If you’ve watched any of my videos in the past, you know that I’m a huge believer in referrals. I teach webinars about how to do it, I write articles on how to do it, I even started a podcast on how to build your business with referrals.
So with all of this research and information about building your business with referrals, you know what I’ve found is the best way to get them?
ASK!
There was a study done…
that found that something like 80% of clients and partners are willing to give referrals to their referral partners and service providers.
So why don’t more people get tons of referrals for their businesses?
Well that same study also found that only something like 7% of sales people and service providers actually ASK for referrals!
7%!
That number would be pretty shocking, but for the fact that I also know one of the big reasons that people don’t ask for referrals.
They just don’t know how.
For some, asking for referrals is simply another question that feels like it should be as natural as “where’s the bathroom”. But for others, it can be a bit more overwhelming.
So let’s dive into some really easy ways to ask for referrals.
- Make it a part of your onboarding process
- Add it to your client retention sequence
- Leverage LinkedIn
- Ask “Who do you know” questions
- Look for referral partners
I know that I’m making this sound really simple, and it is.
But I also know that it’s not always easy. Sometimes it can be uncomfortable to ask for certain things or to advocate for yourself.
Fortunately there are a lot of resources out there that can help you.
Like I mentioned before, I started a podcast with Phil Pelto, the founder of Firestorm, that focuses all around how to grow your business using referrals that would be helpful for you to check out.
Also, I’m putting together a course on building your business using referrals so keep an eye out for that – it should be launching in the next month or so!