What is a Real Referral?

Nothing is better than a nice, warm introduction to a new prospect. But how many times have you been "referred in", only to discover that the prospect does not know why you are calling, or even who you are? Is that really a referral?  

A few years ago I received a call from a referral partner who explained to me that he had met someone who desperately needed my help. He was willing to meet us both for coffee and make a formal introduction. I thought to myself, finally all of my hard work is paying off! I was excited about this introduction because I felt like the person referring me was a standup guy who knew the entire world.  All I had to do was deliver.

The next morning as I was en route to the breakfast meeting, I kept playing out the meeting in my head to make sure I was prepared. Upon entering, I saw my referral partner across the restaurant, and proceeded to wave to the duo. I couldn't help but notice the other gentleman peer in my direction, and he looked a bit startled. Then, and only then, did it occur to me that he had no idea I was coming to that breakfast.

As I felt a knot begin to tighten in my stomach, I approached the table and proceeded to ask if I could get either of them a coffee. At this point the referral contact looked very confused. As I got my coffee, I was frantically thinking about how to spin the situation. Returning to meet the two, the referral source introduced us and then proceeded to let us know he would leave us to chat. I was dumbfounded, and quite frankly had no earthly idea what to say to this guy.

With what little dignity I had left in me, I said to him, "I get the feeling that you didn't know I was coming this morning." The confused man looked back at me and replied, "I had no idea, who are you again?" I was crushed and embarrassed. I apologized for the confusion, telling him that there must have been a misunderstanding, and if he needed to get going I completely understood. I'm not sure if he felt bad for me or what, but we ended up having a nice 20-minute conversation and then he went on his way.

It's easy for me to look back on this lesson and laugh, but in the moment it was brutally embarrassing and could have easily been avoided. 

Make sure you work smarter rather than harder when you do receive referrals by following the tips below.

• Find out what the prospect told your referral partner that made him/her think this would be a good fit.
• Get the referee to sell you on why this makes sense.
• Find out what your referral partner told the prospect about you?
• Determine if they provided specific information about your solution or just a high-level understanding.
• Establish how they want to introduce you.
• A referral is a gift, so be sure to thank the referral partner and make them as comfortable as possible introducing you. It's always nice to reciprocate, so make sure to inquire on how you can help them.
• A referral is not a recommendation to call someone. It is also not a guarantee that someone could really use “a person like you.” Real referrals are people who have problems, want to fix them, and are expecting your call.

Professionally trained salespeople develop techniques on how to ask for referrals, and more importantly, how to have the referrer set up the referral properly. Referrals are the single best source of new business, yet too many salespeople are spending time either not asking for referrals or accepting imitations.

Once you help your clients discover what a real referral is, your business will improve.

MP Solutions, located in Twinsburg, Ohio, teaches the Sandler method to Sales Representatives in the Greater Cleveland, Akron/Canton and Youngstown region. For more information on sales management, sales training, leadership or Sandler Training topics, contact us.