EASY AND EFFECTIVE… every successful Sales person I have ever worked with or interviewed has one constant. Their largest source of business comes from their Past Clients and Centers of Influence. Regardless of their various products and the advertising used, the “people they know” always show up as being the most productive source. It would follow then that every great Salesperson needs to keep adding to that list of people who give you business. What is surprising though is that almost every Salesperson (including the most successful) is guilty of not asking for referrals consistently. It seems that there is a hesitancy to offer your services to the people you meet.
Here is your ACTION STEP… why is it that Salespeople are hesitant to ask for referrals? Most answers to that question always end up at this bottom line… Avoidance of Rejection. When you break down all the reasons it always seems come back to that (including the “I don’t want to seem pushy” reason). All you need is an easy way to be comfortable to ask for referrals. Here is one that has passed the test thousands of times and it really works…
ASKING FOR REFERRALS
Every time you meet someone new, someone who has performed a service for you, do the following:
Hand them two of your business cards and say,
“Thank you for the great service, if there’s anything I can do for you or someone you care about… please give me a call.”
My goodness Bruce that’s too simple… there’s got to be more to it than that! Well… there isn’t. Do it with everyone you meet (waiters, store clerks, professionals, Starbucks clerks, dry cleaners, etc.)… everyone. What have you got to lose? Absolutely nothing and everything to gain. Besides, what’s the worst that could possibly happen? They could ignore you or say no. Big deal, you are in the Sales profession and people need what you have to offer. Make it a rule to hand out a minimum of 10 business cards every day (two cards each, one for them and one for a referral) and be sure to ask for their referrals. NO Excuses.