Are you responsible for prospecting at your business? It’s tough when that’s your duty as a salesperson. It’s hard enough when you just have to make sales.

If you have to find your own leads, successful referral selling is a gift from above. And even when you don’t have to do your own prospecting, it boosts the health and stability of your own pipeline.

How do you get more referral opportunities? Try doing these things:

1. Timing Makes a Huge Difference

The perfect time to ask for a referral? When you’ve made the prospect happy. A couple times where this happens:

• When you tell them they don’t need your solution and they thank you because you’ve won their trust

• As they actually express their happiness with your product or service after using it

Remember, clients generally don’t express their happiness out of the blue. If they’ve been with you for a few months, reach out and ask them how things are going.

If they seem satisfied, or if they’re ecstatic, ask for the referral.

2. Give Them a Referral First

Giving goes a long way in building business relationships. If you know another customer or business contact that could use their service, and you know they do a good job of it, connect the two.

Not only does this improve your customer’s attitude towards you, but they have some more money to spend on your services too.

3. Be the Salesperson Worthy of the Referral

Why don’t business people like to talk with salespeople? Because they see them as pushy, me-first, and only interested in making money.

And they’re right.

Since that’s the way most salespeople act, you can stand out by being the one who could care less about money. All you care about is connecting your prospect with the right service or solution…even if it’s not your own.

Because when you show that kind of trustworthiness, more sales than you can handle will come to you.

Hard to do because your instincts tell you to do the opposite and focus on the money because you need it now. Ignore that and put your customer first instead.

4. Do the Small Personal Things that Build Relationships 

When’s the last time you sent a handwritten note to thank someone? Send one to a prospect that chooses not to buy from you. Thank them for their consideration.

You won’t change their mind and get a sale. But your chances of earning a referral shoot through the roof!

Identify other ways you can do this. It makes a great impression because most salespeople settle for the easiest thing and send e-mails.

None of these tactics by themselves guarantee you referrals. Instead, make them your new way of doing business.

It’s so different and unusual for prospects to have a salesperson more concerned with their interests and the relationship than money. You’re guaranteed to stand out. And that will lead to referrals.

Have fun out there blowing your teammates away!

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