Reminding clients that you primarily work by referral benefits both you and them
Aren’t referrals great?
Every business person loves referrals because there’s absolutely no selling. They clients already think you’re the best because someone who they trust has told them so.
Unfortunately, most people (me included) don’t have a system or a plan for consistent, predictable sales success through referrals.
What’s up with that?
You are no doubt familiar with the email signature lines that read “I’m never to busy for your referrals!” or the business cards that say “I love referrals.” Perhaps they are in your email and on your business card.
There’s nothing inherently wrong about this. It’s just that it’s all about you.
What’s in it for your (potential) client?
Paul McCord points out that there are two main benefits to your clients when you primarily work with referred clients. You can use these clear benefits as key differentiators between you and your competitors, who cannot make the same claim.
The benefits are
- Since you don’t have to spend as much time looking for new clients (Most of your clients are referred to you), then you can better meet your client’s needs.
- You also have more time to keep up with changes and innovations in the industry, which means you can offer the most up-to-date answers and solutions.
Both of these benefits add value to your clients, and you want to remind them of this often and consistently.
In fact, Paul McCord says in his book Creating a Million Dollar a Year Sales Income
One way to do this in a comfortable, dignified way is described in his book on page 59. The suggestion is to create an outgoing message on your office and cell phones that say you work by referral.
Here’s that example:
“Hello, this is __________________ and today is (date); I’m either on the other line or meeting with a client. My clients and the referrals they send me are my most important assets and I take great pride in my professionalism and their confidence in me. I’ll return your call today between ________ and _________ or _________ and _________. If you’re a new referred client, please leave your name, your number, the best time to return your call, and the name of the person who referred you. If you’re a client calling to refer someone, please leave his or her name and number and I’ll contact him or her today at one of the aforementioned times. Thank you.”
What do you think of that?
Of course, you might modify it to reflect you and your personality, but it gets the point across of the high value you place on referrals, and you’ve consciously positioned yourself in the marketplace as different from your competitors.
