Three Ways to Win Referral Business that Most People Ignore
Have you set yourself a referral target?
In my last article, I highlighted that referrals are a very simple but effective way to win business. I also suggested that you set yourself the target of winning five referrals a week.
Remember, this target is about having five conversations a week. It’s not about winning five new customers a week! Nonetheless, if you manage five conversations a week with the right people, you may well end up with a couple of new customers every month.
Sometimes it can seem hard to find enough people to ask for referrals. So here are three little-used ways to ask for introductions.
Networking meetings
Asking for referrals is expected at networking meetings. The most effective way is first to offer a referral to the person you are talking to. Then they will both want to and feel obliged to offer a referral in return, and you can guide them to the best referral for you. Naturally, you should only do this if you feel an introduction would benefit both people involved.
Online
If you have close contacts on LinkedIn or similar forums, they can be an excellent source of referrals. Simply send them a direct message asking them if they would be happy to introduce you to connections. For even better results, specify exactly whom you would like to be connected to.
When a sales prospect says 'no' to you
Sometimes you make a sales call to a prospect and you get rejected. But that doesn’t mean that you should put the phone down immediately. It is always worth asking for a referral. You have nothing to lose. And you will be surprised at how often someone will come up with a name for you to contact.
Make sure everyone becomes involved with referrals
Set up a company scheme that rewards staff if they introduce you to someone who becomes a customer. Combine this with the three strategies above and you’ll soon find that you have plenty of people to talk to! You will easily have your five conversations per week.
P.S. Find out more ideas on how to increase sales with today’s buyers: download my free e-book “Ten Common Print Selling Errors and What To Do About Them” right now at http://profitableprintrelationships.com/e-book/ You’ll also receive my regular “Views from the print buyer” bulletin, full of ideas on how to sell print effectively. Also, for more practical sales tips like this, check out my guide on “How To Improve Your Print Sales In 23 Minutes A Week” - it includes a detailed ten-step guide to winning successful referrals.
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- Business Management - Marketing/Sales
Many printing companies are frustrated how hard it is to engage buyers in today’s world. That’s where Matthew Parker can help. He is a gamekeeper turned poacher. Parker has bought print for more than 20 years and received over 1,400 print sales pitches. He now uses his buyer’s point of view to give practical advice to printers. He helps them engage with prospects and customers to create profitable relationships.
Download his free e-book, "Ten Common Print Selling Errors And What To Do About Them" and check out his recently launched book, "How To Succeed At Print Sales: Setting targets, planning the right activities and making sure goals are met."
