Why you must get specific with your referral requests

The purpose of step 3 in my 6 Step Fearless Referral Conversation is for YOU to identify who you would like your client to introduce you to (IT IS NOT THEIR JOB!).

Most of the time by ‘specific’ I mean that you are asking about 1-3 actual people who come EASILY to your client’s mind.

STEP 3 IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP OF ALL. You can do everything right and get no referrals because you are being too vague about who you would like to help.

Firstly you need to understand why you are afraid to get specific. The so-called logic is that lots of people would benefit from meeting you (I don’t doubt that this is true!) and that if you keep it nice and general, you cast a wide net and increase your chances of there being a few fish at the end of the day.

Unfortunately the shot gun approach backfires on the human brain which needs focus and simplicity to identify a target for you. It’s one reason why there are no referrals for people who tell others they can help ‘any small to medium-sized business’ or that ‘if you know anyone looking to buy or sell in the next six months, have them give me a call.’ Nothing sticks in the mind. There is nothing for the brain to focus on.

Second, there are two reasons you need to get so specific that the person you are talking to narrows down options in his or her brain to 2-3 people.

Reason #1: The average person knows too many people (200-250, whether they realize it or not) and they need your help to think of someone specific. Well, who comes to your mind when I ask you these questions?

Do you know anyone who might benefit from my services?
Do you know anyone who likes sports?
Do you know anyone who likes to grill out in the summer time?
Do you know any business owners I could help?
Do you know anyone that would like to reduce their stress by getting more referrals?
Do you know anyone who would like to make more money by getting more referrals?

So, are you tripping over names left and right and scrambling to write them down and send them to me?
Or were you overwhelmed by a fog because so many people fit that bill that you’ve no idea where to start?
Your clients are exactly the same. You’ve got to make it EASY for them!!

Reason #2: Everybody is CRAZY BUSY and they are not going to talk to eight different people for you. They don’t have time. If they don’t leave their meeting with you with someone in mind, very few of them are going to spend any more time trying to think of ‘anyone’. If you like to think you’re different and that your clients do think about you frequently, consider these questions:

The last time you left your dentist after a teeth cleaning, did you spend the rest of the day fretting over whether they’d be in business in 6 months when you returned?
After you’re done reading this, how much time did you plan on devoting to recommending sales managers and trade association directors to me?! (Don’t let my example stop you of course!)

I can’t emphasize this enough:

STEP 3 IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP OF ALL.

Never again say:

“If you can think of anyone who can benefit from my services, please have them give me a call”

When you use the word ‘anyone’, they will think of NO ONE!

“Do you know anyone else I should be talking to in a similar situation to yours?” It’s almost always too vague. Get specific!

If you found this a helpful reminder, please forward this onto your favorite center of influence (is that specific enough?!).