Every now and again I have a call with a prospective client that is extremely frustrating. I just had such a call. He wanted to know if our processes worked better with existing clients or with some other form of prospecting. The reason he said this was important to him was that his existing clients had no interest in recommending his services. So his conclusion was that what he needed to do was to find a way to attract prospective clients that didn’t rely in anyway on his relationship with his existing clients. This can and never will work. If your exisitng clients don’t have enough trust to recommend others to your service then bringing in new cleints will have the same results. The first step in getting your recommendation process fired up and creating a steady stream of quality, qualified referrals is to clean up your existing processes and make sure they are being looked after empecably well. Getting referrals is not some fancy phrasing that allows you to trick your cleints into introducing you to others. It is a holisitic approach which involves ever part of your business in a constant process of building and maintaining trust through consistency, congruency and chemistry. If and when you achieve that status and then educate your clients on exactly the process to follow you will get more recommendations than you can possibly imagine.
So why was my call frustrating? Well this indiviudal seemed to get it but when it came to the work involved to achieve the results he still wanted the quick fix. So do not try and cut corners. Use a process, stay consistent and make yourself more attractive to your clients and they will wave your flag to people on your bealf.

In a recent conversation, a successful entrepreneur revealed to me that he wasn’t satisfied with either the quality or quantity of referrals he was getting from his clients. He then asked me the question, “How can I improve on these lousy results?”

As I often do, I answered his question with a question: “Have you given any thought to what is undermining your refer-ability?”

After a meaningful exchange of insights and ideas, we eventually got to the core of the matter. When it comes to attracting referrals, your clients need to have absolute clarity about WHY they should wave your flag, to WHOM they should wave your flag to and then of course HOWto actually wave your flag in a cogent manner when the opportunity presents itself.

I’ll get to the WHY in a moment. The WHO is simple enough, you explain your ideal client profile based on AAA. ACTION based on the needs someone has and those needs fitting your areas of expertise (Afterall, you are all things to some people, not all people.) ATTITUDE based on having good rapport and chemistry and finally ADVOCACY based on the person understandinf the difference between simply “buying something” and “Buying into something”.

The how is simple: you tell your clients, “There is a process in place that my clients use to make introductions. If a friend asks you about me or you feel compelled to introduce someone to me, give me a call. Tell me about your friend and give me their contact information and I’ll get the wheels in motion. And of course, hold me accountable. Anyone you introduce to me will be afforded the same level of professionalism and confidentiality you receive.”

And there inlies a clue to the final piece of the puzzle. That last sentence is designed to remind your client that you are acutely aware of this simple point: every client needs to know exactly how it will ultimately reflect on them if they refer a friend to you. If I am your client and I don’t know with clarity exactly how recommending a freind to you will reflect on me, the likelihood I will ever make an endorsement is slim at best. You’ve heard the old saying, “No good deed goes unpunished.” As easy as it is to refer a friend, if I perceive even the slightest risk, it is always easier not to refer.

So, I’ll ask you the same question I asked the entrepreneur I was speaking with, “Are you referable?” By that I mean, do your clients trust you to the point that they feel they would be doing a friend a disservice by NOT referring them to you?

The key word there is TRUST. If you want to unlock your potential with existing clients be certain that they are keenly aware that you have the 4 C’s in place. These are like the numbers in a combination, dial in all 4 and the referral vault will open.

Consistency - People crave it so their expectations will be met or exceeded. Deploy predictable, sustainable and duplicable systems and don’t leave your staff to their own devises.

Congruency - People want to know that you DO as you SAY.

Chemistry - You bring value because you know what your clients value. Use FORM to build trust.

Credentials - But don’t rely solely on your competencies. You break out of the commodity mould by relying on all 4 C’s.

In closing, as we often say, when the why is clear, the who and how is easy. Make yourself more referable my clearly communicating this to your clients.