Referrals from customers are gold in sales. Do you have any suggestions for consistently getting them from customers? Anything that has worked well for your sales org?
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CSO3 months ago
We have found that doing a case study interview with previous clients has brought us great success. After the interview we always ask who is one person that you know that needs the same results that you received from working with us. Asking for one person usually makes them think of the one best person they know and truly have a relationship with.VP of Sales3 months ago
Crisp coordination and communication between project delivery and the account leadership team creates a strong foundation for customer referrals. The account leaders that understand how the sold work is progressing as more likely to keep happy customers interested in referring the company to others as well as being considered for follow-on work. IMO, surveys and case studies support the person-to-person relationship between sales and customers. Director of Sales Enablement in Telecommunication3 months ago
I think that in addition to the customer making a referral that you also want references that can be called on. This needs to be managed by someone at the vendor so that a customer doesn't get more than their fair share of reference questions. One idea for getting permission to do a reference is to make that option part of your negotiations trading list. "Because we know that customers want to talk to other customers who have been successful, we could offer a 3% discount to support your willingness to be a case study or speak with our new customers about your experience." Then you need to put that in writing. Other ideas on supporting a referral program? Some give gift cards at the consumer level for posts to social media or referring a purchasing new customer.
CSO in Constructiona month ago
I'll add two things. One common way people ask for referrals is by saying, "Hey, do you know anybody who's looking for this?" or "Do you know anybody in this role?" This generic and blanket approach is less effective. Instead, I believe in marrying your ideal customer profile with who is part of that network. A better way is to say, "Here is the target list of companies I believe I can make a big impact for.” Let me start there, then see where my network is potentially connected. Through general networking or talking, you'll get random referrals, but a more targeted approach can be more impactful. For example, "Hey, Jeff, I'm really trying to get into Company A because I noticed XYZ. I saw that you're connected with this person. Do you think you might be able to make the introduction?" This approach is more specific and genuine, and if that person is going to put their name on the line for you, they have some context as to why.Another approach I've taken involves rewarding those who attend my discovery workshops. These are public workshops where individual contributors can join without necessarily being part of a company or team. Generating referrals has been more effective when attendees who had a good experience are incentivized to refer others. For instance, if seller A refers seller B to the workshop, both A and B receive something beneficial. This method empowers customers to want to refer to your services, and while there might be a monetary reward, it's all based on the fact that they had a good experience. It gives them that little added boost to recommend your services.
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