Andy Lopata, Guest Author
Each successful referral you receive, where you have kept them in the loop, will further build the trust your Champions have in you. Make sure they enjoy a positive experience when they refer you and they will do so again. You’ll see a move from unqualified to qualified referrals and to more and more business from the same source.
So many businesses I meet have people who have referred them once or twice but have failed to establish a positive referral cycle simply because they’re not feeding back. They’ve been reacting when referrals have come in but failing to recognise the potential rewards that are available by being proactive and building deeper relationships with the sources of those referrals.
When you first meet people and the relationship starts to grow they may test you out personally or with small referrals at first. As their confidence grows then the quality of the referrals may get better or the flow gets steadier. As long as you do the right things, there will always be a stronger chance of referrals in the second year of a relationship than the first.
If you want people to refer business to you, you have to get to know them first and win their trust.
BONUS Articles: NEVER Give Referrals to Crazy People in Your Network!
The Real Value of a Referral
Copyright © 2011 – Andy Lopata. Reprinted with permission. Labeled “Mr Network” by The Sun, Andy Lopata was called “one of Europe’s leading business networking strategists” by the Financial Times. The co-author of two books on networking, Andy is a featured columnist the US magazine “The National Networker,” as well as being regularly quoted in the national press. Previously, Andy was Managing Director of UK network Business Referral Exchange. Andy has since worked with companies from one-man bands to organisations such as NatWest Bank, Merrill Lynch and Mastercard to help them realise the full potential from their networking. He is a former vice-president of the Professional Speakers Association. Visit Andy’s Website and BLOG.
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