To many professional service firms, referrals are precious. They come with rave reviews from a trusted third party. In some cases, they have already helped establish a need. Just close the deal and celebrate, right? Not so fast.

While referrals are great, they don't clinch the deal like they used to. These buyers are open and interested but still need to be convinced of how your value applies to them.

You're Not The Only Referral

To start with, there are two kinds of referrals.

• One is when your champion introduces you to someone they think needs your services. This scenario opens the door; the rest of the conversation is similar to a cold call: find the need, show your value, etc.
  
  
• The second, more valuable kind is a buyer who is looking for a resource, was given you name and has called you.

For the purposes of this article, let's focus on the second, more valuable kind of referral.

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