take advantage of a sales enablement tool like Yoodli to practice upselling techniques.
In a competitive marketplace, knowing your clients’ pain points and needs is essential for success, and one of the best ways to gain these valuable insights is through customer discovery.
In our comprehensive guide, we’ll explain all there is to know about inbound and outbound customer discovery, including the nuances of each type, the overall process, the best tactics to use, and how your team can practice these techniques risk-free.
What Is Customer Discovery?
Customer discovery is a way to better understand your customers, including their pain points, needs, desires, and overall situation. Not only that, but it’s also a process for seeking specific feedback from potential buyers to validate your service or product.
With customer discovery, teams can take a deeper dive into who your target audience is, what challenges they experience, and whether or not the solution you’re selling addresses their specific pain points.
Teams can then iterate based on the feedback received to improve their service or product.
Why is customer discovery important?
Customer discovery is important for a plethora of reasons, the number one reason being it helps teams know what their audience needs and wants so the solution they sell will address those needs and wants.
However, it’s also important to validate any assumptions you might have about the service or product. For example, you might assume that a buyer will react to the solution in a certain way, but discovery can shed additional light on the validity of those assumptions so you can better prepare.
Teams also rely on discovery to:
Optimize and refine products before they’re even created
Build rapport, trust, and credibility with a client base
Make smarter choices and investments
Customer discovery vs. customer development
Both customer discovery and customer development go hand in hand, as they’re both essential for success in the marketplace. However, there are some key differences to keep in mind. The key difference between customer discovery and development is that the former focuses on gaining a better understanding of the market for potential consumers. On the other hand, customer development hones in on how to develop a customer for the solution you’re selling, be it a product or service.
Inbound Customer Discovery vs. Outbound Customer Discovery
Understanding the difference between inbound customer discovery and outbound customer discovery is actually very straightforward. The difference lies in who initiates the first contact. Inbound customer discovery happens when the consumer reaches out themselves; outbound customer discovery involves the seller reaching out to the buyer.
Of course, there are more nuances to keep in mind, and other differences to consider. For one, outbound discovery can be more costly compared to inbound.
Not only that, but the type of client sellers will meet can differ based on the discovery type. For example, someone who’s already shown interest in the solution you’re selling is an inbound customer or a “warm lead.” On the other hand, a customer who isn’t familiar with the service or product would be considered a “cold lead” or an outbound customer.
The benefits of inbound vs. outbound customer discovery can vary as well. Whereas outbound discovery can boost client loyalty and trust, the benefits of inbound discovery can help sellers verify leads, better understand their clients’ needs, and influence marketing strategy.
Here’s what else you should know about both inbound and outbound customer discovery.
Inbound customer discovery considerations
When a buyer reaches out to the seller, it’s considered inbound customer discovery. However, it doesn’t stop there. There are also some key differences to think about when planning product development or future strategies.
Inbound marketing doesn’t necessarily mean sellers sit around and wait for customers to come to them. Instead, teams need to consider ways to attract potential buyers through methods like digital marketing. For example, leveraging methods like social media strategy, email marketing, SEO, and content strategy are all great catalysts to encourage customers to explore more about the product, service, and company.
You’ll also want to ensure your website’s landing page is high quality and up-to-par with your target audience’s standards. Depending on the solution you’re selling, ideating and creating meaningful content can also help generate leads. Teams can then rely on lead qualification methods to prioritize and better allocate resources.
Outbound customer discovery considerations
Since outbound customer discovery requires sellers to reach out to customers, the strategy is a little different. Here, sellers need to leverage methods where they can directly reach clients. For example, email outreach and cold calling can both be fruitful strategies to connect with potential buyers.
Another great way to conduct outbound discovery is through in-person relationship building. Teams can connect with potential customers through various events, like network events or other industry events, to build relationships and rapport.
If your team has existing relationships with customers, they can always tap into referrals and partnerships as opportunities for connecting to clients.
Understanding the Customer Discovery Process
Getting to know your target audience and what they like is essential to market success. By understanding your audience, you can adjust your product to their liking and boost sales.
The overall process is pretty straightforward, although there will always be nuances depending on your audience. In a nutshell, here’s what the customer discovery process could look like.
1. Pinpoint your target customer base.
The first step of the customer discovery process is to identify who your target audience is. Make sure your team has defined the ideal customer profile (ICP) for their purposes. Take a look at the demographics, concerns, pain points, and needs of your target market. From there, you can tap into buyer data and metrics to best pinpoint your potential clients.
2. Host interviews with customers.
To continue the customer discovery process, set up interviews with customers. Before conducting interviews, it’s a good idea to ideate and develop an interview guide so everyone on the team is on the same page.
Teams can take a deep dive into their perceived target market and recruit folks who would be a good fit for in-depth customer interviews. The goal of these interviews is to gather valuable insights that can further inform the process. For example, teams can evaluate and analyze the findings from various customer interviews to pinpoint patterns or recurring themes.
3. Evaluate feedback from customers.
Once customer interviews are complete, your team’s next move should be an in-depth analysis. For customer discovery, aim to use both qualitative and quantitative data analysis methods to ensure you paint the clearest picture you can. Teams should be looking for any and all useful information, including factors like client frustrations, pain points, needs, wants, and concerns.
This step in the customer discovery process is important because the consumer feedback and insights you’re able to identify can inform any marketing and product development strategies going forward.
4. Reevaluate your target market with the new information gathered.
Although some teams tend to drop off after analyzing the data from customer interviews, it’s well worth reevaluating your target market with the new insights you gathered from that analysis. For the best chances of market success, teams should continually refine their perception of who the target audience is. That way, teams can update their product or service to meet the standards of customers based on the feedback and data they receive directly from consumers.
Additionally, the “final” step in customer discovery is hosting follow-up interviews to identify any other insights that could help inform future strategies.
How to Practice Customer Discovery With Yoodli
Both inbound and outbound customer discovery are essential to market success.However, they can both be difficult to practice. Many folks end up putting their skills to the test during real calls with customers and gaining experience that way. But with Yoodli, there are more efficient ways to practice and improve.
Yoodli, a virtual sales coach, uses artificial intelligence to provide a space for teams to practice inbound and outbound customer discovery without risking client relationships. In fact, companies like Dale Carnegie, Korn Ferry, and Google have all already tapped into Yoodli to improve seller attainment and decrease ramp.
Easily practice customer discovery techniques with Yoodli.
For customer discovery to be as beneficial as it can be, teams need to understand the importance of effectively asking open-ended questions to unpack consumer pain points and avoid common pitfalls like question stacking. Luckily, teams can practice doing all of that and more with Yoodli’s realistic inbound and outbound customer discovery sales roleplays.
Folks can practice their active listening skills while also engaging in small talk and identifying pain points during a realistic conversation with a simulated customer. And if you “mess up” during the call? No problem. Yoodli provides actionable feedback based on your discovery calls that can take your skills to the next level. There’s no risk when you’re practicing with an AI-generated client.
Yoodli’s inbound and outbound customer discovery simulations are the perfect way to elevate your skills.
If you’re curious how this works at scale in large organizations, you’re not alone. Google Cloud recently used Yoodli’s services to train more than 15,000 sales reps. The result? The case study was such a success that Google expanded its use of Yoodli into other programs.
See for yourself how you can use Yoodli to practice and improve inbound and outbound customer discovery skills at https://yoodli.ai/.
Best Tactics for Customer Discovery
Because there are so many lead qualification methods, it can feel overwhelming knowing exactly where to begin. But the good news is, reps can experiment to find out what works best for them and their organization. Here are some of the best tactics for customer discovery.
Focus groups
To start, go ahead and identify some leads to further evaluate. Explore some lead generation strategies to create a pool of potential clients that could be a good fit but need more evaluation.
Ethnographic research
Once you have a good group of leads, the next step is to gather more information on each potential buyer. For example, reps should aim to get an idea of who the person is, including what industry they work in, their company, and their job title and role. It’s also a good idea to make sure to collect their contact information.
Customer surveys
As you might expect, customer surveys are an excellent way to gather customer data to influence your product development and future marketing strategies. However, a survey is only as useful as its questions. In other words, if you push out a survey with poorly written questions or other issues, the data gathered won’t be as useful, if at all.
For the best results, your team should aim to design effective survey questions that are unbiased and easy to understand. Teams also need to ensure the surveys are distributed via multiple channels to reach as many people as possible. For example, many companies choose to distribute surveys via online newsletters, social media platforms, email, and even in person.
Once you’ve distributed these customer surveys, you can assess the data to pinpoint any patterns, insights, or trends that crop up.
User testing
Another great tactic for customer discovery is user testing. With this method, teams will assess service or product prototypes with usability tests.
You can observe and evaluate interactions with consumers to gather valuable feedback and inform how you and your team move forward. For example, user testing can unearth areas for improvement that teams can work on to better connect with the customer.
The Bottom Line
Customer discovery — be it inbound or outbound — is critical for success in the marketplace. Teams can ensure their product will meet the standards and expectations of their target audience and make tweaks and adjustments if the product’s capabilities and client expectations don’t align. Using a sales enablement tool like Yoodli to practice both inbound and outbound customer discovery can help you take your marketing strategy and overall product to the next level.