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| How To Sell -Referrals |
- Ask! You've got to ask and don't be afraid of asking. There are people out there who want to help you. Happy clients will refer you on. Suppliers you have given business to will refer you on. People who you have given referrals to will refer you on. But, you've got to ask.
- Be specific. Help people to refer you. Give them specific information about the type of referral you want. Take time to explain your business to them so they have a better understanding of what you do and therefore a better chance of giving you a good referral. Where ever possible give them the name of the person you want to speak to, their company and why you would like to speak with them. People will more likely remember someone name, it will register with them. Even if they don't know them now, they may in the future.
- Be alert. Look around you. What's happening in your area or business community. If say for example you sell office furniture and see that a business is moving to larger premises, who do you need to speak to. Who do you know that does business with them? Read press releases in the papers and trade magazines.
- Take every opportunity. Asking for a referral is not only about having someone putting you directly in touch with the person you want to speak to, it's about taking every opportunity no matter how small to let people know you are looking for new customers. Do you ask at the bottom of emails or invoices you send out? Is it on your literature and leaflets? Let me give you an example. Recently I put on the bottom of my invoices," My business grows from referrals. Please pass on my details to anyone you believe would benefit from the services we offer." Now perhaps not the best worded (I'm sure you will do better) and not as specific as I would like BUT from that invoice run to my existing customers, I got two referrals that week - both of which were signed up. Not bad for something I was sending out anyway.
- Always follow-up. Now this is a Golden Rule. You must always follow up. Make the call. Even if the referral is not exactly what you are looking for. Make the call. Yes after you may thank the person who gave you the referral and explain why that may not have been exactly right for you. But make the call. One sure way of never getting a referral from that person again is for him to ask, "Do you get a chance to speak to so and so?" And for you to say, "It's next on my list of things to do!" That person will not refer to you again - trust me on this.
- Always thank the the person who gave the referral. Best thing is to call them and thank them personally or as a minimum, send an email. I carry some branded 'Thank you' cards with me that I had printed up. Even in this world of new technology, people still like receiving something in the post. Also if you send it to their place of work, it's likely to be put up on their desk for colleagues to see. Just a thought.
- Always look to return the favour. If they have given business to you, look to see how you can give business back to them. Someone is much more likely to refer you if you in turn are pointing customers in their direction. As Ivan Misner of Business Network International puts it, "Givers gain." It's how the world goes round.
If you don't explain to people the sort of referral that you want, better still who exactly it is you want to speak to and the fact that you are looking for referrals - how will they know? Generally business people, colleagues or friends are just getting on with their own lives or focusing on achieving their objectives. This does not mean that they don't want to help but more often that they don't know that you want or need their help.
So ask. But, how to you get to know who they know. Here are a few thoughts and ideas:
- If you don't have a Linkedin account, it would be a good idea to get one and to start inviting people to link to you. Once you have an account and have created that link, you can then see who they are linked to. You may be surprised. Set aside perhaps an hour a week to look through their contacts and see if there is anyone you would like an introduction to. While you on Linkedin, see if there are any Groups that you can join to further widen your network.
- Also on the subject of Linkedin, most people don't use their profile to sell their business. Yes they may say what the business is and what it does but very often they miss out the important bit - what you can do for your customers or what is your Unique Selling Point or what kind of customers they are looking for.
- Find out who your business contacts clients are. Is there a way you can do business together? Do you have a product that supports what they have sold them? For example, in one networking group I attend one member offers computer systems and support, another telecoms and a third Search Engine Optimisation and they regularly pass business between each other.
- On the subject of Networking Groups, have a look at joining a local one. It is always good to go along as a guest first to find out how dynamic they are as a group and to get a feel of how much business they are passing between members. There are many such organisation, perhaps Business Network International being the largest and most structured. It is also important to see if business are represented that will be of benefit to you before your join.
- Get yourself out there! Business will rarely find you so if you have something interesting to say and can do it in an entertaining and informative way - see if there are any local organisations looking for a guest speaker. (The key here though is not to sell a product or your business but to inform your audience) A friend of mine recently did a presentation to a local Woman's Guild - would you believe that she has had 24 referrals from this one presentation. So you never know who knows who!
