Ask for Referrals: And Get the Answer You Want!

Why are people scared to ask for a referral? Is it the fear of rejection, or do they think that it will annoy their client. If you have been giving 100% to your client and have given them truly excellent service then you shouldn't be ashamed to ask for the opportunity to give that same superior service to other people your clents know. In fact, it seems like the next logical step especially if the client is happy with your service so far.

"It's not what you say but how you say it" I tell my kids that all the time. Here is no different. I have seen countless people not get a referral because they simply asked the wrong question. You want to aviod asking a close ended question where the only answer is "Yes" or "No". For example, instead of starting your question "Do you know anyone who..." start it off with "Who do you know who..." Just the little change at the begining will have a dramatic increase in your referral rate.

You can also start off specific to get a better result for example "Who do you know at work who..." By inserting a place or situation you narrow the possibilties and the task does not seem as daunting to your client.

It's also very important to expect the referral. If your body language, tone of voice and facial expressions show that you are not expecting them to give you one then your proably not going to get it. I have had sales people ask me "You don't know anyone who would like "product" do you?" My quick answer even before I think about it is always "No". You should expect the referral as part of your excellent business. It's the most natural thing in the world for people to tell everyone about something they like. Why not tell them about you.

Some people are a little shy about it and in the back of there mind they are testing you. They will tell you that they are thinking about it. That is alway ok. Just set up a time for you to follow up with them and Keep the appointment, even a little phone call can go a long way. A lot of times by the end of your meeting they will think of someone anyways. If you tell them that this is the business model that you do they will be glad to help you. You can increase your business dramatically with help from your friends.

One of the easiest ways to ask for a referral is in your signature file on all the email you send out, especially in correspondence with your clients. After your contact information you have a mini billboard advertising for you. Doing the simple thing of asking for a referral can easily double you business in a very short time. Start asking today you will be glad you did.

Mical Johnson is the publisher of Home Based Business Success Toolkit which is a free newsletter dedicated to giving home based business owner's what they need to succeed and make a profit from the start. To join visit http://www.MyHomebasedBusiness101.com

Latest News


MeetingWave Files Geo-Location Social Networking Patent Application
MarketWatch - 3 hours ago
MeetingWave.com, announced that it has filed a patent application entitled "Computer-Based Networking Service and Method and System for Performing the Same" ...

Experts Connection Offers Executives Tips to Maximize Professional ...
MarketWatch - 10 hours ago
"Understanding how to harness social networking tools like LinkedIn and Facebook demonstrates the kind of new media savvy that discriminating companies are ...

Techtree.com

Facebook Migrates Social Networking With New Connect Platform
NewsOXY, FL - 1 hour ago
By John Lester The new Facebook Connect platform will migrate to multiple social networking profiles into one. The new service is similar to Microsoft's ...
Facebook Connect Expands, Aims To Shrinking The Web CRN
Facebook Connects to the Rest of the Web Techtree.com
Networking News American Journalism Review
Telegraph.co.uk - CIOL
all 104 news articles

How to Use Social Networking Sites for Marketing and PR
New York Times, United States - 1 hour ago
By AllBusiness.com Social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace have become the party lines of this young century. They are inviting and intriguing ...

PR Web (press release)

Power.com: For Social Networking Power Users
Washington Post, United States - Dec 1, 2008
They're calling what they do "social inter-networking" because it allows users to view and interact with all of their social networks at once. ...
SMBs Get Social Networking Bridges from Power.com eWeek
Power.com Offers One-Stop Shop for Social Networking Marketing Pilgrim
Power.com to Become Social Networking Sites Aggregator eFluxMedia
TechNewsWorld - CRN
all 30 news articles

Cisco introduces wireless CCIE pinnacle for aspiring networking gurus
Search Networking - 6 hours ago
Cisco's less advanced wireless certifications, the CCNA and CCNP, have certified networking pros to support and troubleshoot wireless networks, ...

FindMyAudition.com Proves It's Not What You Know, But Who
MarketWatch - 10 hours ago
"Through FMA's unique networking events, we're providing qualified participants with first-hand insight on how to get their big break. ...

Fibre Channel Switch Market Propelled by New Products, According ...
MarketWatch - 9 hours ago
As the trusted source for market information about the networking and telecommunications industries, Dell'Oro Group provides in-depth, objective research ...

ADVA OPTICAL NETWORKING LEADS WITH QUALIFICATION FOR NEW VERSION ...
FOXBusiness - Dec 1, 2008
ADVA Optical Networking successfully completed interoperability testing and qualification of its FSP 3000 platform for a new version of IBM's mainframe ...

Elite social networking site Total Prestige to raise $1M
VentureBeat, CA - 15 hours ago
Total Prestige, another social network that aims to cater to elite users, plans to raise $1 million from angel investor Frank DeRose. ...

Resources