B2B cross selling requires more care and consideration than B2C.
Cross selling is one of the easiest ways to generate revenue if your business sells directly to customers; after all, it is responsible for a whopping 35% of Amazon's annual revenue.[1] But because business-to-business (B2B) sales depend on relationships, your cross selling strategies will require more planning and knowledge of your customers' needs.
With that in mind, we interviewed three sales professionals[2-4] for their most successful cross selling strategies that focus on building and sustaining relationships with B2B clients. You can implement their tips into your own cross selling strategy, or if you oversee a team of sellers, feature them in your next training session.
What is cross selling, and what does it require?
Cross selling is a sales technique where you convince a customer to buy one or more products or services beyond what they had originally intended. It requires:
Awareness of a customer’s purchase history
Understanding of explicitly stated needs and wants
Active listening skills to identify implicit needs and wants
We mention both explicit and implicit needs and wants because, as sales professional Mike Aldrich puts it, "Cross selling is about seeing the full picture of a buyer's needs and having enough product knowledge to see how those align."[2] If you're overly focused on the one item your customer is shopping for, you'll miss opportunities to meet their needs in other ways.
1. Don't overwhelm your buyer with cross selling offers
Mike Aldrich has been a sales professional in the Greater Orlando area for the past 30 years, and if there's one thing he wants sales reps to know, it’s that you don't want to put too many options in front of your buyer.
Mike Aldrich, Sales professional[2]
This is an easy mistake for even the best-intentioned sellers, but just because your client would benefit from an additional product doesn't mean they have the desire—or, more importantly, permission from stakeholders—to make that purchase.
"We once added additional items to a quote because our client asked about them," explains Aldrich. "They had asked what else they would need to get the most value from our product, so we rounded up a list and added it to our quote."
"Our client froze when they saw the list and said, 'Whoa, whoa, whoa! I only want the original product. Maybe I need all this other stuff, but I have other ways of getting it,'" he reflects. "Our quote ended up being very hard to read, and when they looked at the bottom line, we were exponentially more expensive than our competitors."
Aldrich's example shows the importance of building a relationship with your buyer before attempting to cross sell. His client eventually purchased the other items they had been quoted, but as Aldrich says, "You need to earn that trust and help them understand what you're doing so those add-ons make sense. Overwhelming your buyer can lead to a lot of missed opportunities."
Tips to avoid overwhelming buyers with cross selling offers
Unless a buyer expresses explicit interest in purchasing several products at once, it's good practice to focus on the singular item they've requested. While this may seem counterintuitive from a sales perspective, your customer will appreciate that you aren't trying to sell them something they don’t need, which will warm them up to cross selling opportunities down the line.
That said, it's easy to get caught up in the excitement of what all your brand can do to meet your customers needs. To help you track the items they're most interested in, we suggest customer relationship management (CRM) tools. They record and analyze interactions so you can return to that initial conversation with your buyer and review the pain points discussed. They can also help you stay connected by reminding you to follow up. Click here for tools that offer a free trial.
2. Cross sell as a form of product education
James Mercurio is the commercial sales and marketing manager for Australia-based sign manufacturer Custom Neon.[3] His most successful cross selling strategy is to identify opportunities for product education within a customer request.
James Mercurio, Commercial sales and marketing manager of Custom Neon[3]
"Our approach to cross selling is to consider what the customer is asking for in their original request, then determine the best end solution," explains Mercurio. "For instance, a client sent us a brief for some indoor LED neon signage, and I noticed there was also exterior signage on the specifications. I mentioned that we could also provide a quote on this element of the project, as we have a state-of-the-art waterproof LED neon product."
Mercurio's client didn't know Custom Neon could fulfill other parts of their project and at a competitive rate as well. This is just one of many success stories Mercurio uses to train his sales team: "It's important to educate clients on the solutions we provide as well as our ability to customize to their exact requirements."
"Always look at the bigger picture," Mercurio says. "Find ways to create opportunities out of nothing. If you get caught up in only meeting the brief or proposing one solution based on the customer's request, there won't be much opportunity for additional sales. If you dig deeper and provide additional options or other alternatives, it opens you up to more opportunities."
Tips to work product education into your cross selling strategy
Taking the time to explain your offerings to a potential customer should be part of all your cross selling efforts. The trickier part is reading between the lines for implicit needs, as Mercurio did in his example. To do this, take your time understanding a customer's request, and don't be afraid to ask questions about any gaps (e.g., what are the customer’s plans for their exterior signage?).
From here, sales enablement software can help you showcase product information to buyers in a way that's impactful and engaging—think presentations and even gamification. Fourteen percent of respondents in our 2023 Business Structure Survey like the software for the cross selling and upselling opportunities it offers.* Click here for vendors that offer a free trial.
3. Look to the media for cross selling opportunities
Scott O'Farrell is the chief commercial officer of Batteries Plus, a Milwaukee-based specialty retailer of batteries and lightbulbs.[4] His cross selling strategy is to look out for news articles and social media posts concerning his buyer's company, and then use that information to inform his cross selling approach.
Scott O’Farrell, Chief commercial officer of Batteries Plus[4]
"Know what's going on in your customer's world, and try to understand them from that perspective," O'Farrell explains. "What are they trying to accomplish? What impact are they trying to have?"
"When you see the world from your customer's perspective, you're no longer selling a product. You're offering a partnership that helps them achieve their goals."
Scott O’Farrell
O'Farrell more specifically advises sales professionals to look out for company announcements such as new initiatives or acquisitions. "When a company announces a new initiative, they'll often talk about what it means to their organization and what their timeline looks like. And if you can show them how your product or service fits into one of those key initiatives, you're golden."
Like Aldrich's and Mercurio's strategies, O'Farrell's approach is most effective when you've already established a relationship with your client. If your brand is already one that they know and trust, you'll have an easier time proposing additional services or products.
Tips to leverage media for cross selling opportunities
One way to stay on top of your customer's activities is to follow them on social media and sign up for notifications each time they post. You can also use competitive intelligence software to set alerts for media mentions of their company name. These tools allow you to receive alerts whenever content changes on a company’s website or in a search engine. Click here for platforms that offer a free trial.
Cross sell in a way that builds trust
To be clear, you can cross sell to a new customer. But because you risk coming off as salesy, we suggest waiting until the second or third sale to propose other relevant products. And once you've achieved that repeat purchase, we recommend integrating our experts' three strategies.
Don't forget all the tech tools that can help you along the way. Your CRM can enable you to keep track of customer data so information such as customer purchase history is at your fingertips. On the other hand, sales enablement software can help you educate buyers on your brand's offerings. Your best bet is to find tools that integrate with one another to keep all your data in the same place.
Looking for more resources to grow your toolkit? Check out these articles:
Note: Questions and responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.