Want Even More Referrals?

Every professional wants more referrals.?

I know I do.?

You probably want more referrals too.

But how can we go about generating more referrals without badgering our contacts, seemingly begging them to recommend us to their contacts?

For those of us who are looking for more referrals, from the recent Referral Marketing Study by Hinge Marketing here are some research-backed tips.

5 Tips to Get More Referrals That Turn into Clients

1. Stop asking for referrals.

Asking clients and fellow professionals is a very common piece of advice from those referral gurus. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work in the professional services context.

When we asked more than 1,100 referral sources (professional who make referrals) what drove them to make a referrer, we found that a meager 2% would make a referral when asked.

Why so low? The answer is actually quite simple and rather intuitive.

You’re asking for a favor and giving nothing in return. There is no pay-off, especially when you consider that making a referral can be risky for the referrer. They are sticking their neck out and putting their reputation on the line.

2. Share your expertise by speaking at industry events.

We found that speaking engagements are a top source of referrals.

The reason is speaking at conferences and other industry events raises your visibility as an expert. You may even find that some attendees approach you directly. Like a kind of “self referral.”

3. Write educational articles and blog posts.

Another great way to get non-clients to make referrals is to educate. Just remember that your audience for your educational content is prospective clients not fellow professionals. For maximum effect publish or post in publications read by your target audience and their influencers.

4. Give more referrals.

People often make a referral to a firm that sent a referral their way. So, to get more referrals, give more referrals. This remarkably consistent relationship is shown in Figure 1.

5. Deepen social relationships with selected referral sources.

Referrals can come from social relationships and friendships, but only if the referrer is familiar with your expertise. The notion of meeting new people and developing friendships to get referrals is destined to fail if it is not based on understanding your expertise.

That is why we suggest you concentrate on those individuals who both know your expertise (such as a client or fellow professional that you have worked with) and are in a position to make referrals to you.

For the complete list of tips, see the original blog post:?Click here to view original web page at www.hingemarketing.com

To learn more about referrals see The Essential Actions For Service Professionals To Generate More New Business.