Which would you rather do to acquire new clients?
A) Prospect, cold call, etc.
B) Have them contact you, already predisposed to advertising with you.
No sane human would possibly select “A” over “B.”
But how do you get business owners with whom you’ve had no previous contact to call you?
By way of referral.
Business owners and entrepreneurs have friends who also are business owners and entrepreneurs. They talk to each other. When they find a good supplier, vendor or professional resource, they recommend it to others.
Recently a friend called to ask my advice. He was looking for a local hotel at which to hold a professional event. Knowing that I’ve produced quite a few such events over the years, he thought I might have some suggestions.
I recommended a hotel I’ve used several times — a Doubletree Hotel in Los Angeles. I gave him the name of their sales manager and told him to tell her I suggested that he call.
This was not a big event. I doubt it would have meant more than a few hundred dollars to the hotel.
But a week later, I received a package from the hotel’s sales manager: a gift tin of the Doubletree’s famous chocolate chip cookies, along with a “thank you” note for referring my friend.
Three points to consider:
1. My friend had not yet become one of their customers. The thank-you gift was sent simply for my referring a potential customer, not necessarily for helping them make a sale.
2. Do you have a system in place that automatically kicks in whenever one of your clients recommends you? If not….Why not?
3. You do not have to wait for a referral to come floating into your office. As a matter of habit, you should ask every satisfied client for referrals.
The Wrong Way: “Say, uh, do you know anybody else who might want to advertise with us?”
The Right Way: “John, please do me a big favor and write down the names and phone numbers of three people you know who also could use my help in growing their businesses.”
But….
“I could never do that,” you say. “That would seem so…pushy.”
No, it wouldn’t. Not if you make that request of a satisfied client.
Think about your own experiences:
When you discover something that adds to your life or to your business success, don’t you readily recommend it to friends? How about when you discover a great new restaurant, or a website you love, or a movie that enthralled you?
If you’re like most people, you regularly and cheerfully give unsolicited referrals to all sorts of people and businesses.
Yes, at first you will be uncomfortable asking for referrals. No, the satisfied client will not mind being asked and, in fact, might be flattered.
Note the wording of my suggested request:
“Write down the names and phone numbers of three people….”
If you ask for “some” or “any,” you might get one. If you ask for three, you’ll probably get three.
Cool Intro: When the client gives you three names, you say: “I promise I’ll call each of them right away.”
Let’s say the client’s name is Stan Ameche. And Stan has suggested that you call Steve Arbuckle.
Guess how you begin your “cold call” (which no longer is cold; it’s been warmed up for you)? You begin by saying:
“Steve? My name is Ed Salesperson, and I promised Stan Ameche I’d give you a call today….”
And how do you get past the gatekeeper?
YOU: “Ed Salesperson for Steve Arbuckle, please.”
GATEKEEPER: “May I ask what this is regarding?”
YOU: “Just tell Steve that Stan Ameche wanted me to call him today….”
Or, of course, you can go back to cold-calling businesses out of the Yellow Pages. It’s your choice.
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Good Advice, we tend to forget to self promote & network