Leads. You need them hot and you need them at a low cost. Referrals have a high conversion rate, but you need more of them! Below are five tips to help you get more referrals and make the most of your time.
- Be Referable: From start to finish, create a seamless process for your clients. Be knowledgeable and professional. Your clients are planning for a future difficult day, so keep the tone appropriate and personable. And yes, you can be all these things at once. You want to create an atmosphere of trust, so they feel like they’ve made the best decision in working with you over someone else. You don’t want any second thoughts!
- Go the Extra Mile: The difference between a remarkable (read as referable) experience and a, “meh” experience is going that extra mile for your client. If they ask a question that you have to research, have a quick response and turnaround time. If you need a signature, perhaps offer to come to them. Show them that they are your priority!
- Know When to Ask: Your first meeting is not the right time to ask for a referral. As you’re buttoning up the process probe to make sure they’ve had a good experience. Ask for feedback! “What could I have done better to make your experience better?” “Would you be willing to give me a few referrals?” Regardless of their criticisms, be understanding from their point of view. If they comment on your communication use language such as, “That is definitely something I can improve on. I appreciate the feedback.” This sets t he right tone for when you ask for referrals.
- Make it Easy: Instead of putting the burden on your client to get all the information to you, take as much of the burden off as you can. Make a basic Google form for them to fill out. Then you email the same link to all your clients and have your leads organized into a spreadsheet. Instead of asking for their name, address, phone, email, birthdate, etc. Ask for digestible information they would have on-hand. Get their name and address or name and phone number. If you’ve tried contacting the referral and hit a dead end, then it would a good time to circle back for more information.
- If you don’t get a name, get a testimonial: If they aren’t willing to provide names directly, ask for a brief testimonial. You can use this on your business Facebook page, post it on your LinkedIn, or even use it in your emails. With one testimonial, you can put it in several places. For some it may be easier to direct them to your Facebook page and give you a star rating to accompany their testimonial. You can the message from there and incorporate it into your introduction email.
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