If most businesses rely on referrals and yet few know when or how to request referrals from their clients, customers or business partners, then how are they to survive?
If you’re like I was, you imagine that your performance will speak for itself and that you only need to make a passing reference to referrals after you’ve completed the job, which will convert your past clients into advocates for the advisability of sending their friends, family, coworkers, and acquaintances your way.
How wrong I was. I discovered a new method from a free infomercial by www.craigproctor.com (a real estate coaching firm)
The Worthy Cause Referral System. Now, I ask for referrals in my FIRST meeting with clients, and my Referral system WINS me business!
Then I plug my Referral system throughout my transaction (and every chance I get). I plug my referral anytime I’m introduced as a reason others should hire me! I can do this without any reservations or feelings of shame for asking for business, because of how the Referral system works.
Here’s how it goes:
Remember that I donate 10% of the income earned by your business referrals to Crusaders for Veterans or the Wildlife Rehabilitation Outpost. Please help me help the Vets and the Pets.
Do you see the genius of this idea?
All referral programs are a variation of, “Please send people my way so I can make money”. There is zero emotion of shame or self-serving business in asking for help to assist others.
With this one simple pitch, I have elevated my business service above that of my competitors. There is now a specific emotional reason to employ my business over my competitors, AND to send future business my way. I work with both charities. Because these are both worthy causes, I can speak endlessly about their good works, how I work with them, how I met them, and their missions. Zero prompting required. And the charities are incentivized to spread the word about my business for their own financial benefit. I have created a network of advocates to help me spread the word about my business & services.
Modify this idea for your own business, and let’s create the BEST version of Mississippi.