How to Give a Referral (And Coach Your Clients to Give You Referrals)
In the world of sales and small business, there is nothing more valuable than a referral. A lot of energy is spent positioning ourselves with our clients and colleagues so that we can take advantage of word of mouth advertising. In fact, business networking is predicated on the concept of building relationships with others so they will refer business to us. What is the best way for someone to actually refer us? For example, many of us have heard this sentence from a client: “I told my friend about you – I think they could really use your services. I gave them your phone number” We sit by the phone and wait, but unless the need is super-urgent, the call never comes. The easier we can make giving referrals, the more effective we can make it (and more likely to happen). Modern technology has the answer: email. There are two reasons for this. First of all, it creates a written record of the referral, so that the contact information is readily accessible. The second reason, probably even more important, is that the “carbon copy” function of email allows the person doing the recommending to notify both, the person they are referring and the person they are referring to, at the same time. When you send a referral email, it can be short and sweet. It should contain the following information: 1. Why you are making the referral. 2. How you know the referred and that you are carbon copying the referral on. Here is a sample email script you can use: “Hi John, I wanted to follow up on our conversation the other day. You said you were looking to build your business and I think working with a business and sales coach like David might be a big help. I met David through a networking group and I’ve had the chance to use his services – he really helped me out. You can contact at him by phone at_. I’ve also cc’d him on this email so you can contact him at the above email address. Good Luck! Lisa This works great when you are giving referrals. More importantly, this tool is vital when you are coaching your clients and contacts on how to refer potential clients to you. By having your clients and colleagues use the cc: function, you capture the prospects information. That way, if they don’t contact you, you can follow up with them, this is a powerful habit. You can also follow up when you get a referral instead of passively waiting for the phone call that might not come. By plugging up the holes in your referral pipeline, both on the giving and receiving side, you will grow your business by leaps and bounds. Secret Recipe for getting more referrals Tips by Donald: Here’s the strategy I use when times get tough in my business and I need lots of clients. This strategy has never once failed, and I guarantee it will work for you: Go to a networking group meeting. Take a notepad. Listen carefully to the others as they give their elevator pitch. Take notes. When you leave, make sure you have contact information for everyone. Over the next week, find at least one referral for each person in the group. Don’t worry about not knowing everyone. That will take care of it’s self. Go to next weeks networking meeting. Instead of presenting your company, simply hand out the referrals that you’ve collected and when you are done, say, “I am looking for a few leads myself. Marvel at how many new best friends you have, and get ready to get your business back on track. You may have noticed, I didn’t even mention elevator pitches. There’s a reason: referrals are currency in a networking economy. Better to pay it forward. |
Referral Tips |