In business, we do good work and we expect to be paid promptly for this effort.
That’s pretty standard.
But what if I said I also expected my current clients to refer me to someone else? Now on the face of this, that might sound a little cheeky. It’s anything but.
Because I am confident in my service. I am confident in the benefits that it brings to my clients. And I am confident that I can support complementary and competitive businesses in my clients’ eco-system.
This confidence is real because I’ll never share specific details about any of my clients’ plans and a lot of the time I don’t even mention them publicly. I will however use the collective experience of working with many businesses to better the service for those I work with. Above all, my decretion and integrity will never be questioned. This allows me to confidently work with similar and sometimes competitive businesses.
And this point is important. Because I work with clients who have one client per market sector and within these instances, I challenge that exclusivity. Now, contractual obligations and historical reasoning aside, could you work with multiple businesses in a single sector? Would each of those businesses benefit from your experience? I think so.
Now I’ve gone off topic a little, so back to referrals. This next sentence will change your business forever.
“If you’re happy with our service, I’d appreciate you telling someone else”
I can track this sentence or a version of it to multiple sequences of client acquisition, some of which became my biggest clients. If I were to be completely honest, I’d say that one particular project led to the eventual sale of the business. That’s how powerful it is.
In fact, if you’ve ever gotten any value from my videos or content, please share them with someone. Please tell them about this article and please say something nice… While you’re at it, head over to my Move at Pace Youtube Channel and subscribe.
Think about your business and your clients. How can you ask for a referral? Are you asking for internal referrals within the businesses you work with or external along their supply chain? What benefit will this have for all parties and are you confident in providing the same level of service?
If you are, then make this part of your process. Once you’ve established yourself in the business or completed a project successfully, ask for a referral.
So, my challenge to you this coming week is to ask for one referral. Look at your client list, pick a client and speak to them with intent. And that is to get more business from one of their connections.
Be honest. “We’re looking to grow our business in this sector and we have capacity to support them as well as you.”
A trusted referral from an existing client will have a greater effect on your business than 100 cold calls. Yet so many of us shy away from taking action. And if we do take action, it’s irregular.
Asking for referrals is something that should be ingrained into your process. And I make no qualms about it. If your business was referred to mine by a 3rd party, I’d address that in the first meeting. “You’re sitting here because of the work we did elsewhere and I’d expect that when we show you our service and deliver, you’ll do the same.
Send me a DM and let me know how you get on and if you enjoyed this article, please share it with someone else.