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The Greatest Referral Strategy In The World

This article is more than 4 years old.

Here is a scary word to overcome if you want to attract high-paying clients.

“There’s one particular word,” Bob Paskins says, “that makes most consultants and professionals shudder and back away as if a skunk had just walked by. That word is: referrals.” 

Here’s a truism about referrals: if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

Paskins is a Portland-based go-to expert in the areas of corporate sales, team-building, account management, and customer service.

Paskins says, “We ask our friends for recommendations or referrals all the time: ‘Where is a good Chinese restaurant?’ ‘We have a leak in our bathroom, do you know a good plumber?’ ‘Where did you buy your last car and was it a good experience?’ Why don’t we ask our clients for referrals as well?”

Why do people have such a negative reaction to the word referrals? 

“In my experience, referrals are not only the easiest, but also the most enjoyable way to grow your business,” says Paskins.

Many feel awkward asking a current client to refer potential clients. Why is that? 

Paskins reasons, “When I ask people why they don’t ask for referrals, I commonly get responses like these: 

‘Who would give me a referral in the first place?’ 

‘I don’t even know if my clients would be comfortable giving me a referral so I don’t feel comfortable asking.’  

‘I’m sure this client is being asked for referrals all of the time, and I don’t want to bother them by being yet another person asking them for a referral.’” 

Paskins asked me if I had heard those excuses or heard them from people I have helped through the years. My answer was a resounding yes, of course.

“Clients do want to give you referrals,” says Paskins. “I was able to triple my book of business when I learned to ask for referrals. Why is there such a taboo around asking for referrals?”

According to Paskins, we live in a work environment where your best clients want you to thrive with your business. They are pulling for you to succeed. 

“Do your best clients tend to move from business relationships into friendships?” asks Paskins. “I would imagine so; for me they certainly do. I value my client relationships as more than just a business transaction. Over time many of my clients have become friends. Do your friends want to see you succeed? Almost always, the answer is an unqualified ‘Yes.’”

Ultimately, Paskins reminds us, “If you know that you work for a good company that offers a good product or service, you do good work for your customer, and you can repeat this work with other potential customers. Add to that the belief that good people want to help other good people succeed, and there should be no stopping you from asking for referrals and launching your business forward.” Referrals are too important to leave to chance. Half of your high-paying clients should be coming from referrals. Have no fear as you pursue referrals.

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