Is cross-selling in your 2008 future? If not it should be. It is the easiest way to make more sales. That’s because you have relationships and if you know how to use them, it translates to easy sales, better pricing, elimination of any budget issues, and no competitive involvement.
Now for the bad news - most sales people don’t know how to cross- sell effectively (not that they will admit it), and most sales managers don’t know how to coach sales people to cross sell (not that they will admit it either).
So here are 4 cross-selling tips to help sales managers and sales people.
1. Spend 3 times as much time with existing and old customers as you do chasing new customers. Relationships require maintenance time and you should also be spending time meeting new people in existing accounts.
2. Ask questions that are customer focused. Get customers talking about their issues and concerns as it relates to your solutions’ portfolio. Asking, “How do you feel we are doing?” Or “What can I do to help?” are not customer focused. They are you focused. So learn what and how to ask.
3. Don’t use your relationships as an opportunity to show, brag, or demonstrate all your other products or services. Rather bring them up as a tease after the customer has expressed his issues. For example, “You know you didn’t say anything about yada yada yada. Is that a concern to you?”
4. Listen effectively. When the customer starts talking in response to your customer focused question, listen for key words that point to opportunities. This is where you have to know the key phases that apply to your cross-sell services and products.
For example, one of my services is screening potential new hires using a very accurate screening tool for sales people and managers. So when I ask my client about his sales issues for 2008, I am prepared to listen not only for keywords around “hiring new people” but also for dissatisfactions, or difference among his sales producers. This can lead to a discussion of turning over poor performers and replacing them with sure winner.
The big hook is getting the various people in the account to tell you their issues and then fitting your services to them. I’m not trolling with my whole tackle box. Unlike fish, prospects can tell you what they are biting on – if you know how to ask and listen.
Ferreting-out prospects’ interests and issues, and offering suggestions without getting rejected requires skills most sales people and managers never learned. If you agree, you might want to talk with me about what can be done to make your selling team better cross-sellers. Mail to: sam@sammanfer.com
