June 06, 2008
Most business people I know cringe at the idea of asking for a referral. Oh, we know we should do it, we certainly want referrals, and we know that it’s a strategy many experts suggest – but when push comes to shove and we’re face-to-face with someone, we seldom ask.
Why?
Well, on the “What would I rather be doing now?” scale, asking for a referral is somewhere between getting your teeth cleaned and showing your bookkeeper that overflowing shoebox of receipts. Both may be necessary, but they’re rather awkward encounters, right? And that’s the first reason why people don’t ask for referrals. It’s awkward. We don’t like to put our friends and colleagues on the spot, nor do we want to appear pushy.
That’s not the only reason that people don’t ask for referrals, either – I can think of at least half a dozen more.
- We don’t like to be in the “beggar” position.
- We worry about being rejected and embarrassed, if we ask for a referral and don’t get one, or if the person makes some excuse to “Call you later” with a friend’s name and never does.
- We don’t like memorizing referral scripts, which is what some experts recommend. It’s not so much that the memorization is a hassle, as is the being flustered when trying to deliver the “script” correctly!
- We simply don’t know yet if a customer has had enough time to assess our product or service. In many industries, the customer simply can’t tell if they’re satisfied until the lawn grows in or their teeth are straightened or they have an accident.
- We hate giving referrals if we don’t get any. This is all-too-common in business networking groups – some people seem to get all the referrals.
- And finally - we just forget!
I’ll bet you can add to the list - please do so using the comment field below.
And if you’re someone who has no problem asking for referrals, please share your secret with us…
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