Symptoms of a Good Referral
As a professional, do you want to get more referrals? Of course, everyone says YES. Here is a technique that you can use now that will directly lead to generating more word-of-mouth business for you.
Educate people on the “symptoms” of a good referral so when they’re out in the field and with other people, they will immediately know what to look for in a potential ideal client for you.
Identify the Problem to Get Relief
Think about it this way. If someone went to a medical professional and told them that they had a headache, sore throat, and were sneezing all the time, the doctor would probably ask if they spent a lot of time outdoors. If so, they might prescribe an anti-allergen treatment because, based on the symptoms, it sounds like the patient has seasonal allergies.
Notice that the description of the problem, the symptoms, came first and then came the plan for relief.
What if that could happen in your business?
Make it “Top of Mind”
Callan Rush, author of Wealth Through Workshops, refers to the “top-of-mind” problems of your prospective clients. Ask yourself: What is the greatest challenge that my customers face on a regular basis? What need does my target market have that my products or services can fill?
When you identify those problems, you can effectively share them when you are talking to others and include them in your marketing materials.
Share the Trigger Points
Think about the trigger points, an event or scenario, that happen in someone’s life which triggers that person to have a new need. For example, instead of a realtor saying, “If you know someone looking to buy or sell a home, let me know”, they can be more specific with the circumstances surrounding the target market before a future home buyer needs a real estate agent.
If first-time home buyers are the target market, the realtor can educate their network on some potential triggers leading up to the transaction of buying a house.
These triggers may include:
- People who are recently engaged or getting married and need a place to live.
- Couples who are expecting, or just had, a new baby and their place is too small.
- Parents of college-age children who have left home, and their place is now too big.
Or they want to buy a house for the college student rather than paying rent.
These are all symptoms of a good referral because they are related to activities that usually result in buying or selling a home. Coach your referral partners on how to spot the symptoms associated with people who need your produce or service as opposed to just saying “If you run into someone looking for a ____(fill in your industry), that would be a great referral.”
When you educate the people in your network about the specific symptoms or conditions that your business can solve, it becomes easier for them to give referrals to you.
I’d love to hear your comments about how you use this technique in your business.