The Correct Way
To Make A
Referral
By Art Italo
One of the most potent weapons in your networking arsenal is the referral you have to give. A referral to one of your networking contacts is a form of emotional currency. Though it is not a direct quid quo pro transaction, most people who receive referrals want to return the favor. Thus, each referral you give makes a deposit in that person's gratitude account. The more gratitude people have for referrals you have given, the more referrals you are likely to get in return.
Many attorneys make referrals and get no credit for having done so. The prospect often does not call the person to whom they were referred. Sometimes they call but neglect to tell the recipient that you referred them. In either case, you are not receiving any gratitude for the referral and it does not increase the likelihood you will receive a referral from that person in the future. My clients tell me they get credit for the referrals they make less than half the time.
What would happen if you were able to create six times the gratitude that you do now? Do you think you would receive six times as many referrals? Certainly it would be difficult to comprehend not having a significant increase in referral activity.
To increase the amount of gratitude you generate, you should make your referrals in the following way:
- Get the name and telephone number of the prospect.
- Give the prospect the names of three people who have the experience they require. Say, "I will give you the name of three professionals I trust. Each has the experience you need. Call them all and find the one with whom you feel most comfortable."
- Ask the prospect for permission to give his/her number to the referred professionals.
- Call each of the recipients. Explain that you have referred the prospect to him/her. Give each recipient the prospect's name (and phone number if the prospect has authorized it).
This procedure will increase the amount of gratitude by a factor of six. When you call the recipient to inform him/her of the referral, you have doubled the amount of gratitude (since there is only half a chance this would have come to his/her attention if left to the prospect). Regardless of whether the prospect calls, the recipient will appreciate the gesture. That double gratitude will be multiplied three times because you have established it with three people.
It is important to include the name and phone number if possible. This makes the referral more concrete to the recipient. You make a far greater impact if you say, "I referred you a fellow named John Smith with a divorce case. His number is 999-1234." as opposed to, "I referred some guy to you last month. Did he ever call you?"
If you are in the habit of sending all your referrals to one person to whom you have sworn undying loyalty, break that habit. You are limiting the amount of gratitude you are creating in the marketplace and limiting the number of referrals you will get.
Use human nature to your advantage. Most people send the majority of their referrals to one person regardless of how much they get back. This is because most professionals don't do enough networking. They don't have that many contacts they can trust in any particular category. When they find someone they can depend on, they stick with him/her. If someone is sending referrals, or at least trying, that person gets bumped up the list quickly and stays there until he/she loses the contact's trust by dissatisfying a client. If you spread your referrals around, you will find that you will get far more referrals than you give because you are sending each referral to three people and each of them sends most of their referrals only to you.
Strangely enough, you would think people would demand exclusive reciprocity, but they don't. Most professionals are just happy that you tried. If they can get a shot at pitching the prospect, they appreciate it. If anyone finds out you gave out three names and seems perturbed, you can say, "It is my policy to give the client a choice of professionals and let the client choose. I can understand that you would prefer not to compete for clients, but I feel have an obligation to the client to try to find someone with whom he/she can feel comfortable." Any contact who can't understand this logic is not very client oriented, and should be dropped from your referral list.
Be proactive in your efforts to make referrals. Many attorneys wait until the client spells it out for them. They have to be slapped across both sides of their face by the client before they notice there is a referral to be made. They don't offer a name unless specifically asked by the client.
Your clients often have matters that can mean business to one of your contacts. Sometimes there are conditions that need fixing and they aren't aware anything is wrong. Other times they know something is wrong but they are too embarrassed to ask for help.
In the course of your conversations with clients, ask questions that might expose a need that one of your contacts can fill. If you are an estate planner and you notice the client doesn't have enough life insurance, recommend three insurance agents. If your divorce client is having a difficult time adjusting to realities of a family breakup, recommend three psychologists. If a business client's financials aren't adding up, recommend three accountants. If your partner is having a bad hair day, recommend three hairdressers (only kidding, well then again...).
This approach is better for everybody. The recipient will know you are trying to help his/her business. The client will be happy to have a selection. You will receive more gratitude, and ultimately more referrals.
Copyright © Art Italo, 1996. All Rights Reserved
Select
this link to see Art Italo’s Practice Profile
Art Italo is a consultant working exclusively with attorneys in the areas
of business development and strategic planning. He speaks internationally on
legal marketing and strategic planning.
He has developed and refined the concept of Leveraged Networking after
over 15,000 hours of individual consultations with attorneys. He has personally consulted with over 250
attorneys in
For on-line help with your marketing questions, e-mail Art Italo at
italco@mindspring.com or contact Art
Italo at:
Italo Consulting®
P.O. Box 680474
Marietta, GA 30068
(770) 859-0600
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