The Benefit of Putting Your Customers First

Upselling or Downselling
How often have you been drilled in business sales training and in sales management training to always look for ways to upsell your customers? The reasoning is simple: selling more to existing clients is typically easier and more cost-effective than winning new ones. Done well, upselling also delivers real value to the customer — a true win-win.  But does upselling go against the he benefit of putting Your customers first?

But focusing solely on upselling only tells half the story. In fact, there are situations where the most effective approach isn’t to sell more, but to sell less. That’s where downselling comes in — a strategic technique evaluated by sales rep assessment simulations that, when executed thoughtfully, can strengthen customer relationships, build trust, and ultimately drive long-term revenue in ways that upselling alone cannot.

Establishing Credibility and Trust
Consider meeting a sales prospect for the first time. Naturally, they may have little reason to trust you. Many buyers assume that your primary goal is to maximize your own sale, not prioritize their needs. But what if you flipped that assumption? What if you demonstrated that you’re willing — even eager — to make a smaller sale when it genuinely serves their best interests? Showing this level of integrity instantly builds credibility, fosters trust, and sets the foundation for a long-term relationship.

A Large-Scale Study: the Benefit of Putting Your Customers First

Our microlearning experts highlight researchers from Elon, Georgia, and Temple Universities who partnered with a national restaurant chain to explore the effects of upselling and downselling. Servers were given the choice to upsell four higher-priced dishes or downsell four lower-priced options. Several hundred customers were served under these conditions, and their reactions were later surveyed.

• The immediate results were predictable: slightly more than half of the customers were upsold, yielding higher short-term revenue for the restaurant.
  
  
• But the longer-term insights were more striking. Customers who were downsold reported significantly stronger “repurchase intentions” and rated the restaurant higher in quality, value, and overall satisfaction.

The study demonstrated that downselling can have a lasting impact — fostering trust, enhancing brand perception, and driving repeat business. In practical terms, customers who experience thoughtful downselling are more likely to return, refer others, and continue buying over time.

Disrupting Perceptions
When you first meet buyers, they’re often primed to doubt your intentions as a solution seller. Many assume salespeople will overpromise, gloss over drawbacks, or push high-ticket options that maximize their own commission.

Introducing downselling early in the sales process can flip these assumptions on their head. By showing a willingness to recommend a smaller, more suitable option, you signal that their interests come first. Buyers respond by seeing you as a trusted advisor, valuing your guidance, viewing you as a long-term collaborator, and ultimately becoming more willing to engage and buy from you over time.

The Bottom Line
Putting the customer first isn’t just ethical — it’s smart business. Prioritizing their needs builds trust, strengthens loyalty, and drives longer-lasting relationships that pay off over time. The real question is: are you consistently keeping a genuine customer-first focus in every interaction?

To learn more about the benefit of putting your customers first, download The Top 30 Effective Sales Questions that Matter Most

by Tristam Brown: CEO

Tristam Brown is an executive business consultant and organizational development expert with more than three decades of experience helping organizations accelerate performance, build high-impact teams, and turn strategy into execution. As CEO of LSA Global, he works with leaders to get and stay aligned™ through research-backed strategy, culture, and talent solutions that produce measurable, business-critical results. See full bio.