What are upselling and cross-selling, really?
Upselling is when you recommend a more comprehensive option of what the patient already wants,like adding a skin booster to someone coming in for Botox, to help extend results and improve skin quality.
Cross-selling is about offering something complementary that supports their goals, like pairing microneedling with LED, or suggesting a skincare product that will maintain their glow.
The key difference between good and bad upselling? Intent. Are you pushing something to hit targets, or are you helping someone get the outcome they’re looking for?
Start with listening, and avoid listing
The best upsell starts with a real conversation. What brought your patient in? What’s bothering them? What have they tried before?
Too many clinics go straight to recommending treatments without fully understanding the bigger picture. But when you truly listen, you can connect the dots between their concerns and the solutions you offer, and that’s when your recommendation feels supportive, not salesy.
It’s the difference between “You should try this treatment too” and “Because your main concern is skin texture, I’d also recommend…”
That context makes all the difference.
Don’t wait until checkout
Upselling isn’t something you tack on at the end. The most natural place for it is during the consultation, when you’re building trust, mapping out their goals, and positioning your clinic as the place that truly understands them.
It’s far easier to say, “Here’s what I think would give you the best results over the next three months” than to spring a new suggestion on them as they’re heading out the door.
And remember, people don’t always say yes straight away. But when they feel you’re offering something genuinely useful, they remember it. Sometimes that “no” today turns into a “yes” next time, especially if you follow up in the right way.
Use tech to make it feel effortless
Here’s the part most clinics get wrong: they rely solely on their team to remember who to recommend what to. But the most effective clinics use tech to make upselling feel natural, not forced.
With PatientPerfect, you can gently guide clients toward treatments without ever needing a hard sell. Through your clinic’s branded app, you can highlight treatment of the week offers, push alerts about new services, or showcase curated bundles that complement what patients are already booking. It’s not about tracking every individual move - it’s about creating thoughtful, timely nudges that put the right treatments in front of the right people.
This makes upselling feel less like selling, and more like great service.
Make sure your team knows how to talk about it
A team that believes in your treatments will always upsell more confidently and naturally. But they need tools, language, education, and permission to talk about the full picture of what your clinic offers.
Train them to ask great questions. Give them phrases that feel authentic. And most importantly, encourage them to think like guides, not salespeople.
When your whole team feels empowered to share the “why” behind your recommendations, your patients can feel the difference, and that’s what builds long-term trust.
Great upselling doesn’t feel like upselling at all
It feels like care. Like you’re invested in their results. Like you’re thinking beyond the one appointment in front of you.
That’s the kind of experience that keeps patients coming back, not just for one treatment, but for years.
Want to make upselling effortless in your clinic?
If you’re ready to automate it all and make personalised recommendations part of your clinic journey, book a free demo with PatientPerfect. We’ll show you how to embed upsells into your app, rewards, and booking flow, so your patients feel guided, never pushed.
