May 2015 Volume 7 Issue 5
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Are you getting enough New Business?
If you are frustrated about generating small amounts of new business, the chances are you should devote more time to obtaining references from existing satisfied customers.
Generating referrals can start at the very first meeting with new clients. Tell them that you acquire many of your new customers through referrals and client recommendations. When you then ask, later on in the conversation or your relationship with them, they will not be surprised.
Sales people who don't ask, don't get, and are often ignored. Clients will usually not give referrals without being asked. Try to get into the habit of always asking for referrals. What harm can it do? The right time to ask for a referral is when you feel customers are completely satisfied with your services. Even if their order fell through for whatever reason, there is still a chance they will refer you. You may have helped them with advice or guidance. It's always a good idea to contact them and ask for a referral.
Try to ask for at least three contacts from your clients. This number has been proven to be a realistic but not an excessive amount of information to request. Be wary of exceeding this number, as you do not want to upset or irritate your customers.
Using a referral form, where customers can write down names, is beneficial when asking for referrals . By simply handing over this form, you're sending a non-verbal message that this is normal practice. Always get the full details you require such as a full name, contact number, and email address. Also, find out how they know them and why they chose to refer them.
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What Leaders are Reading
Scaling Up Excellence: Getting to More Without Settling for Less by Robert Sutton and Huggy Rao
The first major business book devoted to the universal and vexing challenge that determines every organization's success: scaling up farther, faster, and more effectively as a program or an organization creates a larger footprint. Drawing on inside accounts, case studies and academic research from a wealth of industries, Sutton and Rao identify the key scaling challenges that confront every organization. They reveal how the best leaders and teams develop, spread and instill the right mindsets in their people. They unpack the principles that help to cascade excellence throughout an organization, as well as, show how to eliminate destructive beliefs and behaviors that will hold them back.
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