If you have communicated a focus on corporate goals to be met by the front-line, there is still the issue of training the staff to meet the goals.

Cross-selling begins with listening to members when they talk about their needs and being ready to suggest products and services that meet those needs. Listening to members and matching those suggested products/services is often done in a short timeframe. From talking to a member at the teller line to a conversation over the phone, these chances to capture more business are fleeting.

Here are two quick ways to help bolster your sales culture with the ease of suggesting:

• First, have staff members think of working with members in terms of asking how they can “save the member money” or “make the member money!” Who doesn’t want to either save money or make more money? The staffers suggestion will become a winning approach!
• Second, have regular meetings where the front-line team creates one-minute cross-sell suggestions. If prepared with a quick suggestion, the front-line is not as pressured to come up with the right words. The easier it is, the more comfortable the staffer is with suggesting and more successful with members.

With quick ways to suggest and engage members, cross-selling becomes easier and less daunting than many front-line staffers consider “selling” to be.

(Tips from LemmonTree’s in-house cross-selling and video training programs. For more information, contact us at 7solutions@lemmontree.com.)