It can be a pleasant surprise to receive a referral from an unexpected source. Every now and again being referred a client beyond the reach of your immediate circle of trust can give your sales a little boost. When we receive a new sales lead from an unexpected source we can easily become distracted by the opportunity at hand and forget to take a moment to think about the new source rather than just the impending sale.
Wouldn’t it be nice if you knew where these new sales leads were coming from? What if you could influence the amount of new sales leads that come your way outside of your primary referral groups?
Here’s how…
1. Join a club that has always interested you. Often we get stuck in the same routine and end up at the same business networking clubs with the same old people. From a knitting circle to a racket ball club, you are bound to meet new people who you may be able to share referrals with; you don’t have to necessarily meet under the auspices of “business networking”.
2. Family and friends are often overlooked as referral sources. While you probably don’t end personal conversations with a business card you may not want to miss out on your buddy’s next BBQ.
3. The best referral networkers know how to turn every day situations into mutually beneficial networking opportunities. That guy in front of you at the bank, your dry cleaner, and your fellow commuters are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes everyday networking opportunities. Even an elevator ride is worth a preliminary networking effort.
One of the biggest mistakes a networker can make is overlooking a seemingly irrelevant networking partner. The ability to send and receive indirect referrals is often the same margin that separates mediocre networkers from the pros.
Where do you receive most of your indirect referrals from?
Indicates your referral relationship is balanced,
Indicates an imbalance.