Do you have clients who are very satisfied with how you are taking care of them? If the answer is yes (and for a majority of you out there, it is), how many of these clients have you proactively asked for a referral?
The all-too common answer is “very few” or “none at all.” Sales reps and companies receive referrals every day, so they believe they are getting all the referrals they should be getting. You might be shocked to discover that there’s an additional 60% of your clients out there who will give you a referral if you just ask.
Sales reps are often reluctant to ask for referrals, even from their best clients. Why?
- They don’t want to appear “greedy.”
- They don’t want to jeopardize their current relationship.
- They don’t know how to ask.
- They don’t know when the best time is to ask.
- They forget to ask, because it’s not a priority.
The first challenge in maximizing referrals is moving past those conceptual barriers. Once that’s been done, the technique side of it becomes a breeze. Avoid catching clients off-guard; instead, make an effort very early on in your relationship to gain permission to have a conversation with them about referrals. If they are not comfortable having a referral conversation, that’s perfectly okay.
Once the expectation has been set, describe to them what the ideal referral looks like to help paint a picture for them. Too often reps hear the classic response “I can’t think of anyone right now,” and stop there. This client doesn’t have a clear picture of what you’re looking for, and they are envisioning too many people, which creates confusion.
If your team complains about how much they hate cold calls or prospecting, ask how many referrals they are asking for. If the answer is “none,” they have no room to complain about making the dreaded cold call. Are you as the sales leader reinforcing the behavior of simply asking for referrals?
Move past the head trash that surrounds asking for referrals, set expectations with your clients, and describe who the ideal referral is. You will quickly learn that by simply asking, your new opportunities will skyrocket. The fruit is hanging right in front of your sales team. Are they ready to pick it?
