Just about every business person will tell you that referrals and/or word of mouth advertising is the best way to grow a business. The closing % is higher, the cost of acquisition is less, the opportunity to get more referrals is greater. All good things that we should strive for.
But what if you’re not getting the referrals you want, then what? We have to look inward. As much as we like to blame others for our challenges, not getting enough referrals is normally all on us.
I’m going to share with you a list of the likely reasons you’re reading this as opposed to following up with that stellar referral:
At the highest level, not getting referrals is often based on the fact that you really haven’t done the work to create a hyper specific market that you are bringing scalable and repeatable solution to…in other words
You’re too general– This could be because you’re worried about “missing opportunities” by having too specific of an “ASK”. A lot of people have this issue. So at least you’re not alone. Begin to look at “referral getting” akin to playing a game of “go fish”. Paint a picture in your network’s mind of the exact type of people you want to meet. Make it clear, specific and vivid. This will help alleviate:
People don’t understand your value proposition: If you know who you’re targeting and WHY they want to do business with you, it becomes much easier to create an appropriate value proposition. That becomes paramount especially when you’re in a crowded industry from your network’s perspective because…
They know too many people like you: This is likely to be a problem for a lot of you. But when you get really clear and specific about the type of people YOU serve, even your competitors can become referral sources. Think about the Mortgage industry. There are people who LOVE dealing with first time buyers and others…not so much. The clearer and more specific you get, the less this will be a problem:
People don’t know what you do– This really falls into two different categories:
You tell people so much about all the things you do, you’ve muddied the waters and they really don’t know what you do
You don’t tell enough people what you do so they really don’t know what you do. And if this is the case it’s likely that you’ll run into one of three challenges with your network:
1. They don’t know you: It’s really hard to get referrals from people who don’t know you.
2. They don’t like you: Understand there is a difference between don’t like and dislike. The latter presents a whole different set of problems that are similar to
3. They don’t trust you. Trust, it takes a lifetime to build up and a second to destroy.
My good friend and referral marketing expert Bob Burg said it best: “All things being equal, people do business with people they know, like and trust”. If you’re looking for an example of why people may not trust you, perhaps:
You’ve blown too many people off in the past. We’ve all gotten those referral slips and not made the call. Sure it seems harmless, but your network is only so big and people talk.
The last reason I can think of that you may not be getting enough referrals is Maybe you’re not doing what you’re meant to do. There’s a rhythm in life and if you’re not attuned to it, the bonuses of life, like referrals, just don’t come your way.
What of these habits will you be working on?
Who can I refer you to today?
Terry Bean is the Founder of Motor City Connect and a relationship marketing expert. Additionally, Mr. Bean is a very gifted speaker who loves to share his business and personal development wisdom with audiences of all shapes and sizes.
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