I help founders who sell, but aren't "sales"people. Are you open to one hyper actionable sales tip per week, useful for your very next sales meeting and consumable in 4 minutes or less?
124: Referrals
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Hey, 👋 Scott from The Sales Mastermind here. Today’s edition only takes 3 minutes. Referrals and recommendations from clients are among the most effective tactics in your lead-generation arsenal if you structure the ask properly. Today we’ll cover:
Storytime The signature of one of my customers includes the following (paraphrased for anonymity): PS: Most of our new clients come through introductions. Refer a friend, and you'll both be rewarded with two months at half price. Click here. Solociting referrals is one of the most effective marketing strategies because referrals become customers:
(Stats from my client's CRM) So today, let's talk about referrals. What is a Referral? No matter how much you de-risk the deal, every purchase still carries some risk. Before a buyer commits to a purchase and actually solves the problem with you, they are taking a leap of faith. There are an endless number of ways you can de-risk the purchase for them - anything from free samples to pilot programs to discounts - but nothing de-risks as much as a recommendation from a highly trusted source. A referral is a recommendation from a highly trusted source. Types of Referral Referrals come in all forms - and whether you know it or not, your raving fans are already dropping your name in conversations about the problems they solved with you. Some examples include:
Most referrals happen semi-naturally. But you can impact the number of warm introductions your clients make (impact, not control; it will still fluctuate most weeks and months). In most cases, your customers are happy to introduce you as long as you ask:
So let's talk about the best way to ask your buyers and customers for referrals. Right Time We want to ask at a "Point Of Most Love", the main examples are immediately after:
At each of these points in time, the buyer is happy with you, your business, and your products/services. So leverage their happiness into introductions. Right Way The right way is to be as specific as possible in your ask. Don't ask for "anyone you know whom I could talk to". Ask "whom do you know that also works with XXX, is struggling with YYY, or deals with ZZZZ sort of clients?" Even better, if you look at their website for testimonials or case studies from their clients you could work with, or look at their LinkedIn for individuals you've been trying to speak to. Then ask for an exact company or person. Double Tap Unless you are asking for an introduction to a specific individual, always provide space for your client to reflect on whom they know and make the actual introduction at a later date. In other words, double-tap by asking, then reminding. The simplest double-tap is to:
Make it Easy Lastly, make it easy. When you provide an email template, and all they have to do is swap in the right names, the introduction becomes effortless for them. The email template I use is: Subject: Introduction NAME <> Scott
Body: Hi Name,
Meet Scott, who runs The Sales Mastermind, and we worked with him on our sales processes.
Hi Scott,
Meet Name, he/she runs COMPANY, and I think you two should meet.
I'll leave it to you two.
SIGNATURE
Now, look at your calendar for the week ahead. Do you have any close calls? Plan to ask for a referral. Are you planning on providing a big unlock to any clients? Plan to ask for a referral. Happy Referring! Until next week, PS Did someone forward you this email, and it seems like something you want more of: Link to subscribe​ PPS You can find the back catalogue here, all 120+ newsletters: https://thesalesmastermind.kit.com/​ |
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I help founders who sell, but aren't "sales"people. Are you open to one hyper actionable sales tip per week, useful for your very next sales meeting and consumable in 4 minutes or less?
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