Picture this: Your client has just logged into their Moxie portal. They’re halfway through their website project with you, things are going smoothly, and they’re feeling confident about their decision to hire you.
This moment—when they’re already experiencing the value you provide—is pure gold for introducing additional services that could genuinely benefit them.
But here’s the problem most creative business owners face: how do you suggest these additional services without coming across as the pushy car salesperson trying to upsell the premium floor mats?
The answer lies in strategic portal design.
Your Moxie portal isn’t just a project management tool; it’s a subtle but powerful marketing channel that—when designed thoughtfully—can naturally guide clients toward services they might not even know they need.
Today, I’m sharing five practical, tested strategies for using your Moxie portal to introduce additional services in ways that feel helpful rather than sales-y. These are approaches I’ve personally used with my own clients and implemented for others as a Moxie Approved Implementor.
The Psychology of Effective Upselling (And Why Most Get It Wrong)
Before diving into the specific strategies, let’s understand why most upselling attempts fail—especially in client portals.
The typical approach goes something like this: slap a “check out our other services” banner across the top of the portal, add some flashy buttons linking to sales pages, and hope for the best.
This approach fails because it ignores a fundamental principle of consumer psychology: context matters.
Harvard Business School research on “permission marketing” shows that consumers are most receptive to suggestions when they:
- Come at relevant moments in their journey
- Address a problem they’re actively experiencing
- Feel like a natural extension of the current conversation
- Arrive when trust has already been established
Your client portal gives you the perfect environment to create these conditions—if you design it strategically.
Now, let’s look at the five most effective ways to incorporate upselling opportunities that actually convert:
1. Strategic Progress Milestone Celebrations (With Next Steps)
The Strategy:
Design your portal to celebrate key milestones in your client’s project journey, and use these celebration moments to introduce relevant next steps that might include additional services.
How to Implement:
In your Moxie portal, create custom milestone pages that appear when certain project phases are completed. For example, after a website launch, create a “Congratulations on Your Launch!” page that includes:
- A celebratory message and recap of what’s been accomplished
- A “What’s Next?” section highlighting common post-launch needs
- Soft introductions to relevant services like SEO optimization, ongoing maintenance, or content creation
Pro Tip: Use Moxie’s custom page builder to design these milestone pages with your branding and include a short video message from you congratulating them on reaching this stage.
Why It Works:
Psychologically, milestone celebrations create what behavioral economists call “commitment momentum”—once people see themselves making progress, they’re more likely to continue investing in related goals.
Research from the Endowed Progress Effect shows that people who feel they’ve already made progress toward a goal are more likely to complete it and set new, related goals.
Example in Action:
Consider a brand designer who specializes in website design. Many clients might benefit from social media templates that match their new website, but they often don’t think about this connection initially.
The designer could create a “Website Launch Complete!” milestone page in their Moxie portal that celebrates the launch and includes a section called “Extending Your New Brand.” This section would show before-and-after examples of websites paired with matching social media templates, along with a simple button to “Schedule a Social Media Strategy Call.”
This subtle addition could significantly increase social media package add-ons without requiring any direct sales pitch.
2. Strategic Resource Libraries with Service “Bridges”
The Strategy:
Create a valuable, well-organized resource library within your Moxie portal, then strategically include resources that naturally bridge to your additional services.
How to Implement:
- Set up a dedicated Resources section in your Moxie portal
- Organize resources by category or client need
- For each additional service you offer, create 2-3 extremely valuable resources that help clients solve a related problem on their own
- At the end of each resource, include a subtle “Need help with this?” section that introduces your relevant service
For example, if you offer website design with optional copywriting services, you might include resources like:
- “5 Website Copy Formulas That Convert Visitors to Customers” (free template)
- “Website Copy Checklist: Is Your DIY Copy Hurting Your Business?” (self-assessment)
- “Case Study: How Professional Copy Increased Conversion by 130%” (with before/after examples)
Pro Tip: In Moxie, use tags to categorize resources and create a custom resource library page that filters content based on where clients are in their journey.
Why It Works:
This approach leverages what psychologists call the “reciprocity principle”—when you provide genuine value first, people naturally want to reciprocate.
By giving clients tools to attempt solving a problem themselves, you accomplish two things:
- You demonstrate expertise in that area
- You help some clients realize the complexity involved, making them more likely to hire you instead
Example in Action:
Imagine a web developer who creates a comprehensive “Website Maintenance Checklist” resource in their client portal. The checklist is genuinely useful—detailed enough that technically-inclined clients could handle their own maintenance.
However, for busy business owners, seeing a 19-point monthly checklist often leads to the realization: “I don’t have time for this.” At the bottom of the checklist could be a simple note: “Rather not handle this yourself? Our monthly maintenance packages start at $97/month and cover everything on this list plus priority support.”
This type of resource can generate significant maintenance package signups—potentially much more effective than direct email campaigns about maintenance services.
3. Strategic Project Phase Transition Gates
The Strategy:
Design your client workflow to include natural “transition gates” between project phases, where you can introduce relevant additional services as optional next steps.
How to Implement:
In your Moxie portal, create distinct project phases with clear transition points. At each transition, include:
- A summary of what’s been completed in the current phase
- An overview of what’s coming in the next phase
- Optional “Enhance Your Project” recommendations that logically connect to the upcoming phase
Pro Tip: Use Moxie’s form builder to create simple “Phase Approval” forms where clients can not only approve completed work but also indicate interest in enhancement options.
Why It Works:
This strategy leverages what psychologists call “natural decision points”—moments when people are already in a decision-making mindset and more receptive to considering additional options.
Research on decision architecture shows that people make more confident decisions when options are presented at logical breakpoints rather than randomly throughout a process.
Example in Action:
A brand designer could structure their Moxie workflow with a clear transition between the “Brand Strategy” and “Visual Design” phases. At this transition point, they might create a “Strategy Approved: Next Steps” page.
This page would include a summary of the approved strategy, an outline of the upcoming design phase, and an “Optional Enhancements” section with three targeted offerings:
- Custom brand photography planning ($X)
- Social media profile design add-on ($X)
- Brand messaging guide ($X)
By presenting these options specifically at this strategy-to-design transition—when clients are excited to see their brand come to life—the designer could see significantly higher uptake on these enhancements compared to offering these same services in initial proposals when clients are still uncertain about the project.
4. Strategic “Client Success Stories” Showcases
The Strategy:
Integrate client success stories directly into your Moxie portal, highlighting clients who benefited from your additional services.
How to Implement:
- Create a “Success Stories” section in your portal
- Develop case studies that specifically showcase the impact of combining multiple services
- Structure each case study to highlight the problem, solution, and measurable results
- Include a subtle “Interested in similar results?” call-to-action
Pro Tip: In Moxie, you can create custom HTML pages to display these case studies beautifully, or use a template site builder embed to create a mini-gallery of success stories.
Why It Works:
This approach uses social proof—one of the most powerful psychological triggers in marketing. Seeing peers achieve success with certain services helps clients envision the same benefits for themselves.
Research from the Journal of Consumer Research shows that narrative-based social proof (stories) is significantly more persuasive than statistical social proof (numbers) when it comes to service purchases.
Example in Action:
A web developer could add a “Client Spotlight” section to their Moxie portal homepage. Each month, they might feature a different client website with impressive results.
The key would be in the format: rather than generic testimonials, each spotlight would be structured as a clear before-and-after story. For example, “How a Photography Business Doubled Bookings After Adding Our SEO Package to Their Website Build.”
These spotlights wouldn’t feel like sales pitches—they would be genuine celebrations of client success. Yet they could consistently spark questions from current clients: “Could we do something similar for my site?”
5. Strategic Service Pathway Maps
The Strategy:
Create visual “pathway maps” that show clients the typical journey businesses take with your services, helping them see how different offerings connect to their long-term goals.
How to Implement:
- Design a visual service pathway map showing how your services build upon each other
- Include this map in your client portal (either on the dashboard or as a dedicated page)
- Highlight where the client currently is on the pathway
- Show the logical next steps and long-term possibilities
Pro Tip: Use Moxie’s custom page builder with an image or embed a custom interactive graphic that visually represents this journey.
Why It Works:
This strategy leverages the psychological principle of “future pacing”—helping clients envision their future success through a clear path forward.
Research on consumer decision-making shows that people are more likely to make additional purchases when they can see how those purchases fit into a larger plan or journey toward their ultimate goals.
Example in Action:
A brand and website designer could create a simple “Brand Evolution Roadmap” graphic for their client portal. The roadmap might show six stages of brand development:
- Brand Strategy Foundation (core offering)
- Visual Brand Identity (core offering)
- Website Design (core offering)
- Marketing Collateral Suite (additional service)
- Social Media Presence Optimization (additional service)
- Ongoing Brand Management (additional service)
Clients could clearly see which stage they’re currently in and what comes next. The roadmap wouldn’t push any specific upsells—it would simply illustrate the logical progression of brand development.
This visual could help clients understand the designer’s full capabilities and often prompt questions like, “Can you tell me more about stage 4?” without the designer having to directly sell these services.
Implementation Tips: Making These Strategies Work in Your Moxie Portal
Now that you understand the five core strategies, here are some practical tips for implementing them effectively:
1. Start With Just One Strategy
Don’t try to implement all five approaches at once. Choose the one that feels most aligned with your services and client journey, then perfect it before adding others.
2. Focus on Value, Not Sales
The key to non-pushy upselling is to focus 90% on providing value and only 10% on the actual offer. If your portal suddenly feels like a sales page, you’ve gone too far.
3. Use Client-Centric Language
Frame everything from the client’s perspective:
- Instead of “Our SEO Services” say “Helping Your Website Get Found”
- Instead of “Social Media Management Package” say “Consistent Growth Without the Posting Headache”
4. Create Visual Distinction
Use subtle design differences to distinguish between core project elements and optional enhancements. This helps clients navigate your portal without feeling like everything is a sales pitch.
5. Seek Feedback
After implementing these strategies, actively ask clients for feedback on their portal experience. This helps you refine your approach and ensures you’re maintaining the right balance.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Even with the best intentions, there are several pitfalls that can make your upselling efforts feel pushy:
1. Premature Promotion
Introducing additional services before establishing value in the current project is the fastest way to appear pushy. Wait until you’ve delivered meaningful progress before introducing enhancements.
2. Irrelevant Offers
Suggesting services that don’t logically connect to the client’s current needs or goals will feel random and sales-y. Every suggested service should feel like a natural next step.
3. Overwhelming Options
Presenting too many additional services at once creates decision fatigue and can come across as trying to maximize your revenue rather than solve client problems. Limit enhancement suggestions to 2-3 highly relevant options at any given time.
4. Repetitive Messaging
If clients see the same upsell messaging every time they log into their portal, it quickly becomes annoying rather than helpful. Vary your approach and be strategic about when offers appear.
5. Ignoring Client Signals
If a client has explicitly declined additional services, continuing to promote them in the portal will damage trust. Use Moxie’s tagging or custom fields to track client preferences and tailor their portal experience accordingly.
Measuring Success: Beyond Just Sales
When implementing these upselling strategies, it’s important to measure success beyond just immediate sales. Consider tracking:
- Portal engagement metrics: Are clients spending more time in specific sections of your portal?
- Question frequency: Are clients asking more questions about your additional services?
- Long-term client value: Are clients who engage with these portal elements staying with you longer or purchasing more over time?
- Referral quality: Are clients referring others specifically for your full range of services rather than just your core offering?
These broader metrics help you understand whether your portal is effectively educating clients about your full capabilities, even if they don’t immediately purchase additional services.
Putting It All Together: Your Moxie Portal Upselling Blueprint
The most effective approach combines elements from multiple strategies while maintaining a client-first experience. Here’s a simple blueprint:
- Start with the basics: Ensure your core portal experience is excellent before adding upselling elements
- Add a strategic resource library: This provides immediate value while showcasing your expertise in additional service areas
- Implement milestone celebrations: These create natural moments to suggest next steps
- Gradually introduce pathways: Help clients see the bigger picture of how your services connect to their long-term success
- Refine based on feedback: Regularly ask clients how helpful they find different portal elements and adjust accordingly
Your Next Steps
Ready to transform your Moxie portal into a subtle but effective tool for introducing additional services? Here’s where to start:
- Audit your current portal: How does it currently present your service offerings? What opportunities are you missing?
- Map your client journey: Identify the natural points where additional services would be most relevant
- Choose your first strategy: Select the approach from this article that best fits your business model
- Implement thoughtfully: Remember that design, wording, and timing all matter for non-pushy upselling
If you’re looking for help implementing these strategies in your own Moxie portal, my Client Portal Checklist is a great place to start. It walks you through evaluating your current portal experience and identifying the highest-impact improvements.
And if you’re ready for a complete portal transformation that incorporates these upselling opportunities seamlessly into a branded client experience, my Moxie Makeover Course includes specific modules on creating effective resource libraries, milestone celebrations, and pathway maps.
Remember: The most effective upselling doesn’t feel like selling at all—it feels like a natural extension of the exceptional service you’re already providing.
Courtney Vickery is a Moxie Approved Implementor and client experience specialist who helps creative business owners design client portals that deliver exceptional experiences while supporting business growth.
