{"id":17061,"date":"2019-09-16T11:48:00","date_gmt":"2019-09-16T15:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/Life-Insurance-Blog\/a-guide-to-getting-referrals-that-are-just-right\/"},"modified":"2019-09-16T11:48:00","modified_gmt":"2019-09-16T15:48:00","slug":"a-guide-to-getting-referrals-that-are-just-right","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/2019\/09\/16\/a-guide-to-getting-referrals-that-are-just-right\/","title":{"rendered":"A Guide To Getting Referrals That Are Just Right"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
<\/div>\n

\nNot all referrals are created equal. Sometimes a client or center of influence knows exactly who to send your way and you love them for it. But others will refer folks to you with no regard for fit.<\/p>\n

\nSometimes you end up taking on clients who aren\u2019t a good match out of some sense of obligation to the referral source. And with that can come a bit of resentment.<\/p>\n

\nI want to discuss quality over quantity \u2014 about how to increase the likelihood of getting introduced only to prospects who are a perfect fit for your business.<\/p>\n

\nReferrals Vs. Introductions<\/h2>\n

\nI sometimes use the words \u201creferrals\u201d and \u201cintroductions\u201d interchangeably, but there is a difference. Referrals don\u2019t work very well any more. Your client says, \u201cCall George and use my name. That should do it.\u201d But George doesn\u2019t pick up his phone if he doesn\u2019t know who you are. In fact, he\u2019s probably wondering, \u201cWhy did Laura give my name out to this guy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\nInstead, we need to get connected \u2014 introduced. From this moment on, whenever you are talking to prospects, clients and centers of influence about others who might value your work, use the word introduction. \u201cHow do you feel about introducing me to your sister and brother-in-law?\u201d \u201cLet\u2019s discuss the best way for you to introduce me to him; he\u2019ll probably prefer to hear from you before he hears from me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nStrategy No. 1 \u2014 Teach Your Sources Who You Serve The Best<\/h2>\n

\nIf a potential client doesn\u2019t really fit your business \u2014 isn\u2019t suited for the work you like to do and the direction in which you are taking your business \u2014 are you the right person for them? I would submit that you are not. They should be served by someone who is jumping-up-and-down excited to work with them.<\/p>\n

\nThe first line of defense against receiving ill-fitting clients is to teach your clients who you serve the best \u2014 the people for whom you do your best work.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cWe have built our business in a way that allows us to work with certain types of folks who meet a specific criterion. [As you do.] We\u2019re not the right firm for everybody, and I want to make sure we have a chance at being a good fit for the right person. So I thought maybe you can identify someone who you think should know about us, since you have a sense of who we best serve. While I don\u2019t expect you to know the specifics about anyone\u2019s financial situation, you probably have a sense, and that\u2019s very helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nNow you go on to describe some of the demographics of an ideal client, covering such topics as income, assets, age range or anything else that\u2019s important to you.<\/p>\n

\nStrategy No. 2 \u2014 Qualify The Prospect Before You Speak To Them<\/h2>\n

\nYou\u2019re in a meeting with a client and they say something like, \u201cHey, I think I might have a referral for you.\u201d Be flattered that they trust you enough to introduce you to someone, but don\u2019t feel obligated to take that client. Assuming you haven\u2019t made the decision to take on anyone and everyone, just because a client wants to give you a referral doesn\u2019t mean you have to accept it.<\/p>\n

\nEarlier in this article, I made the point that if a client isn\u2019t the right fit for you, then you\u2019re probably not the right person for them. If you agree with that, then why would you even be tempted to create a lose-lose-lose situation?<\/p>\n

\nThe language for this situation is much the same as previously.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cI appreciate the trust you have in the work that I do, enough so you want to let others know about us. Let\u2019s talk about your friend Keith. I\u2019ve probably mentioned to you that we\u2019re not the right firm for everyone, that it\u2019s important for everyone that the fit is just right.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cIf you don\u2019t mind, I\u2019d like to ask you a few questions about Keith\u2019s situation and why you thought of him to see if it makes sense to follow through with an introduction. While I don\u2019t expect you to know the specifics about his financial situation, you probably have a sense, and that would be helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nThe words you choose might be very different from this suggested verbiage. It\u2019s important that whatever you say is authentic for you.<\/p>\n

\nStrategy No. 3 \u2013 Qualify The Prospect Over The Phone<\/h2>\n

\nWhat do you do if a prospect reaches out to you \u2014 referred by a client or center of influence \u2014 and you\u2019re not sure if they are a good fit for you? Qualify them over the phone!<\/p>\n

\nYou don\u2019t want to waste this person\u2019s time or your time if the fit isn\u2019t right. One of my coaching clients, Jayson, isn\u2019t shy about this at all. Here\u2019s what he says to these folks.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cBobby \u2014 It\u2019s great that Diana suggested you reach out to me. She\u2019s been a wonderful client for many years. I know that we are not the right firm for everyone. It\u2019s important to you that you work with a firm perfectly suited for your situation. Let\u2019s chat a bit to see if it makes sense for us to get together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nJayson then shares some of his criteria for a perfect fit. He told me that if the prospect is not a great fit, they will recognize it and pretty much self-select out of the next step.<\/p>\n

\nImportant note No. 1 \u2014 As soon as you get off the phone with a prospect who isn\u2019t a good match, pick up the phone and leave a message for the referral source.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cDiana \u2014 I just got off the phone with Bobby. Nice guy! I appreciate the trust you have in us to recommend us to him. Through our conversation, we determined that the timing wasn\u2019t right for us to get together. Again, thank you so much for this recommendation. I look forward to the next opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nImportant note No. 2 \u2014 In this message to your referral source, you don\u2019t want to reveal any proprietary information. Perhaps the next time you visit with this referral source in person, you can teach them who you serve the best \u2014 in a conversation totally separated from this situation.<\/p>\n

\nRemember the two main things to avoid taking on clients who don\u2019t fit your business:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \nTeach your referral sources who you serve the best.<\/li>\n
  2. \nQualify, qualify, qualify. Don\u2019t create lose-lose relationships.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Read the original article at InsuranceNewsNetMagazine.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Not all referrals are created equal. Sometimes a client or center of influence knows exactly who to send your way and you love them for it. But others will refer folks to you with...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":578,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17061"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/578"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17061"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17061\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}