The last 18 months or so have been challenging for many salespeople.  Because of this, I want to help you and your salespeople work smarter by discussing a crucial business element designed to take business from your competition: Referrals. 

 

Throughout my career, I have met, trained, consulted and presented to more than 5,000 salespeople.  And I can tell you unequivocally that I have never met a highly competitive salesperson satisfied with the number of referrals from their client or business professional network.

 

Getting Referrals Is A Planned Marketing Event.

 

To help you and your sales team become more successful at receiving referrals, I have listed below eight tips that will make getting them not only easy, but a part of your everyday sales culture.

 

Tip# 1. Ask Everyone You Meet To Give You Their Business Card: I am amazed at the number of salespeople that do not ask for a business card when they are at a meeting, sales call or business network.  There is nothing wrong with handing out your business card and asking for one in return.  Once you receive a business card, add the person's contact information into your drip marketing database.  Make sure you code each person you add to your database so you know that they are referral source.

 

Tip# 2. Make An Effort To Do A Favor For Someone: The old cliché what goes around comes around is alive and well in the sales profession.  If you want to become more successful, all you have to do is help enough people get what they want; just don't do favors so that people feel obligated to do something for you.  This is something we detailed in some of our previous newsletters about "The Law of Reciprocity."   

 

When you are on a sales call, look for opportunities to help your prospects make or save money by solving their current business problems.  Remember, you need to be an industry expert when it comes to selling what you sell.  Once you do that, people will beat a path to your door and send you referral after referral.

 

Tip# 3. Show A Direct Interest In Others: One thing top sales producers have in common is that they take a direct interest in their prospective buyers' world.  How do they do this?  They ask questions that show more than a casual interest in people, such as:

 

• What can I do to help your client's business right now?
• Why did you go into business for yourself?
• If you had a magic wand, what are the top three challenges or problems you would make disappear for your clients this coming year?
• What are the biggest problems you have with the ___________ you are recommending to your clients?

HINT: Please stop talking after you ask these questions and start listening.

 

Tip# 4. Stay Close To Those That Can Influence A Sale: While sales influencers may not be the final decisionmaker, they do have a lot of pull with them.  Decision makers may be a CPA who influences the business owner, someone sitting on the board of directors or an association president who can send an endorsement to his or her members.  Keep everyone in your drip marketing efforts by sending information that is relevant to them - even if you have to customize it for a particular group.  

 

Tip# 5. Don't ASSUME You Are Going To Get A Referral From Someone: Like most business owners, I enjoy sending business in the direction of salespeople who are an expert at what they do AND give great customer service.  Nevertheless, like most referral givers, I appreciate a "Thank You."  Yes, it is that simple.

 

Tip# 6. Stay In The Mind's Eye Of Your Referral Network: As the founder of the DRIP Marketing System, I encourage our clients to send a continuous stream of relevant information to their network.  It is also okay to send tickets to a game, inexpensive paperback books, cookies, candy, magazine subscriptions, etc.  If you know someone who had a write-up in a newspaper or magazine, clip it out and drop it in the mail with a short congratulatory note.  This simple gesture can be extremely powerful.

 

Tip# 7. Send Leads To Those Who Send You Business: People like it when a lead comes their way.  Even if the lead does not result in a sale, it still makes the other person think of you.   

 

Tip# 8. DRIP, DRIP And Then DRIP Again: No matter how successful you are in sales, I assure you there is a good chance you are still under-leveraged from a referral standpoint.  To maximize your selling power year after year, I suggest sending a continuous stream of well-written e-mail and direct mail marketing messages to your complete network every week or, at a minimum, every other week.  Plus, you need to send press releases and lumpy mail packages too.  If you are a client of ours, you know how easy we make it for you.

 

Executive Summary: The #1 thing you can do to improve the referrals is to prove to your database of referral sources that you are an expert in your industry.  Then ask your referral network to recommend you should they ever run into someone they know that would benefit from your products or services.  Additionally, I also recommend developing a formal referral program complete with marketing material specifically written for your target audience.  No matter what you do, make getting referrals a planned marketing event.