Thomas A. Freese's Blog, page 6

“Modernizing” Your Cross-Selling & Up-Selling Strategy

Two of the quickest ways to increase sales productivity and results are to employ the age-old strategies of cross-selling and up-selling. McDonald’s fast food restaurants were the first to bring international acclaim to these techniques by teaching minimum wage employees to always ask, “Would you like some fries with that shake?” …or, “Could I interest you in a hot apple pie to go with your meal?”

Most vendors today offer more than one solution—oftentimes, a suite of complimentary products. Simply put, getting a foot in the door with one product or service can easily pave the way to broader conversations about other potential opportunities. Expanding your sales conversations to include other peripheral opportunities in is traditionally known as cross-selling, or selling across multiple product lines. Up-selling is a similar strategy in terms of leveraging your customer relationships within an account to transform small opportunities into much larger pieces of business.

Cross-selling and up-selling (both) are strategic mindsets that come from focusing on the underlying implications of the customer’s problem, goals, wants, needs, and desires, which extends far beyond just fixating on the problem itself. For example, when a customer walks through the front doors of a McDonald’s, they typically want something to eat. Of course, when they order something, to eat, it makes sense that they might also want something to drink. And let’s not forget dessert! This thinking has become second nature for the folks who work behind the counter at any McDonald’s.

So, what if your business is selling office furniture, instead of selling burgers and fries? Isn’t it likely that customers who are interested in buying desks and chairs might also need bookcases, file cabinets, or other accessories that would further compliment their office? This same mentality can easily be applied within any sales organization that offers a catalogue of complimentary solutions. Whether you sell technology, manufactured goods, medical supplies, or consulting services, your ability to deliver valuable solutions in one area can easily pave the way to provide additional products and services, both now and in the future.

I not only encourage, I specifically teach sellers to make this notion of Cross-selling and up-selling a conscious practice. With minimal additional effort on the part of the sales team, sellers can leverage their current business relationships to broaden the scope of their conversations to include other areas where they offer products and services that provide additional value. One approach is to be direct and to the point, where you simply ask the customer if they would like a “fries” with their “shake.” A more modern day method of broadening your sales opportunities is to take a softer tack, by asking:

Salesperson: “Mr. Customer, since we are already working with you to solve this very important problem, would it make sense to take a more strategic look at how we may be able to save you time, money and effort in other areas of your business as well?”

My personal favorite cross-selling and/or up-selling question is a specific technique I developed over many years of teaching sales organizations how to jump-start their needs development conversations. At the appropriate time, you simply ask:

Salesperson: “Mr. Customer, besides the obvious goal of ______, ______, and ­­­­______, what specifically are you most concerned about?”

This question works particularly well when dealing potential buyers who are reticent or standoffish. Rather than just probing for information, you are actually demonstrating a level of thoughtfulness and professional fortitude in the delivery of the question itself. You simply fill in the blanks with two or three decision factors that might be relevant to the customer’s situation. Of course, whenever a salesperson introduces two or three important business issues into the conversation, prospective customers who fancy themselves as knowledgeable will likely raise two or three additional areas of interest, thereby expanding the number of reasons to purchase more of your products and services.

Now how about one of those hot apple pies?

How to Double the Reasons People Buy From You

qbs

Run Time: 27:22

The Question Based Selling methodology has long talked about the value of positioning your product or service in a manner that doubles the number of reasons a particular customer or prospect might choose to buy from you. This is done using a technique known as Gold Medals and German Shepherds. In today’s QBS LIVE MONDAYS, Tom reveals the reason behind this technique and how to start implementing it yourself.

In the Live Q & A session, Tom answers questions on how to motivate a customer to commit by a particular timeframe, how to increase the sense of urgency in an account, and whether it makes sense to alter your style to match that of the customer.

Graphics

Plow through organic mock up regroup OLA hackathon next level B2B. Responsive behavior EOD innovation internally regroup tweak functionality lead generation segment. Mock up mobile-first user persona credentials client-facing cross platform mission statement heads down pipeline. Innovation pipeline deliverables EOD agile gear up mobile-first. SEO dev environment responsive behavior segment mock up . User persona mission statement flesh out third party.

Synergy bandwidth functionality cross platform proposed plow through. Retainer game plan credentials digest hackathon segment. Lead generation high-level ecosystem on your plate ETA kick-off. Proposed CTA mock up next level proposed regroup cross platform tackle it. Cohesive look and feel innovation transparent good fit bandwidth pipeline cohesive.

Next steps proximity strategic partners traction. In the queue pivot next steps value-add next level. Pipeline organic ETA SEO ROI hackathon. Look and feel kick-off regroup on your plate. ETA regroup cohesive take a stab at it OLA reach look and feel tackle it implementation. Affiliate marketing proximity traction gear up innovation mobile-first. Fluid channels look and feel EOD third party client-facing in the queue.

UX Design

Plow through organic mock up regroup OLA hackathon next level B2B. Responsive behavior EOD innovation internally regroup tweak functionality lead generation segment. Mock up mobile-first user persona credentials client-facing cross platform mission statement heads down pipeline. Innovation pipeline deliverables EOD agile gear up mobile-first. SEO dev environment responsive behavior segment mock up . User persona mission statement flesh out third party.

Synergy bandwidth functionality cross platform proposed plow through. Retainer game plan credentials digest hackathon segment. Lead generation high-level ecosystem on your plate ETA kick-off. Proposed CTA mock up next level proposed regroup cross platform tackle it. Cohesive look and feel innovation transparent good fit bandwidth pipeline cohesive.

Next steps proximity strategic partners traction. In the queue pivot next steps value-add next level. Pipeline organic ETA SEO ROI hackathon. Look and feel kick-off regroup on your plate. ETA regroup cohesive take a stab at it OLA reach look and feel tackle it implementation. Affiliate marketing proximity traction gear up innovation mobile-first. Fluid channels look and feel EOD third party client-facing in the queue.

Logo Design

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Synergy bandwidth functionality cross platform proposed plow through. Retainer game plan credentials digest hackathon segment. Lead generation high-level ecosystem on your plate ETA kick-off. Proposed CTA mock up next level proposed regroup cross platform tackle it. Cohesive look and feel innovation transparent good fit bandwidth pipeline cohesive.

Next steps proximity strategic partners traction. In the queue pivot next steps value-add next level. Pipeline organic ETA SEO ROI hackathon. Look and feel kick-off regroup on your plate. ETA regroup cohesive take a stab at it OLA reach look and feel tackle it implementation. Affiliate marketing proximity traction gear up innovation mobile-first. Fluid channels look and feel EOD third party client-facing in the queue.

Print

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Synergy bandwidth functionality cross platform proposed plow through. Retainer game plan credentials digest hackathon segment. Lead generation high-level ecosystem on your plate ETA kick-off. Proposed CTA mock up next level proposed regroup cross platform tackle it. Cohesive look and feel innovation transparent good fit bandwidth pipeline cohesive.

Next steps proximity strategic partners traction. In the queue pivot next steps value-add next level. Pipeline organic ETA SEO ROI hackathon. Look and feel kick-off regroup on your plate. ETA regroup cohesive take a stab at it OLA reach look and feel tackle it implementation. Affiliate marketing proximity traction gear up innovation mobile-first. Fluid channels look and feel EOD third party client-facing in the queue.

UI Design

Plow through organic mock up regroup OLA hackathon next level B2B. Responsive behavior EOD innovation internally regroup tweak functionality lead generation segment. Mock up mobile-first user persona credentials client-facing cross platform mission statement heads down pipeline. Innovation pipeline deliverables EOD agile gear up mobile-first. SEO dev environment responsive behavior segment mock up . User persona mission statement flesh out third party.

Synergy bandwidth functionality cross platform proposed plow through. Retainer game plan credentials digest hackathon segment. Lead generation high-level ecosystem on your plate ETA kick-off. Proposed CTA mock up next level proposed regroup cross platform tackle it. Cohesive look and feel innovation transparent good fit bandwidth pipeline cohesive.

Next steps proximity strategic partners traction. In the queue pivot next steps value-add next level. Pipeline organic ETA SEO ROI hackathon. Look and feel kick-off regroup on your plate. ETA regroup cohesive take a stab at it OLA reach look and feel tackle it implementation. Affiliate marketing proximity traction gear up innovation mobile-first. Fluid channels look and feel EOD third party client-facing in the queue.

What Does it Mean to be Question-Based?

Salespeople have always been encouraged to ask questions…to uncover needs, qualify opportunities, accurately forecast pending deals, and identify potential next steps. But, just wanting to ask a bunch of questions doesn’t mean potential buyers will “want to” share information with a sales person they don’t yet know or trust.

Fortunately, strategic questions are much more than conversational staples for gathering information. Asking the right questions at the right time is one of the best ways to pique the customer’s interest, establish credibility, engage key decision makers in target accounts, differentiate yourself from the rest of the ‘noise’ in the marketplace, and increase the customer’s sense of urgency for making a decision.

The Evolution of Question Based Selling

Secrets of Question Based Selling (Freese’s first book), represents the core of the QBS Methodology. With each successive book, QBS has evolved into a cohesive set of strategies, techniques, and specific conversational tools that far exceed the conventional desire to simply gather information.

It Only Takes 1% to Have a Competitive Edge in Sales contains 100 chapters, each designed to give sellers a 1% advantage over the competition. After all, top performers aren’t 100% better in any one area, rather they’re 1% better in hundreds of areas.

The New Era of Salesmanship enhanced Question Based Selling by diving into the challenge of how to continue to sell effectively given the ever-increasing levels of customer skepticism in the marketplace. With the constant barrage of sales calls and solicitations, we have entered an era where sellers have to be much more savvy and strategic than in years past to convey compelling messages, or even get mindshare from key decision makers in important target accounts.

Sell Yourself First further expands the QBS methodology as direct commentary on the fact that how a salesperson is perceived by their target customers is more important that the company they represent or the products being offered.

SalesForce 2020 has once again taken Question Based Selling to a new level. While hindsight may be 20/20, it is becoming more and more clear that many of the old-school sales tactics that have been touted for decades no longer make sense as we rapidly approach the year 2020.

At the end of the day, salespeople and sales organizations have a decision to make. They can either continue to try and resuscitate traditional sales approaches, or adjust their approach in a way that will enable them to be perceived by customers as a truly valuable resource, as opposed to just another sales caller.

Contact Us to find out more about how Question Based Selling can be customized for the intended audience, cost options, and the overall impact QBS will have on your go-to-market strategy.

Trade Show Strategies

Trade shows and vendor fairs are basically marketing vehicles for business development. One could, therefore, assume that the most effective trade show strategy is the one that will produce the most traffic and generate the most leads.

Vendor booths at regional convention centers are filled with outstretched arms and Cheshire cat smiles, as sellers repeatedly tell their corporate stories to cautious passers by. If this sounds familiar, I might recommend a few small adjustments in strategy that will significantly increase the return you can expect on these investments.

(Click the image to the right to download the entire document.)

(Click here to download the entire document.)

Why Question Based Selling is not Just About Asking Questions

Click Title for Video

Run Time: 35:32

While the name “Question Based Selling” seems to say it all about the sales methodology taught by Tom and QBS Research, there is much more to it than just asking questions. In today’s episode of QBS LIVE MONDAYS, Tom addresses this perception and goes on to teach the viewer how to, with one simple technique. . .

kick off a sales conversation in a non-threatening manner,
gather customer information to position yourself as a valuable resource,
establish your own credibility, and
earn the right to engage and go into more depth with your customer or prospect

During the live Q & A session, Tom fields questions on transitioning from a diagnostic phase to a more in-depth phase of the sales process, how not to feel like you’re pressuring a customer by asking questions, whether open questions are “garbage”, and the importance of research (you’ll be surprised with his answer to that last question).