Sellers have a major opportunity to cross-​sell and upsell to current clients. But not all reps even make an attempt. This is a mistake, as they’re missing out on potential for increased revenue and loyalty. One reason may be the use of tactics that aren’t connecting with clients. 

SalesFuel’s Voice of the Sales Rep study found that 25% of sellers say it is getting harder to upsell. And Data Axle reports that 37% avoid upselling and cross-selling.

Don’t be like your competitors who don’t take advantage of this opportunity to grow revenue. Just brush up on best practices and integrate successful tactics into your own strategy.

Keys to Successfully Upsell and Cross-​Sell to Current Clients

Before kicking off your efforts, you must understand the value of what else you can offer to a client. This requires a thorough understanding of their business and how they currently use your solution. 

Look into feedback they’ve given as well, and make sure to revisit online engagements. You need a detailed snapshot of the journey they’ve had as your client.

You need to know their purchase history and understand all of the ways your offering currently delivers value. Also, you must have established success with the client. Otherwise, they won’t believe you can deliver on other promises. 

And gather data to offer unbiased, concrete evidence of the impact you’ve had. Integrate this information into a story to show clients the value you offer and the potential to bring more.

Collaborate With Clients to Co-​Create Value

Sellers should also work to “co-​create” value with the buyer, suggests RAIN Group’s John Doerr. This means, he writes, “they work collaboratively with clients to construct new ways of delivering value.”

He recommends asking yourself the following to uncover opportunities: 

• What value have similar organizations gotten from us? 
• In what other ways can we support their agenda with our offerings?
• Have we considered all of our offerings for the client?
• What value could we create or co-​create beyond our existing products or services?
• Apart from specific products and services, how else can we offer value? Through customer service, tech support, strategic insights, partnerships, etc.?

The foundation of upselling and cross-​selling to current clients is having a clear vision of the value you bring. Even further, it helps showcase how you can provide even more. 

Sunny Dhami explains, “the relevance of an extra product/​service to that particular client will determine whether … they buy into it.”

Be Persistent, Not Pushy

When attempting to upsell and cross-​sell to current clients, it’s important your approach is not pushy. While persistence is a good thing, you need to balance it with respect for the client’s own pace.

“If your client seems stressed, distracted, or in a rush, pull back and wait for the next interaction,” Dhami advises. 

To avoid coming across too strong, you should track your outreaches. Doing so not only ensures your cadence is appropriate but also notes the efforts you’ve made.

“The right metrics can provide valuable feedback to help you tweak your program,” explains Caroline Japic for Forbes. 

And if the client does offer objections, use active listening skills to fully understand their reasoning. This gives insight into their mindset and offers clues on how to adjust your approach. Then, your next effort will be more informed, which the client will notice.

And for more guidance on persistence without pushiness, take a look at other suggestions SalesFuel shared. 

Don’t let insecurity keep you from attempts to upsell and cross-​sell current clients. With a thoughtful approach, you’ll be prepared to leverage your knowledge to demonstrate the continued value you can provide.

Photo by Pavel Danilyuk