1. Cross-selling effectively, and generating referrals from the network
John Timperley, Managing Director The Results Consultancy Ltd

2. The agenda
Five areas of focus
Making the most of your existing client relationships – 10 cross selling strategies that work
7 ways to encourage colleagues to introduce you to their clients
Actions that will generate current and future referrals
Planning techniques that help you make the most of the opportunity
Best practice behaviours to manage the cross-sell and referral

3. 10 cross-selling strategies that work
Client service planning meetings
Presenting at other team’s meetings
Visibility of new work reports
Shared marketing activity calendar
Cross-selling buddies or ‘Pods’

4. 10 cross selling strategies that work
Post-assignment de-briefs
Asking for referrals and introductions from colleagues
Sector lunches and other approaches for clients and contacts
Showcasing stories of the work you have done
Internal ‘speed dating’ events

5. 7 ways to encourage colleagues to introduce you1
Update colleagues on what you do 2
Educate them on ‘triggers’ that point to you 3
Send referrals their way so that they reciprocate 4
Look for mutual opportunities together 5
Earn the right to future referrals 6
See your internal network as important 7
Demonstrate how well you handle the work

6. Equipping contacts with the information to introduce you to others
Your contacts need to understand how you help clients.
Types of clients you typically help – e.g. SME, Corporates, Private Clients, Charities etc.
Client situations you are commonly asked to deal with
Results you have achieved for clients
Your specialist knowledge of particular industry sectors
How long one of your typical assignments takes to complete
The fees clients typically pay for your work

7. Selling your colleagues’ expertise
Who...
How...
What...
When...
Where...

9. Overcoming the Cross-Selling Hurdles
Client
attitude to you
‘sharing’
Converting the
opportunity
Wider
firm
knowledge
The Six
Cross-Selling
Hurdles
Incentives
& recognition
Spotting the issue

10. Why focus on getting referrals?
Cost and profitability of gaining a new client
As competition in your market intensifies, it is harder to differentiate your services
Potential clients who have been referred are less fee sensitive
Creates a steady flow of new work opportunities for you
The cost of gaining new clients by conventional marketing is increasingly expensive.
Referrals are the least expensive and most profitable way to attract new clients.
As competition in your market intensifies, it is harder to differentiate your services from those of your competitors.
Potential clients who have been referred tend not to focus as much on price.
Referrals give comfort to a new client that they will not make a costly mistake.
You need to worry less about where my new work opportunities will come from if you have a robust referrals system in place.
Positioning your firm for referrals in a systematic way can make a significant difference to the amount of business you win.

11. Identifying referral opportunities in YOUR client base
1. Which of my firm’s clients have interests in other territories?
A 4 step process
3. Approach the firm …Ok to introduce?
4. Talk to your client and offer an introduction
– focus on the benefits the member firm can bring
2. Which suitable member firms are on the ground?
Action: Which 3 clients of MY FIRM can we introduce to others in the network?

12. Approaching member firms for referrals
First earn the right…
Promote what you do…
E.g. through the network’s publicity channels – provide valuable content to share.
Does the network REALLY know what you do, and who you do it for?
Join a Business or Interest Group
Arrange a write up for members
Identify firms with clients you can help…
Get your BD professional onto it!
Be visible…
E.g. Attend Regional/Annual meetings to get to know people and build personal trust.

13. Analysing your referral sources - and resulting strategies
Popular sources:
Clients
Contacts
Member firms
Intermediaries – other advisers or suppliers to clients
Analysing your referral sources - and resulting strategies
Invest further in the relationship
Refers well
Could refer more
Doesn’t refer but could do
Refers unprofitable / unsuitable work
Referral sources
Start developing the relationship
Re-educate or let the relationship wither

14. Adding value and encouraging referrals
Contact introductions
Access to clients
New work and opportunities
Market news
Know how and updates
Research findings
Reciprocity
Incentives
Collaboration e.g. joint initiatives
Free advice and support
Reduced fees
The ‘soft stuff’ – e.g. safe pair of hands and Trusted Adviser
What value can we give them?

15. How to create contact to spot and develop opportunities
Approaches successful professionals are using:
Quarterly lunches or catch ups over coffee
Problems you’ve solved – a postcard or one side of A4 overview
Multi-disciplinary team brainstorming sessions
Invitations to assignment completion celebrations
BD buddies
Tasters of your service
A quarterly lunch or catch up over coffee to find out what you have both been doing
Problems you’ve solved – a postcard or one side of A4 overview that briefly summarising the client’s original situation, what the end result was and how you brought that about. Keep to bullet points and lots of white space so it can be read quickly and at a glance looks interesting
Create multi-disciplinary team brainstorming sessions to identify opportunities to help to a specific key client
Invite them to celebrations you are holding at the end of an assignment
Ask your contact to be a business development buddy, e.g. go to a networking event together and bring them up to speed on your work on the way there or back
Offer contacts a taster or a ‘freebie’ of your service to show how you work and deliver value for clients

16. Working together effectively 8 actions to reassure member firms that their client is in good hands
Be quick - respond to the referral quickly and effectively
Prioritise - treat this work as a key priority and do an exceptional job that comes in on time and in budget
Respect - the member firm’s relationship with the client
Communicate - give the member firm updates on progress and share your knowledge the client
Get your heads together - and brainstorm how you can help each other’s clients and share your contacts
Celebrate - and publicise the success so the member firm’s efforts are recognised as well as your own
Repeat the action
Repay the favour
Follow up the referral quickly and effectively – your contacts’ relationship depends on your actions
Treat this work as a key priority and do an exceptional job that comes in on time and in budget
Respect that this client has a relationship with your contact and do not try to undermine that or overpower it in any way
Keep your contact in the loop – give them update reports on progress and share any insight you’ve gleaned about the client, which could help their own relationship with them
Repeat the action - when a cross-sell has been successful, offer to explore who in the contact’s client base may have the same issue.
Repay the favour - if you’ve received a cross-sell opportunity think about the referrer and how you can help them.
Get your heads together - and brainstorm how you can help each other’s clients and share your contacts. Why not try a cross-practice brainstorming session and match who you can help with what your contacts can offer.
Celebrate it - and publicise your cross-selling success so the contact’s efforts are recognised as well as your own

17. A practical referrals checklist
How many referrals do we get at the moment?
What is the potential for more?
What does a good referral ‘look like’ for us?
Where do our referrals actually come from?
Who in our firm is great at generating referrals? What do they do?
On what occasions can we all ask about referral possibilities?
What more can we do to get involved in the network to create referral opportunities?