Market Savvy

John Melchinger--The Marketing Coach™

Asking for Introductions--Rationale

Clients want this

Surveys of clients indicate some attitudes that may, but should not, surprise you. First, of all the things they say they like and dislike, the only constant reply in their “I don’t like. . .” category is “I don’t like the way he asks for referrals.” They add clarifying statements such as, “He acts as if I owe him;” “I am the client, after all, aren’t I?;” “I don’t really know what she wants, so she just gets names;” “This is the only place where I’ve ever seen him hesitate.”

Brokers want this

They must, or they would not have the symptoms of reluctance to ask for referrals, not calling on the people referred, or not liking the referrals in the first place.

What is this?

Imagine, if you will, a not-so-eternal triangle.

Which is the strongest, most important relationship? At first glance you might say that the strongest and most important relationship is between you (the broker) and your client. After a bit more thinking I hope you come around to realize that although this may be true from your perspective, your client probably thinks that the most important relationship is between him and the prospect you want to be introduced to. Draw a line between the broker (you) and the client; then draw a thicker line between your client and the prospect you want to be introduced to.

Why do I hope you come around to see this? Because this is exactly what your clients think, and because marketing focuses on the needs of the buyer, not the preoccupations of the seller to make a transaction now. Give your clients what they want and they will introduce you to very nice prospects. And I mean personal introductions, made face to face; not passively given referrals you have to chase down. Here’s how.

• Choose your best clients to ask for introductions. Identify the ones with whom you share mutual respect, who you also know you would want more of as clients if you could clone them.
  
  
• Develop an “Ideal Client Profile” of those best clients. Make your outline of their important characteristics as close to your ideal as possible. For example, you might list the following for a certain type of business owner:
  
  • Leads a business; a family
  • Cares
  • Open to new ideas
  • Potential to retire successfully
  • Candid
  • Self-directed

You will use this later in some very important interviews, so do it up nicely on your letterhead under the title “My Ideal Client.” Want to see the whole process? Click here.

© JHMCo. All rights reserved.