Why Is It Important To Not Only Get A Referral Once, But Have A Consistent Process Of Getting Them?

Thank you to the MDRT (Million Dollar Round Table), MDRT Speaking Captain Ron Davidson and MDRT Moderator Devang Patel for the blessing to have been chosen from hundreds of coaches for the 2015 New Orleans MDRT Practice Management Secrets Panel.

During the Practice Managements Secrets Panel, managed by MDRT Speaking Captain Ron Davidson and Moderated by Devang Patel, I was asked as series of questions that included the following.

Before we begin, here are a few pictures of friends and highlights from the MDRT.

Why Is It Important To Not Only Get A Referral Once, But Have A Consistent Process Of Getting Them?

Like any skill, referrals requires commitment and consistency to get extremely good at it.

Asking for and receiving referrals feels good because it endorses and reinforces the value of your work.

Asking for referrals is the most cost effective way to grow your business outperforming other forms of marketing.

Asking for referrals also causes you to consider the clients that you love because there is little point in asking a nasty client for a referral because they will likely refer you to another nasty client.

So, expanding on who the clients are that you love, before you start to ask for referrals, identify the associations, church and business, career or profession that they are connected to. Doing this will help you to define some niche markets that you can drill deeper into to become a recognized expert.

In advance of asking for referrals, it’s important to make deposits into your clients’ emotional bank account and become a recognized expert at the same time.

You have identified the associations, church and business, career or profession that they are connected to … and then ask;

• What are the three biggest improvements that your association, business or church is wanting to make?
• What are the three biggest challenges that your association, business or church is facing?

Revisit your client with a white paper that addresses the improvement or challenge regarding their association, business or church.

This not only sets the stage for asking for a referral but the more you understand about the associations, church and business, career or profession of your clients, the more you will speak their language, leading to niche-specific articles that you can post on your website, blog, newsletter, and the big 3 social media; Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter.

Asking for referrals fits into steps 3, 4 and 5 of your Client Commitment Process;

1. Approach
2. Vision
3. Discovery
4. Strategy
5. Implementation

Ask for referrals often and early. Years ago, I heard of a survey that suggested that a newspaper ad needed to be run 55 times before it was fully recognized by everyone of the different behavioral styles of the readership. At the beginning of your client meetings, create rapport with your clients, and confirm the amount of time that your client has for the meeting. Ask them what their outcomes are for the meeting, what they want to accomplish, and what they want to improve upon. Then explain your outcomes for the meeting, but before you get into what is to be accomplished, ask for the referral first versus leaving it to the last minute at the end of the meeting and rushing to get it done at the last minute.