Why not buddy up?

Last week, we looked at how?asking the right questions?can make your client meetings more valuable. Today, we’re showing you how to make the most of meeting in pairs.

It’s usually easier and less costly to grow existing accounts than to win new clients. Yet we often feel resistant to cross-selling, worried about partially giving up control or being ‘too salesy’. The key is to keep the client’s needs at the centre of the process when introducing colleagues.

You don’t always need to introduce one of your direct peers either – a junior colleague can bring energy and a fresh perspective, while someone more senior may add gravitas during a critical period.

When you decide to bring someone else on board, the following tips will make the process as smooth as possible:

1. Clearly explain to the client why you are bringing a second person, and what problems they will address. For example:?I know you’ve started to think about succession planning, so I thought it would be helpful to introduce a specialist from our family law team?
2. Invite the client to your offices, allowing introductions to be made more naturally.
3. Ask lots of questions beforehand then fully brief your colleague, so they can understand the client’s needs in depth.

With careful introduction, buddying up for meetings can double the value that you offer to clients.

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”?

Helen Keller

Originally Published here.