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Referrals are a wonderful source of new clients and revenue.
But whom should we ask?
Should we ask the person who's on call, the person who gives us the on call information, the CEO, the CFO?
Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes.
The question then becomes how should we ask.
Sending referral requests in statements and invoices may not be as effective since most invoices now go directly to an accounts payable department. This certainly should continue to be done on a regular basis. You are already paying the postage to send a statement, no sense in not trying to create an opportunity
If someone sends an e-mail with an update to information / on call etc. send back a thank you and a request for a referral.
Of course you will want to let people know about an incentive for referring you business: A $100.00 gas card has a little more POP these days.
If you can save someone the aggravation of paying $2.50 for a gallon of gas you have made his or her day.
Other ideas: Tickets to an event - Sporting event - Dinner and a Movie Package - Something memorable so they will tie you into the event and tell a friend.
If you are dealing with a non-profit client you could ask for a referral to another non-profit organization, in exchange for donating something to their event for a silent auction. The same tactic can work with a CEO. Ask what their favorite charity or the charity their company supports and offer a donation of an item for a silent auction or a cash donation for a referral.
Hidden referral gems:
Large companies with multiple sites / departments.
If you are doing work for a single department or site of a multi-department / multi-site company, chances are you can provide the same service for their other sites and departments. Asking for a specific referral i.e., "Who is your counterpart in your Kentucky site?" or " Who would you recommend me calling in human resources to discuss our solution for better tracking out sick calls?" may yield better results than the typical "Who else do you know that we can do business with?"
It's important to keep asking for referrals, but it is just as important to change the question and the presentation so as not to be perceived as pushy or repetitive and risk being ignored.
Keep the Momentum Going ...
If you have a topic that you wish to see covered or have a question for ASK MARK! or have a specific marketing topic you would like to see covered in an upcoming issue, please write to: askmark@atsi.org.
