Advisors: Ask, ask, ask for referrals

March 28, 2011 at 08:00 PM
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Do you struggle with when and how to ask for referrals? Put your mind at ease. Ask at any point in your sales process when you deliver value, which means you "earned the right" to ask. How do you know? The simplest clue is when your prospect or client says thank you. You know you've given them advice, a suggestion, a connection or a nugget of information they hadn't considered.

When, when, when

Here's the rub: Many advisors still feel uncomfortable asking for referrals, so they put it farther and farther along in their sales process. They think:

  • Maybe I should wait until they sign on the dotted line
  • Maybe I should wait until we deliver the policy …
  • Maybe I should wait until they realize results …
  • Maybe …

The time is now

You get the picture. We wait and wait, and then we don't ask. Consider the different people you meet throughout your sales process–other members of your client's family or business. You thus expand your relationships with many more people who then become prospective referral sources. Ask them, as well. Ask, ask, ask. What do you have to lose?

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Joanne Black is a professional sales speaker, sales webinar leader, and author of "No More Cold Calling: The Breakthrough System That Will Leave Your Competition in the Dust" from Warner Business Books. Visitwww.nomorecoldcalling.com.

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