How To Build Referrals Naturally | Best Sales Training

The most profitable marketing activity in which you can engage is building referrals. And the best way to develop referrals is getting to know all the other professionals—the bankers, bonding agents, insurance brokers, accountants, lawyers, and so on—whom your present clients utilize.

These other professionals have a natural inclination to help their clients’ businesses. And that includes meeting with you to generate new ideas for the benefit of your mutual client. During the brainstorming, business relationships get built that lead to referrals for you.

Most referrals come from people who are impressed with your work and who trust you to handle their friend well. There are three great ways to stimulate your referral sources to send you business.

Ask for a Referral

Many professionals I’ve met say they don’t want to offend their good clients by “hitting on” them for new work. The truth is the person is really too timid to ask for the referral. Every person enjoys the feeling of doing something for someone they like. So, don’t deprive your good clients of this pleasure.

Some of your clients may think you don’t have room for another client. Let them know your doors are open for business by asking for a referral. Several successful firms will write a letter periodically asking for referrals to about a third of their clients annually.

Enhance their Revenue

When you get to know your clients’ other service providers well, you can find ways to enhance their revenue. Send them a referral, include them as a team member on decisions affecting your mutual client, or do business with them.

When you enhance their revenue, you create a due bill of which you will be the beneficiary.

Stay in Contact

Asking for a referral may be difficult for a timid professional. And opportunities to enhance others’ revenue may be limited. But anyone can stay in touch.

In many interviews I’ve conducted with people who refer to professionals, they tell me they send most referrals to the professional they think of first. That means that the person who stays in touch regularly through a newsletter program, a letter campaign, a seminar, personal visits, phone calls, or for any business reason is going to capture a portion of the referral source’s mind. When you capture a share of the mind, you will get a share of their referrals.