Vanished Into Thin Air…

Do you have a referral Process?

I was recently sitting down with a firm in Texas…

I asked them how they get business?

The response was mainly through referrals.

Obviously, that is an awesome testament to any business to thrive off of referrals means you’re doing something right.

My next question was…

What is your process?

This question was met with a very fragmented answer about their process.

They said we get an email. We follow up with that email.

I continued to ask…

How do you follow up?

What is in that email?

How many times do you contact them through email?

Do you call them?

My concern is that most people have this type of answer. The main sales funnel they have is through referrals, but they don’t have a formalized process. The problem without having a formulized process is you’re leaking these referrals and prospects.

A sales funnel and referral process in this case needs to have a formal structure that is repeatable and successful. You don’t want to leave it up to chance.

Here is a simple process….

#1 – Activate the referrer

– This means get the referrer to acknowledge that you have a great service or product.

#2 – Script the referrer

– Get them to tell you what they like about your services or products?

#3 – Ask for referrals

#4 – Tell them how they should introduce you

– Use the script from #2

#5 – Follow up with the referrer

– Make sure they are making the introductions.

#6 – Follow up with the referral

– Send out an email you would send out to a new friend or a friend.

– Keep it short, provide value and make it easy to set up an appointment.

#7 – Keep adding value until you secure the appointment

– Put them in a follow up sequence.

#8 – Follow up with the referrer

– Give them a gift for their efforts.

You need to have a process that has standard operating procedures (SOPs). When you have SOPs you can always adjust to the different variables that come along the way. You can also automate a lot of these processes through you Client Relationship Manager – CRM.

The key is to remember…

The fortune is in the follow up!

Most sales, depending on the level of trust that needs to be conveyed between you and the prospect, take somewhere around 16 touches to close business.