Who to Ask for a Referral.

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  mkreppein01/18/08 Report as spam
  1

  Don't forget referrals from other sales people!

  Geoffrey,
  
  Referrals are absolutely working for me - cold calling is just not effective, efficient or interesting. Nice posting - I especially agree with your "Ask for an action" since having someone tell you, "Oh call so-and-so and use my name" is a cold call and not a referral at all.
  
  I'd suggest there's another type of person who you can trust and get referrals from - other sales people.
  
  Other sales people have the necessary skill set for referrals. They are already comfortable with giving and getting referrals. They are already comfortable with asking their contacts for what may seem like a favor at first. Friends and family make referrals because they like you so they feel that they're doing you a favor. In fact, if you have something of value to offer their contact, then your friend/family is actually doing their customer the favor. The best reps understand that giving a good referral to their network only strengthens their relationship with their customer. It's been called the Giver's Gain theory.
  
  http://inquisix.com/blog/2007/10/19/networking-vs-not-working/
  
  All the good reps would agree that a quid-pro-quo on giving a referral to getting a referral is the way to go.
  
  Happy Selling!
  Michael Kreppein
  www.inquisix.com
  www.inquisix.com/blog

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  Geoffrey James, Sales Machine01/18/08 Report as spam
  2

  I love this idea!

  Asking for a quid-quo-pro from other sales reps is a wonderful idea.

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  Java323201/21/08 Report as spam
  3

  So I was in a bar the other day....

  And I asked 15 women to dance with me...10 told me to get lost, 3 said "call me later" and 2 danced with me. The next day I went to the same bar with the one woman who said to call her. She said I was a great dancer and hooked me up with 2 more of her friends. One of her friends said I should try this other bar because it was a similar place. So I walked in there the next day and asked 15 women to dance with me...10 told me to get lost...2 said "call me later" and 3 danced with me...(and the story keeps going like this)
  
  Cold calling and referral selling go hand and hand. To really grow your company you need a mixture of both. That's my 2 cents...

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  jestrada6101/21/08 Report as spam
  4

  RE: Who to Ask for a Referral.

  Dear Geogffrey James:
  
  You are absolutely right about they way we should use to get the maximun benefit from referral.
  
  Just one comment:"sometimes Referral Source (old pastjob friend) expect to receive money reward for their help." What do you think will it be the reaction of the Sales Pro towards this type of help?.
  
  Best Regards,
  
  Jos?? Estrada
  Costa Rica

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  joannesblack01/21/08 Report as spam
  5

  Payment for Referral

  When someone asks for payment for a referral, I run the other way. When I make a referral, it is a reflection on me, and I will only refer a resource that I know and trust. It has nothing to do with money. If someone has been particularly generous with referrals to me, I will consider sending a small gift--at a time they least expect it.
  
  That being said, sometimes companies have business agreements about referring business to each other with a certain percent of the contract going to the Referral Source. That is fine, as long as the agreement is in writing and the companies collaborate on referrals.

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  joannesblack01/21/08 Report as spam
  6

  RE: Who to Ask for a Referral.

  Hi Goeffrey:
  
  Thanks so much for mentioning me in your blog. Yes, getting the introduction is the difference between making a cold call (shudder) and talking to someone you want to talk to and who wants to talk to you. You now have credibility, trust, and you've collapsed your sales process. And you can't say thank you enough. Thanks for pointing out that very important part of the referral process.
  
  A sample chapter of my book is here http://www.nomorecoldcalling.com/book-chapter.html
  
  
  Joanne Black