If getting plenty of referrals was really that easy, everyone would be doing it. So what does it take?
Last week in preparation for some meetings with company leaders, I thought again about who I’ve worked with over the years and why they have and haven’t got the large increase in referrals they wanted.
If you’re not getting the quality and amount of referrals you want, be brutally honest with yourself and look carefully for what you need to address:
1. OPEN
- To learning, coaching and changing. Most people consider themselves to be quite coachable, but the truth is many of us are not that open to doing things differently. This is partly because sometimes it means we have to admit that we’re not very good at something or that part of our business is weak or that – heaven forbid – we’re not perfect!
Are you really willing to grow your business differently? Some advisors are not open to get out of their comfort zone by asking or put in the time needed to develop great centres of influence. Resistance to change is human. Is it getting in your way?
2. EARNED
Nobody refers business as usual. I worked recently with an adviser in California who struggled to get referrals at first because he had been too transactional over the years with many of his clients. Not until his service improved and he spent more time building stronger relationships with his clients did he start to get good feedback such that he knew he had earned the right to ask for referrals.
What kind of value do you hear your clients tell you they are getting from working with you?
3. MOTIVATION
The spoils almost always go to the most motivated. How jazzed are you about your goals? Drive helps you persist on those flat days and work on your referral asking when the results don’t go as desired.
How enthusiastically do you talk about what you do? Sales is a transfer of enthusiasm and you are a magnet – positive, negative or neutral. People are much more likely to recommend you when they can tell you enjoy what you do.
Are you willing to invest money in getting better at referrals? The only people I coach who see results almost always pay for it themselves.
Do you have a job or a vocation? As I wrote about recently when I summarized Daniel Pink’s book, Drive, purpose is a motivator. The more you connect your livelihood to helping others and making a difference, the more compelling and congruently you will communicate. This makes you a more effective asker (see point 5).
4. BELIEF
I think this is the most important point. The stronger you believe in how much you can help others, the sillier it gets not to ask for referrals. Why on earth would people not refer you? Why on earth would you not ask?
If you don’t like the result you are getting with referrals, it is because you have a belief somewhere that is not helping.
Your belief in yourself will push you to keep asking for bigger and better, to stop playing small, to show more courage, and to get out of your comfort zone.
Your end goal is to expect others to recommend you. (This won’t happen every time, but so what?) When you ask and expect others to help, you are infinitely more likely to get a favourable response.
5. ASK
- For what you want. I know this sounds screamingly obvious but most advisors do not ask for referrals. Yet you cannot grow a business solely on unsolicited business. You cannot get all you want in life without asking. The obstacles are almost all in points 1-4.
(If you use lack of time as an excuse, that’s another smokescreen for not taking responsibility to make changes and to think big enough that you are capable or deserving to get the results you say you want).
6. WORDING
It does make a difference what you say. For quite a few advisers the one obstacle is simply that they have never found wording they can get comfortable with.
Read through the 6 Steps to a Fearless Referral Conversation either from my blogs or my book and make sure you use at least the steps about being specific and making sure your referral source is comfortable with how to open the door for you.
7. PRACTICE
How many hours have you put into developing an effective referral conversation? How else can you hope to play the tune? Remember, knowing isn’t doing. Only action (practice) counts.
8. HABITS
Is asking a habit for you? Do you pre-plan what you want to ask for before you hold meetings? Ultimately you want to hardwire your brain so that asking for referrals is second nature. This might take a while, but since it’s everyone’s favourite way to get business, isn’t it worth it?
Please forward this on.
Author: Matt Anderson, The Referral Authority, Author of Fearless Referrals
Copyright 2011.
Tags: Matt Anderson, Referrals: Clients
