Personal recommendations and referrals are the most powerful route to making sales appointments with new customers – but is also the technique least used by most sale people. What can you do to get referrals?
In a survey, sales people gave the following answers to the question of why they so rarely work on the basis of asking their customers for a referral in order to expand their existing customer base:
“I was happy with the deal”
“I was finished”
“I didn’t want to sound like I was begging”
“I didn’t want to ask too much of the customer”
“I didn’t know how to start”
None of the above reasons is really a sound one. On the contrary, if the customer feels pleased after making a (correct) decision then they are usually very willing to show their good will towards others too. So give your customers the opportunity to pass on their good experience with you to others they know.
Once the deal is concluded and both parties are satisfied, ask your customer for a referral. He or she is likely to agree and the real advantage for you is that you can now contact a potential new customer and your status is already enhanced by the reference you can make to the referral being from your existing customer.
You can sell your customer the idea of giving you a referral by reminding him or her of the benefits and how others will appreciate what the product or service you provide can do for them. You can also point out that by finding new customers you keep your future prices down!
Training yourself to ask for referrals is a good way of opening doors and making appointments, so start asking your customers today for referrals.
