Your Clients Benefit When You Ask for Referrals

Marketing

Your Clients Benefit When You Ask for Referrals
by Bill Cates



If you feel any reluctance or awkwardness about asking for referrals, it's critical you re-frame your perspective. Asking for referrals is actually another aspect of how you serve your clients. There are ways your clients benefit from giving you referrals. Once you understand this, perhaps your reluctance will subside.

There are basically four ways in which your clients benefit from the referral process.

The Hero Factor

Your clients know colleagues, friends, and their customers who will benefit from knowing you. If finding you was a good thing for your clients, many of them will want to share you with others. You have to be delivering killer service, and they have to know you value their help. Asking for referrals, in all its forms, serves your clients by helping them help others.

The Extraordinary Service Factor

You do your best to provide great service to all your clients. Right? I hope so. With the clients who provide referrals to you, do you run a little faster and jump a little higher? Of course you do. It's human nature. Your clients with a referral mindset probably already know this. That may be one reason they're giving you referrals. Others may need to be educated. As early in your relationship as possible, let them know you're building your business from referrals, and that you'll value their help when the time comes. Tell them that you provide great service to all your clients, and that you hope to serve them so well they become advocates for you. Tell them it can only be an upward spiral of good things for all.

The More Time For Service Factor

Since using referrals is the most effective way to use your prospecting time, you'll be acquiring more clients in less time. This should leave you with more time to serve these clients. You must always prospect for new clients. The nature of your business will determine how much and what types of clients you need to pursue. When you prospect through referrals, you'll have more time to serve your clients (which will probably generate more high-quality referrals) and you'll be able to use the referral process to find prospects that fit your specific client profile.

The Like/Trust Factor

People give referrals to people they like and trust. These two elements must be present. I've discovered that if you provide great service, and they like you and trust you, they'll be happy to help you. People like to help others. You're clients will take a real stake in your business if you let them.

Take the time to share your vision for your business. Do it in terms of how they will also benefit from your increasing success. Let them know you value their help, and they will play a role in your success by giving you referrals . The fact that your clients like you, trust you, and want to help you is a powerful element in the referral process. Sometimes you have to be proactive so they realize you value their help.

When I ask for referrals I usually play a combination of these factors. For instance, I quite often say, "I'm trying to build my business and I value your help. Perhaps you can help me help your colleagues."


-----------------
Bill Cates is the author of the popular book UNLIMITED REFERRALS, UNLIMITED REFERRALS MARKETING SYSTEM® and is president of Referral Coach Intl. He is considered the nation's foremost expert and speaker on increasing sales through high-quality referrals!