It’s still a small world after all.

Globalization and technological developments have made the world seem larger and more impersonal than ever. But people still connect with one another. And they still talk—especially before spending money.

Most buyers start out by conducting research. But when it’s time to narrow down the options, where do they turn? Whether they want a new accountant, a builder, a marketing firm, a lawyer, a technology solution, or a new bank, most people don’t pick one at random via Google. They ask the people they trust whom they trust.

For companies and salespeople, this is really good news. Because referral selling is, hands down, the most effective and least expensive way to attract and retain new clients.

Another Competitor Bites the Dust

Relationships still power our lives—and our sales. Want to knock out your competition? Adopt the only sales strategy where you get meetings at the level that counts and arrive pre-sold, having already earned trust and credibility. It’s the only strategy that is guaranteed to shorten your sales process, and to eliminate sales and marketing costs. It’s the only strategy that converts prospects into clients more than 50 percent of the time. It’s called referral selling.

Think about it. Would you prefer to do business with:

• Someone who reached out to you via a cold call, or
• Someone you met through a friend or colleague with whom you have an established, respected relationship?

It’s really a no-brainer. While your competition is still playing around on social media, trying to figure out who the decision-maker is, you’re in the conference room sealing the deal.

Referrals Win Every Time

The business case for referrals is loud and clear:

• Decision-makers always meet with those referred by people they know and trust.
• If your competition gets to the decision-maker first, you’re out of the game.
• When you get the referral introduction, you win.

It really is that simple.

No other sales or marketing strategy delivers such powerful, predictable results. Yet, 95 percent of companies do not have a written referral-selling strategy, written weekly referral goals, referral-selling skills, accountability for results, or a system to track and measure referrals. Referrals are the missing link in every company’s business-development strategy.

It’s time to make referrals the way your company attracts new clients—and to make asking for referrals your priority, not an afterthought. Fill your pipeline with only HOT referral prospects, and you’ll never have to worry about hitting your numbers again.

For more on how to leverage technology AND relationships for sales success, get your copy of Pick Up the Damn Phone!: How People, Not Technology, Seal the Deal—now available on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble. Or get the digital version for your Kindle or Nook.

Comment Here

When has a referral been your key to meeting with a prospect you otherwise couldn’t get on the phone?