Table of Contents (for previous chapters)
- Introduction
- Section 1: Client Referrals
- Chapter 1: Make Asking for Referrals a Part of Your Process
Chapter 2 – Following Up on Referral Commitments
Commitments for referrals from clients are rarely actually contractual; they’re just something your client will agree to in a verbal fashion.
It’s great when they agree to refer you to four or five contacts.
It’s even better if they go off and get in touch with those contacts for you so that they’ll know you’re coming and have a whet appetite.
It’s not so great when your current client agrees to give you referrals and then promptly forgets all about it.
Some clients will just feel as shy as you do when it comes to referrals. Others will just genuinely forget about your agreement.
The problem is that you lose control of the situation once you no longer have your client working to the agenda that you have set. So how do you get some control of the situation back into your hands (and give your client a gentle reminder about the referrals)?
It doesn’t have to be long or abrasive in any way. All this letter has to say is that you’d like to pick up where you left off in regards to referrals. In order to get the client back on your side, state in the letter that you would rather spend your money on making your services better rather than on marketing so that’s why referrals are so important to you and your business.
Remember to state the original incentives you offered them and their contacts.
Chapter 3 – Set Referral Goals
How will you know if this new referral system is working or if you need to tweak it? Set goals.
Write on a calendar how many new clients or customers you want one year from now. Figure out how many you’ll have to win per month.
You’re not going to be able to convert all of your referrals, so you should expect to have to attempt to gather at least 50% more referrals than the actual number of clients you want to gain per month. You’ll be able to adjust this number depending on your own success rate.
Make sure to share these goals with your team. When you succeed, celebrate. Make it a big deal so your employees want to do it again, or even better themselves. Make asking for referrals a part of your ongoing business culture.
