What are some tips to help you cross-sell and upsell effectively with your clients?

When I work with a customer on marketing strategy, I begin by helping them finish this sentence: "Only we ..." You need to know where you stand in the competitive ecosystem, why customers love you, and why competitors fear you. This might take some time to develop, but by really digging into the source of your value, you'll know WHAT to say, WHO to say it to, and WHERE to say it.

As an advocate in IPR, effectively cross-selling and upselling to clients involves understanding their specific needs and providing tailored recommendations. Emphasize complementary products or services that enhance their current IP portfolio, such as trademark monitoring or patent renewal services. Clearly articulate the additional benefits and value these services offer, ensuring clients see the long-term advantages. Building trust through strong client relationships is crucial, as is choosing the right moment to present these options, such as during regular review meetings or when discussing new filings.

Just as important as listening to your clients is providing feedback to them after you discuss their suggestions or comments. Listening closely and focusing on what your clients are saying is crucial because they are smart and can tell when you are focused on the next comment out of your mouth, which might be to sell them something, vs. what they are sharing. Listen, ask follow-up questions so that you fully understand their feedback, whether positive, negative, or neutral, then ask them to confirm or clarify what they just said. Only after you have fully listened and understood have you then earned the right to cross-sell or upsell. Make sure they understand how much you appreciate them and their time. If not, listening is hollow.

In my experience, some of the best ways to build relationships with clients are through educating them. I give them a more hands-on lead while I instruct them in getting to where they want to go with a virtual call and screen share. I work with syndicated databases, so the education is invaluable to my clients, as they may have the same need in a month but now feels much more comfortable tackling the situation. During these education sessions, if you do it correctly, clients open up and tell you more pain points they have that you can formally address with solutions.

A few ways you can do this on LinkedIn is by asking for recommendations from people you've worked with, and creating document posts highlighting key points from a case study. Consider creating a series of short educational videos to share on LinkedIn and repurpose onto your company website or YouTube.

Once you truly understand your customer's goals and how they determine the value of your solution, you can perform a detailed audit of their account and present recommendations for opportunities where they could improve their results. Share specific examples and best practices from other customers who are seeing the kinds of results they want to achieve. Then offer to put them in touch with the customer they most want to emulate. How valuable is that?

To cross-sell and upsell effectively, timing is crucial. You need to know when your customers are ready to buy and personalize your offers accordingly. To achieve this, you must track their behavior and preferences, have unified customer data, and empower front line managers with actionable data. By doing so, you'll gain valuable insights into customer needs, pain points, and buying habits, create a complete picture of their journey, deliver a seamless experience, and turn your managers into effective salespeople who drive revenue growth and customer loyalty.