Consider the following:
88% of people trust referrals from people they know more than any other channel. Source: Nielsen
Now consider the challenges your salespeople may face:
- Not enough qualified leads.
- Losing to competitors too often.
- Not achieving sales plan.
Referrals can address these challenges by providing more qualified leads, the inside track on your competition, and more sales. And building a strong professional network can help your salespeople get more referrals.
Here are some tips for building a professional sales network:
- Be intentional. Create a plan with measurable goals to grow the network and generate more referrals.
- Leverage social media, especially LinkedIn, by optimizing the LinkedIn Profile, engaging an audience with relevant content, and connecting with industry professionals and prospective customers.
- Attend and participate in industry events such as trade shows, conferences, and networking events to meet prospects, peers, and mentors.
- Join local networking groups to make connections and participate in programs that support local communities and businesses.
- Build relationships with customers by providing exceptional service to create credibility.
And, last but certainly not least, learn how to effectively ask for referrals. This is more than asking “who do you know who might benefit from our products and services?” It is a disciplined, step-by-step process:
- Determine who to ask for referrals (these are your Centers of Influence aka COIs) by analyzing their 1st degree LinkedIn connections to see who fits your target prospect profile.
- Create a list of each COI’s connections that fit your target prospect profile. Ideally, this will be 5 to 10 names.
- Meet with each COI to review their list and ask to be introduced to any mutually agreed upon connections.
- Provide the COI with an introductory email that they can easily copy and send to each mutually agreed upon connection.
- Once the COI sends the introductory email, immediately follow up to schedule an initial meeting.
- And remember to return the favor by introducing your COIs to your connections!
In summary, building a professional sales network and leveraging it for referrals requires a methodical approach that can remove common barriers to selling success. If you would like to learn more about this approach and how Keylan can help your salespeople effectively employ it, please contact us at info@keylangroup.com or 216.410.3024.
