Keep the Referrals Coming

A key method of our survival in the business and retail world is referrals. Referrals are always nice, because they come from someone on the outside of your company who has enough trust and faith in you to refer someone in your direction.

When we receive a referral from someone, it seems like an easy way to get a sale, but keep in mind, referrals don't come without first building relationships with your current customers, and within your business community.

There are several ways to get referrals, but perhaps the easiest way to get them is from the people closest to you, the people right in front of you. Your current customers.

Your current customers will refer you business solely on your past treatment of them. If you treat your customers with kindness and sincerity, give them good products, and treat them as a person and not as a statistic, why on earth would they not refer their friends and family to you.

The extra couple of minutes you spend with your customer to make sure that they are happy and satisfied when they leave the table should result in a few referrals coming your way.

Think about it. Referrals just for being nice.

Another thing to keep in mind when it comes to getting referrals from your customers, is to just flat out ask them to refer you someone.

There are two ways you can go about doing this;

If you have a new customer and you have just wrapped up a sales session with them, thank them for their business and hand them two business cards. One is for them, for obvious reasons. And the other is to give to a friend or family member that may be in need of your services.

Trust me, you won't run into any objections, and this is a great way to keep your business card in circulation.

Another thing you can do with your current customers is call them from time to time. Say quarterly or every six months. Tell them that you are calling them to follow up, or to make sure that they are satisfied with your services. Then go on to explain to them that you are also calling to see if they have anyone in mind that may be in need of your services that they can refer. If they say no, than leave it at that, kindly thank them for their time, and hang up the phone.

A great way to obtain referrals is to join community-based organizations.

Here are few for you to consider:

Lions club, rotary club, coaching little league sports, Chambers of commerce, and church involvement.

The above-mentioned organizations are a great resource for obtaining referrals once you have established yourself within the group. They also give you the opportunity to build relationships and make a few friends with some of the business leaders within your community.

I always saw them as a great way to break up the monotony of your work week. The majority of these groups often meet once a week for lunch at local restaurants for an hour or so.

Keep in mind these luncheons are not free, so make sure they fit into your budget.

Once you receive a referral, make the most of it. Don't take it for granted. Call the person immediately, or make time to sit down with them at a time convenient for them

Remember, once a person refers someone to, you are automatically representing not only your company, but you are representing the person that referred you, and you want to make a good impression.

Imagine if someone was referred to you by one of your business associates, and you never followed up with them, or just let the information sit around for a few days, or your service was less than satisfactory. Do you think that person would ever refer someone to you again? Doubtful.

So when you get a referral, make the most of it, make sure the person doing the referring knows that you are taking the referral seriously and that you are doing everything you can in your power to satisfy that potential customer. It will keep the referrals coming.

There are people in business and in sales who have built such good reputations for themselves, that all of their business comes from referrals. They got to this point through years of hard work, networking, and providing excellent customer service. Make it your goal to get to this point. Hopefully, some of the above-mentioned ideas will help. Good luck!

Jay Conners has more than fifteen years of experience in the banking and Mortgage Industry, He is the owner of http://www.jconners.com, a mortgage resource site, he is also the owner of http://www.callprospect.com, a mortgage lead company.

---

When the Nose of the Camel is in the Tent

My new job was to sell Commercial Service Agreements. It... Read More

Sell More Products and Services with Testimonials

Testimonials are all-important to sell anything. You may already have... Read More

Everything in Life is Selling

Robert Louis Stevenson said 'Everything in Life is Selling' and... Read More

What Are Car Boot Sales?

If you live in England then you will already be... Read More

Breaking the Ice and Winning Over the Client

Wherever you turn these days you'll find articles covering every... Read More

Powerful Words

Hi, I'd like to discuss the most powerful words you... Read More

What is a Pitch?

I've been training in countries outside the U.S. recently, and... Read More

The Email Blow-Off

This week's article is my response to a question by... Read More

It Isnt A Sale Until Youre Paid

Back in the days when I sold for CTV and... Read More

Doomed Before You Dial?

Several weeks ago, I conducted a "Mastering the Cold Call"... Read More

Take the Contract with You

I learned something very interesting this week. Thankfully, what I... Read More

The Truth Behind Linear Selling: Why It Can Make Prospects Run The Other Way

Sean works for a major telecom company.During one of our... Read More

Tips for Increasing Your Profits with Gift Certificates

Offering gift certificates is an excellent way of increasing sales... Read More

Female Mannequins: An Overview

Female mannequins are very common in clothing stores. They are... Read More

Cold Calling Pressure Reduction

Who likes cold calling? Most salespeople don't like cold calling,... Read More

I Am A Habit

JOHN DI LEMME on "I Am A Habit"H-A-B-I-T...When 95% of... Read More

Six Simple Steps for Getting More Applications

When I first started out as a loan officer, one... Read More

Going Global: Communication Across Mental Boundaries

A completed communication consists of a sender and a receiver.... Read More

Restaurant Pressure Washing

Many pressure washing companies try to stay away from the... Read More

Throw Out Your Selling Language - Unlock Your Natural Voice

I was sitting at my desk last week when my... Read More

People Buy People So Sell On Relationships

(Objection handling tips excerpted from Objections! Objections! Objections!)People buy people.... Read More

Sell With KISS, As In Keep It Simple, Stupid

One of the most useful and fundamental communications lessons that... Read More

How Sellers Can Take Control

For centuries ? at least since the serpent convinced Eve... Read More

Consumer Effort And The Purchase Decision

It is a basic tenet of behavioral psychology that people... Read More

How To Improve Your Voice

VOICEThe Image the customer has of the Salesperson is vital.... Read More

8 Part Strategy For Constructing Your Advertising Message

Strategies to help produce your brochure, advertisment or direct mail.... Read More

Marketing Conversations, And Conversation Stoppers

Where many marketing conversations get off-track are the ones you... Read More

How To Get Your Mail Past The Gatekeeper And Into The Hands Of The Decision Maker GUARANTEED

There are several ways to get your information into the... Read More

Lock, Stock, and Barrel!

The other night I was watching a classic western from... Read More

Business Lessons Learned At The Mall

Normally in this column I dispense highly-intelligent small business advice... Read More

Clear Up Blurry Communication

One of the top brewing companies in America is a... Read More

When Selling, Keep It Simple Stupid!

After our first half-hour telephone coaching session, when asked what... Read More

How To Sell Your Products or Services on Value And Stop Selling On Price Alone

Have you ever met with, or talked to a prospect... Read More