Just because we receive a referral, it doesn’t mean that the sale is ours and the deal is closed even before we make contact. For all you know, the person being referred to you may have also been referred to someone else, so don’t take your referrals for granted. Treat your referral as though it is someone that you have never heard of before, make believe you were cold calling and came across this name on your list, and when you called them, they showed interest in your product. Now, you would never treat your very own hard earned customer with anything but the best customer service, would you? Of course you wouldn’t, you found this customer on your own through hard work and you want to keep them. Think of your referral in the same light. Far to many times I have seen referrals that have been given to people that just let them sit around for days. The assumption is, I believe, that because this customer was referred to them, that it is a done deal and they can take their time with it. This is not the case. The minute you get a referral, you should be calling that customer, the simple fact that you believe a referral to be a done deal, should be all the reason in the world to call them immediately. The customers point of view . . . If a customer is looking for a particular product or service, and they put the word out on the street, they will be expecting a phone call very soon. Lets suppose you were looking to have your bathroom updated, and a friend of yours referred you to a guy who installs kitchens and bathrooms, and you never heard from the guy, and if you did it was many days after the guy received your referral. You probably wouldn’t be too thrilled about doing business with him now, would you? I doubt it. So the next time you get a referral, make it count, call that customer immediately, they are sitting by the phone, waiting on your call. When it comes to referrals, don’t hesitate for a second, because if you do, your referral could end up in the hands of your competition. Best of Luck
Source: http://www.ArticlePros.com/author.php?jay conners
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