3 Ways to Beat Referral Fatigue in Sales
Referrals are the heart of new business for most salespeople, providing personal connections to otherwise cold prospects. Skilled salespeople know the critical role that referrals can play in sealing a deal and do everything possible to nurture and grow their referral networks.
Its no surprise that social-networking sites have made the taskof seeking referral seeking easier and more prevalent, providing people multiple ways to ask for introductions to prospective clients. Yet with such an delugeof people asking for and making referrals on a regular basis, salespeople are faced with a new kind of problem: referral fatigue.
When salespeople ask for too many referrals, from close relationships and more distant connections, thiscan overburden their contacts. This also results when salespeople make too many referrals, thereby watering down the strength of their endorsements. To stave this off, beat referral fatigue in sales in these three ways:
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With so many social-networking sites available, it can betempting to sign up for a remotely relevant site for the chance of making new professional connections.
Butmore doesnt mean better in this case. Spreading yourself thin across multiple social-networking sites to make a connection with an old high school friend who knows someone who knows someone at a prospective client firm might not be the best use of of yourtime.
All referrals are not created equal. While sites like Facebook and LinkedIn make it easy to find people you know who have connections to those you want to know, the strength or quality of theirconnection is not always clear. Siteslike LinkedIn can give the wrong impression:It might appear thatsomeone you know has a relationship with a certain person, when in fact the two havent even met.
Without more specific knowledge, it's difficult to figure out which introductions might result in meaningful contacts. Determining the most relevant and important relationships in the social-networking web can make or break a sales referral.
Related:Why You're Thinking About Networking All Wrong
When it comes time to ask for a referral, be sure to ask the right person in the right way. The right person may very well be on one of your social-networking go-to sites orcould be sitting right next to you at work. Take the time to engage in a meaningful exchange to determine if this person can accomplish what you desire.
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3 Ways to Beat Referral Fatigue in Sales