When it comes to getting referrals proactively, that’s another thing people do as well. They think they have to wait until they have already sold something and the client is happy. And that’s not the case. I mean, when you’re talking about asking about referrals, you can do that at any stage, and at every stage, I mean, ask always, right? Why not?
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David: Hi, and welcome back. In today’s episode, co-host Kevin Rosenquist and I discuss the topic of getting referrals proactively. Welcome back, Kevin.
Kevin: Great to be here, David. How you been?
David: Been doing great. and you?
Kevin: I can’t complain. I’m doing well. Yeah, this is a good one. This is a good topic because anybody in any business can get a lot from more referrals. So, why do so many businesses sit around, waiting for referrals, instead of actively generating them.
David: I have no idea.
Kevin: Oh, thanks for joining us..
David: No, I do have an idea. Because I think we’ve probably all done it at one point or other over the years. The reason that I really think it’s important to talk about referrals is so often, I mean, I’ve done presentations at trade shows all over the country and actually around the world.
I mean like Australia and in Europe. I mean, I’ve done this with a lot of people, a lot of times over a lot of years, and very often when I talk to people and I ask them the biggest way that they grow their business, they tell me referrals.
And when I hear that, I think, “okay, that’s great, but how much business are you leaving on the table?”
Right? Because a lot of times they are doing exactly what you just described. They’re just sitting around waiting for those referrals to come in. Now, they don’t say that.
They won’t tell you that. Right? What they’ll say is, yeah, referrals. They got a lot of business from referrals. And I’m like, that’s great.
And when you get business as a result of referrals, just because you’re doing a good job and somebody hears about you, that is wonderful. But that is also extremely reactive. So that’s why we’re talking about, in this podcast, the idea of doing it proactively.
Because when you add that component to your referral-getting, you can very likely double or triple the results that you’re getting as a result of just waiting around to see who shows up at your door.
Kevin: Is it a mindset shift that needs to happen to get better at asking for referrals or feel more comfortable asking for referrals?
David: It could very well be a mindset shift. It could be that it hasn’t even occurred to people, right? It’s like, okay, referrals are like a bonus. I get referrals. I’m happy when I get them, and I don’t think about them.
But when you’re looking to grow proactively, you need to think in terms of all the different methods that you’re using to make that happen.
So if I’m doing any sort of outreach, whether it’s social media, whether it’s on the phone, whether it’s emails, whatever it is that you’re doing. You say, okay, well how can I do more of this?
And when it comes to referrals, a lot of times people say, oh, well, that’s when stuff comes in. But it’s like the old saying, I think it was Zig Ziglar who said, don’t wait for your ship to come in if you haven’t sent one out. I always love that quote.
Kevin: Really good.
David: And so, yeah. So if you’re looking to get referrals, what are you doing to make that happen? It’s just like anything else.
Social media. If you post something on social media and somebody responds to you, you’ve initiated a conversation. You don’t have to wait for someone else to initiate a referral. You can do it more proactively.
So yeah, I think a lot of times it doesn’t really occur to people that they can really get good at doing it proactively. I do think there is a discomfort level that comes with it sometimes. I’m like, yeah, I feel funny about it. I feel weird about it. Are they going to think I don’t have much business? All that sort of thing.
So to your point, yeah, I think there is a bit of that going on as well.
Kevin: I’ve taken sales classes, listened to salespeople over the years. Gurus, whatever. And I remember this one woman had this thing where she said, you should ask someone to give you one name of someone that you could reach out to.
Then sit there like this with your head down and your pen in your hand and the paper in front of you, and wait for them to speak. And I remember thinking like I would be so uncomfortable on either side of that situation.
Are there right and right and wrong ways to ask for referrals that will be effective?
David: Well, there’s only really right and wrong for you, right? If I tell you, okay, “this is how you get referrals,” then, like what you just described, I heard that and I’m like, okay, that sounds interesting. That’s a bold approach, right? It’s like I’m…
Kevin: It’s a bold approach.
David: I’m doing the assumptive. I’m like, it can be somebody that I can call and you just look down at your pen. Yeah, it’s definitely going to create perhaps enough of a level of discomfort that someone will give you a name.
It can certainly happen like that, but you have to be comfortable with it, and so much of this is about personalities and so I never believe that there is one way to do things.
And that’s why, in my work with clients, it’s critical that I learn from them what they like, what they don’t like, what they’re willing to do, what they’re not willing to do, what their approach is, all that sort of thing.
So in our Total Market Domination program, when we’ve got lessons that people go through where we’re teaching about the concepts and what needs to happen, it’s all about how can we adapt this to your approach, to your personality?
So if what that woman described to you in terms of asking and then looking down if that’s not comfortable for you. The thing to do, in my view, is not to say, “oh, well I could never do something like that.”
First thing I would do is I would say, “okay, well if I couldn’t do that, what could I do? How far would I be willing to take that?”
And a lot of times, when we talk about proactive referrals, it’s got to be done in a way that is comfortable for you. So a lot of times, that goes to the asking. Because, in many cases when people are asking for referrals, it does sound like you’re shilling for business.
Hey, do you know anybody else who could use this? You know anybody else who wants to buy these products, right? Yeah, that sounds pathetic.
Kevin: It does. Yeah.
David: And ideally you don’t want to do that. You don’t want to ask like that. So when we’re working with clients, what I generally recommend is an approach that is going to be more designed to get a positive answer.
So in other words. If I’m talking to you and you either just bought something from me or we had a conversation and we have a good rapport, and I want to ask you for a referral.
One of the ways that I can do it is I can say, “Hey, who else do you know that needs products, needs promotional products or needs items, needs printing services?”
And that sounds more like you’re asking for business, but if you simply rephrase it and you say “let me ask you this. Who else do you know that needs help promoting their business?”
That’s a whole different question, because now it’s about helping the person as opposed to giving me business.
And people are a lot more likely to know someone who needs help accomplishing a goal than they are to know somebody who wants to buy promotional products right now.
They’re going to feel uncomfortable answering that question, because when they hear it, they’re going to think, “oh, okay, when he calls this person, he’s going to say that they thought I would want to buy promotional products.” Right?
As opposed to, that I could potentially use some help accomplishing something that they actually want to accomplish.
Kevin: Yeah, the framing. The framing is so important.
David: Yep. And those are the types of things that are generally fairly comfortable for people. Like, you hear that and you go, oh, okay, yeah, I can do that. Because…
Kevin: it makes, sense. Yeah.
David: Yeah, it just makes the whole presentation a lot more comfortable.
Kevin: Yeah. A re there ways that someone can make it easier for their clients or contacts to refer them on their own, without asking?
David: That’s a great question. Like psychic. Well, that’s kind of the reactive approach, isn’t it? Like, waiting to see if they’re going to do it? I, maybe I’m not understanding the question.
Kevin: Well, I guess like, are there maybe some more passive aggressive ways of, of asking, you know, rather than like, rather than like just coming out and being like, do you know anyone? Are there other ways that you can pull in referrals without having to be as proactive?
David: Okay. Passive aggressive. That’s a really good question. It’s a fun one, really, like, “I guess you wouldn’t know anybody who wants to buy anything from me.” No, I don’t know. That’s something that I’ve never…
Kevin: I mean, you don’t strike me as the kind of person who knows anybody who might need…
David: Yeah. That… I, I’ve never really thought about a passive aggressive approach. I think the way that I’ve always approached it is.
Anything that I can do that is going to remind clients of the ways that we’ve helped, the successes we’ve helped them to create, so that they’ve got those thoughts in their head. Then when you do follow up and you ask them, do you know anybody else who wants to accomplish those same kind of things, do you know anyone else who’s looking to accomplish those sorts of results?
They’re in a better frame of mind to be able to say, yeah, you know what? I’ve got a brother-in-law who’s been struggling with his business for a while. Why don’t I put you in touch?
It’s like, okay, great. And then it does seem more like it’s their idea. And it’s going to seem more like their idea if you’re asking them if they know anybody who could potentially use your help.
Kevin: So yeah. Maybe not passive aggressive, but proactive but making it seem like they are the ones who are being proactive, not you.
David: Yeah, you could sort of seed it a little bit. In other words, if you’re having a conversation with your client and you say something like, yeah, you know, I get a lot of referrals. And the other day I was talking to a client of mine who referred me to somebody who reminded me a lot of you. They had a similar kind of business and they’re looking to do similar things.
So at that point you’re seeding the idea that I get referrals. Other people give me referrals. You’re not saying you should give me referrals too, but it’s in the air there.
And so then, later on in the conversation, if you did say something along the lines of, oh yeah, know, it reminds me, is there anybody that you know that could potentially use my help?
Then it does flow a little better, and it would maybe get the wheels churning a little sooner.
Kevin: Is there a different approach in your mind to asking for referrals from a happy client versus maybe a strategic partner or someone in your business network? I.
David: Well, if the relationship is different, the results are likely to be different. Obviously, the better connected you are with the person, the more they know you, the more likely they are to either refer you or not, depending on what they think about how they know you.
Kevin: It’s true. Depending on how much they like you.
David: Yeah, exactly. So I think all of those are fair game, and if we know people and we’ve got a good relationship with people and you’re asking from a standpoint of being able to help other people they know, then it’s almost like, well, why wouldn’t you ask more people?
Kevin: Right. Right.
David: That’s another thing that I think people do as well is they think they have to wait until they have already sold something and the client is happy. And that’s not the case. I mean, when you’re talking about asking about referrals, you can do that at any stage, and at every stage, I mean, ask always, right?
Why not? You don’t want to do it every meeting, every call, because that would really get annoying. But you can ask at any stage of the process. If it manages to come up in conversation, you can certainly do it. So you definitely don’t have to wait until the project is finished to be able to ask for that.
Kevin: This concept is just some people’s nightmare, right? Some people just hate doing this. Absolutely. It makes them wildly uncomfortable. It’s just not in their DNA, you know?
David: Yup.
Kevin: It’s just, that’s just how they are. Are there any sort of simple systems or steps that you think a business owner or someone can put into place to sort of get a little more comfortable with it? Like stop thinking of it as something that’s so painful.
David: Well, if you’re not comfortable saying it in person, you could put it in the form of an email that goes out to every customer at a certain stage of the process. That would basically do the same thing. And they’ll either respond to it or they won’t.
You wouldn’t have to do it directly, but then what you could do is the next time you talk to them, “oh yeah, by the way, did you get my email about the referrals?” And see what they say?
That would at least diminish the initial thing if you really have concerns about doing it in person. But the other thing is that if you are really uncomfortable with certain aspects of sales, I’m not going to tell you, you absolutely have to do this.
I will tell you that it’s likely you’re leaving money on the table, but it doesn’t mean you can’t make up for it in other ways.
I mean, I have a lot of clients, and a lot of potential clients when we talk to people on the phone in advance, and they’re talking about what they want to accomplish. And they want to be able to do a lot of it with total strangers.
And that’s really the way that I grew my business. I was not the kind of person when I started my business. I wasn’t going after, you know, who do I know and who do they know and everything like that. Just because in the early stages I wasn’t all that confident in that. And I thought, okay, well if I approach a total stranger and they reject me, it’s a lot better than if I approach somebody I know and that person rejects me.
So, self-preservation, I guess.
Kevin: Like dating!
David: Yeah, exactly.
Kevin: Yeah. What do you think of when people put a request for a referral at the bottom of their email signature? I’ve seen that before where they put, like, ” your referrals mean everything to me. You know, some sort of message like that, yay or nay on that.
David: Well, again, it’s up to the person. The reason that I’m inclined not to like that is because, now it says I am asking every single person. It doesn’t feel as personal. It feels easier for me to reject. Because if I see it in your footer, it’s like, okay, that’s footer material. He’s not actually asking me for that.
It’s just built into the process. So my take is that it would likely be less effective than if you actually ask the person more directly, but i’ve never done it. So I can’t say, no, that doesn’t work. Maybe it does. And again, if you’re sending a lot of email and thousands of people are seeing it, eventually somebody might do something. .
Kevin: Yeah, for sure. All right, well thank you thank you very much, How you get more information?
David: Go to TopSecrets.com/shift, pick up a copy of our free PDF that will give you an idea of how you can connect what you’re doing with what you’re earning. In other words, there are a lot of people who feel like they’re doing a lot and they’re not earning enough.
This PDF is designed to help you shift your approach so that you can earn more based on everything that you’re doing. It’s free. TopSecrets.com/shift.
Kevin: Good stuff. All right, well thanks David. Looking forward to seeing you again.
David: Alright, thank you Kevin.
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