You should know two things about referrals: The first is why a referral happens.
People refer anything, from a movie to a restaurant, a dentist, etc., because it makes them feel good. They're not doing it as a favor to the dentist, chef, or you. People refer because they want to add value to their friends. We want to be helpful, useful, and informative. We want to show that we've got a "shortcut" that can help our "tribe." It's true. Our referral instinct goes back to when we were hunters and gatherers. When we wanted to help our tribe survive and prosper by bringing good news, "Hey, I've found some blueberries over that hill there…" In other words, the reason why we refer is because we're genetically wired to do it.
This brings me to the second thing you should know about referrals: The mechanics of how it happens. The truth is that all referrals happen as a result of a conversation. And for that to happen, three things need to be true.
- First, people need to converse about something related to what you do.
- Second, while they're in that conversation, they must think about you.
- And the third thing that needs to be true is that they have to introduce you to the person they're conversing with.
And when you combine both your understanding of WHY and HOW a referral happens, you can begin orchestrating them almost immediately. Start by figuring out what kinds of conversations (related to your business) your customers could be in with their friends, spouses, colleagues, etc. Next, is there a certain set of questions that are likely to come up during that conversation? And if so, is there something you could create that your customer can give to the person asking the question - and feel good for doing it?_
You know, like a book, a guide, or a report. Something appropriate for your customer to give to their friend that answers their question and gives them helpful advice at the same time. The last thing you do is start "programming" your customers to introduce you in their conversations at the right time. There are many ways to do it, but the simplest one? Send them a postcard with a note saying.
"Just a quick note in case you hear someone talking about X. If you hear them asking about it, give me a call, or text me, and I'll get you a copy of our XYZ book to give them. This will answer all their questions, and give them helpful advice about X."
Try it out and let me know how it went. Till next time.