How to Get a Client Referral

The Value of a Client Referral
We believe that sales time is money? We also believe that it does not make sense to waste selling time on cold calls when you have an untapped opportunity to leverage client referrals to generate warm sales calls with new ideal target clients. The research is clear – referral selling — getting a client referral is the smartest, most efficient and most effective way to fill your pipeline with qualified sales prospects.

While marketing and sales must be aligned to create sales growth, do not rely solely on marketing to pass along marketing qualified leads when you have the means to generate better sales qualified leads on your own that come from people who know and trust you, your work, and your company. Who are these people with the magic wand to fill your pipeline? Your current and previous customers and partners.

Not only do current and previous customers know what you do, but they also can attest to the value and impact of working with you.

The Strength of Client Relationships
Top solution sellers know how to build long-term lasting relationships with their customers, and they know how to stay connected. Once you have established a personal connection and brought measurable value to that relationship, you have earned the right to ask for and get a client referral.

Client Referrals: Who, When and What to Ask

• Who can you ask?
  You can ask customers who see you as a trusted advisor (i.e., they trust that you have their best interests at heart and who have experienced the value of your solutions). They need to be able to honestly attest to the positive impact your work together has had on their personal and professional success.
• When should you ask?
  You do not necessarily have to wait until the completion of your project. You can ask even in the midst of the sales process if you have already brought value to the relationship. In general, one of the best times to ask for a client referral is when the customer has sincerely thanked you for your help.
• What should you ask for?
  Be very specific about your ideal target client. Whenever possible, you should ask for a referral to a specific person that you know that they know. If that is not possible, invest the time required to ask for a referral into a specific company, title, and situation that would best suit your needs.  The goal is to make it easy for your customer to help you refer you to someone who fits.

The Bottom Line
High performing sales teams know how to consistently ask for client referrals. They do not waste their time chasing the wrong customers. The fastest way to a qualified sales lead is through satisfied customers. Do not waste this valuable resource. Discuss, track, and reward the sales behaviors required to ask every single one of your satisfied customers for referrals.

To learn more about how to get a client referral to grow your pipeline, download How to Sell Through Networking and Referrals to Grow Faster