referral strategy

If, while you're reading this blog, one of your friends, family or business associates found themselves face to face with someone you would want to meet, would they know? Would they think of you, recognise the connection, understand why and know what to say? 

If not, how many oppoprtunities for powerful introductions are you missing every year? 

One of the most important skills in trying to generate new referrals for your business or introductions for new jobs is to be able to equip your champions with the ability to get potential customers or employers  to want to talk to you. 

Many people focus on why they want to connect with their prospects. "Can you introduce me to xxx because I want to work for them?" The problem is that your prospects don't care what you want, they care about their own needs, their own desires. 

In one of my workshops this week one of the participants explained that he had a number of annual reviews with clients scheduled over the next couple of months. It was his plan to confirm that his clients were happy with his work over the last year and then ask them for referrals. 

"Please don't", I asked to his surprise. "They may be very happy with the work you've done and may indeed be happy to refer. But don't ask at your review meeting".

At a recent workshop one of the participants complained that she had been giving referrals and developing her network for a number of years but had never received anything in return. "It's all fine", she said of the principles I was outlining, "but it doesn't work in practice."

I like a challenge and I certainly don't want to see anyone frustrated by developing a network but feeling that they were getting nothing back in return for the hard work and effort being put in. So I asked a few questions to try to understand her situation better. 

What do you do when someone has promised you a referral but you haven't heard anything? 

It can be a very uncomfortable situation. After all, they've promised to do something for you but there's no obligation on them to follow up. If you press too hard you may well not only lose the potential introduction but damage the relationship you have. 

When I speak to many organisations about their existing referral strategies, many of them complain that they are giving referrals to Partners but receiving nothing back. Others question whether they should pass referrals in one direction as that company many not be able to reciprocate. 

Many businesses pay lip service to word of mouth marketing (excuse the pun!), relying on their customers to refer them if happy. Few employ a proactive referral generation strategy, despite the quality of lead that referrals deliver.

I discussed the need for a positive referrals strategy in this short video tip:

Why do we pass referrals to other people? I have been asked that question twice recently. What motivates us to take up our valuable time and put our reputations on the line to connect two other people together, often without any discernible personal benefit?