Avoid this Mistake When Asking for a Referral or Testimonial—With Colleen Francis

RainToday.com's Podcast: Marketing & Selling Professional Services

The kiss of death when asking for a referral or a testimonial is to ask an open-ended question. Asking, "Do you have any referrals for me?" or "Who else do you know?" will only make the client resent you. It will not lead to an introduction to a quality prospect because you're asking the client to do too much work, says Colleen Francis.

"The key to making this work for you is to be specific and to do the work first," says Francis in this excerpt from her webinar, Unleash Your Secret Sales Force: Simple System for Big Deals and Fast Closes.

Approach your client with the names of specific companies you would like to work with whom you think your client can help with, and say something like, "I was thinking that these engineering firms in California—A, B, and C—would be a really great fit for our business. I'm wondering if you can help me with an introduction," Francis says.

Your client will say yes, they can help you, or they will say they don't know them. At which point you ask your client if you can tell the prospect about the work you did with them, Francis adds.

"Clients resent it when you go to them and ask them to do a whole bunch of work for you," she says. "Asking for a referral in that open-ended statement won't get you any referrals … because your clients have other things to do."

But if you ask a specific question, it's hard for them to feel resentful or to not want to help.