How would you like to have a steady stream of new leads, close sales faster and rapidly increase your business? You can when you create an ongoing referral strategy. That’s because people want to business with people and companies that have been recommended! Think of what you do when you want to buy a new product or try a new service. Most likely you ask your friends or family for recommendations. No other strategy works as well for generating more sales.
That being said, how can you get more referrals for your promotional products business? Follow these nine proven tips to get started.
1. Know Your Ideal Client. Start by deciding who your ideal clients are and who you would rather send to your competitors. Until you are crystal clear on who you are looking for, it will be very hard to know where to find them and how to describe to others who a good referral would be for you.
2. Become A Specialist! Love golf? Become known as an expert in golf promotions. Have a background in education? Become an expert in promoting schools and universities in your area. You get the idea. Learn as much as possible about your given area and you’ll become the “go to” person. Specialists get many more referrals. That’s because people like to do business with experts.
3. Look for Additional Opportunities with Current Clients. Your current clients are your best source of referrals and new business. The key here is to ask at the right time. What’s the right time? It’s after you’ve done an amazing job for them, or came through with a special favor or rush order. That’s when they are most inclined to help you.
4. Mine Your Contacts. We all know approximately 250 people. Those people know people they can refer you to. One savvy and motivated promotional professional sent postcards to all the people on his contact list asking for the name of just one potential referral. He also followed up and asked if they would be willing to make an introductory call. This powerful but easy tactic was the start of his burgeoning promotional business.
5. Form Your Own Referral Network. Who serves the same target market but is not a direct competitor? Printers, meeting planners, graphic designers and trade show display companies can make great referral partners for promotional products sales professionals.
6. Create a Gift for the Referral Program. Thank all your referral sources with a small promotional gift. Contact your favorite suppliers to see what items would most appeal to your referral sources. This is a great strategy because you’re modeling for your customers a strategy that they can use to get more referrals.
7. Give More Referrals. Take the time to ask all your current customers and contacts that would be a good referral for them. When you reach out to help others they favor will be returned.
8. Leverage LinkedIn. LinkedIn can be a gold mine for referrals. First, make sure you have an updated profile and headshot photo. Include keywords that highlight what you do best and a compelling summary. Then reach out to your contacts and see who in their network you may want to meet. Send your contacts a request for an introduction and tell them you are happy to return the favor and introduce them to people in your network.
9. Be Outstanding. These days average doesn’t cut it. You have to go the extra mile to stand out. Promotional products distributors that go beyond what is expected and provide added value such as a marketing plan to go along with their products stand out in a competitive market place and get more referrals. Always be thinking what more can I do to help my clients, how can I stand out?
Start using these nine strategies today and watch your referral business soar!
Rosalie Marcus, The Promo Biz Coach, is a promotional products business expert, coach, and speaker. Combining her skills and years of experience in promotional sales, she helps her clients sell more at higher margins to better clients. Get a free special report: 10 Proven Ways to Thrive in Promotional Products Sales… in Any Economy at www.promobizcoach.com. Contact her at Rosalie@promobizcoach.com.