Cross-Serving: Don't Call It Cross-Selling

Source: CPA Practice Management Forum

In this article, Sally Glick observes that many CPAs are uncomfortable with the idea of “cross-selling.” They liken it to the experience of buying a product and then being badgered by a salesperson to buy some enhancement that you don't want or need (like waterproofing for a new leather jacket).

But, Glick says, a CPA firm offering additional services to an existing client is not the same thing. That's why the term “cross-serving” is more accurate. When CPAs offer additional services, they're not trying to sell clients something they don't need. Rather, Glick explains, as trusted advisors, CPAs are “trained to look ahead, anticipate issues, and be available to guide [their] clients as they make critical business decisions. In some cases, this will require additional services.”

Rather than be uncomfortable with cross-serving, CPAs should be confident that they're adding value that their clients not only appreciate, but expect.

A big obstacle to cross-serving for many CPAs is a lack of familiarity with the range of services their firms offer, a problem that's exacerbated as firms grow, merge with other firms, and add new services. For this reason, internal communication about a firm's capabilities is critical to effective cross-serving. One firm even hosts an annual “Cross-Serving Fair” – sort of like an internal trade show, complete with display booths, where various practice groups introduce their services to others in the firm.

For the complete article, read “You Can Market to Existing Clients.”

From CPA Practice Management Forum, Vol. 9, No. 8, August 2013, p. 16.