How To Ask for Client Referrals | Best Sales Training

You know that referrals are the best way to get new clients. To get the best referrals, you need more than naturally occurring word of mouth. You need to have a program to actively encourage referrals in multiple ways.

You’d think that clients would give you referrals because they like you or your service. However, it doesn’t always happen this way. To have a top practice you must do more than produce good work and wait for referrals to follow.

Some clients are just more likely to give referrals than are others. When you identify someone who is liberal with their referrals, cultivate them. They will be worth several people who like you just as much but aren’t in the habit of giving referrals.

Ask for Referrals

You need to set up a regular system of asking for referrals. In addition to calling current clients and asking them for referrals, you can call past clients and ask them for the names of people who might need your service. Often, they also turn out to be interested in trying you again.

A good time to ask for referrals is when people compliment you. A woman said that her clients sometimes thank her effusively for helping them with their money situations. She tells them “The best way to thank me is to send your friends who might need the same help.”

Reward Referrals

While you can’t “pay” people for referrals, you can reward them in some ways. One accountant holds an annual dinner for his referral relationships. After dinner, he takes a few moments to thank everyone for sending referrals. A lawyer I work with always sends a letter of appreciation. You certainly should thank them and try to send them referrals in turn, so long as the quality of work and reputation is of high caliber. Or you may be able to do business with them yourself. You can also arrange meetings between clients who might do business with each other.

Conclusion

You may think of asking for referrals as an admission of weakness—that you want more business. But if you don’t ask for referrals, why should people assume that you want them? If you’re established in business, you need to be clear that you want more business. Asking can also show your strength. People understand that you may want to grow your business or obtain more clients of a certain type.