It’s time to get serious about business referrals. In spite of numerous misconceptions and poor implementation, referrals in business are where the power is. But the first step to harnessing this power is understanding just what referral selling is and how it feeds your sales machine.
Is Winning Cheating?
“Sales is hard enough. Let’s cheat and ask for referrals.” Those were the exact words of a sales executive when asked about the top business development activities for sales reps. I almost fell off my chair. He had just presented the audience with a five-step prospecting plan that included many lead generation techniques—including cold calling, emails, voicemail, and social media touches. Then he told us we can actually shortcut the sales process and “cheat with business referrals.”
Are you as flummoxed as I was? B2B salespeople have worked hard to elevate the reputation of our profession, establish ourselves as valuable business resources, and distance