The Only 4 Barriers to Getting Referrals

I often write about being more intentional about getting great referrals, but Donnie Boivin , a B2B networking specialist that you should know if you don't already, wrote a great post outlining the only 4 reasons you're not getting referrerals.

He starts off with an important definition:

A referral is an introduction with a sales call attached. This means that both people know that a conversation about making a purchase of your product or service is expected. If no sales call is expected, then it's an introduction, plain and simple.

Here are his 4 reasons you're not getting referrals (slightly condensed):

1. You don't ask, or it's so generic as to be useless ("know anyone who needs marketing?")
2. You're a jerk.
3. People think you're going to sell to their connections, even when it's just an introduction, not a referral. ("If you act like a salesperson, you will be treated like one.")
4. People don't understand what you sell.

We have all sat across from someone, listened to them say what they do, then smiled and nodded. Walking away, having no clue what they do. If you can't say what you do in 5 words or less, and it has to be explained after that, then you don't know what you sell.

It's not the other person's job to figure out how to market you. It's your job.

I love making connections for people.

Mimiran has fields for Ideal Client Profile and Ideal Partner Profile for each contact. so it's easy to be more systematic about connecting. But I had to make the fields smaller, because I didn't realize people would try to write paragraphs in there. Even when I put in their basic info, some folks insist on sending me a "one-pager", or worse, several "one-pagers", sometimes with a few paragraphs in the email, to "explain what I do".

You're not explaining, you're making it worse. You're expecting me to figure out your marketing for you. I am not smart enough for that and I don't have enough free time. I am a low-level, low-skilled sales rep for you that you need to empower understanding my constraints. Then, I will be very happy to introduce and refer you when appropriate.

(Thanks again to Donnie Boivin -- make sure you connect with him.)