How to Get the Referrals Hiding in Your Professional Network

Today, we want to share a practical, actionable tip to help you get more business.

Recently, we talked about the importance of referral and repeat business, and we shared some strategies for maximizing the repeat and referral business you generate from your existing database.

Today, we're going to look at another source of referral business: Your professional network.

Your Professional Network

Take a second and think about all the professionals you might interact while helping a buyer or seller. There's an appraiser, mortgage lender, title company, carpenter, painters, stager, and interior decorator, just to name a few!

On average, there are between 10 to 15 professionals you'll interact with during the buying or selling process, and each of those professionals is a potential source of referral business.

But most of us aren't used to thinking that way. We hand out those referrals to buyers and sellers regularly, but don't always think about them as a potential source of our own referrals.

The thing is, for most of these relationships, we've spent time, energy, money, and resources cultivating and nurturing these relationships. There's already trust there. You just need to take the steps to ask for your own referrals.

But it can feel awkward to just go straight in and ask for more business. "Hey, I refer your business, now please return the favor..."

Instead, try this conversation:

As you can see, it's conversational, easy to do, and most people will take you up on an offer like that!

When you sit down for coffee, you continue the conversational tone. Get to know the individual on a personal level. Ask about their business, life, family, what they are into, etc. Then, at the end of the conversation, thank them for their time, and ask, "What is going to be the very best way for me to refer you business?"

Going the Extra Mile

By going the extra mile and building a personal relationship, you're showing that you care. And essentially, that's what's that heart of sales.

Sales is caring about the other human being, building the relationship, asking questions, and then determining how you can serve them. When you do that, they are instantly going to think, "How can I take care of Garry, because nobody else has taken the time like this?"

It's a process you can use to build relationships and be top of mind for referrals with anyone in your professional network. In fact, in the Agent Sales Accelerator Program (ASAP), we identify 104 potential professional relationships for you to go and develop.

Follow Garry's 555 rule:

• Five new contacts a week
• Five new contacts in your database
• Five handwritten notes

and you'll build a MASSIVE network of potential business!

We'll show you exactly how in ASAP. In the meantime, stay tuned for more sales acceleration tips!

To view the original article, visit the Paperless Agent blog.