Working on Getting New Clients? 5 Easy Referral Tactics to Implement Today!

People in general like to help others.

So why not provide a #referral or what I prefer to call an introduction? Why not ask for an introduction?

Referrals or introductions are a great way to help another consultant get new clients.

What this means is a consultant needs to have a referral strategy. A successful #referralstrategy is more than merely connecting. It is a?realistic?systematic process that is followed. It can’t be a hit or miss strategy.

Believe me, I’ve tried the hit or miss approach and as the saying goes

“it does not work.”

Referrals occur because of your reputation and expertise.

They are a step beyond word of mouth, which is the buzz that spreads from person to person. Referrals occur because one of your connections believes and trust you. Your connection is willing to take the leap to proactively introduce you to one of their contacts.

Although referrals can?“just happen,”?referrals work best if you, the consultant, develop a realistic approach.

As Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook said,

“People influence people. Nothing influences people more than a recommendation from a trusted friend. A trusted referral influences people more than the best broadcast message.”

Here are five referral tactics that you can include in your referral strategy, all of which are easy and you can start to implement immediately to help you get referrals.

1. Change your mindset, get out of your comfort zone, and ASK.

Many consultants find asking for a referral uncomfortable.

To this day, I find “asking” uncomfortable and I’ve been asking for referrals, I admit at times sheepishly, for years. I contribute my discomfort to being taught at a young age that it was impolite to ask people, particularly strangers, for help. As a consultant, I realized that to not only survive but succeed I needed to change my mindset.

I needed to proactively follow the proverb?“nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

Take the risk and?ask for the referral.?Better yet ask for an?INTRODUCTION.?

What is the worst thing that can happen? The person says NO, they will not connect you. But if they say YES, look at all the possibilities!

One last point, consulting is a relationship business. Don’t forget to say thank you and try to reciprocate with an offer of help the person who took the time to introduce you.

2. Ask for introductions, not referrals.

The term referral has different meanings to different people. Once I asked a client if they would be open to providing a referral to one of their colleagues. They thought I was asking them to write a testimonial. On another occasion, a person, not a client, thought I was interested in a proposal for which they would be paid a fee for every connection.

When asking for a connection, a referral, what you are really asking for is an introduction. You are looking to be connected with a like-minded person enabling you to start building a relationship. Instead of asking for a referral,?change the word to introduction.

3. Clearly articulate what is a good connection.

It is hard for anyone to introduce you if they’ve do not clear as to your focus and ideal client — your why, what, and who.

If your connection is a client, it is easy to assume they understand what is a good fit for you.?Don’t assume.?Instead help them, as well as your other connections, help you by clearly articulating who is a fit and who is not a fit.

Develop a list of your top three “fit” criteria and top two “not-a-fit” criteria. Highlight your focus, your expertise, and the result and benefit you provide.

But don’t stop there. Provide examples of good as well as bad connections. I have a one page document that I share with my referral partners. The one page document helps me help them provide quality introductions to the right people.

4. Tap into your entire network, not just your personal connections and clients.

Start by asking your personal connections, and that includes family, for introductions. Next tap into current and past clients. Finally, tap into the rest of your network.

The rest of your network includes your associations and organizations, social friends and community civic organizations, healthy lifestyle activities, spiritual connections, educational settings, professional services connections, and … well, I’m sure you can think of other places where you spend time.

The more people with whom you connect and ask for introductions, the more connections you’ll make and more people will know what you have to offer.?Tap into your entire network!

5. Be accountable.

It’s admirable to create a referral strategy but a strategy that isn’t executed does not help a consultant build a successful business.

Develop a systematic process. Include in the strategy the number for introductions you will aim for each month and track yourself to it. There are people who aim for one introduction each day, others who aim for two introductions a week, and still others four a month.

If you are new and uncomfortable asking for introductions, start small, but start. Increase your monthly introduction quota over time. Be realistic as to what works for you personally as well as for your business.

Like a diamond, a marketing strategy is multifaceted.

Creating a referral strategy is one of your top three (3) marketing strategy facets.?

What that means is your referral strategy needs to work well with your other strategies such as your targeted outreach and strategic networking strategies.

Conclusion

All five tactics are easy to implement if you put your mind to it but all should be incorporated into your overall relationship strategy.

So, this week's question for you:

Do you have a referral strategy that works with your other marketing strategies?

Let me know in the comments below.

*****

Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter.

I seek to provide tips, techniques and thought pieces that are of interest for a consultant and as always, I welcome your comments and ideas. If you want to talk about your consulting business or about the Consulting Mastery program, DM me.

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Laura Burford