Think of a time when someone recommended a doctor, lawyer, dentist or the likes to you. Got it? Now, assuming you respect the person who gave you the referral, were you more or less likely to buy the services of the recommended individual? 

If you are like most, you were more inclined to buy from the recommended individual. And if you are like the majority of the people in my business audiences, most of your buying decision was made before you even spoke with anyone from the referral’s office. 

Asking for referrals is one of the quickest and easiest ways to increase your sales. It’s efficient because your clients become part of your personal sales team. When clients endorse you by giving you a referral, your sales are easier to complete because most, if not all, of their buying decision is made before they speak with you. This is what makes referrals such an effective sales strategy.

To truly leverage your referral strategy, approach your referral improvement as a two-step process:

1. Adjust your current sales behaviors

To get more referrals, look more closely at your referrals skills. Reflect on what you are doing currently and adjust your sales behaviors accordingly. For example, rank each of your referral skills on a scale of one to ten (one being poor and ten being outstanding). You might include referrals skills such as:

• Pre-positioning your future referral inquiry early in your relationship with clients 
• Asking for referrals (seems obvious but it is often  the issue)
• Providing referral triggers so clients can think of appropriate contacts more readily
• Inquiring about referrals at opportune times during the sales process

Once you have ranked your referral skills and executed your referral skill improvement plan, you increase the likelihood of getting more referrals. 

2. Focus on your referability

To make yourself even more referable, examine what you can do make it easier for clients to refer you. For example, reflect and plan how you can:

• Increase your credibility
• Share more valuable information with clients
• Build greater trust with your clients
• Ask questions that more clearly demonstrate your industry knowledge

By increasing your referability, you simplify the process of finding new clients and make it a no brainer for current clients to refer you.

When prospects are given your name as a referral, they are more likely to buy because they have more of their buying decision made than if they came to you without a referral. It’s like picking ripe fruit. Prospects, who come to you via referral, are ready to buy.   

About the Author

Peri Shawn is a sales coaching thought leader who transforms the complexity of getting salespeople to perform better into the fewest number of action steps to help them sell more. Peri’s company, the Coaching and Sales Institute (CSI), has been in the sales coaching business for 25 years and is the sales training and coaching behind the launch of such products as the debit card and Blackberry in Canada. Peri has authored Sell More with Sales Coaching (Wiley, September 2013) as well as the three corporate guidebooks.

 
Read this e-book jam-packed with tips and techniques for 2014 from your favorite sales experts.