Getting Referral Business – A Proven System
Business referrals are one of the tried and true (but sometimes frustrating) ways to grow your small business. A few years ago I learned a fact about how the brain works that when I applied it, exploded my referral business. Below, I’m going to quickly outline it for you so you can start using it today.
The normal advice given is to prove your worth, make sure the customer is happy and then ask for a referral. While it’s sounds good, this is a really just a great way to eventually wonder why you get so few referrals. You understand if you’ve ever tried it.
The first meeting is the best time in the relationship to let people know how you work. To build your business with referrals, you advise people right away that referrals are how you do business. Here’s why:
Your brain is programmed to pay attention to what’s immediately of consequence. What just happened is already starting to fade. When you are in the middle of doing a task you can hold all the details in mind to a very exacting degree. A couple days after you have finished, many of those details have faded, because you are on to the next important things.
The part of your brain responsible for this is the reticular activated system (RAS). Researchers call it the attention center of the brain. It has many tasks but one of them is choosing what to pay conscious awareness to.
Letting your customer’s RAS work to build your business:
The RAS is a survival tool. Your ancestors had to notice the sabre tooth tigers hiding in the forest, so the RAS evolved to pay attention to the important and ignore what isn’t. How do you use that to your advantage with customers?
You prime the pump by talking about referrals right away.
Example of a Referral Request
The first meeting is the prime time to let customers that referrals are how you do business. Here’s a way to ask for a referral on the first meeting.
“Mr. Customer, I’m confident that if we start together, eventually you will be pleased with the results you get. I don’t take on new business if I can’t deliver a great result and provide what they need.
My business uses referrals to spread the word. And to make sure that happens I keep working until you are happy.
When this happens you will probably want to talk about us to your friends, colleagues and associates. This is a good thing. As I mentioned, our business grows by word of mouth, so it is important to us that you are happy enough with our services to pay us for our work. We also want you to be so thrilled that you become one of our biggest allies and fans.
So It’s really important to my business to do a good job. I’m relying on impressing you enough that you are happy to be an ally and do some promotion of my business. I don’t give rewards or trips for business referrals. I make sure that my prices have no hidden charges and that they offer a great value.
I only expect that you will refer a friend if it makes sense that they will benefit as much as you have.
I make sure that you get a ton of value so that you want to send friends and associates to get the same results.
I only have one request: If we work together, may I periodically check with you to see if you are thrilled yet?”
By planting seeds in this manner (or in your own style), you will increase your effectiveness in gaining referrals. Your customer’s RAS will automatically and most importantly, without their having to remember, respond by bringing to their attention the colleagues that will benefit from working with you.
If you ask in this way, you will notice your referrals increasing. Without their having to work at it, your customer’s RAS will be compelled to find friends that will benefit from working with you.
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