By Dean Belisle, National Sales Trainer
Do you know…
Your sales team is asking for referrals and then ignoring them entirely. All of them!
You may be thinking, “How can this be? Does Dean even know what he is talking about? How does he know what my team is doing?”
Yes — I do know what I am talking about. I visit dealers all across North America. I meet with the owners, senior managers and sales teams. Most salespeople are uncomfortable asking for referrals and, in fact, they rarely do ask for them. Many of you are probably experiencing this too.
You may have another question at this point. “You stated that my team is asking for referrals and then ignoring them entirely. This contradicts what you just said in that it is rare we ever ask for referrals. What gives?”
Consider this: It’s a fact that we retrieve a “referral list” on every new sale AND from every client we service. We just don’t call it a “referral list” — but rather an Emergency Contact List.
How about a quick look at what a referral is? Most consider a referral to be a recommendation from a close friend, family member and/or business associate. Someone we know, trust and who we care about their well-being. Sounds just like the type of person we would include on our Emergency Contact List, doesn’t it?
It sounds so simple when stated in this way. But, most of us have never considered marketing to our Contact List. We collect this information, keep it updated and use it on a regular basis to provide our clients with safety and security. Yet, we rarely use it to expand our message to the exact audience that is most receptive to our message - the friends, family and business associates of our clients that know and trust us.
Consider this… if you have a client base of 1,000, each of these clients should have five contacts listed on their Emergency Contact List. Simple math tells us that is about 5,000 potential clients and referrals. If you are installing 200 new systems per year, that’s about 1,000 new referral opportunities each year. You see where I am going here?
Now, it’s not exactly that easy. If done properly, your organization looks like a model in proper customer service. If done poorly, you may appear to be just another sales operation.
As your partner in success, DMP has created sales programs and initiatives to help you in areas like referral generation. We have a program designed just for you that highlights a customer service approach to utilizing your Emergency Contact List to drive referrals and growth in your organization.
Reach out today and schedule training for you and your team. DMP Sales Academy is your opportunity for success, right at your fingertips.
This article originally appeared in Issue 3 of the Security Dealer Digest.
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