One aspect that distinguishes the mindset of a top producer is that they are referral hunters, they are referral machines! They are willing to put their message out far and wide, regarding expanding their presence and picking up referral business.
Top Producers Ask For Referrals with Confidence
A top producing sales pro doesn’t get caught up in the limiting beliefs that so many people have about referrals or asking for them. These beliefs are things like “this is going to be awkward”, or “it is going to suggest I’m struggling”, or “it’s too soon in a relationship to ask.” When it comes to the topic of referrals people tend to come from what I call the “by the way syndrome”, which is like “it is not that important but…by the way is there anyone you can refer to me?”
Think about how your tone is when you’re coming from a “by the way” stance. Does it make it sound like it’s important to you?
“It is not that important just my livelihood and how I grow my business, but I am just wondering, maybe, kinda, sorta, could you give me a referral?”
Instead, a top producer comes from a position of confidence when they ask for a referral. They realize this is one of the greatest gifts a person making a referral could give. The way you ask for a referral is a good reflection of how confident you are that you can actually help the person they’re referring to you.
In doing that they will ask open-ended questions.They won’t just say “Can you give me a referral? Do you know someone who might benefit from this?” but maybe they’ll explore a little deeper or more action-oriented.
“Let me ask you, who comes to mind? Who do you think of? Who could I reach out to…
“…That would like to receive some consultancy on their energy usage?”
“…That would like to save some money on their budget?”
“… That might want to be better educated with what the market has to offer right now?”
And they have their pen and paper or laptop handy and they are ready to capture names and contact information.
Top Producers Come from a Position of Service
Top producers are able to present their offering with confidence, because they know that their main objective is to help other people. If your intention is to find people that you can help, then it becomes easy to speak freely about what you do and how it can be beneficial for others. Top producers are willing to share with people what they are doing and how they can help with what the problem is.
But perhaps more importantly, top producers also assume that everyone else is also coming from a position of service, and that they also want to help in any way they can. When it comes to asking for a referral, instead of believing that they are inconveniencing someone or making too big of an ask, they expect that others are as willing to help as they are. With that perspective, it no longer becomes too scary or challenging to ask for help.
The more help you get, the more successful you can be.
With these small tweaks in mindset about asking for referrals, you can make a big difference in your prospecting efforts. You’ll find that people are more willing to work with you, and your referrals will increase as you change your perspective and expectations around asking for referrals.
