Marketing and Sales Tips for the Business Owner The Basics of ‘Cross Referral’ are easy to miss … and it can cost you a fortune
Some time back, we had a need for some office equipment. In fact, we’d put off buying it for some time because we were too busy to do the legwork. And then, ‘out of the blue’, we got contacted, by not one, but two sales people offering us this very item. So we decided to not put it off any longer.
The first sales person was the hard selling type. Short on facts and ‘generous’ with the truth as he pushed to get the sale with a discount offer. We told him we’d ‘think about it’.
The next sales person was an amazing contrast. He quietly and methodically asked questions about our needs, and didn’t even mention price, as did our first ‘bargain basement’ fellow. Instead, he demonstrated good knowledge of his brand, as well as an impressive knowledge of the competitive brands. He didn’t ‘knock’ them. He simply explained why his solution was superior for our application.
Needless to say, salesperson #2 got the sale. The other guy with the cheaper model and special discount deals must wonder why. It was truly fascinating to be a ‘spectator’ and watch the dramatic contrasts in sales approaches in action.
But what really got me was this. At the time, we’d had a lease plan with a leading supplier for yet another piece of office equipment. For nearly two years in fact. And in that time, NOBODY from that company ever asked us about our needs or offered other office equipment solutions.
At first, I was going to phone them and say, ‘Hey, we’ve been approached by such and such. Do you want to come and show us your brand too?’ But then I thought, ‘WHY should I bother!?’.
Now OK, this is so basic. Surely, no one these days misses the opportunity to explore the full needs of their clients, do they? Or do they? If you have clients using your products or services, how comprehensively and systematically do you follow through on introducing them to the other things you do?
Partners in accounting firms and in insurance broking firms are to this day often guilty of this. But they’re not alone. Many firms have this reticence. Perhaps it’s because they fear this cross referral process to other services is ‘unprofessional’ or pushy. Or perhaps it’s because they ‘just don’t have time’ to ask!
The fact is, as much as they may assume otherwise, clients often don’t have any idea of the total range of services the firm provides! Certainly, from a due diligence perspective, they OWE it to their clients to comprehensively and systematically introduce all their services to their clients. They have trust from the client, and a high degree of ethics. They are in a perfect position to add value to their clients. And in the process, add handsomely to their bottom line.
Now, back to your business. Do YOU cross refer and introduce other products and services from your range to your clients? Before you answer, let me restate the question. Does every person in your organisation who interfaces with your clients, comprehensively and systematically introduce all the services you provide? It has to be a systemized methodical process that just happens. Having some of your people doing it some of the time when they think about it, is NOT what I’m talking about.
I have consulted to many hundreds of businesses over my two decades and more in marketing, and I have seen tens of MILLIONS of dollars left lying on the table because companies don’t have a system for introducing additional services or products in an educative and problem solving way. Not only are they losing money, they’re not serving the clients to the fullest extent. Comprehensively serving clients is VALUE ADDING. Companies that do this will dominate!
