{"id":96948,"date":"2022-04-25t12:00:39","date_gmt":"2022-04-25t16:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.g005e.com\/?p=96948"},"modified":"2022-12-22t00:40:28","modified_gmt":"2022-12-22t05:40:28","slug":"take-the-pressure-of-selling-out-of-cross-selling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.g005e.com\/2022\/04\/25\/take-the-pressure-of-selling-out-of-cross-selling\/","title":{"rendered":"take the pressure of \u2018selling\u2019 out of \u2018cross-selling\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"two<\/a>you don\u2019t have to solve the problem, just make the introduction.<\/strong><\/p>\n

by ty hendrickson<\/em><\/p>\n

cross-selling at accounting and advisory firms. it\u2019s something a lot of firms often talk about but frequently seem to struggle with. but as the profession continues its shift toward advisory services, it\u2019s never been more critical.<\/p>\n

more:<\/strong> don\u2019t confuse marketing with biz dev<\/a>
\n\"goprocpa.com\"exclusively for pro members. <\/span><\/strong>log in here<\/a> or 2022世界杯足球排名 today<\/a>.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

there\u2019s so much opportunity to do more for existing clients (and drive revenue higher). yet, many accounting professionals tend to overcomplicate the cross-selling process, which simply begins \u2013 and sometimes ends \u2013 with having a conversation.
\n
\nembrace your inner advisor and be proactive<\/strong><\/p>\n

there\u2019s a perception clients know their industries better than their accountants, but it turns out most of them don\u2019t. they are so deeply buried in what they\u2019re doing for their own customers or clients it can be hard to see the big picture. this is why clients seek accounting professionals who know their industry and operations inside and out, someone who thinks ahead of them and goes beyond simply completing their taxes or financial statement audits.<\/p>\n

that\u2019s where accountants can add value. it starts with knowing a client\u2019s industry, the opportunities and threats, and where the industry is headed. half of the services clients buy today are compliance-driven, and while that will not change, accountants must go beyond the day-to-day to retain and grow their clients and the firm\u2019s revenue. advisory services are some of the fastest-growing areas for accounting firms and often the most profitable.<\/p>\n

your reaction might be, \u201cbut our clients are fee-sensitive, and they already don\u2019t want to pay what we\u2019re asking for their compliance work. i\u2019m not going to ask them to spend more money with us.\u201d the reality is, that\u2019s the type of work clients want and are often less fee-sensitive to. that\u2019s where the value is, and they\u2019re happy to pay you \u2013 their trusted advisor \u2013 for that value.<\/p>\n

sales enablement<\/strong><\/p>\n

sales enablement is ensuring professionals have enough understanding of a service to know how to identify a need when a client says, \u201cgosh, i wish i could get a proper valuation of my business,\u201d and how to have a deeper conversation.<\/p>\n

the disconnect happens when firm leadership assumes<\/strong> their team knows the firm offers a service, has a professional who can offer the service, or even how to identify the need. when you can arm them with the basic knowledge and resources to start the conversation, they\u2019ll be more comfortable discussing the service and passing the client off to the proper expert in the firm.<\/p>\n

fundamental steps for effective cross-selling<\/strong><\/p>\n

one recommendation is to encourage professionals in charge of specialty service niches to conduct monthly lunch-and-learns. have them present a high-level overview of the service they perform and show how that service can benefit clients. then, provide the team with three or four questions or pressing, trending topics in that area.<\/p>\n

figuring out the process is simple. identify who will get the lead and how to move that lead through the firm. there\u2019s nothing worse than losing a prospective engagement because nobody knows about it, and it gets lost in the process.<\/p>\n

when the team knows what to ask \u2013 and what to listen for \u2013 they will have more confidence to identify a client\u2019s pain point, build interest among the client, and pass them to the appropriate service professional to close the deal. when they know just enough to identify pain points and confidently say they have a team member who can help them, they\u2019ll become more confident in having these types of conversations. this removes the pressure of selling the engagement because they know who to introduce the client to \u2013 and that they don\u2019t have to solve the problem right there in that conversation.<\/p>\n

a sample conversation may go something like this: \u201cyou\u2019re looking to get a valuation of your business? our firm conducts many of these in your (industry), and (firm professional), who is a certified valuation analyst, can most likely help you. i\u2019d love to bring them into the conversation. can we set up a time for the three of us to talk and determine the best way to get you an accurate valuation?\u201d<\/p>\n

other ways to set up a handoff include:<\/p>\n