Rocket Fuel - Do you have a referrals strategy?
This week, I'm going to start with a little question: How would you like to get sales without doing any cold calling, or all of the donkey work that you usually have to do to generate a lead? I bet you're saying YES right now.
This week, I'm going to start with a little question:
How would you like to get sales without doing any cold calling, or all of the donkey work that you usually have to do to generate a lead?
I bet you're saying YES right now.
And if someone had asked that question of me, I'd have said yes as well!
I'm going to let you into a little secret: there is a way of doing this, and that is by using the power of referrals.
I'm sure you've all had a referral passed to you before - you know, when someone you know very well says "can you speak to such and such, they're looking for your services/products".
You make the call, you have a meeting, and the sales process is really straight forward and easy because that new client has already bought into you and your work via the person who has recommended you for the job.
And if you're anything like me, it's very, very rare that those referrals don't turn into a piece of business.
So, what can we do to actually get more referrals?
It's a good question, and here's where having a strategy behind getting good referrals becomes key.
I have a number of referral partners that I work with, and these are people with whom I proactively meet up; they are people who I know, like or trust; a lot of them are people that I've done business with for quite some time; I've used their services and they've used mine, and we have a mutual trust.
But most importantly, they were also chosen because of the target market that we're all working in, so it becomes an easy way to help each other and our respective businesses.
So I actively have a process and a strategy for working out who the best people are for me to have referral partnerships with, building and developing those relationships, nurturing those, and really making it an action point to actively help each other.
The majority of my business comes from either referrals or repeat business from an existing client, and I'd say it's about a 50/50 split between the two.
So, have a think about the power of referral partnerships, and if you don't have a referral strategy in place then now is the day to start!
If you'd like any additional help on this, give me a call or drop me an email: julie@thesalesace.co.uk
See you soon!
