When they ask for referrals or introductions they assume that their colleagues see the benefits of what they are promoting as clearly as they do. Sometimes they also just assume that because what they're offering makes the firm money their colleagues will automatically support them.

But for the majority of professionals their first allegiance is to their client. Unless they are sure that something their colleagues are promoting really is of benefit to their clients they won't actively cross-sell it. That goes for new complex products they don't fully understand – and it also goes for new partners or staff members who they don't fully know.

Ian

I hadn't considered “know, like and trust” as a barrier in cross-selling but I can certainly see it in professional practices where lack of knowledge creates uncertainty.

Thinking about it, I have seen it with some of the fancy tax savings schemes that accountants promote which are legal but open to challenge.

While the tax partner may have confidence because they understand, the audit and accounts partners just worry about the damage to client relationships if it all goes wrong.

Cross-selling is one of the holy grails of professional services – but so few firms do it well. One of the key issues is that professions are simply not aware of what their colleagues in other service areas do – or if they are, they don’t trust them e…

How the concept of Know, Like and Trust can be applied internally across functions and teams to drive major improvemeents in cross-selling…