6 Ways To Increase Your Referrals and Make More Sales By Colleen Francis

"Colleen - how can I get more referrals?"

This is the most common question I get when conducting prospecting workshops. My most common answer is: "What have you done to deserve more referrals?"

Referrals are the most powerful tool in any sales person’s arsenal. A referred prospect is much more likely to be ready to listen to you, trust what you say and – ultimately – to buy from you. Referrals make your job easier, and help you sell more with less effort and in less time. What else could any sales person ask for?

If you want to increase your referral rate, however, you have to start not by looking to your existing customers, but by asking yourself a number of questions about how you conduct business on a daily basis. The most important question is: "how likeable are you?"

People buy you first, not your company or products. So to get more referrals, you have to make like Sally Field, and make sure your customers really, really like and trust you.

What are you doing every day to be more likeable? Like everything else in sales, there is no magic "likeability" bullet that works every time, with every customer. However, the following are six of the best ways I’ve found to help you increase your referrals, by putting the other person first – and simply having fun!

1. Start a monthly advocate program - Once a year, do a customer genealogy to see who or what was responsible for all the additions to your customer base. Odds are, you’ll find between 5-20 primary referral sources, ranging from current clients to friends, partners and suppliers.

Make an "advocate list" of these active referral sources, and develop a concrete plan to keep in touch with them on a regular basis. Every 4-6 weeks, for example, send them something of value –not a brochure or promotional piece, but something they will actually value and use, like an article or book you think they will enjoy, a phone call, an invitation to lunch or breakfast, or even a referral for their business from you.

I can’t stress this enough, though – whatever you send has to be of value to them, not simply an advertisement for you. After all, the goal is for you to help them improve their business, not your own. Think about it this way – what could you give them that will help grow their revenue? In helping to grow their business, trust me, it won’t take long before they return the favor and help grow yours. For examples of what to send to your best referral sources, please feel free to download a complimentary copy of our Advocate Worksheet.

2. Develop a culture of referrals - Another approach that can help you develop a steady stream of referrals is to ask questions that benefit your customer first. One Engage customer doubled her referrals simply by asking the following client-focused question at the end of every client meeting:
"Now… how can I help you?"

By putting the needs of her customers first, she demonstrates that she truly cares about them. When people sense that you care, they tend to want to return the favor. In fact, you may find that many of your customers are genuinely surprised by a question like this, because no one has ever asked them that before. And that’s why your follow-up question is equally indispensable:

"You’ve helped my business grow by becoming part of our family network. I’d like to help your business grow, too. So let me ask you – what type of people do you want to meet to help increase your revenue?"

3. Write some letters - If you don’t feel comfortable asking for referrals face-to-face, try the approach that’s worked for sales people, direct marketers – and hopeless romantics – for centuries: write a letter!

Regardless of the business you’re in, an effective letter writing campaign can bring in a steady stream of new leads that will have an immediate and dramatic impact on your bottom line. When drafting your letter, the key is to make sure it says four things:

* Thank them for their business.
* Remind them how you met – especially if it was through a referral.
* Ask them to send you some names.
* Tell them that you will reward them with lunch or a gift basket if their referral turns into business.

Sound simple? That’s because it is! And the real beauty is – it works! Since implementing this system at Engage last month, we’ve seen a steady stream of new referrals arriving from our customers and advocates, on an almost daily basis.

4. Send thank-you notes and gifts - Send a thank-you note for every referral, and a gift for every referral that turns into business.

Thank-you notes should be handwritten, on a note card or postcard that isn’t branded with your company advertising. Keep a supply of traditional, fun, theme and plain note cards handy for all occasions throughout the year. For a real treat, spoil yourself with a great fountain pen to make writing the notes something you really look forward to.

For gifts, don’t send the same old thing to everyone. Instead, take a minute to think about what your customer would really like. If they’re dedicated oenophiles, send wine. If they’re into sports, try tickets to a game. For gourmets or candy-o-holics (like myself), food baskets work wonders, and are available in almost any size, style and budget at the click of a mouse – some of my personal favorites are www.harryanddavid.com, www.elenis.com, www.candybouquet.com and www.baskits.com

Got some favorite sites of your own? I’m always on the lookout for new ideas (not to mention new sources of gourmet delectables!). So if you send us a list of your favorite Web sites for client gifts, we’ll return the favor by sending you a gift, too – a free copy of our Prospecting for Profit eBook. There – see how easy that was?

One last thing – I implore you NEVER to send electronic greeting cards, no matter the occasion. E-cards look like you were too lazy or didn’t care enough to do the real leg work needed to honor your customer – and let’s face it, that’s not too far off the mark, is it?

Go the extra mile, and write a personalized note. That little extra effort is what will get you noticed – and get you more referrals.

5. Bring like-minded people together - Create a top-of-the-class networking club. Make a list of those people in your city who you know to be well-connected, great networkers, then invite them all to come together with one catch – they have to bring someone that they think the rest of the group should meet. It’s likely this person will be a great networker, too.

When great networkers get together in the same room, the energy is unmistakable, and they share leads like there’s no tomorrow. Plus, because everyone in the room will be of the same caliber, there’ll be an even higher propensity to share, because everyone will feel like the giving and receiving is balanced.

6. Have fun with holidays and celebrations - Most sales people send Christmas cards. If you want to stand out and be remembered by your customers, why not try something a little different? In addition to sending cards out each December 25th, mix a few of the following ideas into your annual calendar:

* Valentine’s Day candy baskets.
* Birthday cakes on their birthday.
* Champagne on their company’s anniversary.
* Thank-you cards or gifts on their anniversary of doing business with you.
* Gifts for their children’s birthdays.
* Plants on the first day of spring, or at Easter.
* Candy at Halloween.
* Gifts for your clients’ admin assistants on Secretaries’ Day.
* Patriotic presents on national holidays (e.g. July 1st or 4th).
* Thanksgiving cards or food baskets.
* If your client has a volunteer day where they help out a local project in the community, see if you can participate with them.
* Send congratulations to your clients when you know they’ve completed something significant in their personal or professional lives – like they just ran their first 10K, earned a black belt in Karate or qualified for the Boston Marathon.

Yes, some of these ideas require you to know detailed information about your customers. But isn’t that what sales is all about?

At its most basic level, selling is relationship building. And to build a successful relationship, you have to know a few things about the other person who’s in the relationship with you. Think about it this way: if you don’t know this information about your customers, who does?

There are countless ways you can let your customers know you care and are thinking about them. Each has its pros and cons. Some work consistently but cost too much. Others are cheap and easy to implement, but don't produce as many leads as you might want.

Try them all, and try them often, and I guarantee, you’ll start to see results – and more referrals – in no time.
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Colleen Francis is the Founder and President of Engage Selling Solutions, which delivers sales solutions that realize immediate results, achieve lasting success and permanently raise the client's bottom line. She can be reached at EngageSelling.com.

-What are some things you do to encourage referrals? How do you ask for referrals?


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The Law of Advance Planning By Brian Tracy

The best salespeople prepare thoroughly before every call. This principle is so simple that it is often overlooked. The hallmark of the true professional is thorough preparation, reviewing every detail, before every sales meeting. The very best salespeople are those who review their presentations and study the details of their products and their sales materials repeatedly prior to every new sales contact.

The Customer's Situation...
The salesperson with the best knowledge of the customer's real situation will be the one most likely to make the sale. The more time you take to thoroughly understand your prospective customer and your prospective customer's situation, the more likely you will be in a position to sell at the critical moment.

Sales Professionals Plan their questions in Advance...
There is a direct relationship between the quality of the problem focused questions that you ask a customer and the likelihood of a sale taking place. The only way of assuring that your questions are clear and penetrating is by writing them out, word for word, in advance. Some of the most successful salespeople who have ever lived have been "question experts."

Notes...
The power is on the side of the salesperson with the best notes. Plan your sales-call objectives thoroughly in advance of meeting the client. Write down and itemize exactly what you hope to accomplish in this visit. After the call, quickly write down everything that was said. Don't trust it to memory. Remember the Chinese saying, "The palest ink lasts longer than the finest memory."

Prior to every sales call, and no matter how many times you have visited this same customer, take a few minutes to review the customer's file, the customer's situation, and your own notes on what has taken place in the past. You'll be amazed at how impressive you sound when you go into a sales interview having just reviewed the customer's file a few minutes before. And customers always know if you have done your homework.

Prior to Closing a Sale...
The top salespeople in every field prepare exhaustively prior to selling, prior to their presentations, and prior to closing. They think everything through in advance. And they leave nothing to chance. Remember, it's the details that make the difference. The salesperson who has taken the greatest amount of time to acquaint himself or herself with the most specific needs of the customer is the one who builds the highest level of trust and the best sales relationship. Thorough preparation is the essential precondition for successful selling.
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Brian Tracy is one of the world's leading authorities on personal and business success. His fast-moving talks and seminars are loaded with powerful, proven ideas and strategies that you can apply immediately to get better results in every area. Visit the Brian Tracy web site.

-What are some of the ways you prepare before meeting with a prospect or client? Assuming you make asking questions a part of your sales presentation, what are some of the questions you would ask in a typical sales call?


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Putting an End to the End-of-Quarter Blues By Colleen Francis

Seeing as this is the end of another calendar quarter, I suspect many of you may be feeling what I like to call the "end-of-quarter blues."

On the one side, you've got pressure from your manager to close deals now! On the other, you're getting the brush off from clients who want to call you back next month or next quarter instead.

Stuck right in the middle? Yup, you guessed it - its lucky old you!

The end of a period is a time when your prospects have other fires burning bright. Often, they use those other priorities as an excuse to put buying decisions on hold - especially if you're selling to publicly traded companies.

"I need some more time," "let me think about it" and "call me back next (month, quarter or year)" are three of the most frustrating phrases you'll ever hear in sales. The worst part is, these aren't even valid objections you can deal with. They're stalls. And stalling is twice as frustrating because it almost always masks a real objection. When you get a stall, you have to figure out how to dance around it, find the real objection, handle it - and then get the deal back on track.

So what can you do to stop your prospects from stalling - and put an end to the end-of-quarter blues? An ounce of prevention beats a pound of cure

The best solution if you suspect a stall may be coming is to do something about it before it happens.

Preventing stalls and objections is the single most powerful - and least used - sales technique I know. If you have a client who regularly seems to get cold feet around this time every three months, try some of the following patented stall prevention cures:

* Bring up the stall first and have an answer ready. Say: "Mr. Customer, you may be thinking that it's best to wait until after the year-end to buy. I'm concerned that if you do that, we won't be able to guarantee you these prices."

* Keep your pipeline full. If you have a pipeline with at least 3-4 times as many prospects as you need in order to meet your goals, you (and your manager!) will feel far less pressure. When you feel less pressure, you'll close more deals. Ironic? Yes. True? You bet.

* Start calling customers early on in the period to create a greater sense of urgency.

* Set price increases in September to take effect January 1st. This four-month window of opportunity will encourage your customers to buy now.

* Create a unique holiday special. Hold a sale at the beginning of December or on Labour Day to boost sales in Q3.

* Have a "closing blitz day" at the office or, better yet, arrange a longer contest to see who can close the most deals.

* Hold a series of seminars on issues that are important to your prospects and customers. Start it first thing in the morning at a desirable location, schedule the best session just before the end of the period - and make sure to serve great food!

* Build relationships all year long by staying in touch with your customers on at least a monthly basis. Send them a "thank you" or "thinking of you" card, take them out for coffee, or just give them a call. Try to stay away from email, as it's not the most effective relationship-building tool.

7 surefire ways to get the deal done:

If you've done everything you can think of to be proactive and are still getting stalled, try these 7 great ideas to help overcome any unwarranted delays:

1. Make the customer be specific. "Thanks for letting me know that next month is better for you. What date would you want to place the order?" Or: "I would be happy to call you back next month. Would Tuesday, July 11th at 10:00 a.m. work for you?"

2. Control the call back. Don't take "don't worry - I'll call you!" as an answer. You need to stay in control of the follow-up. I suggest you say: "Thanks for wanting to stay on top of this, Bob. How about, if I don't hear from you by the 15th, I'll call you on the 16th at 10:00 a.m.?"

3. Offer alternatives. Once when I was selling software, we offered to split an invoice in two, charging the customer for the software in March and the maintenance in April. Because the payments were split, the order fit better into her quarterly budgets, and the customer was able to make the deal right away. Can you think of a creative way to help your customers say yes right now?

4. Question them into a corner - and close them when they get there. Tell your clients: "I would be happy to call you back next month. Do you mind if I ask, what will have to be different in May to make you want to buy from me then?" Or take the opposite approach, and ask: "Will anything change over the next few weeks that will cause you not to buy?"

Once the prospect assures you that they do want to do business with you, you can respond with: "Great! Let's get your order into production now so your project won't be delayed, and we'll deliver it after July 1st." One Engage client offers to ship his product in advance and the invoice later, so that his customers can benefit from having the product on site while paying for it later. Of course, he only does this with clients who have excellent credit. But it works great - and he never has to discount his prices!

5. "Use the "F" word. Agree with your clients, and then disagree, by offering an alternative: "I know how you feel. Other clients of mine have told me that they felt the same way. What they have found is that they can save up to 20% if they buy now. Are you sure you don't want to save this money now?"

6. Get a testimonial letter. Testimonials are the most powerful tool in your arsenal. They're also a sales person's best friend (next to my dog Conrad of course!). Ask someone who bought before the quarter end, or any client who accelerated their purchase and was glad they did so, to write you a two-paragraph letter. The first paragraph should state how they originally wanted to wait, and the value they received by not putting it off - for example, did they save money? Time? The second paragraph should detail how happy they are with your after-sales service.

7. Get scarce! Remind your customers (if it's true!) that the price will be going up after a specified date or that there might be a product or delivery back-up after the 1st of the month, and advise them to schedule delivery now. If your business tends to be seasonal, encourage clients to buy during off-peak periods in order to get priority shipping and production.

The success with which you handle stalls is directly related to the quality of the relationship you've built with your prospect or customer. A good relationship gives you more freedom to press for immediate action. A weak relationship may mean you end up having to wait until the next quarter to make the sale - or longer.

One last thing - under the considerable pressure the end of a quarter can bring, many sales people give in to the temptation to hold a "slash and burn" sale to get their prospects to buy. I urge you to avoid this at all costs.

In the long term, slash and burn sales are rarely effective, because all they do is set a precedent that your prices will drop whenever you're desperate. Once word gets around, who will ever buy from you at full price again?
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Colleen Francis is the Founder and President of Engage Selling Solutions, which delivers sales solutions that realize immediate results, achieve lasting success and permanently raise the client's bottom line. She can be reached at EngageSelling.com.

-How do you deal with clients who stall during the sales process? What are some ways you have found effective in moving the sales process along?

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