BAD REFERRALS… Lady Gaga's number one hit, "Bad Romance" made her an incredible amount of money. A "Bad Referral" is not nearly as lucrative, quite the opposite. Unfortunately there is no money to be made when Salespeople are presented with a "Bad Referral". When our Past Clients are kind enough to send us a referral sometimes they just don't work out! This happens for all kinds of reasons (unrealistic expectations, bad attitude, lack of motivation, etc.) Regardless, this presents us with not one…but two problems… #1. We have to stop working with the "Bad Referral" ASAP ; & #2. We have to tell our Past Client … "thanks but no thanks". For some reason, problem #2 seems to be the toughest one to deal with. Often we will hang onto someone we would normally not spend time with because we do not want to offend our Past Client. This is unwise strategy.
Here is your ACTION STEP… let's solve both these problems individually….
1. The Bad Referral: "I am sorry I am not going to be able to help you. I appreciate the opportunity to have worked with you… let me wish you all the best in your endeavors." [at this point you might consider referring them to another Salesperson for a 25% referral fee]
2. The Past Client: "I just wanted to give you an update on the Johnsons. It doesn't look like I'm going to be able to help them [do not tell them why… that is lose-lose, for sure]. It is important to me that you know how much I appreciate your sending me business. You are my client/friend/acquaintance and I value your loyalty very highly. Thank you so much for keeping me in mind…{C} it is people like you that have helped me make my business success. Thanks again."
The real key here is for you to always remember that you should never compromise your time just because somebody sent you a "Bad Referral". You are the professional and it is your job to do the prequalifying… not theirs. Remember…they didn't know what they were sending you. They thought they were helping. Just say thanks and move on. NO Excuses.