An opening question if you want to
ask for referrals will begin something like this: "Who do you know that could
benefit from my
services?"
This question is eerily familiar if you hang out with hungry
salespeople eager to add to their customer list. If your client is
satisfied, shouldn't they be happy to recommend your services? So
should you take the opportunity to ask and risk his ire? The answer may
surprise you.
We've all been taught to
ask for referrals. Admit it, we all love a warm referral, definitely much beter than a cold calling prospect who slams down the phone. But
are you skating on thin ice with this asking referrals approach?
Based on companies' surveys conducted over the years by comparing
referrals which were asked for against
referrals that were gladly given by
clients, the result was amazing skewed in one direction.
Referrals which were being begged for turned out to be poor clients. Of
course, not all are undesirable, some do stay around and become
life long customers. However, most simply weren't the best
type of clients to deal with. On the other hand,
unsolicited referrals are usually very receptive to your sales pitch because of an inherent trust.
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You have to realize that not all referrals are created equal. If you want the
best referrals, you have to stop asking for them, period. There are a couple of
things that can go wrong when you ask for a referral.
First, if the
person you're asking doesn't feel 100% comfortable, it will put them in
an awkward position. They will typically respond with no referrals or
poor referrals.
No one will jeopardize their social network by
referring someone that they aren't excited about.
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Now that you know
asking for referrals is not the brightest of ideas, what is the next step?
ReferralsCash suggests that you
focus your efforts on distinguishing yourself from others in
your field. Develop a peer-to-peer relationship
with your existing client so that he/she views you as a valuable
resource and advisor, instead of a pest, er, salesman.
The moment that you ask or even utter the word "referral", your client will realize that you are just
like any other salesperson. From a level playing field where you provide counsel and services for which
your client was happily paying, you disrupt the equilibrium by asking for something more, ie.
referrals. This imbalance places unnecessary pressure on your client.
In case you are mistaken, I am not stopping you from referral marketing.
Referrals
are necessary for your business but since you can't ask for them
without risking damage to clients' relationships, then what is a
business owner to do? To answer this question, you need to ask yourself
another
question. What have you done in the past to get unsolicited referrals?
Chances are that the way you gotten your best referrals was that you
gave others a reason to refer you. You provided exceptional service
and the absolute right solution. Under such circumstances, a
stranger becomes a fan.
It all starts with
choosing clients who you can best serve and then doing a phenomenal
job. It doesn't end there however. Follow-through and after sales
service (and that could be months or years) is equally important. Your
level of commitment to your client will be reciprocated.
When your client pass on a referral, again, the process doesn't end. You have two great opportunities for
getting more referrals.
1. Show sincere appreciation and gratitude
for all referrals given. Your gratitude will inspire them to continue
to help you.
2. Educate your
referral source on why this was or
wasn't a good referral for you. Tell it like it is, if a referral is
bad, let your client know about it. Otherwise, you are
destined to get more
of the same which is a waste of everyone's time and energy.
Of course,
you need to be tactful and communicate this information nicely, else
the client may think twice about passing your more referrrals.
Likewise,
if your client gives you a great referral, you want to acknowledge
to your
referral source why the referral is a good one for you. The lesson is
that
education will lead to more and higher quality referrals in the long run.