The Ideal Time for You to Ask for Referrals

One of the most effective and efficient ways to increase your sales is with referrals. 

Why?  Because when someone comes to you via referral they have the majority of their buying decision made – making your sales conversations more helpful to your potential client and profitable for you.

When you are looking for ways to increase your referrals, you may overlook the important detail of when you are asking for referrals.

“When you ask” includes the timing within your sales cycle and the timing within your sales conversations. Be sure to include these critical elements when you are looking to increase the number of referrals you are getting.

Timing is important because if you ask for referrals too soon or too late, you reduce your chances of getting referrals (worst case scenario) or you make it harder for you to get referrals (best case scenario).

Have you asked for a referral too soon? 

There are signs for you to read from your clients and there are things that you will have done that will let you know if your timing is good or not.

If a client hasn’t given you positive feedback indicating they are more than satisfied, you have probably asked too soon. Typically you want to ask and confirm that clients are satisfied with your product or service before you ask for a referral. So if you haven’t inquired about how satisfied they are with you and your product or service, you were probably asking too soon.

Have you asked for a referral too late? 

You know you’ve asked too late when you have to remind clients of what you and your product have done for them. You want to be asking when the successes they gain from your product or service are fresh in their mind. This timeframe will vary depending on the lasting effects of the benefits of your product or service.

Reflect on your recent sales conversations with your clients when you asked for a referral. Pick one conversation at a time and use a chart like the one below.  List the name of the client and then select the response that is most accurate about your sales cycle timing and your sales conversation timing.

You’ll begin to see a pattern in your timing of asking for referrals. Once you know your pattern, you can adjust your timing of asking for a referral accordingly.

The timing of when you ask for a referral can define the success of your referral results.  

Author: Peri Shawn has been teaching the neuroscience of leadership and buying for 20 years. She works with business leaders and their teams.