I get it. You want referrals. You love referrals. So do I. Everyone in business loves referrals. But, asking for referrals is problematic. Most people don’t like to ask! Why? Three reasons.
- First: ‘Head Trash’. There’s a meta-program running between our ears and above our shoulders that enables or (more often) disables our ability to do something — like generating referrals.
- Second: “No System”. Referrals aren’t an accident. You need a process to follow to generate them.
- Third: “No Skill”. The best system for generating referrals won’t generate Jack if you can’t execute on it.
Now, let’s dive into a system for generating new client opportunities for your business.
Success in generating new client opportunities requires a supportive attitude coupled with consistent behavior and a proven process to follow for getting referrals.
First, only ask people who already know, like and trust you enough to ‘hook you up’ as Hans und Franz used to say on Saturday Night Live! You already have well-connected people in your network who’d be delighted to help you. Leverage them — they are assets for you!
Second, ask for introductions to people who MAY need what you do at some point in time than if you ask for referrals to people who need what you do . . . today. You’ll generate more client opportunities if you do this.
Third, practice! Build your skill at executing a process for generating new client opportunities by actually doing it over and over again until it's second nature to you.
Combining a supportive attitude with a decent process (more on that in a moment) and a consistent 'exercise program' . . . and you’re well on your way to generating new client opportunities on a regular basis.
Your 5 Step Referral Generation Process
Let’s keep this simple.
Step 1: Identify people who are your ‘raving fans’ and who are in a complementary, non-competitive business. These people are your best candidates for finding people you can partner with to generate the new client opportunities you're seeking.
Step 2: Meet with these people . . . your preferral partner candidates. When you do, you want to quickly determine if they're ABLE and WILLING to help you grow your business through their introductions to qualified people.
Step 3: Generate preferrals — preferred introductions — to people they know who match your CVS Ideal Client profile. I'll reveal the details for doing this in my next post!
Step 4: Process the people you’re being introduced to by your partner. This simply means following your process for following-up with people you're being introduced to meet and keeping your preferral partner 'in the loop' on how their introductions are going for you.
Step 5: Lather, rinse and repeat! Once you have this system working . . . stay at it unless / until you find it's not working. Remember the old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"? The corollary is true, too. "If it's working, keep using it until it isn't!".
