Our Espresso Shot Learning sessions are punchy and effective 30 minute webinars, specifically designed to deliver your team the key points and latest thinking in Business Development and Client Relationship Management.
These bite sized learning sessions are delivered on a virtual platform to suit you, and are good for all teams. You can also register as many participants to the session as you need.
Book now, and let’s get everyone contributing to business growth.
Cost: £500
Turning up the listening to 11!
Active listening has long been spoken about as a key skill for anyone involved in sales.
There is a case to say that now we are selling online AND that it is getting more competitive, we need to be even better at listening than ever. It is often extremely difficult to come up with strong USPs and differentiators, but those who listen best will understand more and are more likely to find that little ‘nugget’ they can use to motivate the client to choose them.
To arrange your training, you can email hello@questas.co.uk or click the button below to get in touch.
Whether the ‘table’ you’re trying to get to is real or virtual, we must generate new business with clients and potential clients. If we are not regularly speaking to these people our competitors (who are speaking to them) will increase their market share at the expense of ours. Whatever you call it, all successful firms see this activity at least as important if not more important than fee earning work.
To arrange your training, you can email hello@questas.co.uk or click the button below to get in touch.
Technical experts need to be able to sell but many people in this area would consider selling to be, at best, unnatural. At worst, something they feel they simply can’t do! In our experience, part of the challenge is knowing how to structure a BD (‘sales’ if you prefer) call. Our definition of this conversation is ‘building the client’s motivation to buy’.
To arrange your training, you can email hello@questas.co.uk or click the button below to get in touch.
After an extraordinary 2020, most economic forecasts are predicting a tough year in 2021 for most sectors. Many suggesting we will not reach pre-pandemic levels again until the end of 2022. It’s a gloomy thought and one where the Ostrich...
Storytelling connects people and builds trust in business, which means the best way to make your pitch memorable is to turn it into a story. This isn’t a new method - the blueprint for successful storytelling has been around for a long...
Virtual business development meetings have become a way of life for many of us. Ensuring they are successful requires a well thought out plan of action. If you are a business developer, client relationship manager, or a technical expert...
One thing we already knew – you can’t just take a classroom course and deliver it online. With over 20 years experience in corporate training we took the principles and tested on ourselves and friendly clients how best to adapt to get it right online. And those rehearsals were the best investment we could have made! Here’s what we learnt delivering Virtual Classroom Training.
Like many businesses, we’ve had to adapt to new ways of working since the pandemic began. Virtual training has not only been the only way to continue to deliver our courses, we’ve also discovered another positive outcome – a huge reduction in our (and our client’s) carbon footprint!
Cross Selling: how to achieve growth by cross selling in professional services
‘Cross-Selling’ is the key to smart business growth but why is it so difficult? Questas CEO & Founder, Gary Williams reveals how to overcome the barriers and generate significant opportunities from existing clients.
What is cross selling?
Cross-selling is best described as ‘collaborating with other specialists within your company, working in partnership on behalf of the client’s best interest.’ It is a proactive, ongoing process designed to provide your existing customers with a range of your company’s services that will help them achieve their objectives.
Having worked with many professional services firms operating in the built and natural environment, we see many companies who are not optimising their cross-selling opportunities, missing obvious areas of growth in their organisation. Many of them have key client management programmes, with one of the measures of success being the number of services their clients buy from them. On average, supplier firms provide only 20% of their services to clients. There’s nothing worse than a client who tells you, “I didn’t know you provided that service, if I had I wouldn’t have given the project to your biggest competitor…”
On average supplier firms provide just 20% of their services to clients.
A client who buys multiple services is harder to lose to a competitor.
Cross selling from the supplier’s perspective
Existing customers are easier to sell to, by a long shot. You’re 60-70% likely to sell to an existing customer, compared to the 5-20% likelihood of selling to a new prospect (according to book of Marketing Metrics). So concentrating efforts on cross-selling makes sense. A client who buys multiple services is harder to lose to a competitor than a single service client.
A professional services company can also forge better relationships, moving up the ‘Trusted Advisor’ curve and ultimately being seen as a partner organisation who helps the client achieve their long-term objectives as opposed to a provider of commodity services who can be substituted at very short notice.
Cross selling from the client’s perspective
Managing the supply chain can be an onerous task. Keeping on top of providers, ensuring deliverables are met, not to mention procurement and tendering, this can be extremely time consuming and costly.
Our clients are human beings (in the main!) and one thing I know to be universal is that we live in ever more complicated, busy and often challenging worlds. We all strive for an easy life and if a client can trust a supplier to deliver more than one service, confident that “they know how we work and what our expectations are…” that is one less thing to worry about.
There are potential economic benefits as well. Clients can achieve their objectives in the most economic way. They can potentially reduce the cost of managing multiple suppliers and, hopefully, they can speed up projects by having fewer ‘players’ in the supply chain.
Clients can achieve their objectives in the most economic way.
Introducing our contacts to our colleagues creates strong, collaborative networks.
Cross selling from the individual’s perspective
Today’s consultant has to be the ‘rounded professional’, seen to be creating opportunities for other areas of the firm beyond their own. Our personal brand and value grows when we are able to refer a client to a colleague who’s expertise would benefit them. So being generous with our time and sharing our contacts should be something we feel compelled and motivated to do.
So if Cross-Selling is seen as one of the Keys to Growth, why is it so hard for professional services firms to be successful at it?
These are the most common reasons
A lack of understanding of everything the firm can offer
Inability to explore the client’s world broadly enough to uncover opportunities outside of technical disciplines
Poor internal communication
An unwillingness to introduce colleagues to our clients or share valuable relationships
Poor leadership
Measuring things that disincentivize cross-selling and drive the wrong behaviours
Even the most ‘non-sales’ people are able to learn how to explore clients’ worlds.
Five ways to encourage a cross selling culture
The good news is that there is plenty that can be done to counter these barriers. Here are some steps that we have found to be valuable to businesses.
1
Encourage internal marketing programmes and things like:
Lunch and learn sessions delivered by different departments
Attend different service line client and BD meetings
Use your Key Client Management programme to bring representatives of all relevant parties to the table (including those who are not currently working with the client).
2
Even the most ‘non-sales’ minded people are able to learn how to explore clients worlds. They can:
Increase the number of ‘non-project’ client meetings.
Encourage people to understand how to look for opportunities for ‘adjacent’ services.
3
Many firms suffer poor internal communication
The first thing to understand is that the mindset of people is the key to better internal comms – one that is open and sharing for the benefit of the client.
Systems and software – too many firms are still relying on spreadsheets. Investing in CRM (client relationship management) systems is a critical success factor. There is a health warning here… if the first step above is not in place, CRM systems become nothing more than an expensive address book!
Storytelling connects people and builds trust in business, which means the best way to...
Summary
So it’s obvious that not developing a cross-selling program in your organisation really is wasting a serious opportunity for growth.
Remember, it’s critically important that everyone in the organisation buys into the philosophy in order to collaboratively support the efforts of all. That includes leaders and senior managers too!
Companies that fail to implement an effective cross-selling programme do a disservice to their customers and leave the backdoor open to their competitors. Not being proactive about encouraging a culture of cross-selling is a missed opportunity for smart business growth. Check out our Cross-Selling Skills Training here, or individuals can:
Productive communication is built upon rapport, not necessarily upon agreement. By looking at the psychology behind difficult client conversations, we take a practical approach to helping you manage ‘disagreement without being disagreeable’.
Course overview
It’s inevitable that conversations with clients aren’t always to deliver good news: explaining that a project is not going to be on time or on budget; pushing back on a client who is stretching the boundaries of the contract; or dealing with internal stakeholders who are not meeting expectations. This course will give you valuable tools to manage these difficult situations with skill and conviction.
Who’s it for?
Client-facing individuals, project managers and those who find themselves in awkward situations with clients.
Course format
Face to face: The course is normally run as a half-day workshop with around 12 people. We create real scenarios (common to our client’s world) to give delegates the opportunity to put theory to the test in simulated difficult conversations.
Live Virtual Classroom: Usually a 2 hour session developing an understanding of what triggers clients and how to take the heat out of conversations. Will involve an opportunity to practice the key skills.
Outcomes
This professional development will bring improved confidence and skills. Delegates will have a framework and structure for these types of conversation and the ability to protect the client relationship whilst dealing assertively with clients’ sometimes unreasonable demands.
Download our Free Guide
Account Management Training Designed for the Professional and Engineering Services
Whether or not the negotiation is easy is another matter, but the first step is always communication. Our Negotiation Skills course provides the tools and tips to help you find a position of mutual acceptance with your clients (and colleagues!)
New business comes from people
Delivering projects well is a first step in developing further opportunities, but it’s not enough! We need to be proactive in building relationships, understanding our clients and their objectives, and positioning ourselves as trusted advisers. Our Client Relationship Skills course provides tools and skills that will strenthen and broaden client relationships.
Free consultation
Have questions for us? Get your team started today and gain a new competitive advantage.
There has to be added value for the client to buy additional services from you. If they already buy that second service from an alternative provider, you must clearly ’sell’ the benefit of them buying both services from you.
Course overview
By recognising your own company’s wider business capabilities this course allows you to explore more opportunity to offer these services into your clients.
There are many reasons why cross selling is harder than we think it should be. Our research has shown the same barriers exist in many organisations. We shine the light on each of these and offer solutions as to how to overcome them.
Who’s it for?
Anyone responsible for retaining and building upon existing client relationships, whether to uncover new opportunities or deliver existing projects. This course aligns well with ‘Client Relationship Skills’.
Course format
Face to face: A half-day workshop for up to 12 people. Based on research, this is highly practical session where we design scenarios for participants to practice.
E-learning: A 30 minute ‘plug and play’ course designed for those new to cross-selling.
Live Virtual Classroom: A 2 hr practical workshop covering the dos and don’ts of cross selling along with an opportunity to uncover the cross-selling opportunities in a case study.
Outcomes
Participants will be able to adopt a more strategic approach to addressing clients’ requirements. Delegates will be equipped to look for ways to help their clients grow while offering opportunities to win work for their own business.
Doing an excellent job is a first step to winning more work, but it’s not enough. We need to be proactive in building relationships, understanding our clients and their objectives, and positioning ourselves as trusted advisers. Our Client Relationship Skills course provides tools and skills that will strenthen and broaden client relationships.
Do you dread negotiations?
Negotations are often seen in terms of winners and losers, but this approach is likely put us on the back foot. Actually the first step to successful negoation is always communication to help both parties feel like winners. Our Negotiation Skills course provides the tools and tips to help you find a position of mutual acceptance with your clients (and colleagues).
Free consultation
Have questions for us? Get your team started today and gain a new competitive advantage.
Delivering projects well is the first step in developing further opportunities, but it’s not enough. We need to be proactive in building relationships, understanding our clients and their objectives, and positioning ourselves as trusted advisers.
Course overview
Adapted from our popular ‘Selling Skills’ training, this course is focused on client retention and introduces the tools and skills required to strengthen and broaden client relationships. Participants will practice different tasks in role-play scenarios.
Who’s it for?
Anyone who has a responsibility for retaining and building upon existing client relationships, whether to uncover new opportunities or deliver existing projects.
Course format
Aimed at developing long-term client relationships, this is a a practical full day workshop ideally aimed at groups of 12 participants.
Outcomes
Participants will find they are in a better position to assess and build on client relationships. They will learn:
to recognise what works with different personality types
to develop loyalty
and to become a trusted advisor.
They will become more confident to progress face-to-face conversations that will lead to a greater number of business development opportunities.
Download our Free Guide
Account Management Training Designed for the Professional and Engineering Services
We are a business development consultancy which is passionate about helping our clients develop processes, skills and behaviours that will result in increased sales and improved margins.
Upskill your team in how to win more work with our series of live webinars aimed at delivering the key points and latest thinking in Business Development and Client Relationship Management.
‘Selling’ can be a dirty word for some of our clients, but without the ability to sell we will struggle to be successful. Our sales training has been developed over years into an approach designed for our technically-minded clients. Courses include presentation and pitching, sales conversations and negotiation skills.
Bids & tenders
Learning how to write a winning bid is one of the most important business skills you can acquire. The layout, language and style you use may make the difference between a successful bid and one that comes close. See Courses
Interested in Espresso Shot Learning?
Please complete the form and we will be in touch.
Please complete the form and we will be in touch.
Please complete the form and we will be in touch.
Please complete the form and we will be in touch.
Please complete the form and we will be in touch.
RETAIN
Client management
Existing clients pay your wages. Proactive client management ensures that you deliver services on time and on budget while meeting their expectations and nurturing a positive working relationship.
Client development
Delivering projects well is the first step in developing further opportunities, but it’s not enough. We need be proactive in building relationships, understanding our clients and their objectives, and positioning ourselves as trusted advisers.
Raising up leaders
Questas offers both one-to-one coaching and leadership training courses. This both embeds newly learned skills and establishes a culture of strong, skilled leadership. See Courses
CREATE
Reputation
According to research, your reputation – and that of your organisation – is the most important factor for clients when choosing who to consider for projects.
Relationships
People matter. It’s people (in most cases!) who make decisions. A strong network of relationships with clients, influencers and referrers will go a long way to helping you create opportunities for work. See Courses
