I was really scared when our company decided to switch over to a commission based compensation structure.  I guess I liked the certainty of knowing exactly what my paycheck was going to be without having to worry about how much I was going to sell.  But changing over my earnings to be commission based meant that there could be some uncertainty.

My first few checks were less than I was expecting, and I vowed to myself that I could do better.  The way it looked was that I really had only two more options: push people to buy something more expensive, or offer them something that would complement their purchase.

I considered pushing more expensive items, but for me that felt wrong.  I have always tried to be honest and helpful to others – not take advantage of them.  So, that idea quickly went out the window.

I decided that by adding value to the customer’s purchase, I would be helping them out and chances are that they would be warm to the idea since they were already buying something from me.  In my case, I was selling digital cameras, so I offered camera cases to them after they had decided to purchase the camera.  Most of them were very receptive to the idea, and I watched my dollars in sales soar.

In fact, I would have to say that simply providing some extra value to the customer by offering them something that they needed anyway (a camera bag) has helped me to make more money on each check.  It was definitely the right choice for me.

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