Thoughts about Referrals and Cross-selling

[Updated April 2025]

Turning Conversations into Opportunities: How Better Lobby Supports Cross-Selling in Credit Unions

A few years ago, The Financial Brand published a powerful series called “What Banks and Credit Unions Can Learn From One Another.” One article in particular stood out: the importance of cross-selling—the ability to connect members with additional products and services they genuinely need.

At Better Lobby, we believe cross-selling isn’t about pushing—it’s about understanding the member and being ready to help. That’s why we built our New Accounts and Cross-Selling tools to give credit union managers clear visibility into how staff are performing in this area.

The 3 Key Takeaways for Better Cross-Selling

According to BlueSpire Marketing, successful cross-selling comes down to three key strategies:

  1. Know your sticky products – These are the services that keep members coming back, like checking accounts with direct deposit or online banking tools.

  2. Use targeted marketing – Don’t try to sell everything to everyone. Use data to connect members with what’s relevant to their life stage or needs.

  3. Set clear goals for staff – Employees should know what success looks like—and have tools to track it.

How Better Lobby Helps Credit Unions Do This

Better Lobby makes cross-selling easier and more trackable with built-in tools that:

  • 🧾 Capture the reason for a member’s visit during check-in

  • 🧑‍💼 Let staff log referrals or product conversations during the visit

  • 📊 Provide reports that show which staff are making referrals, which products are offered most, and what’s converting into real accounts or services

  • 🔁 Track repeat visits and long-term engagement

This data gives managers the insight they need to coach staff, reward top performers, and identify missed opportunities.

It’s Not About Selling—It’s About Helping

When done well, cross-selling builds trust. It means telling a member, “Since you just opened a savings account, would you like to set up automatic transfers to make saving easier?” That’s not a pitch—that’s good service.

Better Lobby helps credit unions turn quick visits into meaningful conversations that benefit both the member and the credit union.

Using Visit Purpose Data to Personalize Service

Every time a member walks into your branch, it’s a chance to build a stronger relationship. But to truly serve members well, your staff needs more than a smile—they need insight into why the member is there and what their history looks like.

That’s where Better Lobby’s Visit History feature comes in.

What Is Visit History?

Built into the main service queue of Better Lobby, Visit History shows a complete record of a member’s previous visits, including:

  • 🗓️ Date and time of each visit

  • 📍 Branch location they visited

  • 🧾 Service requested (e.g., new account, loan inquiry, card replacement)

  • 👤 Staff member who helped them

  • 📝 Internal notes from the visit

This feature gives credit union staff a clear picture of how each member is interacting with your services—making it easier to offer personal, meaningful support.

Why Visit History and Cross-Selling in Credit Unions Matter

When staff can quickly see a member’s recent visits, they can:

  • ✅ Pick up where a previous conversation left off

  • ✅ Avoid repeating questions the member has already answered

  • ✅ Proactively suggest services the member might benefit from

  • ✅ Spot patterns that show how the member is using the credit union

For example, if a member came in twice in the past month to ask about loan options, the staff can offer to schedule a full appointment with a loan officer—or send helpful resources via email.

A Better Experience for Members and Staff

Visit History helps your team:

  • Be more prepared

  • Deliver faster, more relevant service

  • Build trust and rapport with members over time

And for members? It feels great to be recognized and helped by someone who remembers you—not treated like a brand-new stranger every time.

Final Thoughts on Cross-Selling in Credit Unions

Credit union service isn’t one-size-fits-all—and it shouldn’t feel that way. Better Lobby’s Visit History feature gives your staff the tools to understand your members better and serve them with care and confidence.

By using visit purpose data to guide conversations, your credit union can turn everyday transactions into long-term relationships.

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The following section is the original post from February 2014. While some product names and screenshots may be outdated, we’ve kept it here for historical reference.

The Financial Brand recently published a series of articles that are thought provoking  “What Banks and Credit Unions Can Learn From One Another”. The “art of cross-selling” segment resonated with us, because our Better Lobby/New Accounts product provides CU Managers with help measuring staff performance in the area of referrals and Cross-selling.

The Key Takeaway from the Financial Brand discussion (written by BlueSpire Marketing) is” (1) Know your sticky products, (2) Employ highly targeted marketing, and (3) Make sure your staff know what their goals are.

For the Cross-selling article go to http://thefinancialbrand.com/36383/cross-selling-banks-credit-unions/

For the entire series, start at http://thefinancialbrand.com/28210/content-marketing-tips-for-banks-and-credit-unions/