By Layne Davlin, Founder and CEO of NetPEO

Are your customers buying all of the products and services from you that they could be? What other services could you be selling? Are you reaching your earning potential with each of your clients, or is a competitor earning your commission?

A good broker should know the answers to these questions.

In today's busy marketplace, brokers are trying to increase their sales by going out and finding new customers. Pounding the pavement may have worked in the past, but working your current client base for leads is the most efficient way to increase your business.

The hardest task in any business is to attract new prospects, so why do the hardest, most time consuming task first? Why not try to sell more services to the clients who already know you and trust you?

Smart brokers want to retain clients and build business with them by providing more of a "total solution" to their business needs. Take a look at expanding your commission-generating opportunities with services that are not a considerable departure from your current portfolio.

By selling services other than just insurance, you have the opportunity to improve your position in your client's value chain.

Consider the HR outsourcing industry. The HRO industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the country. HROs and, more specifically, professional employer organizations (PEO), can handle payroll tasks, benefits administration, all human resources related functions, and even risk management for a client. Brokers can make extra income just by identifying and providing a service that fills their clients' needs. By providing these new and valuable services, you have the chance to move from simple service provider to trusted advisor status with your client.  

To get started, take a look at your customer list. Mark the ones who have not purchased anything from you in the last year. Next, mark the ones who only buy one of your products or services regularly but could buy others. You can make your existing client relationships more profitable just by identifying and providing a service that helps their business. Ask your current customers these questions:

• What are their goals?
• What are they trying to accomplish?

How do you fit into their overall plan? One-time customers become long-term clients when you better understand their complete needs. This method will decrease the number of customers you lose each year, not only because you're keeping in touch with them, but also because you're interested in their business and their needs, not just what you can sell to them.

Remember, selling is all about problem solving. If your customer has a problem or a need, and your products and services can fill that in a cost-effective way, you will most likely get the sale. Stay focused on what you can do for your current customers to help them attain their goals.

Simultaneously, take a look at your goals as a service provider. If you could make more money today just by servicing the clients you already have, why wouldn't you? Keep abreast of industry trends and make sure your portfolio of services is current and beneficial to all of your clients.

If brokers are not forward-thinking when considering the providing a PEO/HRO solution, they may lose potential commissions to a competitor who offers a more comprehensive set of services. Why let someone sell to your clients? Ask yourself, how much money am I leaving on the table? Then make a plan to remedy that situation today.

Layne Davlin is leading the national sales team with bold new strategies, reinventing the way PEO services are bought and sold. NetPEO is an HR brokerage firm that matches companies with the PEO that best suits that company's specific needs. Over the last two decades, Mr. Davlin has worked in several sales and senior management positions within both private and publicly traded PEOs. (866) 4- NetPEO; info@netpeo.com.