Well over 90% of customers over the last decade or more have operated in the B2B world. So when it comes to maximising their client sales, it often needs to be a focus on both client management and cross-selling and up-selling.

1. The Golden Rule of ongoing client or account management is the 90-day rule, i.e. you need to take some form of proactive action to nurture and develop the relationship, and add value to the relationship at least once every 90 days. I repeat the words “Add value.”

2. Mix up your client management. Some of your clients will prefer face to face contact, others by phone, and others simply email. Learn to understand your key clients, especially to find out which form of communication they prefer and always give them more than one contact method over the year.

3. Surprise them with your knowledge. Do ongoing reading and research to understand their industry or related industries to them, so that you can share knowledge and ideas with them via email or face to face the next time you’re with them. This may not simply be telling them about their own business, but it could be a related industry that’s going to add value to their own planning moving forward. This will encourage you to read ongoing as well.

4. When planning your cross-selling, think about your client and their customers, and identify opportunities for them to grow their sales with their customers, so that all of your cross-selling suggestions are fully aligned to what your client’s long-term goals are, which could be to increase sales or to simply increase profit margins. This will increase the chances of you getting cross-selling items across the line.

5. Don’t avoid up-selling. As every business and brand develops, people want either higher specifications or higher volumes moving forward. If you don’t offer people up-selling opportunities with you, they’ll generally seek a premium solution from somebody else, which will be deeply upsetting to you long term, so don’t avoid this critical step. I repeat, so don’t avoid this critical step. Now, get out there and take action!