MARYSVILLE – Don’t take stuff away from customers.

Sounds obvious, right?

But Nikki Rausch of SalesMaven told a crowd at the Marysville-Tulalip Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Opera House Tuesday that salespeople do that all the time.

When dealing with clients, start with the most-expensive plan you think will work for them. As you move on to less-expensive plans, they will see items being taken away. They don’t like that. So they are more likely to pick the more costly plan.

Too often, she said, businesses start with the least-expensive plan that fits their customer. Then when you add items, and therefore cost, it sounds like you’re trying to upsell. People don’t like that.

Rausch advised salespeople to recommend what the client needs, not what you think they can afford.

“The one that will rock their world and change their life,” she said.

And it’s best to offer three options so they feel like they are making the decision. Any more than that can muddy their thinking and make you look like you don’t have the expertise they want, Rausch said.

Silence is golden once the options are given, she said. “Don’t interrupt their thought process,” Rausch said. If they say they want to “think about it,” be sure to schedule a time right then and there for a circle-back phone call. Another bit of advice she gave is for you not to give away free advice.

She said you may try to impress someone you are trying to sell to by sharing some knowledge to show your expertise. But that can backfire.

“That advice alone may not work by itself,” she said. That could not only mean no sale, but could hurt your reputation with others, she added.

It’s best to follow a structure in sales. Each step is like climbing stairs. Don’t skip a step unless the client does first.

“If the client jumps a step take their money,” she said, smiling.