challenges their customers face in getting there, and what the conse- quences are if they don’t meet those challenges.


“By focusing on the bigger picture and asking questions, salespeople have a better chance of getting into a conversation, which opens the door to sell additional products,” he adds.


HAVE AN ENTERPRISE SALES GAME, NOT A TRANSACTIONAL ONE


“In the transactional model, salespeo- ple are looking at making one sale while, in the enterprise model, they are looking at the entire organiza- tion or the entire area that the buyer has the power to purchase for,” he explains. “They should always think about the bigger picture.”


SELL VERTICALLY AND HORIZONTALLY “Vertical selling means a salesper- son goes up and down the organi- zational chart. Obviously, the higher they go up in the organization, the more opportunity they have – be- cause every person they talk to has more responsibility,” he says. “In horizontal selling, salespeople are covering the breadth of all levels and need to cover the company as wide as they can.


“For example, if salespeople are selling computers, they may talk to both the VP of sales and the VP of operations (who both need comput- ers for their staff), get them to buy into the salesperson’s program, and then deal with the actual buyer,” says the consultant, who also feels most salespeople use a consultative sales process to get the business but, once they’re in the door, they stop asking those all-important questions and for- get that needs are always changing. “Salespeople forget that the customer’s business environment is fluid. Things are constantly changing and, if they don’t stay on top of their needs, they are missing out on cross- selling opportunities,” he says.


FOCUS ON PROCESS AND TIMING One sales manager, Maryann Billing- sly, believes it can be dangerous for a salesperson to just throw a bunch of options and services at a customer before getting buy-in and uncovering additional needs. She also advises salespeople to pay special attention to timing. “Cross selling can’t be done as a whim; it has to be a well-thought- out part of a salesperson’s strategy and process,” says Billingsly. “Sales- people need to weave into their qualifying sales process questions that open up the possibility of cross- selling opportunities. “In terms of a new prospect, if a salesperson starts talking about other products in her peripherals, she’s going to talk herself out of a sale – because the customer hasn’t made a commitment yet, and the additional products are muddying up the wa- ters,” says Billingsly. “You’re most like- ly meeting under the presupposition that there is one primary product that the prospect is interested in hearing about. They have a current need, so focus on that before presenting more products or services.


“In the case of an existing custom-


er, there is an established track record and trust factor. The salesperson’s job is to ask discovery questions to find out exactly what different products a customer needs – and plan the best time and the best way to introduce


them,” says Billingsly. “It’s a matter of doing market research and present- ing those additional products that are relevant, and offering a solution to a customer’s problem.”


PREPARE TO PARTNER What does a salesperson do if they are in a business with no cross-selling opportunities? Billingsly says they should create strategic partnerships and sell other people’s products. “For example, a person who works for a title insurance company may be able to partner with a financial planner and generate an additional revenue stream,” she says. “Make sure that you and the vendor you partner with are compatible and on the same page. “It’s also a good idea to set up a signed agreement before you start to sell their products,” she adds.


RE-ENGINEER AND RE-DEFINE According to Billingsly, cross sell- ing is not static. How it’s done is being re-defined by new products and forces in the marketplace, and salespeople need to be constantly evaluating the process. “Salespeople need to re-engineer themselves and re-define their selling strategies in order to increase cross- selling effectiveness,” says Billingsly. “That means crafting new questions and evaluating when you’re going to bring up the additional products in the sales scenario. 


VIDEO: THE FUTURE OF SALES TRAINING


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