The cross-sell ratio currently however is at around two for most of these banks, and the idea is to push it higher. Data-mining with the likes of NCR Corporation or selling data-bases are the order of the day like in a relationship between HDFC Bank and Hutchison Max, and BPL Mobile. HDFC Bank, for instance, claims that it acquires nearly 50,000 customers every month by cross-selling.

Points out Centurion Bank's head of retail liabilities and card products, Bernard Saldanha: "We are actively pursuing the database of customers to begin a banking relationship with us. We have people who visit customers personally and cater to their varying needs and have products with different lifecycles, so that the customer stays with us," adding: "It is just a matter of perseverance and having the product-suite".

Banks are striving to pull up their cross-sell ratios in order to retain customers, and boost bottomline. And although cross selling of products is the buzzword doing the rounds in banking circles, the question that crops up is whether banks have been successful in getting their cross sell game right. HSBC has customised its home-loan product by offering customers the option of fixed and floating rates. Points an officer at HSBC: "The bank was intuitive about the customer being ready for the home loan product".

Says HDFC Bank's vice president and head-retail marketing, Mudit Saxena: "We first acquire a whole lot of customers through many of our products. And once a relationship starts, we look at it as a lifetime value. Specific programmes are run and depending on the profile and their lifetime value with us, which is the critical factor, we sell through various contact points. If the customer is younger, we sell debit cards, Internet banking and loan products etc, but if the customer is older we offer more safer services". Mr Saxena further pointed out that it is practically impossible for banks to sell all products to one customer.

Banking analysts point out that banks have to systematically pull up their cross sell ratios primarily with technology.

And even though banks today are offering a suite of products, being a one-stop-shop player for the customer, only a handful of them are able to pull down the cross sell ratio. Said a foreign banking analyst: "Few are actually doing it. Though banks offer a suite of products, in practicality there are some impediments when it actually comes to cross-selling. The banking departments work as silos and are not incentivised to sell any other product. Each department has their own set of product - this becomes a vicious circle."