Chantal

Do you know exactly what you sell to all your clients? Do you know what you don?t sell to some of your clients? Do you know where the gaps and the opportunities are?

There?s a very simple tool you can use to identify the gaps and see what else you could sell to your clients. Create a matrix (using a spreadsheet is a good way to do it) so you can list all your clients down the side and your different products or services along the top. Next, mark up which clients buy which of your products or services. Then all you have to do is look at the gaps to see which clients don?t buy particular things from you ? these are the gaps that you can fill with a bit of thought and sales planning.

I?ve constructed a simple sales matrix for our business and all our current clients. The result was very interesting to see. We write a lot of email newsletters for a lot of clients; we also write blogs and tweets for many clients. However, there are some newsletter clients who don?t have a blog or use Twitter; there are also blogging and tweeting clients who don?t have a newsletter. Why not? We have clients for whom we?re developing websites; yet they don?t have tools like newsletters, or blogs. How come? It?s all part of integrated online marketing, so it makes sense to use more of the tools available.

Now, before I have a regular meeting with any of my clients, I can do a bit of planning. I look at my sales matrix to remind myself of what we do ? and don?t do ? for that client. I can then speak to them about how we could provide that service for them and the benefit they will get from having an extra marketing tool working for them.

I shared this idea with a client who provides HR support to client in a range of forms. It helped her see exactly where there are gaps that she can fill, with some carefully planned sales. It will help her to help her clients to buy more of what she has on offer.

How do you go about selling more to your existing clients? Do you use a sales matrix or do you have other tools you use?