Why Requested Referrals Are Bad For Business

It's golf season and you know what that means? It means that mediocre salespeople who are mediocre golfers will be inviting their mediocre clients out for an mediocre day of golf in the hopes of pressuring the mediocre customer into giving an extraordinary referral to another mediocre potential customer. And all because it was simply not another ordinary day at the office.

If your people are pressuring your customers into referring you to others, you need to ask yourself: are you worthy of the referral?

If your customers are not referring you without pressure then they are not ravings fans. They're just customers who think you're ordinary like everyone else. Why would a customer refer a mediocre sales rep to others? Because the customer feels indebted by an afternoon of free golf - which has nothing to do with your salespeople or your product.

Instead of attempting to extort a referral from a client, how about taking that five hours of golf and strategizing ways to improve your culture of customer-focus make the customer experience better so that you develop raving fans who are prepared to shout from the rooftops for you? It sure beats some lame, half-hearted, feigned-indifference referral.

Managers, be very aware of what your sale people are doing on the golf courses with customers. They may be actually harming your company while bolstering themselves. Pressuring customers into giving referrals drives a wedge between your company and your customers - especially if you're really only average.

Then there is the follow-up question: are you prepared to enter into a new client relationship with complete honesty built on the back of a pressured referral solicited by a customer's feeling of indebtedness?

Want a referral? Earn it. Don't beg for it.
--
Kevin Burns - Management Attitude/Culture Strategist
http://www.kevburns.com

Creator of Filter-Free Fridays™
Creator of the 90-Day System To A Greatness Culture™

Coming Soon Kevin's 8th Book - "Your Attitude Sucks - Finding Your Excellence In A Wasteland of Mediocrity

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