Where Do 84% of B2B Sales Begin?

How many referrals did your sales team generate for you last month? If you don't know the answer, it's time to spend more time thinking -- and generating referrals as a core part of your sales and marketing process.

It's common sense to mine our networks for referrals, as those opportunities tend to close the easiest and fastest. But when Gartner just published a study saying that 84% of B2B sales begin with a referral, generating more referrals becomes far more important than just a nice-to-have part of the pipeline.

So, what can you do tactically and proactively to generate more referrals? He are several components to a robust B2B referral-building program:

-????????? Lead sharing – building referral/lead sharing programs with vendors and customers is an effective method for starting a conversation that leapfrogs your competitors. This needs to be included in the sales process as a critical “ask” at every Tier 1 customer you currently have.

-????????? Sponsor – and participate in -- networking events at conferences you attend. Host social events at major conferences. Schedule open houses at a local nonprofit (Food Bank) in LA, New York, other cities with many cornerstone headquarters.

-????????? Thank you gifts – the best way to get a second referral is to thank the person for the first. Using a tool like Goldbelly as a thank you creates strong goodwill and incentive to think of you for the next referral.

-????????? The salesperson ask – this is the centerpiece of any effective referral program, and the timing of the ask is important. Typically, every account has a honeymoon period, most often during its early stages. Salespeople should be prompted in Salesforce or whatever CRM they use with a reminder X months after a project begins to reach out and ask about referral opportunities, both within the company and for other colleagues. Referrals within the company are particularly critical opportunities.

-????????? The second ask opportunity – for those companies that conduct ISO surveys, follow up by asking those 9s and 10s for someone who could use your product/services at that moment.

-????????? Key Account referrals – many companies conduct annual client satisfaction phone calls that are even more informative than email surveys. It gives clients the opportunity to provide very useful and constructive feedback. And, for those who are happy, it gives you an opportunity to ask for referrals at a critical moment of satisfaction! These surveys are conducted with existing Tier 1 customers and take just 20 minutes:

o?? What are we doing well?

o?? What areas do we need to improve upon?

o?? Are there areas you’d like to suggest we provide services that we’re currently not?

o?? Do you have concerns we need to address that would prevent us from working together in the future?

o?? Do you know of someone else within the company or a colleague we could partner with just as we’ve partnered with you?

-????????? The old customer at a new customer – there is a strong psychological pull for employees in a new role to bring along their former partners from their prior positions. It happens regularly and consistently, so it’s a tremendous opportunity for you to tap into this as a referral path. Salespeople again are the critical link here – by noticing when their contacts move to a similar decision-making position in a new company, reaching out, and most importantly asking for a meeting to discuss opportunities, you will get more referral opportunities to pursue.

-????????? Sometimes it’s difficult to get large cornerstones to give you a testimonial. At times, their corporate policies even forbid it. Flip the tables on them by giving them an award as an Innovative Industry Leader, to their senior executives. It creates senior-level content and implied endorsements that can be repurposed and syndicated in many different ways. See sample: https://www.eapowered.com/industry-leader-award-program/

-????????? Google Reviews are a signal to buyers that you’re worth doing business with.

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