How To Cross Sell To Your Clients

Think back to the last time you were at a restaurant. Perhaps you ordered an entree, and the waitress asked you if you would like to add a salad to your dinner. Whether you agreed to the salad or not, the waitress was cross selling you.

When a salesperson tries to sell you another product related to the product you're already purchasing. For example, if you're purchasing a laptop computer, the salesperson might try to sell you a carrying case to go with the computer. Or, if you're buying a pair of shoes, the salesperson might try to sell you socks. That's the cross sell.

Cross selling is generally an easy, effective way to increase your sales and, as a result, your profits. However, like upselling, cross selling is an essential skill of any salesperson that requires practice. There are several simple ways to cross sell to your clients, including:

Practice cross selling

Cross selling is a skill that can easily be mastered with practice. Ensure that you schedule time for your employees to practice their cross selling skills, and be sure to offer constructive feedback.

Consider what the customer needs

Just as when you're upselling, you must focus on your customers' needs when you are cross selling. Don't try to convince your customers to purchase a bunch of products they simply don't need. Rather, focus on cross selling products they need.

Ensure the product you are cross selling is relevant

If you want to effectively cross sell, offer products that are relevant to the original purchase. That means if you're selling shoes, you might try to cross sell socks or shoelaces. But, offering a briefcase doesn't really make sense.

Offer a bundle

Product and service bundles are an effective means of cross selling. Bundled products are increasingly popular with phone companies that, for example, offer customers the choice of paying one price for phone and internet or paying a slightly higher price for phone, internet, and television. By offering more services at a discounted price, the telephone companies are compelling customers, who want to save money, to purchase a bundled package.

Find a way to offer bundled services or products at a discounted price to entice customers to purchase the cross sell.

Offer products that vary in price

When you're trying to sell a product, offer products that vary in price. If you are selling a man's suit, for example, you might want to cross sell several types of different dress shirts that range in price.

Don't cross sell too many products at once

If you try to cross sell too many products to your customer, no matter how relevant they are to the customer's original purchase, you're likely to confuse and, at worst, annoy customers. At maximum, try to sell only three products to your customer.

Listen to your clients

When you listen to your clients, you'll have a much easier time identifying the products or services that they need. As a result, you can cross sell what you know they need, making it much more likely that they'll make the additional purchase from you.