I did a presentation last week on "32 Ways To Reach The Decision Maker" - it was quite fun and it inspired me to do some entries on the talk, broken out by category. Today is about referrals.
There are general ways to get to “decision-maker”-level buyers. How many more can you come up with?
Referrals:
A. Set expectations during the first stages of qualifying a prospect on how you work – that you routinely ask clients for references and referrals.
B.Routinely (twice a month, monthly, quarterly) go through your database/pipeline/Outlook to see how you can be of value to existing clients. Be in “added value” mode always.
C. Help people understand what you do so they can offer referrals. This is key. If you and I met today, how would you articulate what you do so that I could refer you if I happened to run into a qualified buyer for you? Spend some time on this.
D. Hone your value proposition – be clear, be brief, keep it simple. (See point #3) - the time you spend on this can payoff BIG.
One key to selling is being creative - post more ideas that you have tried, with success. Together, we'll amass a large list!
